ISLAMABAD: A reporter working for Pakistan’s leading Geo News television who had gone missing in the southern port city of Karachi has been found, family and colleague said Saturday.
Geo bureau chief in Karachi, Fahim Siddiqi, said Ali Imran Syed had contacted his wife by phone to say that he had reached his mother’s home.
Earlier police registered the journalist’s disappearance as an “abduction” case without naming suspects.
The reporter left home late Friday evening telling his wife that he would be back in half an hour before disappearing for 72 hours.
Recently there have been several cases of Pakistani journalists being detained or abducted for several hours, before being released.
Azhar Abbas, head of the Geo TV, earlier said he has contacted provincial and federal authorities “to help trace the missing reporter” and “ensure his safety.”
Siddiqi said the reporter’s abduction may have been related to his work on recent political events, including the arrest of an opposition leader who is the son-in-law of former premier Nawaz Sharif.
Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari said in a tweet no one should “disappear in a democracy”.
Pakistani media has been facing renewed pressure from state agencies that have sought to control the topics covered by the media and even restrict the selection of guests for TV talk shows.
Journalists and press freedom advocates often accuse the Pakistani military and security agencies of pressuring media outlets to prevent critical coverage.
In December last year, a Karachi based reporter with the Express Tribune newspaper, Bilal Farooqi, was arrested on charges of spreading hateful content against the country’s military on social media.
In July, Matiullah Jan was briefly detained. Jan is known for criticism of Pakistan’s military and security agencies.
Missing Pakistani TV reporter is found after 72 hours
https://arab.news/4amkp
Missing Pakistani TV reporter is found after 72 hours
- Geo's bureau chief in Karachi said Ali Imran Syed had contacted his wife to say that he had reached his mother’s home
- Earlier police registered the journalist’s disappearance as an “abduction” case without naming suspects
EU mulls removal of Iranian firm linked to internet blackout from censorship list
- ArvanCloud was sanctioned in 2022 for its role in censorship Internet in the country
LONDON: The European Union is reportedly contemplating the removal of ArvanCloud from its roster of human rights sanctions.
The company was sanctioned in 2022 due to its involvement in Iran’s internet censorship.
According to Iran International, citing a source close to the matter, the decision to lift the sanctions appears to be driven by claims from ArvanCloud's supporters abroad.
These supporters allege that the company played a significant role in providing millions of Iranian citizens with access to a free internet during the Woman, Life Freedom protests in 2022-2023.
During the nationwide demonstrations, which called for fundamental economic, social, and political changes, ArvanCloud was accused of assisting the Islamic Republic in censoring the internet, given its close ties to Iran’s intelligence services and top officials.
Consequently, the company, along with some of its executives, was also sanctioned by the US.
Subsequently, ArvanCloud announced the termination of its contract with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
This development precedes the EU’s annual review of its list of individuals and entities found to be violating human rights in Iran.
Iran has a history of blocking tens of thousands of websites since 2002, including prominent social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
The country is notorious for its strict internet censorship measures, which have included shutting down internet access for most Iranians during nationwide protests. These measures aim to prevent the dissemination of information online and obstruct communication among citizens.
ArvanCloud, which controls 49 percent of Iran’s cloud space market, continues to host many critical websites in the Islamic Republic, including those of the presidency, IRNA news agency, and the Ministry of Islamic Guidance.
Additionally, one of the company’s information centers is installed at Payam Airport, which belongs to the Ministry of Communications.
Doctors Without Borders rejects Israeli army claim of ‘terror activity’ at site of deadly attack in Gaza
- 2 family members of staff member killed and 7 others injured by Israeli forces in February
- Likely a tank shell ‘fired directly into the building,’ according to a media probe
DUBAI: Israeli forces have been accused of intentionally, and without provocation, attacking a Doctors Without Borders aid shelter housing 64 people in Al-Mawasi, Gaza, on Feb. 20 killing two relatives of a staff member and injuring seven others.
The attack came despite Israeli forces being informed of the precise location of the shelter, Doctors Without Borders, or the MSF, reportedly said. The Israeli army has claimed that there was “terror activity” at the site, which the MSF has rejected.
Sky News revealed the findings of its investigation into the incident on Wednesday, prompting the Israeli Defense Forces to initiate its own “examination” into the incident.
The news organization said it visited the site, and used on-the-ground footage, open-source techniques and interviews with witnesses and weapons experts to understand how the incident unfolded.
Witnesses told Sky News they heard loud noises that seemed to come from a tank track, while some also heard gunshots.
The evidence suggests the attack was initiated by a tank shell that entered through a window. “It’s difficult to draw definitive conclusions merely from imagery however I believe the damage is the result of a tank round being fired directly into the building,” said former British army artillery officer and director of Chiron Resources, Chris Cobb-Smith.
He dispelled any notions about it being an attack by Hamas, saying he was “unaware of any direct fire weapons of this caliber being operated by Hamas” and is “doubtful that anything of this size would have been able to be deployed and fired with the amount of IDF activity in the area.”
Witnesses and MSF members said they also heard gunfire before the building was hit.
Meinie Nicolai, general director of the aid organization, who visited the site soon after the attack, said bullets were fired at the front of the shelter.
The investigation further revealed that on the day of the attack, the Israeli army said on its Telegram channel that its forces were operating in northern, central and southern Gaza Strip and continuing “intensive operations in western Khan Younis,” but it did not mention the immediate area around the shelter.
Moreover, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee published an evacuation map on the same day of two neighborhoods further north in and around Gaza City, which did not cover the area where the shelter is located.
Emergency services arrived at the scene at least two-and-a-half hours after the attack due to security concerns, according to the investigation.
The injured were taken to the International Medical Corps Field hospital in Rafah, said the MSF.
“We are outraged and deeply saddened by these killings,” said Nicolai in February.
“These killings underscore the grim reality that nowhere in Gaza is safe, that promises of safe areas are empty and deconfliction mechanisms unreliable,” she added.
The IDF, which has launched its own investigation, said that it “fired at a building that was identified as a building where terror activity is occurring,” but did not provide any evidence.
The MSF said in a statement on Wednesday it “refutes any allegations of terror activity occurring in MSF-run structures.
“The shelter was used by humanitarian personnel and their family members, identified by an MSF flag, and notified to the Israeli authorities.”
In a statement, the IDF added: “After the incident, reports were received of the death of two uninvolved civilians in the area. The IDF regrets any harm to civilians and does everything in its power to operate in a precise and accurate manner.”
Under international humanitarian law, medical facilities and units must be respected and protected in all circumstances.
Oona Hathaway, an international law professor at Yale Law School, told Sky News that medical facilities are “presumed to be civilian objects and not subject to targeting during armed conflict.”
She added that if the IDF intentionally targets a civilian object, it counts as “potentially a war crime.”
Last week, the IDF launched an operation in and around Al-Shifa, saying senior Hamas operatives were based at the sprawling compound. Days of heavy fighting have followed, with the military reporting about 170 Palestinian militants killed and hundreds more arrested or questioned.
US, UK sanction Gaza Now media channel over Hamas fundraising
- “Treasury remains committed to degrading Hamas’ ability to finance its terrorist activities,” US Treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence Brian Nelson said
- “The UK Government has announced a full asset freeze against two individuals suspected of providing financial support for Gaza Now,” the UK Treasury said
WASHINGTON: US and UK authorities unveiled sanctions Wednesday against two people and three companies related to the popular media channel Gaza Now over its fundraising efforts in support of Hamas.
The Treasury Department said in a statement that Gaza Now, whose popular Telegram channel has more than 1.8 million followers, and its founder Mustafa Ayash, started fundraising for Hamas after its unprecedented attack on October 7.
That attack resulted in about 1,160 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians, and the capture of around 250 hostages, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 32,414 people in Gaza, most of them women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
“Treasury remains committed to degrading Hamas’ ability to finance its terrorist activities, including through online fundraising campaigns that seek to funnel money directly to the group,” US Treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence Brian Nelson said in a statement.
The Treasury Department accused the group of “having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, Hamas.”
The US also unveiled sanctions against Aozma Sultana, the director of two companies that allegedly gave “thousands of dollars to Gaza Now and advertised Gaza Now as a partner during a joint fundraiser shortly after the October 7 terrorist attack.”
The Treasury Department’s actions are being carried out alongside similar actions by the UK authorities.
“The UK Government has announced a full asset freeze against two individuals suspected of providing financial support for Gaza Now — a news agency that promotes the Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist groups,” the UK Treasury said in a statement.
“All funds and economic resources in the UK belonging to or controlled by Sultana and Ayash have been frozen,” they added.
Australia’s ABC staff raise concerns over alleged Israeli bias in Gaza reporting
- Memo from staff meeting indicated network’s over-reliance on Israeli sources, distrust of Palestinian ones
- In January, staff threatened walkout after Antoinette Lattouf dismissed for sharing social media post critical of Israel
LONDON: Staff at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation have voiced concerns about what they perceive as biased coverage of the Gaza conflict in favor of Israel.
In a document obtained by Al Jazeera through a freedom-of-information request, staff indicated “an over-reliance on Israeli sources and explicit distrust of Palestinian sources,” as well as language that “favored the Israeli narrative over objective reporting.”
The three-page summary detailed a November meeting involving 200 staff members who expressed concerns about the broadcaster’s coverage.
The document said: “We’re worried the language we’re using in our coverage is askew, favoring the Israeli narrative over objective reporting.
“This is evident in our reluctance to use words such as war crimes, genocide, ethnic cleansing, apartheid, and occupation to describe various aspects of Israeli practices in Gaza and the West Bank, even when the words are attributed to respectable organizations and sources.”
While ABC acknowledged that it could not make accusations of genocide or war crimes, staff argued that the broadcaster “should be more proactive in reporting them to properly contextualize the conflict,” adding that the correct language to describe Israeli aggression in the region was still lacking.
In response, an ABC spokesperson said: “All major stories are subject to robust internal discussion, and we listen to and respect staff input.”
The spokesperson declined to comment further on internal matters but affirmed that the ABC Ombudsman’s Office had reviewed the coverage of the Gaza conflict and found it to be “professional, wide ranging, and reflective of newsworthy events.”
The latest development followed previous controversies at ABC, including the allegedly unlawful dismissal of Lebanese-Australian journalist Antoinette Lattouf after she shared a report on social media from Human Rights Watch alleging that Israel was using starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza.
Staff threatened to stage a walkout unless the organization’s leadership addressed concerns about outside interference.
According to reports, tensions persist at ABC over the Gaza conflict months after the initial staff meeting.
Iraqi minister proposes TikTok ban over societal concerns
- Unclear if banning option has Iraq parliamentary support
- TikTok has strong base in Iraq with nearly 32m users
LONDON: Iraq’s communications minister has formally requested the country’s Cabinet to block Chinese-owned app TikTok over worries about its societal impact.
Hiyam Al-Yasiri’s concerns, expressed during a recent press conference, have sparked a nationwide debate on the issue.
The minister told reporters: “I have submitted the request to the Council of Ministers to block TikTok, and I hope it will be considered soon.”
She highlighted what she described as TikTok’s role in “eroding Iraq’s social fabric” and noted a “lack of educational value in the app,” branding it as “purely entertainment focused.”
While it remained uncertain whether the request would be approved or rejected by the Cabinet or when deliberations would commence, any decision would necessitate action from the Iraqi Parliament or Cabinet as it surpassed the authority of the Ministry of Communications.
Al-Yasiri pointed out the need for cooperation from parliamentarians to support the prohibition of apps such as TikTok.
The popular short-form video app has a significant user base in Iraq. According to figures from Chinese tech company ByteDance’s advertising resources, TikTok had 31.95 million users aged 18 and over in Iraq early this year.
Some of Iraq’s more conservative religious factions have accused the platform of undermining societal norms and raised concerns about its impact on youth.
Al-Yasiri’s ban request came after well-known Iraqi Tiktokers, Hussein and his wife Shahinda, were recently assaulted on their way home from work and shot multiple times. While they survived the attack, Shahinda lost an eye.
However, some people have expressed their concerns about the economic implications of banning the app and its potential impact on freedom of expression.
Any ban would likely damage Iraq’s advertising market, especially for small businesses, as many rely on TikTok influencers and other advertising methods on the platform.
Several other countries are already considering banning the platform. Earlier this month, the US House of Representatives passed a bill that would compel TikTok owner ByteDance to divest the social media platform or face a complete ban in America.