Nearly 400 die as Myanmar army steps up crackdown on Rohingya militants

Rohingya refugees stands in an open place during heavy rain, as they are hold by Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) after illegally crossing the border, in Teknaf, Bangladesh, August 31, 2017. (REUTERS)
Updated 01 September 2017
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Nearly 400 die as Myanmar army steps up crackdown on Rohingya militants

COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh: Nearly 400 people have died in fighting that has rocked Myanmar’s northwest for a week, new official data show, making it probably the deadliest bout of violence to engulf the country’s Rohingya Muslim minority in decades.
Around 27,400 Rohingya have crossed into Bangladesh from Myanmar, United Nations sources said, a week after Rohingya insurgents attacked police posts and an army base in Rakhine state, prompting clashes and a military counteroffensive.
The army says it is conducting clearance operations against “extremist terrorists” and security forces have been told to protect civilians. But Rohingya fleeing to Bangladesh say a campaign of arson and killings aims to force them out.
The treatment of Myanmar’s roughly 1.1 million Rohingya is the biggest challenge facing national leader Aung San Suu Kyi, accused by some Western critics of not speaking out for a minority that has long complained of persecution.
The clashes and ensuing army crackdown have killed about 370 Rohingya insurgents, but also 13 security forces, two government officials and 14 civilians, the Myanmar military said on Thursday.
By comparison, communal violence in 2012 in Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine, led to the killing of nearly 200 people and the displacement of about 140,000, most of them Rohingya.
The fighting is a dramatic escalation of a conflict that has simmered since October, when similar but much smaller Rohingya attacks on security posts prompted a brutal military response dogged by allegations of rights abuses.
Myanmar evacuated more than 11,700 “ethnic residents” from the area affected by fighting, the army said, referring to the non-Muslim population of northern Rakhine.
More than 150 Rohingya insurgents staged fresh attacks on security forces on Thursday near villages occupied by Hindus, the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar said, adding that about 700 members of such families had been evacuated.
“Four of the terrorists were arrested, including one 13-year-old boy,” it said, adding that security forces had arrested two more men near a Maungdaw police outpost on suspicion of involvement in the attacks.
About 20,000 more Rohingya trying to flee are stuck in no man’s land at the border, the UN sources said, as aid workers in Bangladesh struggle to alleviate the sufferings of a sudden influx of thousands of hungry and traumatized people.
While some Rohingya try to cross by land, others attempt a perilous boat journey across the Naf River separating the two countries.
Bangladesh border guards found the bodies of 15 Rohingya Muslims, 11 children among them, floating in the river on Friday, area commander Lt. Col. Ariful Islam told Reuters.
That takes to about 40 the total of Rohingya known to have died by drowning.


Turaif: Historical, cultural mosaic tracing back to pre-Islamic eras

Updated 11 min 53 sec ago
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Turaif: Historical, cultural mosaic tracing back to pre-Islamic eras

  • Located 40 km southwest of Turaif is the archaeological site of Qasr Duqrah, where material evidence indicating human settlement since the Stone Age had been found

TURAIF: Located in Saudi Arabia's Northern Borders region, Turaif governorate stands as a crossroads of ancient civilizations and historical events, serving as a gateway to Iraq and the Levant. The governorate is home to a range of culturally and historically rich heritage sites, many of which date back to pre-Islamic times.

Among the most prominent heritage landmarks is the archaeological site of Qasr Duqrah, situated 40 kilometers southwest of the governorate. Adjacent to it lies a mountain known as “Aqran,” also referred to as Duqrah Mount, which has been recorded under the Comprehensive Archaeological Survey Program.

Heritage Commission sign board at the archaeological site of Qasr Duqrah, located 40 kilometers southwest of Turaif governorate. (SPA)

Saudi Historical Society member Zahi Al-Khalawi stressed that the site known as “Duqrah” is among the Kingdom’s most significant archaeological locations, given the discovery of material evidence indicating human settlement since the Stone Age. 

He noted that habitation at the site continued through the later Roman period (2nd to 6th centuries CE) and persisted into the Umayyad era (661 to 750 CE).

Another landmark is the Trans-Arabian Pipeline (Tapline), one of Saudi Arabia’s most significant industrial heritage sites. The pipeline stretches from the east of the Kingdom to its north, passing through Turaif, and has been registered in the National Industrial Heritage Register. It is the first officially documented industrial heritage site in the Kingdom, representing the early stages of Saudi Arabia’s oil industry and its developmental and economic significance.

Known as the Tapline, this oil pipeline stretches from eastern Saudi Arabia to the northwest, passing through Turaif. (SPA)

Also noteworthy is the site of Qaru Turaif, a water source developed by the Tapline Company in the 1950s to help settle nomadic communities by order of the late King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al-Faisal Al Saud. The site has been listed as part of the governorate’s cultural heritage.

To the east of Turaif, about 25 kilometers away, stands Jabal Umm Waal, a historic landmark and northern gateway into the Arabian Peninsula. The mountain tells the stories of Bedouin life and the passage of trade caravans and pilgrims traveling from the Levant and Iraq. For centuries, it served as a safe route for travelers making their way southward.


Hosts Switzerland beaten 2-1 by Norway in their Women’s Euro opener

Updated 03 July 2025
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Hosts Switzerland beaten 2-1 by Norway in their Women’s Euro opener

  • The hosts had plenty of opportunities to grab what would have been a famous victory but the Norwegians dug deep to snatch a narrow win
  • The victory puts the Norwegians top of Group A, with Finland second after their 1-0 win over Iceland earlier in the day

BASEL, Switzerland: Switzerland took the lead against Norway but fell to a 2-1 defeat on home soil after scoring an own goal on the opening day of the Women’s Euro 2025 Championship on Wednesday, with Norwegian captain Ada Hegerberg netting the equalizer and missing a penalty.

The hosts had plenty of opportunities to grab what would have been a famous victory but the Norwegians dug deep to snatch a narrow win, their third over the Swiss by a single goal in 2025.

Having lost to the Norwegians twice in the Nations League this year, the home side dominated the opening 45 minutes and Geraldine Reuteler came close to giving them the lead in the 24th minute with a shot that cannoned back off the crossbar before Nadine Riesen struck four minutes later to send the St. Jakob-Park Stadium into raptures.

Riesen reacted quickly to an attack that broke down, rattling the ball past Vilde Boe Risa and off the near post into the net to send the Swiss fans at St. Jakob-Park into raptures.

However, it was a different story after the break and it was Norway’s Hegerberg who turned the page.

After barely featuring in the first half, she leveled nine minutes into the second with an emphatic header from a corner that briefly silenced the home crowd and four minutes later, under pressure from Hegerberg, Switzerland’s Julia Stierli turned a low cross from Caroline Graham Hansen into her own net.

Reuteler was sparkling throughout for the Swiss but despite a number of golden chances, she could not get the goal both she and her team deserved, and she conceded a penalty which Hegerberg missed in the 70th minute.

Switzerland were awarded a spot-kick of their own that was overturned after a VAR review and, as the Swiss poured forward, the Norwegians hung on grimly for a victory that puts them top of Group A, with Finland second after their 1-0 win over Iceland earlier in the day.

“This was important, this means a lot for us... the goal was euphoria for me but it was damn important for the team as well,” Hegerberg told Norwegian broadcaster TV2.

“It is very strong of us to manage to turn it around. It may not happen in the prettiest way. We were told forcefully during the break that we did not run enough, then we saw two clips, a defensive and offensive, about how to take them, I think we managed to do that,” vice-captain Graham Hansen said.

Swiss coach Pia Sundhage was unhappy that her side did not manage to get more out of the game.

“I think it’s very heavy, a defeat like that. Our game plan was good and we even scored a goal... today it’s tough but tomorrow we’ll see a smile and start working,” she told broadcaster SVT.


Trump ramps up his attacks against NYC’s Zohran Mamdani as GOP seizes on new foe

Updated 03 July 2025
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Trump ramps up his attacks against NYC’s Zohran Mamdani as GOP seizes on new foe

  • Trump has threatened to deport Mamdani, who was born in Uganda to Indian parents, if he wins the general election in November
  • Republicans cast him as dangerous, a communist, and an antisemite, and are trying to tie him to all other Democratic officials

NEW YORK: President Donald Trump has a new political foil: New York’s Democratic nominee for mayor, Zohran Mamdani.
The president, who has a history of spewing sometimes vile insults at rivals, has in recent days escalated his attacks against the 33-year-old self-described democratic socialist. Trump has threatened to arrest Mamdani, to deport him and even to take over the country’s largest city if he wins the general election in November.
“As President of the United States, I’m not going to let this Communist Lunatic destroy New York. Rest assured, I hold all the levers, and have all the cards,” Trump wrote in an ominous message on his Truth Social site Wednesday morning. “I’ll save New York City, and make it ′Hot′ and ′Great′ again, just like I did with the Good Ol’ USA!”

Mamdani’s surprise victory over former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has given Republicans a new target as they seek to paint the entire Democratic Party as extreme and out of touch with voters heading into elections this fall in New Jersey and Virginia and next year’s high-stakes midterm elections. Since Mamdani’s win, they have repeatedly highlighted his most controversial past comments and positions, casting him as dangerous, a communist, and an antisemite, and trying to tie him to all other Democratic officials.
That has included intense criticism of his platform, as well as blatantly xenophobic and Islamophobic attacks.
If Mamdani wins, he would become the city’s furthest-left mayor in modern history. He ran on a platform that included opening city-run grocery stores, making buses free, freezing rent on rent-stabilized apartments, and raising property taxes on ” richer and whiter neighborhoods.”
Though he softened his stance as he campaigned, he called the New York Police Department “racist, anti-queer and a major threat to public safety” in a 2020 social media post, and in others, called for abolishing the entire prison system.
He has also drawn intense criticism from members of both parties over his pro-Palestinian advocacy. That has included describing Israel’s war in Gaza as “genocide,” his refusal to disavow use of the phrase “globalize the intifada,” which is seen as a call to violence for many Jews. Also, for his refusal to support the right of Israel to exist as a Jewish state.
His rise has sparked infighting and highlighted divisions among national Democratic officials, donors and political operatives. While many progressives have celebrated, seeing him as the future of a party aligned with leaders like Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, moderates have bemoaned the election’s outcome as a setback in their quest to broaden Democrats’ appeal and move past the more controversial policies that appears to have alienated some voters in recent elections.
Trump threatens Mamdani’s citizenship
Trump unleashed some of his sharpest threats against Mamdani Tuesday, during a visit to a new migrant detention center in the Florida Everglades.
If Mamdani blocks ICE agents from making arrests in the city, “Well, then we’ll have to arrest him,” he said. “Look, we don’t need a communist in this country. But if we have one, I’m going to be watching over him very carefully on behalf of the nation.”
Trump also amplified a false allegation that Mamdani, who was born in Uganda to Indian parents and came to New York when he was 7, is in the country illegally.
“A lot of people are saying he’s here illegally. We’re going to look at everything,” he said.
Mamdani, who is Muslim, became a naturalized American citizen a few years after he graduated from college. If elected, he would be the city’s first Muslim and Indian American mayor.
Mamdani addressed the criticism during an appearance Wednesday, telling reporters that Trump is focusing on him to distract the public from the Republican mega tax and spending cuts bill that is moving through Congress.
“Donald Trump said that I should be arrested. He said that I should be deported. He said that I should be denaturalized. And he said those things about me ... because he wants to distract from what I fight for,” he said. “I fight for the same people that he said he was fighting for. This is the same president who ran on a campaign of cheaper groceries, who ran on a campaign about easing the suffocating cost of living crisis. And ultimately, it is easier for him to fan the flames of division than to acknowledge the ways in which he has betrayed those working-class Americans.”
Conservatives have turned their focus on Mamdani
Until Mamdani’s win, Trump and other Republicans had struggled to find a compelling foil. He frequently invokes his predecessor, Joe Biden. But with Democrats out of power and without a clear party leader, Trump has bounced from one official to the next, recently focusing his ire on Texas progressive Rep. Jasmine Crockett.
Since Mamdani’s national rise and toppling of Cuomo, conservative politicians and commentators have turned their focus on him.
That effort was on display Wednesday, when Republicans blasted House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries for defending Mamdani.
“Leader’ Jeffries Just Bent the Knee to Commie Mamdani,” the National Republican Congressional Committee wrote in an email blast, adding: “This radical platform is the future of the Democrat Party, and voters should be terrified.”
The attacks have been brewing.
Weeks before the primary, Vickie Paladino, a Republican member of the New York City Council, called for Mamdani to be deported. After Mamdani declared victory over Cuomo last week, Rep. Randy Fine, a Florida Republican, wrote on X that “If Mamdani has his way, NYC classrooms won’t be teaching the Constitution in civics class. They’ll be teaching Sharia Law.”
Another Republican congressman, Rep. Brandon Gill of Texas, circulated a video of Mamdani eating a rice dish with his hands on X and wrote, “Civilized people in America don’t eat like this. If you refuse to adopt Western customs, go back to the Third World.”
Republican Rep. Andy Ogles, of Tennessee, late last month wrote a letter to US Attorney General Pam Bondi calling for the Justice Department to investigate whether Mamdani should be denaturalized as a citizen.
 


Netanyahu vows to uproot Hamas as ceasefire proposals are discussed

Updated 03 July 2025
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Netanyahu vows to uproot Hamas as ceasefire proposals are discussed

  • Nearly 21 months of war have created dire humanitarian conditions for the more than two million people in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has recently expanded its military operations

Gaza City, Palestinian Territories: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday vowed to eradicate Hamas, even as the Palestinian militant group said it was discussing new proposals from mediators for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The Israeli leader had yet to comment on US President Donald Trump’s claim that Israel had backed a plan for a 60-day truce in its offensive against Hamas in the war-ravaged territory.
But a week ahead of talks scheduled with Trump in Washington, he vowed to “destroy” Hamas “down to their very foundation.”
Hamas said it was “conducting national consultations to discuss” the proposals submitted in negotiations mediated by Qatar and Egypt.
Nearly 21 months of war have created dire humanitarian conditions for the more than two million people in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has recently expanded its military operations.
The civil defense agency said that Israeli forces had killed at least 47 people on Wednesday.
Among the dead was Marwan Al-Sultan, director of the Indonesian Hospital, a key clinic in the north of Gaza, Palestinian officials said.
Trump on Tuesday urged Hamas to accept a 60-day ceasefire, saying that Israel had agreed to finalize such a deal.
Hamas said in a statement that it was studying the latest proposals and aiming “to reach an agreement that guarantees ending the aggression, achieving the withdrawal (of Israeli forces from Gaza) and urgently aiding our people in the Gaza Strip.”
Netanyahu vowed however: “We will free all our hostages, and we will eliminate Hamas. It will be no more,” in filmed comments in the city of Ashkelon near Gaza’s northern border.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar earlier said that he saw “some positive signs,” amid high pressure to bring home the hostages.
“We are serious in our will to reach a hostage deal and a ceasefire,” he said. “Our goal is to begin proximity talks as soon as possible.”
Out of 251 hostages seized by Palestinian militants in October 2023, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.
A Palestinian source familiar with the mediated negotiations told AFP that “there are no fundamental changes in the new proposal” under discussion compared to previous terms presented by the United States.
The source said that the new proposal “includes a 60-day truce, during which Hamas would release half of the living Israeli captives in the Gaza Strip, in exchange for Israel releasing a number of Palestinian prisoners and detainees.”
In southern Gaza, civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that five members of the same family were killed in an Israeli air strike on Wednesday that hit a tent housing displaced people in the Al-Mawasi area.
Despite being declared a safe zone by Israel in December 2023, Al-Mawasi has been hit by repeated Israeli strikes.
AFP footage from the area showed makeshift tents blown apart as Palestinians picked through the wreckage trying to salvage what was left of their belongings.
“They came here thinking it was a safe area and they were killed. What did they do?” said one resident, Maha Abu Rizq, against a backdrop of destruction.
AFP footage from nearby Khan Yunis city showed infants covered in blood being rushed into Nasser Hospital. One man carrying a child whose face was smeared with blood screamed: “Children, children!“
Among other fatalities, Bassal later reported five people killed by Israeli army fire near an aid distribution site close to the southern city of Rafah and a further death following Israeli fire near an aid site in the center of the territory.
They were the latest in a string of deadly incidents that have hit people trying to receive food.
Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by rescuers.
Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it “is operating to dismantle Hamas military capabilities” in line with “international law, and takes feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm.”
It said in a statement that a 19-year-old sergeant in its forces “fell during combat in the northern Gaza Strip.”
The military late on Wednesday issued a fresh evacuation warning to residents for three neighborhoods of Gaza City, urging them to flee south to the Mawasi area.
Israeli forces are “operating with extreme intensity in the area and will attack any location being used to launch missiles toward the State of Israel,” Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a message on Telegram.
“The destruction of terrorist organizations will continue and expand into the city center, encompassing all neighborhoods of the city,” Avichay wrote.
The military earlier said that its air force had intercepted two “projectiles” that crossed from northern Gaza into Israeli territory.
Israel launched its offensive in response to Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 57,012 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry. The United Nations considers its figures reliable.


NEOM and McLaren light up Trafalgar Square with bold vision and design

Updated 03 July 2025
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NEOM and McLaren light up Trafalgar Square with bold vision and design

  • The Formula E partners unveil bold new look for their cars during McLaren Racing Live: London, a two-day event in the British capital
  • The new look introduces vibrant tones inspired by Oxagon, a reimagined industrial city within NEOM focusing on clean, connected manufacturing

LONDON: In a celebration of speed, innovation and cross-continental ambition, the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team on Wednesday unveiled a bold new livery, marking a major moment in their partnership.

Their redesigned Formula E car — wearing a vivid blue “away kit” inspired by NEOM’s industrial hub Oxagon — was revealed at Trafalgar Square as part of McLaren Racing Live: London, a two-day public experience in the city packed with fan interactions, high-tech exhibits, and team appearances.

It represents more than simply a new paint job; it is a visual embodiment of a partnership that aims to accelerate sustainable transformation and push the boundaries of sport, tech and industry.

The new look, developed jointly by NEOM and McLaren, retains the team’s signature papaya touches but introduces vibrant tones inspired by the identity of Oxagon, a reimagined industrial city within NEOM focusing on clean, connected manufacturing.

“This isn’t just about a new look,” said Ian James, the managing director and team principal of McLaren Electric Racing. “It symbolizes the deeper connection between McLaren’s racing heritage and Oxagon’s vision for clean, connected industry.

“NEOM has been with us since the very beginning and now, with this second bespoke livery, we have another opportunity to showcase what the partnership truly represents.”

In an exclusive interview with Arab News, James praised the enthusiasm he has witnessed among the Saudi youth and said the partnership with NEOM continues to inspire and have a real impact.

“What’s incredible about NEOM is that it really is a blueprint for how we can live in the future,” he said. “It’s all about sustainable innovation, something we at McLaren strive to embody through our own technology and engineering.”

James also touched on the success of the Oxagon x McLaren Accelerator business-development program.

“Some of the startups we’ve supported are already piloting next-gen tech, like predictive maintenance systems and robotic container handling,” he said. “These are not just ideas; they’re becoming reality.”

Team drivers Sam Bird and Taylor Barnard also shared their views on the partnership with NEOM. Bird, a seasoned Formula E competitor, said the collaboration fits seamlessly with McLaren’s own mindset.

“This partnership works so well because NEOM’s core values of pushing boundaries, innovation and technology mirror what we believe in at McLaren,” Bird said.

“Every time I visit NEOM I’m blown away by how fast it’s expanding and the scale of ambition.”

He also hinted at what lies ahead: “I know NEOM is developing a bespoke race track as part of a new car club — and if we ever got to race there, that would be unbelievable.”

Barnard, one of the team’s younger talents, noted the ways in which the partnership has influenced his own developing career.

“Formula E is about future-focused racing, and NEOM is the very definition of a future-focused project,” he said. “Being part of something like this is not only exciting for us drivers, it has the potential to inspire a whole new generation, especially in Saudi Arabia.”

Reflecting on his visits to NEOM, Barnard added: “It’s a fascinating environment, and as a young driver it makes me optimistic. This kind of global collaboration shows what’s possible when sport and innovation work hand in hand.”

Vishal Wanchoo, the CEO of Oxagon said: “When you combine McLaren’s performance DNA with Oxagon’s clean industrial mission, you don’t just build cars, you shape the future of industry.”

The team’s takeover of Trafalgar Square was not just about the spectacle. It offered Londoners, and visiting international fans, the chance to get up close with McLaren racing cars used in F1, IndyCar, Formula E, and more. Children from local schools took part in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) activities, and fans of all ages had a chance to try out racing simulators, pit-stop challenges, and virtual reaction walls.

With the ABB FIA Formula E season finale set to take place in London on July 26 and 27, the NEOM McLaren team is not just chasing results on the track, it aims to redefine what racing partnerships can look like in a changing world.

As the crowd gathered beneath the towering lions of Trafalgar Square, one thing was certain: this was about more than motorsport. It was a statement. A platform. And if NEOM and McLaren have their way, it will be just the beginning.