BARCELONA: Spanish police mounted a counter-terrorism operation in Barcelona and a nearby city on Tuesday against an alleged militant Islamist cell suspected of plotting an attack, local officials said.
Officers arrested 18 people in Barcelona and Igualada, 60 kilometres (40 miles) west of the Catalan capital, as part of the raid, Catalonia's Mossos d'Esquadra police said in a statement.
Five suspects were arrested for terrorism offences while the rest allegedly committed theft, drug trafficking and other crimes to help support the cell's activities.
The five "were in an advanced process of radicalisation with the aim to attack," the statement said.
"The group defended the doctrine and actions of the jihadist movement and they consumed a significant amount of publications that advocated the theses of Daesh," it added, using the Arabic acronym for the so-called Islamic State group.
The authorities said the suspects were constantly under surveillance and there was never any danger to the public.
The suspects "intended to carry out an attack", but police work "ensured that at no moment did they have the capacity to carry out these actions," Catalan regional interior minister Miquel Buch said.
More than 100 officers were taking part in the "counter-terrorism operation" launched by the Catalan police force at 6:00 am (0500 GMT), the Mossos said on Twitter.
Armed officers, wearing black ski masks, stood guard outside a building in central Barcelona as boxes and bags were removed from a flat, according to an AFP reporter on the scene.
The operation was ordered by Spain's High Court, which is charged with terrorism investigations and had been investigating the suspected cell since mid-2017.
One of the suspects was arrested in the Catalan town of Igualada while the rest were detained in Barcelona.
The five people arrested for terrorism offences are aged 33-44. Three are from Algeria, while the others are from Libya and Iraq.
The rest of the suspects had Algerian, Spanish, Egyptian, Moroccan, Lebanese and Iraqi citizenship.
Barcelona, Spain's most visited city, was on alert last month after the US State Department warned of the risk of a terrorist attack in Spain's second-largest city over Christmas.
Spanish media reported at the time that the authorities were looking for a Moroccan man with a licence to drive buses who could try to drive a bus or other large vehicle into crowds in Barcelona.
On August 17, 2017, a van rammed crowds on Barcelona's Las Ramblas boulevard, killing 14 people and injuring more than 130 others.
The 22-year-old Moroccan driver then stole a car after killing the driver and fled.
Several hours later five of his accomplices mowed down pedestrians on the promenade of the seaside resort of Cambrils, south of Barcelona, before stabbing a woman to death.
The Daesh group claimed responsibility for the attack, Spain's worst since the Madrid train bombings in 2004 when 191 people died and more than 1,800 were injured.
Spain has had its terrorist alert at the second-highest level since 2015.
Catalonia has a long history of Islamist militant activity. A member of the Algerian Armed Islamic Group (GIA) was uncovered in the region in 1995.
Mohammed Atta, who flew a passenger plane into a tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, in New York, spent time in Catalonia shortly before the attacks.
In 2008, a plot targeting Barcelona's metro system was foiled when it was in its advanced stages.
In a separate operation, police arrested a 27-year-old Moroccan national in the southern province of Malaga who allegedly used several social network profiles to express his allegiance to the Daesh group.
Spanish police raid Barcelona cell suspected of plotting attack
Spanish police raid Barcelona cell suspected of plotting attack
- Officers arrested 18 people in Barcelona and Igualada as part of the raid
KP CM directs authorities to remain alert as rains kill 5, injure 8 in two days
- Heavy rains in northwestern Pakistan since Apr. 12 have killed at least 65, injured over 80
- KP chief minister asks authorities to submit detailed report on losses suffered due to heavy rains
PESHAWAR: The chief minister of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on Sunday directed authorities to remain alert after heavy rains in the northwestern province killed five and injured eight in the last two days.
At least 65 people have been killed and over 80 injured in KP from rain-related incidents since Apr. 12. Three men and two women were killed in the last two days from rain-related incidents while five children, two men and one woman were reported to be injured, the latest report from the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said.
“Fourteen houses in total were damaged due to lightning strikes and from the walls or roofs of the house collapsing,” the report said. “One house was completely destroyed while 13 were damaged.”
The deaths were reported in KP’s Bajaur, Battagram, Mansehra, Buner, Dir Upper and Lower districts, the PDMA said.
“KP CM Ali Amin Gandapur has directed district administrations and other concerned departments to remain alert in view of the upcoming rain spell in the province,” the state-run Radio Pakistan said.
Gandapur asked authorities to submit a detailed report on the losses suffered due to heavy rains in the province.
“The provincial government is with the affected people during this hour of grief,” Gandapur said, according to a statement from his office. “Those affected will not be left alone and they will be offered every help.”
Separately, the PDMA has issued an alert about rains and snowfall in different parts of the province, adding that the current spell of rain will continue in the city till Tuesday.
“The PDMA has advised all the relevant departments to stay alert for restoring road links for traffic in case of closure due to landslides,” Radio Pakistan reported.
“The control room of PDMA is operational round the clock and people can contact by dialing 1700 in case of any emergency.”
A Hindu festival in southwestern Pakistan brings a mountainous region to life
- Pakistan’s largest Hindu festival, Hinglaj Yatra, began on Friday and ends on Sunday
- Organizers says more than 100,000 are expected to participate in the festival
HINGLAJ, Pakistan: The ascent of steep mud volcanoes marks the start of Hindu pilgrims’ religious rituals in southwestern Pakistan.
They climb hundreds of stairs or clamber over rocks to reach the summit, tossing coconuts and rose petals into the shallow crater while seeking divine permission to visit Hinglaj Mata, an ancient cave temple that is the focus of their three-day worship.
The dramatic surroundings of Hingol National Park in Baluchistan province are the setting for Pakistan’s largest Hindu festival, Hinglaj Yatra, which started on Friday and ends on Sunday. Organizers say more than 100,000 Hindus are expected to participate.
Muslim-majority Pakistan is home to 4.4 million Hindus, just 2.14 percent of the population, and Hinglaj Mata is one of the few Hindu sites that continues to draw large numbers of pilgrims every year from across the country.
Muslims and Hindus generally live peacefully in Pakistan, from where most of the Hindus migrated to India when it was divided by British colonialists in 1947. But there have been attacks on Hindu temples in recent years as relations between the rivals remain tense.
Hindus believe Hinglaj Mata is one the places where the remains of Sati, the goddess of marital felicity and longevity, fell to earth after she ended her life.
Maharaj Gopal, the temple’s most senior cleric, explains why people flock to it.
“It is the most sacred pilgrimage in the Hindu religion,” said Gopal. “Whoever visits the temple and worships accordingly during these three days will have all of their sins forgiven.”
The journeys begin hundreds of kilometers (miles) away, mostly from neighboring Sindh province. Hundreds of packed buses set off from cities like Hyderabad and Karachi, traveling along the Makran Coastal Highway that hugs Pakistan’s south and southwest.
But there’s scant parking and vehicular access to the holy sites, so many pilgrims disembark and complete their travel by walking over parched and rocky terrain, sometimes barefoot and carrying children or luggage.
It’s a few kilometers (miles) from the main road to the mud volcano and then, from there, almost 45 kilometers (25 miles) to Hinglaj Mata.
Winds buffet the desert-like conditions, churning up dust that whips the eyes, nose and mouth. The pilgrims’ festive cheer and brightly colored apparel are a contrast to the arid landscape. Strong gusts distort people’s celebratory cries of “Jai mata di” and “Jai shiv shankar.”
Kanwal Kumar, 28, was visiting the temple for the first time with her husband. “We have yet to conceive a child after six years of marriage, so we are hopeful for help from the goddess,” she said. “We believe that no one returns empty-handed. All wishes are granted by Hinglaj Mata.”
The Hindu festival brings the Pakistani park to life. Hundreds of stalls spring up to sell snacks, drinks, jewelry, and clothing. Vats of hot food are prepared in the open air or thatched huts. Pilgrims purchase coconuts, sweetmeats, flowers, and incense for their ritualistic offerings.
Aloo Kumar, 55, wanted to express her gratitude to Lord Shiva, one of Hinduism’s three most important deities. “He blessed our family with a grandson,” Kumar said, gesturing toward the boy beside her cradling his baby sibling. “We prayed for a grandson during last year’s festival.”
Hinglaj Mata thrums with activity, even after dark. Fairy lights and other decorations adorn the shrine and pilgrims jostle for position in front of it, sometimes holding up babies so the deities can bless them. Stewards urge them to pay their respects and move along.
The park’s Hingol River provides Hindu pilgrims with the opportunity for ritual bathing, like the Ganges in India.
While there is no ban on Hindu worship in Pakistan, openly practicing the faith is not routine as ties between India and Pakistan are broken. Their interactions are riddled with animosity and suspicion after having fought three wars, built up their armies and armed them with nuclear weapons.
Travel restrictions and hostile bureaucracies largely keep people from crossing the border for leisure, study and work, although the countries sometimes make exceptions for religious pilgrimages, usually for India’s Sikhs.
The decades of political hostility present a challenge for the minority Hindu community, as many in Pakistan equate Hindus with India. The reverse exists in India, where Muslims complain of discrimination.
Versimal Divani, the general secretary of Hinglaj Mata, lamented that only Hindus in Pakistan can attend the festival.
“We can visit this temple in our beloved country whenever our heart desires,” said Divani. “But this is not the case for the rest of the world’s Hindus. I would like the Pakistani government to issue them visas so they can come here and take blessings with them. It’s good for people-to-people contact and it’s good for the economy too.”
Pakistan considers Chinese nationals’ security its ‘core responsibility,’ says interior minister
- Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi meets Chinese Consul General Zhao Shiren in Islamabad
- A suicide attack in northwestern Pakistan last month killed five Chinese engineers and a Pakistani
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi this week assured China’s consul general that the security of Chinese nationals in the South Asian country is Pakistan’s “core responsibility,” state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said, as Islamabad looks to bolster security of foreign nationals amid a surge in attacks.
Pakistan says it has taken steps to enhance Chinese nationals’ security in the country after a suicide bomber last month attacked a convoy of Chinese engineers working on a hydropower project in the northwestern town of Dasu. Five Chinese engineers and their Pakistani driver were killed in the attack.
The attack was the third major one in a little over a week on China’s interests in the South Asian nation, where Beijing has invested over $65 billion in energy, infrastructure and other projects as part of its wider Belt and Road initiative.
“Chinese nationals’ safety is our core responsibility, instructions have been issued to the concerned agencies to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens,” Naqvi told Chinese Consul General Zhao Shiren during a meeting in Islamabad on Saturday.
“The minister informed about the measures taken about the security of Chinese citizens, adding that it is our national responsibility.”
The minister assured Shiren that Pakistani authorities would not allow conspiracies to harm Pakistan’s friendship with China.
Meanwhile, the Chinese envoy said the two countries were all-weather friends.
Chinese interests in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province have also been under attack primarily by the militants, who seek to push Beijing out of the mineral-rich territory.
Pakistan is home to an insurgency launched by ethnic Baloch separatists who seek secession from the central government in the country, blaming it for the inequitable division of natural resources in the southwestern Balochistan province. The government denies this.
Nadal gets even with De Minaur at Madrid Open but still doubts his body can hold up at French Open
- Nadal is no longer aiming to add to his 92 career titles after being decimated by injuries in recent years
- Top-seeded Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek brushed aside their first opponents
MADRID: Rafael Nadal tore his headband off, thrust his arms in the air, and soaked up the cheers. It was only a second-round win, but coming from where Nadal had been just a few weeks ago when he couldn’t even get on the court, he could have been savoring a trophy.
He had just beaten 11th-ranked Alex de Minaur 7-6 (6), 6-3 at the Madrid Open on Saturday, avenging a straight-set loss to the Australian less than two weeks ago.
Nadal is no longer aiming to add to his 92 career titles after being decimated by injuries in recent years. The 37-year-old just wants to play like Rafael Nadal, or as close to that as he can. So he is going forward game by game, measuring his efforts to avoid an injury that would likely force his definitive retirement, with the ultimate goal of being competitive one more time at next month’s French Open.
“I have been through some very difficult months when there were moments when I didn’t see the reason to continue, but I had the dream of experiencing feelings like this again and above all at home,” Nadal said. “It was incredible.”
The 22-time Grand Slam champion was cheered on by Spanish King Felipe VI, soccer great Zinedine Zidane and a raucous crowd that packed the Caja Magica to see what will most likely be the tennis great’s last tournament in Spain.
Nadal was playing just his fourth competitive match since his latest injury layoff in his farewell season.
De Minaur beat Nadal just 11 days before in Barcelona, where the Spaniard returned to the courts for the first time in more than three months. Nadal looked much better this time around.
But Nadal said being ready to play at Roland Garros, with its more demanding five-set format, is another matter, especially given the importance he has for the tournament he has won 14 times.
“Roland Garros is the most important tournament of my tennis career, and all the things that I lived there, enjoyed there, stay in my heart forever,” he said.
“So if I am not able to go on court and dream, even if it’s the minimum, minimum percentage, (then) for me doesn’t make sense to go on court. I’d prefer to stay with all the amazing memories that I have. I want to be there, and even losing, but, you know, to go on court with the chance to dream about something important.”
Nadal got a straight-set win over American teenager Darwin Blanch on Thursday, but De Minaur was much stiffer competition and the tension in the stands of Manolo Santana Stadium was palpable.
The first set saw both players break serve twice. De Minaur then saved four set points before Nadal finished him off in the tiebreak to take the lead. Nadal pressed his advantage, broke De Minaur’s first service game of the second set and closed out the victory.
“I’m super happy to be able to be competitive against a great player like Alex, play over two hours,” Nadal said after his first win over a top-20 opponent since 2022. “It means a lot to me and the atmosphere here is just a joke, so I can’t thank enough everybody here.”
Nothing less than sports royalty in his Spain, Nadal grunted out his first “Vamos!” (Let’s go!), more to himself than his staff or fans, after winning his first point. He pumped his fists after landing his hammer of a left-hand drive; he argued heatedly with the chair judge over whether or not he challenged a line call on time; he shook his head when he hit long, chiding himself for not adjusting to Madrid’s high altitude.
And the crowd ate it up, shouting “Viva Rafa!” between points and “Ole! Ole! Ole!” after his backhand winner set up match point. De Minaur double-faulted to do himself in.
Nadal has won a record five times in Madrid, the last time in 2017.
Next up will he face Pedro Cachin in the third round after the Argentine beat Frances Tiafoe 7-6 (1), 3-6, 6-4.
TOP SEEDS ADVANCE
Top-seeded Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek brushed aside their first opponents.
Sinner downed fellow Italian Lorenzo Sonego 6-0, 6-3 in the second round to improve to 5-0 against his countryman.
Third-seeded Daniil Medvedev rallied past Matteo Arnaldi 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, while fifth-seeded Casper Ruud beat Miomir Kecmanovic 6-4, 6-1.
The seventh-ranked Stefanos Tsitsipas was upset 6-4, 6-4 by Brazilian qualifier Thiago Monteiro, ranked 118th. Tsitsipas won Monte Carlo this month before reaching the final of Barcelona last week.
Grigor Dimitrov, seeded ninth, lost to Jakub Mensik 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-3, while Felix Auger-Aliassime, Sebastian Korda, Ben Shelton, and Alexander Bublik were among players who won.
Swiatek made quick work of Sorana Cirstea 6-1, 6-1 to reach the women’s last 16.
The top-ranked Swiatek, who lost last year’s final to Aryna Sabalenka, improved her record this season to 26-4. She will next face Sara Sorribes Tormo on Monday after the Spaniard ousted Victoria Azarenka 7-6 (0), 6-3.
Coco Gauff, seeded third, downed Dayana Yastremska 6-4, 6-1 and will next face Madison Keys.
The 2022 winner Ons Jabeur, Maria Sakkari, Jelena Ostapenko — all top-10 players — also advanced.
Interest in hosting Olympics ‘never so high,’ says IOC boss
- After a string of Games in Western democracies, 2036 could be an opportunity for Saudi Arabia, sole candidate for the 2032 FIFA World Cup; Qatar, a losing candidate for 2032; Indonesia, or India
- Bach attributes the revival of interest in hosting the Olympics to reforms undertaken on his watch
LAUSANNE: Despite threats from climate change, AI-enhanced doping or competition from e-sports, the boss of the International Olympic Committee believes the future has never looked so bright for his sports movement.
Thomas Bach, a 70-year-old German fencer, has run the Switzerland-based guardian of the Olympic Games since 2013 when interest in hosting the event was near rock-bottom after repeated scandals over costs and corruption.
Its diminished appeal was clear at the time of bidding for the 2024 and 2028 Summer Olympics when there were only two candidates, Paris and Los Angeles, who divided the honors between themselves.
Since then, the 2032 Games have been awarded to Brisbane, Australia, and Bach told AFP in an interview at IOC headquarters on Friday that there were “double-digit” numbers of countries in the running for 2036.
“We have never been in such a favorable position. We have never seen such a high interest in hosting the Olympic Games,” he said on Friday from his offices that overlook Lake Geneva.
After a string of Games in Western democracies, 2036 could be an opportunity for Saudi Arabia, sole candidate for the 2032 FIFA World Cup; Qatar, a losing candidate for 2032; Indonesia, or India.
“We are now 12 years away from these Games, so it is way too early to comment on any of these interests,” Bach replied when asked about Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Bach attributes the revival of interest in hosting the Olympics to reforms undertaken on his watch, which have sought to put an end to the wasteful spending that has near-bankrupted several host cities in the past.
Instead of oversized and gleaming new stadiums and facilities that often fall empty afterwards, the IOC now encourages the use of existing or temporary infrastructure.
An estimated 96 percent of the sport during Paris 2024, which begins on July 26, will take place in existing or temporary locations, while LA 2028 might reach 100 percent.
“Paris is the first Olympic Games which is absolutely in line with our Olympic agenda reforms from start to finish,” Bach added.
As a result, French organizers claim that their event will be responsible for around half the carbon emissions of previous editions in London 2012 and Rio in 2016.
Critics, such as environmental research group Carbon Market Watch, commend the efforts to improve, but remain skeptical that the Games can ever be sustainable.
“The most significant factor affecting the games’ environmental footprint is its enormity,” a report from the group stated in mid-April.
