A Connecticut state legislator who was attacked last month as she left a Muslim prayer service made her first public comments about the incident on Wednesday, saying she sustained multiple physical injuries from what she described as an attempted sexual assault and violent physical assault.
Rep. Mayram Khan, who was with her children and sister outside a downtown Hartford arena taking pictures when the attack occurred, said in a written statement that she was grateful to the “courageous men who came to my aid” and chased down her assailant until police arrived.
“Their courage and tenacity in those moments helped to save my life, the lives of my children and many other Muslim women and children that were still inside the XL Center,” said Khan, referring to the roughly 4,000 other people who attended the service marking Eid Al-Adha, the end of the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage by Muslims to Makkah.
Khan, who said she is “on a long journey of physical and emotional healing,” said she remains concerned about “the lack of security at one of the largest Muslim gatherings on the day of Eid in Hartford.”
Farhan Memon, the chair of the Connecticut chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said at the time that the man made obscene remarks, grabbed Khan, hit her and threw her to the ground.
Khan, a Democrat from Windsor, is scheduled to appear Thursday at a news conference at the Legislative Office Building to discuss the incident. The Associated Press doesn’t generally identify people who report attempted sexual assaults unless they publicly identify themselves.
The suspect, Andrey Desmond, 30, was held in lieu of $250,000 bond at his arraignment last week on charges including misdemeanor assault, unlawful restraint, breach of peace and interfering with police. Authorities have said he could still face additional charges.
An email was sent seeking comment from Desmond’s public defender but there was no immediate response.
A police report said Desmond allegedly made lewd comments to Khan and tried to kiss her. When the legislator attempted to pull away, Desmond slapped her across the face and let go of her neck, causing her to fall to the ground, suffering minor injuries, according to the report.
Khan told police she does not know Desmond.
Desmond was chased down and held by two bystanders, one of whom kicked him in the face after he was on the ground and had stopped fighting, police said. That man is expected to be charged with assault, according to the report. A Hartford Police spokesperson said Wednesday that no charges have been filed in connection with the bystanders and the incident remains under investigation.
Khan became the first Muslim member of the Connecticut House when she won a special election for the seat in March 2022.
Muslim lawmaker from Connecticut attacked after Eid Al-Adha service
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Muslim lawmaker from Connecticut attacked after Eid Al-Adha service
- Rep. Mayram Khan sustained multiple physical injuries from attempted sexual assault and violent physical assault
France bans Israel firms from upcoming defense fair
Neither Coges nor the defense ministry provided an explanation
PARIS: France authorities have banned Israeli defense firms from exhibiting at a trade show next month near Paris, organizers said on Friday.
“By decision of the government authorities, there will be no stand for the Israeli defense industry at the Eurosatory 2024 fair,” organizers Coges Events said.
Neither Coges nor the defense ministry provided an explanation.
Seventy-four Israeli firms had been set to be represented at the event from June 17 to 21 at fairgrounds close to Paris’ main international airport, with Coges previously saying around 10 of them were to exhibit weapons.
Contacted by AFP, the Israeli embassy said it did not wish to comment.
The incident comes days after the Israeli bombing of a camp for the displaced in the Gaza Strip sparked international outrage and protests in France.
The air raids killed at least 45 people in the town of Rafah in the night of Sunday to Monday in the south of the besieged Palestinian territory, according to local authorities, almost eight months into the latest Gaza war.
The conflict erupted after Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of 1,189 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.
Militants also took 252 hostages, 121 of whom remain in Gaza, including 37 the army says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 36,000 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.
A group of activists last week in a legal warning urged Coges to take measure to avoid the buying and selling of weapons that could be used in “crimes” committed in Gaza or other parts of the occupied Palestinian territories.
ASER, Stop Arming Israel, Urgency Palestine and the France-Palestine Solidarity Association also warned against profits from the fair “reinforcing the economic power of firms likely to participate in these crimes.”
Coges told AFP it was “a fair solely for the presentation of defense and security equipment... and in no means a place for deals.”
Indian capital goes to Supreme Court over acute water shortage
NEW DELHI: The Delhi government approached the Supreme Court on Friday to help it obtain more water from neighboring states as a severe shortage has hit the Indian capital amid sweltering heat.
Delhi relies on external sources for freshwater supply, as its own groundwater resources are low. Most of the water that comes to Delhi arrives through the Yamuna River from the state of Haryana.
In a petition to the top court, the local administration sought additional supply from its neighbors — Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Himachal Pradesh — for at least a month, as the temperature in some parts of the national capital neared 50 degrees Celsius this week due to the ongoing heatwave.
“Delhi’s need for water has increased in the scorching heat. It is everyone’s responsibility to fulfill the needs of the country’s capital,” the petition said.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has admitted that there was a huge gap in demand and supply in the capital city.
“Demand for water supply has shot up due to heatwaves. There has been a cut in the water supplied to Delhi from the neighboring states. It means that demand is high and supply is less,” Kejriwal wrote on X on Friday, requesting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene as Delhi’s neighbors were ruled by his Bharatiya Janata Party.
“We have to come together to solve this problem … If the BJP speaks to its governments in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and provides some water to Delhi for a month, then the people of Delhi will appreciate its efforts.”
More than 90 percent of Delhi’s over 18 million population has access to piped water supply, but due to acute shortages, it has not been available in several areas in East and South Delhi, where people were queuing to get water from tankers.
“It has been tough for almost a week, with my whole family queuing up for hours to fill up a couple of buckets,” Hariom Saha, a gardener living in Sanjay Camp in Chanakyapuri, told Arab News.
“I work in a private firm, and I have been reporting at least three hours late every day. The moment we wake up in the morning, the tension starts about how to manage water for the day.”
Vikash Kumar from Geeta Colony had the same story to narrate.
“Yesterday, I picked up some water to take a bath from the tap of the public toilet installed in my area because the water supply is so poor,” said Kumar, who works as a cook in a restaurant.
“We are not rich enough to buy mineral water and store it at home. We have to depend on tankers to store water, and filling water from tankers is a big task.”
Earlier this week, the Delhi government announced a slew of emergency measures, including a ban on the usage of potable water for car washing and its use at construction sites. The Delhi Water Board announced a fine of 2,000 rupees ($25) for anyone found misusing the water.
Belgium’s Ghent University severs ties with all Israeli universities
- Pro-Palestinian protesters in Ghent have been protesting against Israel’s military offensive in Gaza
- UGent had 18 ongoing partnerships with Israeli academic institutions, it said
BRUSSELS: Belgium’s Ghent University has severed ties with all Israeli universities and research institutions, as they no longer align with its human rights policy, the university said on Friday.
Pro-Palestinian protesters in Ghent have been protesting against Israel’s military offensive in Gaza and have been occupying parts of the university campus since early May.
An investigation by the Ghent University, known as UGent, highlighted concerns regarding connections between Israeli academic institutions and the Israeli government, military, or security services, according to a university statement.
The investigation also referenced a recent World Court ruling stating that the humanitarian situation in Gaza had worsened in recent months.
UGent, which already severed ties with three Israeli institutions two weeks ago, had 18 ongoing partnerships with Israeli academic institutions, it said.
The university will continue its research projects with six non-academic Israeli institutions, saying they could not find any links between them and human rights violations.
Protesters told Belgian broadcaster VRT they welcomed the decision but want to see it extended to include the six Israeli non-academic partners UGent currently partners with. They added they will continue their protest.
Earlier this week, two other Belgian universities announced changes in their partnership with Israeli institutions.
The University of Antwerp announced it would continue its ongoing research projects with Israeli institutions but put new projects with Israeli partners on hold.
The Université Libre de Bruxelles announced that it will no longer initiate projects with Israeli partners. The same policy will apply to Palestinian partners until the hostages are released, it said.
Spain rejects Israeli ‘restrictions’ on its Jerusalem consulate
- Israel’s foreign ministry said Monday it had told the Spanish consulate in Jerusalem to stop offering consular services to Palestinians
Madrid: Spain rejects “restrictions” that Israel plans to impose on the activities of its consulate in Jerusalem in response to Madrid’s recognition of a Palestinian state, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said Friday.
“This morning we sent a ‘note verbale’ to the Israeli government in which we reject any restriction on the normal activity of the Spanish consulate general in Jerusalem, as its status is guaranteed by international law,” he said during an interview with radio Onda Cero.
“This status cannot therefore be changed unilaterally by Israel,” he said, adding Madrid had asked Israel “to reverse this decision.”
Israel’s foreign ministry said Monday it had told the Spanish consulate in Jerusalem to stop offering consular services to Palestinians from June 1 over Madrid’s recognition of a Palestinian state.
The ministry said that Spain’s consulate in Jerusalem is “authorized to provide consular services to residents of the consular district of Jerusalem only, and is not authorized to provide services or perform consular activity vis-a-vis residents of the Palestinian Authority.”
Israeli Foreign Minister called it a “punitive” measure following the Spanish government’s recognition of a Palestinian state.
Spain is one of the European countries that has been most critical of Israel over the war in Gaza.
Last week, Spain, Ireland and Norway announced their decision to recognize the State of Palestine from Tuesday, May 28, drawing a strong rebuke from Israel.
At least 15 dead in eastern India over 24 hours as temperatures soar
- India has been experiencing a blisteringly hot summer and a part of capital Delhi recorded the country's highest ever temperature at 52.9 degrees Celsius this week
- While temperatures in northwestern and central India are expected to fall in the coming days, the prevailing heatwave over east India is likely to continue for two days
BHUBANESWAR: At least 15 people have died of suspected heatstroke in India’s eastern states of Bihar and Odisha on Thursday, authorities said, with the region gripped in a debilitating heatwave expected to continue until Saturday.
India has been experiencing a blisteringly hot summer and a part of capital Delhi recorded the country’s highest ever temperature at 52.9 degrees Celsius (127.22°F) this week, though that may be revised with the weather department checking the sensors of the weather station that registered the reading.
While temperatures in northwestern and central India are expected to fall in the coming days, the prevailing heatwave over east India is likely to continue for two days, said the India Meteorological Department (IMD), which declares a heatwave when the temperature is 4.5 C to 6.4 C higher than normal.
The deaths of 10 people were reported in the government hospital in Odisha’s Rourkela region on Thursday, authorities told Reuters, while five deaths were reported in Bihar’s Aurangabad city due to “sunstroke.”
“About seven more people died on their way to the hospital yesterday but the exact cause of their death will be known after the autopsy,” Aurangabad District Collector Shrikant Shastree told Reuters.
The Odisha government has prohibited outdoor activities for its employees between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. when temperatures peak.
Three people died of suspected heatstroke in Jharkhand state, neighboring Bihar, local media reported.
In Delhi, where high temperatures have been causing birds and wild monkeys to faint or fall sick, the city zoo is relying on pools and sprinklers to bring relief to its 1,200 occupants.
“We have shifted to summer management diet, which includes a more liquid diet as well as all the seasonal fruits and vegetables which contain more water,” Sanjeet Kumar, director of the zoo, told news agency ANI.
Delhi, where the temperature is expected to touch 43 C on Friday, recorded its first heat-related death this week and is facing an acute water shortage.
Billions across Asia, including in India’s neighboring Pakistan, have been grappling with soaring temperatures- a trend scientists say has been worsened by human-driven climate change.
India, which is holding its national elections amidst the heat, is the world’s third-biggest greenhouse gas emitter but has set a target of becoming a net-zero emitter by 2070.
While heat is affecting some of the country, the northeastern states of Manipur and Assam have been battered by heavy rainfall after Cyclone Remal, with several areas inundated on Friday.
Monsoon rains also hit the coast of the country’s southernmost Kerala state on Thursday, two days earlier than expected.
