JAIPUR: Indian prisoners stoned to death a Pakistani inmate in a jail Wednesday amid mounting tensions over a suicide bombing that Delhi has blamed on its arch-rival neighbor, an official said.
The Pakistani had been eight years into a life term at Jaipur Central Jail in the western state of Rajasthan when he was attacked.
He was stoned to death after a quarrel, Rajasthan state director general of police Kapil Garg told AFP.
The killing came amid calls for retribution across India over a car bombing in Kashmir last Thursday which killed at least 40 Indian paramilitaries.
Pakistan-based Islamist group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) has claimed responsibility for the attack. India has accused Pakistan of backing the militants but Islamabad has denied any role.
India and Pakistan, which each control sectors of Kashmir, have been bitter rivals since their independence from Britain in 1947.
A Pakistani prisoner was killed by fellow inmates in a Kashmir jail in May 2013 in retaliation for a fatal attack on an Indian prisoner in a Pakistani jail.
Pakistan inmate killed in Indian jail amid bombing tensions
Pakistan inmate killed in Indian jail amid bombing tensions
- The killing came amid calls for retribution across India over a car bombing in Kashmir
- The Pakistani had been eight years into a life term at Jaipur Central Jail
Egypt denies any discussions with Israel over Rafah offensive
- Egypt reiterates opposition to any move on Rafah
- Warnings tell of expected losses and negative repercussions
CAIRO: Egypt has denied any discussions with Israel regarding an offensive in the Palestinian city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
Diaa Rashwan, the head of Egypt’s State Information Service, has refuted what has been claimed in one of the major American newspapers: that Egypt has discussed with the Israeli side its plans for an offensive in Rafah.
Rashwan has affirmed the Egyptian stance — announced several times by its political leadership — of complete opposition to the operation, which it is thought will lead to further massacres, massive human losses, and widespread destruction.
He added that Egypt’s repeated warnings have reached the Israeli side, from all channels, since Israel proposed carrying out a military operation in Rafah. These warnings tell of expected losses and the negative repercussions on the stability of the entire region.
Rashwan added that while Israel is contemplating its operation — which Egypt and most of the world and its international institutions stand against — Egyptian efforts since the beginning of the Israeli aggression had focused on reaching a ceasefire agreement and the exchange of prisoners and detainees.
He said Egypt was seeking the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, especially the north and Gaza City, and the evacuation of wounded and sick people for treatment outside the area.
Egypt has repeatedly opposed the displacement of Palestinians from Gaza and is warning against any military operation in Rafah.
Pakistan, Egypt among countries who pay most in surcharges to IMF— report
- Indebted member countries paid about $6.4 billion in surcharges between 2020-2023, says report by US think tanks
- Surcharges do not hasten repayment, instead punish countries already struggling with liquidity constraints, critics say
Countries, mostly middle and lower-income, have been burdened by surcharges on top of interest payments on their borrowings from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), widening global inequities, according to a report by US think tanks.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
Indebted member countries paid about $6.4 billion in surcharges between 2020-2023, the report from Boston University’s Global Development Policy Center and Columbia University’s Initiative for Policy Dialogue released on Tuesday showed.
And the number of countries paying these surcharges has more than doubled in the last four years.
The IMF is expected to charge an estimated $9.8 billion in surcharges in the next five years, according to an earlier report by the Center for Economic and Policy Research.
Critics of the policy argue that surcharges do not hasten repayment and instead punish countries already struggling with liquidity constraints, increase the risk of debt distress and divert scarce resources that could be used to boost the struggling economies.
BY THE NUMBERS
Countries such as Ukraine, Egypt, Argentina, Barbados and Pakistan pay the most in surcharges, the report showed, accounting for 90 percent of the IMF’s surcharge revenues.
These surcharges, levied on top of the fund’s increasingly steeper basic rate, are IMF’s single largest source of revenue, accounting for 50 percent of total revenue in 2023.
KEY QUOTES
“IMF surcharges are inherently pro-cyclical as they increase debt service payments when a borrowing country is most need of emergency financing,” Global Development Policy Center’s director Kevin Gallagher said.
“Increasing surcharges and global shocks are compounding the economic pressure on vulnerable countries.”
CONTEXT
Data published by the Institute of International Finance earlier this year showed global debt levels hit a record of $313 trillion in 2023, while the debt-to-GDP ratio — a reading indicating a country’s ability to pay back debts — across emerging economies also scaled fresh peaks.
IMF shareholders agreed last week on the importance of addressing challenges faced by low-income countries, Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said on Friday.
A Russian deputy defense minister is ordered jailed pending trial on bribery charges
- Timur Ivanov, one of 12 deputy defense ministers, appeared in Moscow’s Basmany court Wednesday wearing his military uniform
- The committee gave no further information, apart from saying Ivanov is suspected of taking an especially large bribe — an offense punishable by up to 15 years in prison
MOSCOW: A Russian deputy defense minister in charge of military construction projects and accused of living a lavish lifestyle was ordered jailed Wednesday pending an investigation and trial on charges of bribery, court officials said in a statement.
Timur Ivanov, one of 12 deputy defense ministers, appeared in Moscow’s Basmany court Wednesday wearing his military uniform. The ally of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu was arrested Tuesday evening, Russia’s Investigative Committee said in a statement.
The committee gave no further information, apart from saying Ivanov is suspected of taking an especially large bribe — an offense punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
The Kremlin rejected some Russian media reports that Ivanov was suspected of treason.
Ivanov, 48, was sanctioned by both the United States and European Union in 2022 after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
According to a court statement, investigators told the judge that Ivanov had conspired with third parties to receive a bribe in the form of unspecified property services “during contracting and subcontracting work for the needs of the Ministry of Defense.”
An acquaintance of Ivanov’s, identified as Sergei Borodin, also was arrested and ordered jailed pending an investigation and trial on the same charges, court officials said. Both men are to remain in custody until at least June 23.
According to the Defense Ministry’s website, Ivanov was appointed in 2016 by a presidential decree. He oversaw property management, housing and medical support for the military, as well as construction projects.
Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying that Shoigu and President Vladimir Putin were informed of Ivanov’s arrest, which comes as Moscow’s war in Ukraine grinds through its third year.
Peskov dismissed Russian media reports that the corruption allegations against Ivanov were intended to obscure additional allegations of high treason.
Independent Russian news outlet reported that the bribery charges were intended to hide more serious charges of treason and avoid scandal, citing two unidentified sources close to the Federal Security Service, or FSB.
Peskov described the reports as speculation. “There are a lot of rumors. We need to rely on official information,” he told journalists.
Ivanov’s lawyer also denied any other charges, telling RIA Novosti that he faced only bribery allegations.
Before his arrest, Ivanov was seen attending a meeting with Shoigu and other military brass.
Russian media reported that he oversaw some of the construction in Mariupol — a Ukrainian port city that was devastated by bombardment and occupied by Russian forces early in the war.
Zvezda, the official TV channel of the Russian military, reported in summer 2022 that the ministry was building an entire residential block in Mariupol and showed Ivanov inspecting construction sites and newly erected residential buildings.
That same year, the team of the late Alexei Navalny, Russia’s most prominent opposition leader and anti-corruption campaigner, alleged Ivanov and his family had been enjoying luxurious trips abroad, lavish parties and owning elite real estate. The activists also alleged that Ivanov’s wife, Svetlana, divorced him in 2022 to avoid sanctions and continued living a lavish lifestyle.
Commenting on Ivanov’s case, Navalny’s ally Maria Pevchikh said on social platform X: “It’s a good day today.”
The prosecution of high-level officials for corruption remains relatively rare in Russia.
The most recent arrest in April 2023 saw former Deputy Culture Minister Olga Yarilova charged with embezzling more than 200 million rubles ($2.2 million). Yarilova, who held her post between 2018 and 2022, is on trial and facing a seven-year jail term.
Former Economics Minister Alexei Ulyukayev received an eight-year prison sentence in 2017 for accepting a $2 million bribe from one of Putin’s top associates. The high-profile trial was widely seen as part of infighting between Kremlin clans. Ulyukayev, now 68, was granted early release from prison in May 2022.
Eurovision Song Contest host Sweden braces for anti-Israel protests
- Event organizer European Broadcasting Union has resisted calls for Israel to be excluded due to its war in Gaza
- Contest will take place in Malmo from 7-11 May and is expected to draw 100,000 visitors
MALMO: Sweden said it plans to host a dazzling Eurovision Song Contest, watched by 200 million people worldwide, but visitors face heightened security amid planned protests over Israel’s participation and a new geo-political backdrop since Sweden joined NATO.
The contest, the world’s biggest of its kind, takes place in Malmo from 7-11 May and is expected to draw 100,000 visitors to Sweden’s third-largest city which has a large Muslim population. Organizers plan a special tribute to Swedish pop group ABBA, who won Eurovision 50 years ago this year. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organizes the contest, has resisted calls for Israel to be excluded due to its war in Gaza. Controversy over the conflict has already hit various cultural events across Europe. Much focus is expected to be on Israeli contestant Eden Golan and her song Hurricane, as multiple large pro-Palestinian protests are planned outside the venue in Malmo. Israel was permitted to compete after it agreed to modify the lyrics of its original song “October Rain” which the EBU said made reference to the Oct. 7 Hamas onslaught in Israel.
EBU brands Eurovision a non-political event and insists that the contest is between public service broadcasters, not governments.
Still, it banned Russian in 2022 from Eurovision after several European public broadcasters called for the country to be expelled following its invasion of Ukraine.
Sweden is hosting the annual competition for the seventh time, after Swedish singer Loreen won last year’s competition in Liverpool with her song “Tattoo.”
Ebba Adielsson, executive Eurovision producer from Swedish broadcaster SVT, promised “some smashing shows.” She ruled out an ABBA reunion but said the event would celebrate the group’s 1974 win with their song “Waterloo,” a victory that launched the band onto the international stage.
Swiss contestant Nemo is the favorite to win this year, according to bookmakers, followed by Croatia’s Baby Lasagna, Joost Klein of the Netherlands, and Italy’s Angelina Mango.
’HIGH THREAT-LEVEL’
Visitors from 89 countries expected in Malmo will have to pass through airport-like security checks when entering venues around the city.
“There’s a high threat level combined with a lot of people,” said Per-Erik Ebbestahl, Malmo’s security director.
Organizers face the risk of protests escalating into violence, heightened terror threats in the country, and increased tensions with Russia after Sweden’s NATO membership.
In central Malmo there are official posters for Eurovision but also protest banners replicating the same colorful design, with the word Eurovision replaced by ‘genocide’ and the words: “Israel out of Eurovision or Eurovision out of Malmo.”
Orwa Kadoura, a Palestinian living in Malmo and one of the organizers of the protests, said the Israeli delegation was “here to represent Israel and their government, which is committing acts of genocide right now.”
Israel rejects any accusation of genocide in Gaza during its war against Hamas.
Police say security will be tighter compared with when Sweden last hosted the event in 2016.
“The situation around the world is complex, and also the security for Sweden is different,” said Petra Stenkula, Malmo police chief. “We are ready for anything that can happen.”
Sweden joined NATO in March, two years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine forced it to rethink its national security policy. Russia has threatened to take unspecified “political and military-technical counter-measures” in response.
Gang crime in Sweden’s biggest cities, including Malmo, has also been a problem for years, fueled by the drug trade.
Eurovision begins on May 7 with the first semifinal, followed by a second semifinal two days later and the final on Sat. May 11.
Experts discuss Saudi Arabia’s latest anti-trafficking measure
- Symposium raised awareness of common patterns and recent developments in human trafficking, along with effective means of protection and prevention
- Human trafficking encompasses sex trafficking, forced labor and domestic servitude, often involving women and children
RIYADH: Experts discussed Saudi Arabia’s latest efforts to combat human trafficking at an event in Riyadh on Wednesday.
The symposium, titled “Enhancing Cooperation in Combating Trafficking in Persons,” drew attendees from a variety of fields to review anti-human trafficking policies.
It also raised awareness of common patterns and recent developments in human trafficking, along with effective means of protection and prevention.
“At the Saudi National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking, we aim to exchange experiences and foster coordination to combat human trafficking, prevent its occurrence, reduce its impact on victims and protect them,” said Hala Al-Tuwaijri, president of the Human Rights Commission.
During a panel discussion titled “Normative and International Framework to Combat Trafficking in Persons,” Al-Tuwaijri warned that crises and conflicts around the world create a fertile environment for traffickers to exploit the vulnerable.
Human trafficking encompasses sex trafficking, forced labor and domestic servitude, often involving women and children.
Al-Tuwaijri said that human trafficking transcends borders. By working together across countries and regions, the international community can protect the vulnerable and uphold human rights, he added.
Per Saudi law, those found guilty of human trafficking in the Kingdom face up to 15 years’ imprisonment, fines of up to SR1 million ($266,000), or both.
Al-Tuwaijri highlighted the importance of bolstering international efforts to combat human trafficking through comprehensive legislation and enhanced case detection.
In 2023, anti-human trafficking organizations in the Kingdom conducted 41 training programs, aiming to raise awareness of vulnerabilities to trafficking within migrant communities. The training covered victim identification, best practices in screening vulnerable populations in detention centers, trauma-informed and victim-centered interviewing and assistance techniques, search procedures, evidence collection and criminal investigative processes during trafficking trials.
Abdullah Abu Thunin, vice minister of human resources and social development, said that significant efforts are being made in the Saudi labor market to combat human trafficking.
The ministry is activating a national plan to combat human trafficking, he added. The strategy is based on four main pillars: Prevention, protection and assistance, prosecution, and national, regional and international cooperation.
Abu Thunin said that the ministry has launched several programs to target human trafficking, including one scheme to improve contractual relationships.
“Through the authenticated contracts program and the wage protection program, more than 7 million contracts were signed by employees, obligating employers to pay workers’ wages,” he added.
The Friendly Settlement for Labor Disputes program also achieved a 77 percent reconciliation rate in labor disputes.
Abu Thunin said that compliance rates have increased in the Kingdom since the programs were launched.
Many government agencies, including the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, the Public Prosecution, the Human Rights Commission and the National Committee to Combat Trafficking, took part in the Riyadh symposium.
Numerous international organizations also attended, including the UN International Children’s Emergency Fund, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and the UN Resident Coordinator Office.
