Nigeria tries Boko Haram suspects behind closed doors

Boko Haram militants (in camouflage) embrace and shake hands with Boko Haram prisoners, released in exchange for a group of 82 Chibok girls, who were held captive for three years by militants, near Kumshe, Nigeria, in this May 6, 2017 photo. (Reuters)
Updated 08 October 2017
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Nigeria tries Boko Haram suspects behind closed doors

KANO: More than 2,300 suspected members of the jihadist group Boko Haram were expected to appear in court in Nigeria from Monday in unprecedented mass trials to be held behind closed doors.
The defendants have all been picked up and held in detention since the start of the conflict eight years ago, which has left at least 20,000 dead in the country’s remote northeast.
To date, just 13 people have been put on trial and only nine convicted for their links to the Islamist insurgency, according to official figures.
The most high-profile current case is that of Khalid Al-Barnawi, a leader of the Boko Haram offshoot Ansaru, who is charged with the abduction and murder of 10 foreign nationals.
Nigeria’s justice ministry announced the start of the trials at the end of last month, saying four judges had been assigned and that defendants would have legal representation.
Some 1,670 detainees at a military base in Kainji, in the central state of Niger, will be tried first followed by 651 others held at the Giwa barracks in the capital of the northeastern state of Borno state, Maiduguri.
“It’s the first significant trial of Boko Haram suspects,” said Matthew Page, a former US State Department analyst and a specialist on Nigeria.
But he told AFP that while “positive” it was still a “very small step,” as many of the detainees had been held in custody for years, without access to a lawyer or ever having appeared before a judge.

How the long-awaited trials will be held also raises questions, particularly about transparency.
A justice ministry source said no media would be allowed on security grounds and that although civilian courts, they would be held in military facilities.
Umar Ado, a defense lawyer based in Nigeria’s biggest northern city, Kano, said that was “as good as denying the public the right to know how the trial is carried out.”
“It sends the wrong signal that justice is not served or the process is compromised,” he added.
There have also been questions about the ability of Nigeria’s justice system to handle so many cases at once and even of simple procedural details such as whether defendants will be tried on their own or together.
The justice ministry itself has already highlighted the potential pitfalls facing judges, such as poor investigation techniques, lack of forensic evidence and “over-reliance on confession-based evidence.”

To what extent those on trial are connected to the group will likely come under scrutiny.
“There are good reasons to believe that large numbers of the detainees have very little or no connection at all to the group,” said Matthew Page.
Amnesty International said in a damning June 2015 report that more than 20,000 people had been arbitrarily arrested as part of the fight against Boko Haram.
It highlighted appalling conditions at military detention facilities and claimed at least 1,200 people had been summarily killed and 7,000 died in custody since 2011.
The group’s spokesman in Nigeria, Isa Sanusi, said: “Nobody knows exactly how many people are detained, if they are still alive and where they are.”
President Muhammadu Buhari, who was elected in 2015, has promised to look into repeated accusations of human rights violations, including against high-ranking officers.
At least two commissions of inquiry have been established but the army announced in June this year that no action would be taken against top brass accused by Amnesty.
Such revelations have made Western countries cautious about responding to repeated Nigerian requests for more military support in the conflict, particularly in terms of weapons and other hardware.
The US administration of former president Barack Obama blocked a nearly $600 million deal with Nigeria for 12 fighter planes after a botched air strike that killed more than 100 civilians.
The deal finally went through in August.
Britain’s foreign minister, Boris Johnson, said on a recent visit that London was considering a Nigerian request for more military hardware.
Amnesty’s Sanusi believes the mass trials of Boko Haram suspects were the result of international pressure on the Nigerian government as it “desperately wants to procure arms.”


Indonesian president to meet Putin on first Russia visit next week

Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto during a meeting at the Kremlin.
Updated 10 sec ago
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Indonesian president to meet Putin on first Russia visit next week

  • Prabowo will meet Putin in St. Petersburg, where he will address an economic forum
  • He referred to Russia as ‘great friend’ when he visited Moscow as defense minister last year

JAKARTA: Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto will meet Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg next week, Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday, as the leader of Southeast Asia’s biggest economy is set to make his first visit to Russia since taking office.

Prabowo will begin his three-day visit on June 18, during which he will also attend the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.  

“This visit is to fulfill the invitation from Russian President Vladimir Putin for a bilateral meeting,” Rolliansyah Soemirat, spokesperson for Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told reporters in Jakarta. 

“This visit is also part of the 75-year anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries … (and) is expected to include discussions on the progress of bilateral cooperation as well as an exchange between the leaders on regional and global issues of common concern.” 

Indonesia is also hoping to sign new agreements with Russia during the upcoming visit, he added without specifying details. 

Prabowo last met Putin in July, during a trip to Russia as Indonesia’s defense minister that took place months before he was inaugurated as the country’s new president. He called Russia a “great friend” at the time and said he wanted to develop nuclear energy cooperation with Moscow. 

The two countries held their first joint naval drills on Java in November. It was followed by talks between Indonesia’s Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and Sergei Shoigu, the secretary of the Russian Federation Security Council, in Jakarta in February, during which they discussed ways to strengthen defense ties. 

Indonesia also became a full member of the BRICS bloc of emerging economies in January, a geopolitical forum that was co-founded by Russia. 

Since taking office, Prabowo has visited over a dozen countries, including China, the US and the UAE. 

The 73-year-old leader has committed to maintaining the country’s long-standing “free and active” foreign policy. Under the non-aligned approach, Jakarta has refused to take sides over Russia’s invasion in Ukraine.


Bangladeshi women break driving taboo on male-dominated roads

Sharmin Akter Pinky, a professional female driver, navigates the roads of Dhaka, Bangladesh, on May 27, 2025. (AN photo)
Updated 12 June 2025
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Bangladeshi women break driving taboo on male-dominated roads

  • Country’s largest development organization opened all-female driving school in 2012
  • Most of its graduates now employed by NGOs, international organizations

DHAKA: When Sharmin Akter Pinky sat behind the steering wheel for the first time, it was because of her aunt, who encouraged her to venture into a field which, in Bangladesh, had traditionally been dominated by men.

“She used to inspire me to be an independent woman and to do something with my own abilities,” Pinky told Arab News.

Her aunt saw women learning to drive at a school in Dhaka and convinced the rest of the family that it would be the right path for her niece as well.

“She kept insisting that if the other girls could do it, I would also be able to do the same,” Pinky said.

“This is how I stepped into this driving career, with the support of my parents, uncle, and aunt.”

Pinky was 20 at the time. Now, eight years later, she is a professional driver working with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN.

The all-female driving school she enrolled in was opened by BRAC (Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee), Bangladesh’s largest development organization, in 2012. Each year, more and more women have been taking the classes — making the wheel their tool for earning a livelihood and building a career.

“There was a time when people had a very negative mindset about girls entering the driving profession, but things have improved a lot since then. I would encourage more women to take it up. Girls should be independent and explore the world around them,” Pinky said.

For her, it also comes with a personal mission to help empower others who may not have had as much support from their families as she did.

In Pinky’s village, it was not widely accepted that women could work.

She said: “In the early days, when I went back to the village during holidays, people would say things like ‘This isn’t a respectable job,’ or ‘You’ll have trouble getting married,’ or ‘You might fall in with the wrong crowd.’

“But my father always stood by me. He told me not to listen to what people around us said. He encouraged me to focus on being a good human being, doing honest work, and helping others improve their lives.

“Later, I brought two other girls from my village, arranged driving training for them, and helped them find jobs. Now, people admit that driving can be a good job for women too. I feel proud I have started something.”

For Sharmina Akter Banu, who now also works at FAO, driving offered a means of survival.

When her father and husband passed away, she was left alone caring for her 18-month-old child, younger siblings, and mother.

“I received an offer from the BRAC Driving School to take driving training. I completed the training over a period of three months. After that, I got a job as a professional driver,” she said.

“At that time all of my siblings were still attending school. With the income from my driving job, I took on the responsibility of supporting my younger siblings. Thanks to that, all of them were able to complete their education.”

Banu’s younger brother is now pursuing his honors degree, and her son is completing high school.

The job has become a source of pride for her. She has a stable profession, is financially independent, has been able to support her family, and feels like an equal member of society.

“I’m surrounded by many male drivers and, among them, I am the only female. It’s a matter of pride for me, because as a woman I’ve been able to work in this challenging profession alongside men,” she said.

“Wherever I notice a female driver, it fills my heart with joy. More and more girls are coming into this profession. And they are doing well.”

Banu and Pinky are among more than 3,500 professional women drivers trained by BRAC. They come from various parts of Bangladesh and different backgrounds.

“We have BRAC’s network in the remotest parts of the country … We receive applications from minorities and underprivileged women,” Abdul Quddus, who is in charge of the organization’s driving schools, told Arab News.

“After receiving training, the female drivers start working at different organizations, especially with international NGOs … To date, all the women who received professional driving training from us are doing well at their workplaces.”

They are contributing not only to the workforce and efforts to change social norms, but also to improving road safety in a country where traffic accidents are common.

“The society has now mostly overcome the stereotype that driving is mostly a male job,” Quddus said.

“Women can play a significant role in ensuring road safety. They don’t get involved in risky driving like men, and they are more respectful of the traffic rules.”


Deadly civilian plane crashes in India over the decades

Updated 12 June 2025
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Deadly civilian plane crashes in India over the decades

  • Air India plane bound for London with 242 people on board crashed minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad on Thursday
  • Plane reportedly crashed on top of the dining area of state-run BJ Medical College hostel, killing many medical students as well

NEW DELHI, India: An Air India plane bound for London with 242 people on board crashed minutes after taking off from India’s western city of Ahmedabad on Thursday, the airline and police said, and India’s federal health minister said that “many people” were killed.
Following are details of some other airline accidents in India in recent years:

AUGUST 2020
Twenty-one people died when an Air India Express Boeing 737 plane skidded off the runway in the southern city of Kozhikode during heavy rain, plunged into a valley and crashed nose-first into the ground.

MAY 2010
An Air India Boeing 737 flight from Dubai overshot the runway at the airport in the southern city of Mangaluru and crashed into a gorge, killing 158 people on board.

JULY 2000
More than 50 people were killed when a state-owned Alliance Air flight between Kolkata and the capital, New Delhi, crashed in a residential area of the eastern city of Patna.

APRIL 1993
An Indian Airlines Boeing 737 crashed during takeoff in the western city of Aurangabad and killed 55 people on board.

AUGUST 1991
An Indian Airlines Boeing 737 flight from Kolkata crashed during descent near Imphal, the capital of the hilly north-eastern state of Manipur, killing all 69 occupants onboard.

OCTOBER 1988
More than 130 passengers died when an Indian Airlines Boeing 737, flying from Mumbai to Ahmedabad, crashed as it was coming in to land.

JANUARY 1978
All 213 passengers of an Air India flight were killed when the captain lost control of the plane after take-off and plunged it into the Arabian Sea off the coast of Mumbai, India’s financial hub.
 


NATO chief hopeful of spending deal as meets allies in Rome

Updated 12 June 2025
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NATO chief hopeful of spending deal as meets allies in Rome

  • Rutte is urging NATO members to commit to 3.5 percent of GDP on direct military spending by 2032

ROME: NATO chief Mark Rutte said Thursday he was “pretty confident” of getting a deal on boosting defense spending at a summit later this month, as he met European allies in Rome.
He joined foreign ministers and diplomats from Italy, France, Germany, Britain, Poland, Spain, Ukraine and the EU to discuss defense spending and their support for Kyiv, as Russia escalates its bombardments.
The meeting of the so-called “Weimar+” group comes ahead of a G7 summit in Canada on June 15-17, where allies will push US President Donald Trump to be more aggressive in punishing the Kremlin.
It will be followed by a NATO meeting in The Hague on June 24-25, where the focus will be reaching a deal that satisfies Trump’s demands to spend five percent of GDP on defense.
Rutte is urging NATO members to commit to 3.5 percent of GDP on direct military spending by 2032, and an additional 1.5 percent on broader security-related expenditure.
“We are discussing the final decisions we will take in The Hague. I’m pretty confident indeed... that we will get to a joint position, all 32 (members),” he told reporters heading into the talks in Rome.
He praised Trump’s efforts to reach a peace deal in Ukraine by talking directly to Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying “he broke the deadlock” — even if the discussions are stalled.
Russia has fired record numbers of drones and missiles at Ukraine over recent weeks, escalating three years of daily bombardments as it outlines hard-line demands — rejected by Kyiv as “ultimatums” — to halt the war.
Rutte noted that Russia had sent a historian to talks in Istanbul, “explaining more or less that Ukraine is at fault here. I think that’s not helpful, but at least, step by step, we try to make progress.”
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, the meeting host whose country spends 1.5 percent of GDP on defense, said he was “very happy” with Rutte’s spending plan.
“For Italy it’s important to spend more but we need more time, 10 years, I think it is more or less possible to achieve this goal,” he said.


Air India plane with 242 on board crashes at India’s Ahmedabad airport

Updated 12 June 2025
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Air India plane with 242 on board crashes at India’s Ahmedabad airport

  • The plane was reportedly a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, one of the most modern passenger aircraft
  • It was headed to Gatwick airport in the United Kingdom when it crashed in a civilian area near the airport

NEW DELHI: An Air India plane headed to London with 242 people on board crashed minutes after taking off from India’s western city of Ahmedabad on Thursday, the airline and police said, without specifying whether there were any fatalities.

The plane was headed to Gatwick airport in the UK, Air India said, while police officers said it crashed in a civilian area near the airport.

Aviation tracking site Flightradar24 said the plane was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, one of the most modern passenger aircraft in service.

“At this moment, we are ascertaining the details and will share further updates,” Air India said on X.

The crash occurred when the aircraft was taking off, television channels reported. One channel showed the plane taking off over a residential area and then disappearing from the screen before a huge cloud of fire rising into the sky from beyond the houses.

Visuals also showed debris on fire, with thick black smoke rising up into the sky near the airport.

They also showed visuals of people being moved in stretchers and being taken away in ambulances.

According to air traffic control at Ahmedabad airport, the aircraft departed at 1.39 p.m. (0809 GMT) from runway 23. It gave a “Mayday” call, signalling an emergency, but thereafter there was no response from the aircraft.

Flightradar24 also said that it received the last signal from the aircraft seconds after it took off.

“The aircraft involved is a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with registration VT-ANB,” it said.

Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The last fatal plane crash in India involved Air India Express, the airline’s low-cost arm.

The airline’s Boeing-737 overshot a “table-top” runway at Kozhikode International Airport in southern India in 2020. The plane skidded off the runway, plunging into a valley and crashing nose-first into the ground.
Twenty-one people were killed in that crash.