Nobel Peace Prize winners warn of rising risk of nuclear war

Nobel Peace Prize winners warn of rising risk of nuclear war
People pray in front of the cenotaph at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima city on October 12, 2024. The Nobel Peace Prize was on October 11, 2024 awarded to the Japanese anti-nuclear group Nihon Hidankyo, a grassroots movement of atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, also known as Hibakusha. (AFP)
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Updated 12 October 2024
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Nobel Peace Prize winners warn of rising risk of nuclear war

Nobel Peace Prize winners warn of rising risk of nuclear war

TOKYO: Leaders of the group of atomic bomb survivors awarded the Nobel Peace Prize warned on Saturday that the risk of nuclear war was rising, renewing their call to abolish nuclear weapons.
“The international situation is getting progressively worse, and now wars are being waged as countries threaten the use of nuclear weapons,” said Shigemitsu Tanaka, a survivor of the 1945 US bombing of Nagasaki and co-head of the Nihon Hidankyo group.
“I fear that we as humankind are on the path to self-destruction. The only way to stop that is to abolish nuclear,” he said.
In awarding the survivors, the Norwegian Nobel Committee highlighted the devastation of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Japanese group’s decades-long work to rid the world of nuclear weapons.
The group’s endeavours have critical importance in the world today, the committee said. It did not specify any countries.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signalled last month that Moscow would consider responding with nuclear weapons if the US and its allies allow Ukraine to strike deep inside Russia with long-range Western missiles.


Somali pirates demand ransom for Chinese vessel

Somali pirates demand ransom for Chinese vessel
Updated 08 December 2024
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Somali pirates demand ransom for Chinese vessel

Somali pirates demand ransom for Chinese vessel

MOGADISHU: Somali pirates who hijacked a Chinese fishing boat have demanded a ransom payment for the vessel and its 18 crew members, police and local officials said.

It was not immediately clear when the ship was taken hostage by gunmen wielding AK-47 assault rifles but the EU’s anti-piracy force drew global attention to the incident on Thursday.

“The pirates are moving the ship off the coast ... they are looking for a safe haven,” Mohamed Dini, a police officer in Eyl, a traditional pirate stronghold on Puntland’s east coast, said.

The boat was hijacked by men who had been contracted to provide “protection” before later being reinforced by other pirates, Dini said, adding that they had demanded payment for its release.

Ali Warsame, a local elder familiar with the case, said a Somali company acting on the boat’s behalf had offered to pay a $300,000 ransom. But the proposal was declined by the pirates. Local fishermen said the boat came close to Eyl on Friday, but the pirates pushed back into the sea out of fear of Puntland’s coast guards.

But “they cannot move deeper toward the ocean because they are afraid of the foreign military ships,” said fisherman Abdirahman Said.


Migrants who survived Madagascar boat tragedy arrive back in Somalia

Migrants who survived Madagascar boat tragedy arrive back in Somalia
Updated 08 December 2024
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Migrants who survived Madagascar boat tragedy arrive back in Somalia

Migrants who survived Madagascar boat tragedy arrive back in Somalia
  • Survivors were stranded in the ocean for 13 days after their boat’s engines failed

MOGADISHU: Nearly 50 survivors of a migrant boat tragedy last month that left 25 people dead in the Indian Ocean off Madagascar arrived back in Somalia and were received by government officials.

The survivors aged 17 to 50 wore outfits made of fabric with the Somali national flag colors as they disembarked from a plane in the capital, Mogadishu, visibly relieved to return to safety.

Many young Somalis embark every year on dangerous journeys in search of better opportunities abroad. The UN agency has previously raised concerns over the rise in irregular migration from Horn of Africa countries as people flee from conflict and drought.

The survivors told The Associated Press that they were stranded in the ocean for 13 days after their boat’s engines failed.

Ahmed Hussein, traveling with his now-deceased cousin, said they were heading to Europe hoping for a better life. Two vessels carrying the migrants departed Somalia early last month.

“We were split into two small boats. The engine broke down, and we drifted at sea for 13 days with no functioning engine. We had no food or water, and the (few) dates we had ran out during those 13 days. We survived by catching some fish,” he said.

Officials in Madagascar and Somalia had earlier said the boats capsized but offered no further explanation. The authorities had also put the number of survivors at 48 but only 47 arrived in Somalia and the whereabouts of one survivor remained unclear.

The boats left from a beach near the Somali capital, Mogadishu, on Nov. 2 with 73 people on board and were believed to be headed to the French region of Mayotte, according to Jean-Edmond Randrianantenaina, the head of Madagascar’s Maritime Ports Agency. Mayotte, an archipelago, is around 1,600 kilometers from Mogadishu.

Abdirashid Ibrahim, another survivor, recalled how some survivors had swollen ankles and couldn’t walk after being rescued. “On the boat, we had nowhere to sleep, no food, and we were crammed together. Some people died from shock, and others succumbed to starvation,” he said.

Abdulkadir Burgal, director of the Africa Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who was at the airport to receive the survivors, told journalists that some of the people who helped the migrants embark on the dangerous journey had been arrested while others died in the incident.

“Eight people involved in the trafficking of Somali migrants have been arrested,” he said.

Maryan Yasin, the president’s special envoy for migration, said the survivors were happy to be home.

“They assured me they will never take the same risk again.” The Somali government is committed to finding a resolution, and this resolution will be a collective effort,” she said.


Ghana’s ex-president Mahama returns with election win

Ghana’s ex-president Mahama returns with election win
Updated 08 December 2024
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Ghana’s ex-president Mahama returns with election win

Ghana’s ex-president Mahama returns with election win

ACCRA: Ghana’s former President John Drahami Mahama won a historic comeback election victory on Sunday after the ruling party accepted defeat with voters appearing to punish them for the government’s handling of an economic crisis.

Following Saturday’s election, New Patriotic Party candidate Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia on Sunday conceded Ghanaians wanted change after he failed to shake off widespread frustration over high costs of living.

His defeat ended eight years in power for the NPP under President Nana Akufo-Addo, whose last term was marked by the west African state’s worst economic turmoil in years, high inflation and a debt default.

For opposition National Democratic Congress party’s Mahama, president from 2012-2017, it was his third attempt to reclaim the top post after falling short in 2016 and 2020 elections.

“Former President Mahama has won the presidential election decisively,” Bawumia told a press conference.

Mahama’s NDC also won the parliament elections, Bawumia said, referring to the NPP’s own internal collation of election results.

“The people of Ghana have spoken, the people have voted for change at this time and we respect it with all humility,” he said.

The speedy concession came as official vote tallies were still arriving.

Blaring horns and whistles and waving the party’s green, white and red flags, Mahama supporters took the streets to celebrate outside the party campaign office in the capital Accra.

“They said he can’t come back, and he has come. The nation builder is back to build our Ghana for us,” said trader and Mahama supporter Leyla Alhassan enjoying the celebrations.

Mahama has yet to speak publicly. But on his X account, Mahama confirmed he received Bawumia’s congratulatory call over his “emphatic victory.”

The US Embassy in Accra also applauded a “successful election that reflects the will of the Ghanaian people.”

“The US looks forward to continuing our strong partnerships under” Mahama, it said on X.

Ghana’s economic woes dominated the election, after the continent’s top gold producer and world’s second cacao exporter went through a crisis of default and currency devaluation, ending with a $3 billion IMF bailout.

Earlier, NDC spokesman Sammy Gyamfi told reporters the party’s internal review of results showed Mahama won 56.3 percent of the vote against 41.3 percent for Bawumia.


Supporters of Bangladesh Nationalist Party march in protest at attacks in India

Supporters of Bangladesh Nationalist Party march in protest at attacks in India
Updated 08 December 2024
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Supporters of Bangladesh Nationalist Party march in protest at attacks in India

Supporters of Bangladesh Nationalist Party march in protest at attacks in India
  • Bangladesh has accused Hindus of attacking its assistant high commissioner’s office in Agartala, desecrating Bangladeshi flags in Kolkata
  • The protests came a day before India’s foreign secretary, Vikram Misri, is due to visit Dhaka amid growing tension between the two neighbors

DHAKA: Thousands of members of three youth and student bodies belonging to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party marched toward the Indian High Commission in the country’s capital on Sunday to denounce attacks on a diplomatic mission and alleged desecration of Bangladeshi flags in India.
The protests came a day before India’s foreign secretary, Vikram Misri, is due to visit Dhaka amid growing tension between the two neighbors in recent months.
It will be the first high-profile diplomatic visit by an Indian official since the fall of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is in exile in India, in August.
Bangladesh, which is predominantly Muslim, has accused the majority Hindus in India of attacking the Assistant High Commissioner’s office at Agartala in the Indian state of Tripura and desecrating Bangladeshi flags in Kolkata in West Bengal state.
India said it regretted the attacks and pledged to take action against those responsible. Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also summoned the Indian High Commissioner and protested formally.
On Sunday, thousands of supporters of the BNP, which is headed by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, marched toward the Indian High Commission, but police stopped them by setting up barbed wire fences. They later allowed a team of six leaders of the three associate bodies of the party to hand in a letter to the High Commission.
The BNP last ruled Bangladesh in 2001-2006 in partnership with the Jamaat-e-Islami party. In the absence of Hasina, Zia’s party is the main force and it is expected to win the next election if it happens sometime soon.
Hasina, whose party is seen as more secular than the BNP, is highly regarded by India as a trusted friend. Most Hindus in Bangladesh are considered to be supporters of Hasina’s Awami League party.
The BNP supporters chanted slogans such as “Delhi or Dhaka? Dhaka, Dhaka!” and “Agents of India, be careful, be careful!” They also carried banners reading “We have friends overseas, but not masters.”
The protesters said India has been trying to instigate communal riots in Bangladesh to achieve political mileage since the ouster of Hasina, who fled to India following a mass uprising that ended her 15-year rule. Hasina’s party is struggling to get back on the streets while Hasina herself is facing arrest warrants on charges of crimes against humanity involving the deaths of hundreds of protesters during the uprising in July and August.
Over the past few weeks, some smaller Islamist groups and the BNP have protested against India over the attacks in Tripura and urged the interim government, led by Nobel peace laureate Muhammad Yunus, to officially raise concerns.
The situation started becoming tense after authorities in Bangladesh last month arrested a prominent Bangladeshi Hindu leader and jailed him, pending further legal procedures.
India had earlier officially raised concern over allegations of attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh after the fall of Hasina. Yunus and his close aides said the reports were exaggerated.
Bangladesh has been navigating crucial challenges since August amid mob violence, rising commodity prices, street protests and an unstable economy. The presence of Islamist groups has been visible more than ever in recent months.
The police are demoralized because many of their colleagues were killed in the protests and law and order remains a major concern, with rights groups also calling for ensuring press freedom. About 700 inmates including many criminals and radical Islamists still remain at large after jailbreaks during the political chaos in August.
Yunus has been urging people to stay calm, promising improvement.


Indian defense minister visits Russia to strengthen military ties

Indian defense minister visits Russia to strengthen military ties
Updated 08 December 2024
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Indian defense minister visits Russia to strengthen military ties

Indian defense minister visits Russia to strengthen military ties
  • Visit of Delhi’s top defense official comes ahead of Putin’s expected visit to India in 2025
  • Indian minister will commission Russian-made warship for the Indian Navy as part of the trip

NEW DELHI: Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh began a three-day trip to Russia on Sunday, as New Delhi seeks to further strengthen its military cooperation with Moscow.

Russia is India’s biggest crude oil supplier and the main source of its military hardware, with their bilateral ties spanning over seven decades.

During his visit, Singh is set to commission the Indian Navy’s latest warship, a multi-role stealth guided missile frigate INS Tushil in Kaliningrad on Monday, alongside the Chief of the Naval Staff Adm. Dinesh K. Tripathi, the Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

He will also co-chair with his Russian counterpart, Andrey Belousov, a meeting of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military and Military Technical Cooperation on Tuesday.

“The two leaders will review the entire range of multi-faceted relations between the two countries in the field of defence, including military-to-military and industrial cooperation. They will also exchange views on contemporary regional and global issues of mutual interest,” the statement read.

Singh’s visit follows a series of high-level meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this year, which includes their July meeting in Moscow.

Modi and Putin also met in Kazan in October, on the sidelines of the 2024 BRICS summit.

Putin is expected to visit India early next year, according to reports citing the Kremlin.

The Indian defense minister’s visit will “symbolize” how the India-Russia partnership has continued at a time “when other states have turned against Russia,” particularly since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, said Amitabh Singh, associate professor at the Center for Russian and Central Asian Studies in Jawaharlal Nehru University.

“This visit is in continuation with the annual meeting that (the defense ministers) have. This becomes all the more relevant in the context of ongoing conflict in West Asia and Ukraine,” he told Arab News.

New Delhi has abstained from publicly criticizing Russia over the Ukraine war and did not join the chorus of international sanctions slapped on Moscow, despite pressure from Western countries.

While India’s dependence on Russian military hardware has decreased over the years as it diversified supply from other countries, Moscow still plays an important role for Indian defense needs, Singh said.

“India has not given up on Russia despite the differences and difficulties that the Russian military supplies are facing,” he added.

“We cannot stop our collaboration. We want to reduce our dependence, but we can’t simply shrug off our dependence on Russia.”