Both suspects in Kuwait murder of Filipino held: Lebanon

Jessica (C), sister of Filipina overseas worker Joanna Demafelis, cries in front of a wooden casket containing her sister's body shortly after its arrival at the international airport in Manila on February 16, 2018, while Philippine Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano (C-behind w/glasses) looks on. (AFP)
Updated 24 February 2018
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Both suspects in Kuwait murder of Filipino held: Lebanon

BEIRUT: The employers of a Filipino maid found dead in a freezer in Kuwait were both arrested in the Syrian capital Damascus, a Lebanese judicial official said on Saturday.
Syrian authorities surrendered Nader Essam Assaf to Beirut on Friday because of his Lebanese citizenship but his Syrian wife Mona remains in custody in Damascus, the official said.
The murder of Joanna Demafelis sparked outrage in the Philippines and prompted President Rodrigo Duterte to impose a departure ban for Filipinos planning to work in Kuwait.
The 29-year-old’s body, which allegedly showed signs of torture, was found earlier this month inside a freezer in the abandoned apartment unit of the detained couple.
The couple have been the subject of an Interpol manhunt since Demafelis’s body was found more than a year after her family reported her missing.
“The couple were arrested in Damascus. They were the subject of an Interpol red notice and the Syrian authorities handed the husband over to Lebanese custody on Friday morning,” the official said.
“Syria kept custody of the wife because she is a Syrian national,” he added.
“Lebanon has asked Kuwait to pass on the husband’s police record.”
The official said that after leaving Kuwait, the couple had made a very brief stopover in Lebanon before traveling on to neighboring Syria.
Duterte has vowed to bring justice to Demafelis’s family, lashing out at the Gulf state and alleging Arab employers routinely rape Filipino workers, force them to work 21 hours a day and feed them scraps.
Kuwait has said it is investigating reported deaths and abuses, and insisted there were only a small number considering that there are more than 250,000 Filipinos working in the emirate.
Duterte this week sent a team of labor officials to Kuwait to seek greater protection for migrant workers


US recalls top diplomat in Colombia for ‘urgent consultations’

Updated 7 min 52 sec ago
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US recalls top diplomat in Colombia for ‘urgent consultations’

  • Bruce said the United States “is pursuing other measures to make clear our deep concern”
  • Petro claimed a far-right “leader,” had spoken to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio

WASHINGTON: The United States recalled its top diplomat in Colombia on Thursday for “urgent consultations” and expressed “deep concern” over the relationship between the two countries.

Charge d’affaires John McNamara was being recalled “following baseless and reprehensible statements from the highest levels of the Government of Colombia,” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said in a statement.

Bruce did not specify what the offending remarks were.

In addition to McNamara’s recall, Bruce said the United States “is pursuing other measures to make clear our deep concern over the current state of our bilateral relationship,” without detailing the actions.

She stressed, however, that Colombia remains an “essential strategic partner” despite Washington’s “policy differences with the current government.”

“We are committed to close cooperation on a range of shared priorities, including regional security and stability,” Bruce added.

Colombia’s leftist President Gustavo Petro accused the United States and “right-wing extremists” last month of plotting to overthrow him.

Without providing further details, Petro claimed a far-right “leader,” who he did not identify, had spoken to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Colombia leftist government also recently refused a US request to extradite two prominent guerrilla leaders wanted by Washington for drug trafficking.

Colombia was until recently one of the United States’ closest partners in Latin America.


From Grand Slam to grand struggle, Krejcikova lives to fight on

Updated 27 min 28 sec ago
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From Grand Slam to grand struggle, Krejcikova lives to fight on

  • There was zero champion’s polish on show as the Czech creaked her way into the third round
  • The pair exchanged errors and breaks of serve throughout

LONDON: Barbora Krejcikova’s Wimbledon defense is still alive — but only just. The Czech squeezed past American Caroline Dolehide 6-4 3-6 6-2 in a second-round tussle that was all grind and no grandeur.
There was zero champion’s polish on show as the Czech creaked her way into the third round, surviving a match as scrappy as a Henman Hill picnic after a seagull raid.
“A huge relief,” she said afterwards to polite applause from the crowd. “Really up and down points, turning one way and the other ... I am so grateful I can keep going.”
Court Two spectators, many blissfully unaware that they were watching the reigning champion, might be forgiven — Krejcikova herself barely looked the part.
A season dogged by back and thigh niggles has left the 29-year-old short of sharpness, and her patchy 4-3 record for the season coming in was on full display in a match strewn with errors.
Spraying foreheads wide of their mark and dumping backhands into the net, nothing suggested a twice Grand Slam champion was holding court.
At times the contest resembled less a Grand Slam match and more a practice session between two very rusty players — Krejcikova produced 39 unforced errors, while Dolehide got fewer than half her first serves in all match.
The pair exchanged errors and breaks of serve throughout — Dolehide trying to power her way into the contest while Krejcikova sought to claw her way to victory on the back of slow, sliced forehands whispering back to a gentler age.
Scarcely can a champion have produced such a lukewarm performance on the Grand Slam stage but it would be fair to say the Czech blows hot and cold on the tennis court.
French Open champion in 2021, she has followed that title run with three first-round defeats and one second round showing at Roland Garros in the years since.
Her form can read like a nursery rhyme. When she’s good, she’s very, very good — Grand Slam good. But when the gears don’t quite catch, when timing slips or confidence wavers, she can unravel just as spectacularly.
As Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 19th-century American poet and nursery rhyme writer, had it: when she is good, she is very, very good — but when she is bad, she is horrid.
Still, the 17th seed did just enough to scrape through to gentle applause and a sterner test ahead: 10th seed Emma Navarro, who won’t be quite so generous. (Reporting by Ossian Shine; Editing by Christian Radnedge and Ken Ferris)


Producer of dropped BBC Gaza documentary says broadcaster tried to gag him

Updated 51 min 2 sec ago
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Producer of dropped BBC Gaza documentary says broadcaster tried to gag him

  • In a post on LinkedIn, Ben de Pear said he declined to sign the BBC ‘double gagging clause’ multiple times
  • The corporation shelved ‘Gaza: Doctors Under Attack’ amid widespread criticisms over controversial decision

LONDON: The executive producer of a shelved BBC documentary on Gaza has accused the corporation of attempting to silence him over its controversial decision to pull the film.

Ben de Pear, former editor of Channel 4 News and executive producer of “Gaza: Doctors Under Attack,” said he was repeatedly pressured to sign what he called a “double gagging clause” that would have barred him and others from speaking about the BBC’s decision to drop the film.

“I rejected and refused to sign the double gagging clause the BBC bosses tried multiple times to get me to sign,” de Pear wrote in a LinkedIn post.

“Not only could we have been sued for saying the BBC refused to air the film (palpably and provably true) but also if any other company had said it, the BBC could sue us.

“Not only could we not tell the truth that was already stated, but neither could others. Reader, I didn’t sign it.”

Describing the film’s production as a “painful journey,” de Pear previously accused Tim Davie, BBC’s director general, of taking editorial decisions he was not qualified to make.

“All the decisions about our film were not taken by journalists, they were taken by Tim Davie,” he said at conference in Sheffield. “He is just a PR person. Tim Davie is taking editorial decisions which, frankly, he is not capable of making.”

He accused the BBC of “failing as an institution,” calling for Davie and the corporation’s senior leadership to step down.

While the BBC has not officially responded, The Guardian reported that sources close to the matter denied the broadcaster tried to gag de Pear.

One insider said the request was a standard clause requiring producers to seek BBC approval before promoting its content — a claim disputed by de Pear’s company, Basement Films.

The controversy comes amid broader criticism of the BBC’s handling of Gaza-related coverage.

This includes backlash over its decision to drop “Gaza: Doctors Under Attack” because it “risked creating a perception of partiality,” its refusal to broadcast a performance by Irish rap trio Kneecap — one member of whom faces terror charges — and its failure to interrupt the Glastonbury live feed featuring anti-Israel chants by punk-rap duo Bob Vylan.

On Wednesday, over 400 media professionals — including 111 BBC journalists — signed an open letter accusing the BBC of acting as “PR for the Israeli government” and calling for the removal of BBC board member Robbie Gibb, citing conflicts of interest and editorial bias.

The letter also questioned Gibb’s alleged role in the BBC’s decision to drop the Gaza documentary.

Before pulling “Gaza: Doctors Under Attack” entirely, the BBC said it had delayed the film’s broadcast pending a review of another program, “Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone.”

Channel 4 ultimately aired “Gaza: Doctors Under Attack” on Wednesday night to critical acclaim.


European climbers complete rare alpine-style ascent of Nanga Parbat’s deadly Rupal face

Updated 53 min 50 sec ago
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European climbers complete rare alpine-style ascent of Nanga Parbat’s deadly Rupal face

  • German climber David Göttler paraglided from near the summit in a daring solo descent
  • Nanga Parbat is infamous for its high fatality rate, earning it the nickname ‘Killer Mountain’

ISLAMABAD: Three European climbers achieved a rare feat on one of the world’s most dangerous peaks, scaling the treacherous Rupal face of Nanga Parbat in alpine style, with one of them paragliding down from near the summit in a daring solo descent earlier this week.

German climber David Göttler was joined by French mountaineers Tiphaine Duperier and Boris Langenstein for the climb via the Schell route, a steep and rarely successful line up the mountain’s massive southern wall. The Rupal face, rising nearly 4,600 meters from base to summit, is considered the world’s highest mountain face and among the most technically demanding.

“Sometimes you need to be patient … It’s taken five attempts, but now that I’ve achieved it, I know it’s all been worthwhile,” Göttler wrote in a social media post on Tuesday, describing his 12-year pursuit of the route.

He said summiting with his teammates in alpine style was “incredible,” and added that being able to fly down from around 7,700 meters to base camp in the same day took his joy “to the next level.”

Unlike traditional expedition climbing, alpine style involves climbing in a single push without establishing fixed ropes or pre-stocked camps, requiring climbers to carry all their gear. The approach demands speed, efficiency and a high degree of skill, especially at high altitude.

“It’s been a long time since an expedition has successfully summited from the Rupal side,” Naiknam Karim, CEO of Adventure Tours Pakistan, which facilitated the expedition’s logistics, told Arab News over the phone. “Normally, people climb from the Diamir face.”

“What makes this climb special is that they did it in alpine style ,” he continued. “What’s even more remarkable is that Göttler paraglided down from the summit. So, that’s his special achievement.”

Nanga Parbat, the world’s ninth-highest peak at 8,126 meters, is infamous for its difficulty and high fatality rate, earning it the nickname “Killer Mountain.”

Over 100 climbers and porters have died on its slopes, with the Rupal face considered particularly unforgiving due to avalanche risk and exposure to extreme weather.


Wildfires kill two in western Turkiye, little-known group claims arson attacks

Updated 52 min 2 sec ago
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Wildfires kill two in western Turkiye, little-known group claims arson attacks

  • The latest casualty was a backhoe operator, Ibrahim Demir, who died while battling the flames in the Odemis district
  • A group calling itself “Children of Fire” claimed responsibility

ISTANBUL: A wildfire killed a second person in Türkiye’s western Izmir province on Tuesday as blazes raged for a seventh day across several regions, while a little-known group claiming ties to Kurdish militants said it was behind dozens of arson attacks.

The latest casualty was a backhoe operator, Ibrahim Demir, who died while battling the flames in the Odemis district, the state-run Anadolu news agency said.

Earlier, an 81-year-old bedridden man who was home alone in the same area died when fire reached his house, marking the first death since the fires began.

A group calling itself “Children of Fire” claimed responsibility for “tens of fires across six Turkish cities”, according to a statement shared online.

The group, which is little known, says it is affiliated with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), designated a terrorist group by Türkiye, the United States and European Union. The PKK, which said in May that it was ending a 40-year insurgency and disbanding, has not commented on the claim.

Firefighters continued to battle flames with helicopters and planes dropping water over mountainous terrain in Izmir, while authorities closed some roads to the Aegean resort town of Cesme, Anadolu said.

Broadcasters showed footage of flames lining the main highway as water tankers arrived.

Türkiye, Greece and other countries in the Mediterranean are in an area scientists dub “a wildfire hotspot” — with blazes common during hot and dry summers. These have become more destructive in recent years due to a fast-changing climate.

Wildfires across Türkiye’s west have damaged around 200 homes and victims have been provided alternative accommodation, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said. Some 50,000 people were temporarily evacuated earlier this week from areas of fires fueled by high temperatures, low humidity and strong winds.

New fires also broke out on Thursday in the southern resort province of Antalya and in forested areas near Istanbul, Türkiye’s largest city, Anadolu said. Authorities have managed to contain several of the blazes.