"Nothing to do with us": London cab drivers distance themselves from pro-Qatar adverts

Qatar’s London cab PR stunt backfires. (Twitter)
Updated 14 July 2017
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"Nothing to do with us": London cab drivers distance themselves from pro-Qatar adverts

London cabbies were bemused Thursday at claims that an ad campaign promoting the end to the blockade of Qatar was supposedly created to show solidarity by taxi drivers.
Speaking to cabbies in South Kensington, outside the Harrods department store and at the busy cab rank at Paddington Station, Arab News was told by drivers that they have “nothing to do with what goes on the sides of the cabs,” and that they pay little attention to “whatever advertising” happens to be splashed across their sides.
None of the cabbies interviewed around the city had heard of the campaign, which according to media reports was organized in solidarity with Qatar.
The London Taxi Drivers’ Association (LTDA) said: “This is not something that the LTDA is able to comment on as the LTDA (does) not control what members have on their taxis.”
The cabs carrying the slogans proved elusive on the streets of the capital today, despite footage of them circulating on social media.
Across London, cabbies said they had not seen any taxis with the Qatar ad, nor did they recognize it, raising questions as to whether it was merely a short-term PR stunt.
In Edgware Road, near Marble Arch, where taxis featuring the Qatar ads were initially snapped for promotional pictures, some local shopkeepers and waiters said they had seen the cabs on launch day, but not since.
On Twitter, the taxi PR stunt provoked an amused reaction, with one Twitterati flagging other ad campaigns as a tongue-in- cheek way of supposedly showing London cabs being in solidarity with a range of companies.

Taxi advertising is known to be a strong PR tool on London’s streets, with companies ranging from fast food to clothing, banks and airlines all using the medium.
“A taxi can be a powerful PR tool. Whether you’re ferrying VIPs and guests to and from venues or looking to arrive in style at a prestigious event, a branded taxi can help you stand out from the crowd and communicate your message in style!” says the London Taxi Advertising company.

In a report on the Qatari owned news  channel, Al Jazeera Arabic, a reporter recently suggested that London cab drivers have recently called for the lifting of the measures imposed against Qatar.

Last month, an anti-terror quartet of Arab countries (Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE and Bahrain) decided to cut off ties with Qatar over its ties to terror groups.


France arrests 26 as South Asian migrant trafficking ring smashed

Updated 2 sec ago
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France arrests 26 as South Asian migrant trafficking ring smashed

Traffickers are suspected of having smuggled several thousand people from India, Sri Lanka and Nepal
Authorities estimate the network generated several million euros in illegal profits

PARIS: French authorities arrested 26 people and seized 11 million euros ($12 million) as they smashed a migrant trafficking ring suspected of bringing several thousand people from South Asia into France, border police told AFP on Thursday.
Charging between 15,000 and 26,000 euros per person, the traffickers are suspected of having smuggled several thousand people from India, Sri Lanka and Nepal into France since September 2021, the force said.
Authorities estimate the network generated several million euros in illegal profits, which were laundered through construction companies, gold trafficking and informal transfers of money back to South Asia.
The arrests took place between March and November 2024, said Julien Gentile, director of the French border force at Paris Charles De Gaulle airport.
“The smugglers facilitated migrants’ travel to the European Union via Dubai or African states, while providing them with illegally obtained tourist, work or medical visas,” said Gentile.
The head of the network is still at large, with France’s request for his extradition from Dubai yet to be agreed, according to the border force.
Of the 26 men arrested, 15 were placed in pre-trial detention with seven under judicial supervision.
The remaining four, who were recently arrested, were to be presented on Thursday to the investigating judge.
The 11 million euros’ worth of assets included properties, luxury cars, jewelry and gold.

Cellphone outage in Denmark causes widespread disruption and hits emergency services

Updated 6 min 20 sec ago
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Cellphone outage in Denmark causes widespread disruption and hits emergency services

  • The network provider, TDC Net, said in a press release Thursday afternoon that the problems were likely due to an update carried out in the past 24 hours
  • They had no reason to believe that disruptions could be due to cyberattacks

COPENHAGEN: One of Denmark’s largest cellphone networks suffered severe outages Thursday that prevented people from contacting emergency services, forced at least one hospital to reduce non-critical medical care, and prompted security services in some regions to patrol the streets in search of people in need of help.
The network provider, TDC Net, said in a press release Thursday afternoon that the problems were likely due to an update carried out in the past 24 hours and they had no reason to believe that disruptions could be due to cyberattacks.
TDC said later on Thursday that its operations had returned to normal and it was now investigating the cause of the outage.
Trains and buses in parts of the country also suffered delays due to signaling issues, with chaos in stations and people stuck on trains, Danish media reported.
The Center for Cyber Security, Denmark’s national IT security authority, and a branch of the Danish Defense Intelligence Service could not confirm if the two incidents were related.
TDC Net said Thursday evening it had implemented a fix that allowed customers to make calls, although with a reduced sound quality. The company urged customers needing to call 112, Europe’s emergency number, to remove the SIM card from their phone before placing the call.


Russia jails lawyer for 7 years for criticizing Ukraine campaign

Updated 28 November 2024
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Russia jails lawyer for 7 years for criticizing Ukraine campaign

  • Dmitry Talantov, 63, was arrested in July 2022 after describing the acts of the Russian army in the Ukrainian cities of Mariupol and Bucha as being reminiscent of “Nazi practices“
  • Safronov is now serving a 22-year sentence on treason charges

MOSCOW: Russia on Thursday sentenced a senior lawyer who had defended a jailed journalist in a high-profile case to seven years in prison for denouncing Moscow’s Ukraine offensive on social media.
Dmitry Talantov, 63, was arrested in July 2022 after describing the acts of the Russian army in the Ukrainian cities of Mariupol and Bucha as being reminiscent of “Nazi practices.”
Talantov was for many years president of the Udmurtia lawyer association and in 2021 was the defense lawyer for Ivan Safronov, a journalist covering military affairs whose arrest shook Russia’s media community.
Safronov is now serving a 22-year sentence on treason charges.
A court in the Udmurt Republic found Talantov guilty of actions aimed at spreading hatred and of knowingly distributing “fake” information on the Russian army — charges made possible with a censorship law adopted shortly after Moscow sent troops to Ukraine.
In an emotional speech in court, Talantov said he feared he would not survive the prison term, but also stood by his convictions.
“I am 64 and it is hard for me to imagine that I will come out of prison alive,” Talantov said, according to an audio of the speech published by rights group Perviy Otdel.
Talantov has been in pre-trial detention for two and a half years and has spent two years in an isolation cell, saying the Russian national anthem blasts out there in the evening and at dawn, before a staunchly pro-Kremlin radio show is played.
“I am waiting for words of peace. They do not come,” he said.
He described his conditions as a “Middle-Ages cell with only a (toilet) hole and a tap,” saying “time kills a person” in isolation.
His voice breaking, he addressed his wife saying: “Olga, forgive me, I love you.”
According to a letter he sent to Perviy Otdel, Talantov was arrested while at his summer home in the summer of 2022.
More than 300 lawyers had signed a petition calling for his release at the time.


Germany offers re-deployment of Patriot air defense units to Poland

Updated 28 November 2024
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Germany offers re-deployment of Patriot air defense units to Poland

  • The units could be deployed for up to six months, the ministry said
  • From January to November 2022, Germany had already deployed 300 troops

BERLIN: Germany has offered to re-deploy Patriot air defense systems to NATO ally Poland at the start of the new year, the German defense ministry said on Thursday.
The units could be deployed for up to six months, the ministry said in a statement.
“With this we will protect a logistical hub in Poland which is of central importance for the delivery of materials to Ukraine,” German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said.
From January to November 2022, Germany had already deployed 300 troops together with three Patriot units to Poland.
They were based in the town Zamosc, about 50 km (31 miles) from the Ukrainian border, to protect the southern town and its crucial railway link to Ukraine.
The deployment was triggered by a stray Ukrainian missile that struck the Polish village of Przewodow in November 2022, in an incident that raised fears of the war in Ukraine spilling over the border.


Putin says Russia would use all weapons at its disposal against Ukraine if Kyiv gets nuclear weapons

Updated 28 November 2024
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Putin says Russia would use all weapons at its disposal against Ukraine if Kyiv gets nuclear weapons

  • Putin said it was practically impossible for Ukraine to produce a nuclear weapon

ASTANA: President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia would head off any attempt by Ukraine to acquire nuclear weapons and would use all weapons at its disposal against Ukraine if such a scenario unfolded.
The New York Times reported last week that some unidentified Western officials had suggested US President Joe Biden could give Ukraine nuclear weapons before he leaves office.
Putin, speaking in Astana, Kazakhstan, said it was practically impossible for Ukraine to produce a nuclear weapon, but that it might be able to make some kind of “dirty bomb.”