Former Trump campaign chief to be sentenced, could face life in prison

Paul Manafort arrives for a hearing at US District Court on June 15, 2018 in Washington, DC. Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s office said in a sentencing memo released February 23, 2019, that President Donald Trump’s former campaign director Paul Manafort was a “bold” criminal who “repeatedly and brazenly” broke the law. (File/AFP/Brendan Smialowski)
Updated 07 March 2019
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Former Trump campaign chief to be sentenced, could face life in prison

  • The sentencing guidelines for Manafort’s crimes call for between 19 and 24 years in prison but his defense attorneys have urged a “substantially” lower jail term
  • Manafort is accused of lying about various matters including his contacts with a suspected Russian operative

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump’s former campaign chief Paul Manafort faces potentially spending the rest of his life behind bars when a judge sentences him on Thursday for tax crimes and bank fraud.
Manafort, who turns 70 in April, was convicted by a Virginia jury in August of five counts of filing false income tax returns, two counts of bank fraud and one count of failing to report a foreign bank account.
Manafort is one of a half dozen former Trump associates and senior aides charged by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who has been investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and possible collusion with the Trump campaign.
The sentencing guidelines for Manafort’s crimes call for between 19 and 24 years in prison but his defense attorneys have urged Judge T.S. Ellis to impose a “substantially” lower jail term.
In a filing with the judge, they said Manafort is “truly remorseful” and is in poor health after spending the past nine months in prison.
They pointed out that Manafort, who suffers from gout, is a first-time offender and said the sentencing guidelines are “clearly disproportionate” for the crimes he committed.
Mueller’s team issued a scathing rebuttal, stating that Manafort had breached a plea agreement reached with the government and lied repeatedly to investigators.
Manafort is accused of lying about various matters including his contacts with a suspected Russian operative, Konstantin Kilimnik, with whom he reportedly shared polling data about the 2016 presidential election.
“The defendant blames everyone from the Special Counsel’s Office to his Ukrainian clients for his own criminal choices,” prosecutors said.
Most of the tens of millions of dollars Manafort was accused of hiding from the US tax authorities were paid as consulting fees for work he did for Russian-backed Ukranian politicians between 2004 and 2014.
None of the charges against Manafort are connected to his role in the Trump campaign, which he headed for a couple of months in 2016.
In arguing for a lighter sentence, Manafort’s attorneys said the veteran Republican political consultant has been “devastated personally, professionally and financially.”
Mueller’s office countered that it was “Manafort’s own criminal actions that have led to these consequences.”
Trump has repeatedly denied any election collusion with Moscow and denounced the probe by Mueller, a former FBI director, as a “political witch hunt.”
Trump has also dangled the possibility of pardons for some of those indicted — including Manafort, who he has praised as a “good man” who has been treated unfairly.
Manafort has also been charged in Washington with money laundering, witness tampering and other offenses and faces separate sentencing in that case.
Manafort, in addition to Trump’s campaign, worked on the White House bids of Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bob Dole.
After making a name in domestic politics, he turned his talents to the lucrative practice of lobbying on behalf of questionable foreign leaders such as Philippines dictator Ferdinand Marcos, Somalia’s Mohamed Siad Barre and Jonas Savimbi of Angola.
But it was his work for Viktor Yanukovych, who served as president of Ukraine from 2010 to 2014, when he fled to Russia amid corruption allegations, which got Manafort in trouble.
Prosecutors alleged during his trial that Manafort used offshore bank accounts to hide tens of millions of dollars from Ukrainian politicians from the Internal Revenue Service.
The money was used to support a lavish lifestyle which included purchases of luxury homes and cars, antique rugs, and expensive clothes, including an $18,500 python jacket.


Ousted Bangladesh PM Hasina’s son denies graft in $12.65 billion nuclear deal

Updated 6 sec ago
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Ousted Bangladesh PM Hasina’s son denies graft in $12.65 billion nuclear deal

  • Bangladesh’s Anti Corruption Commission has launched corruption inquiry into Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project, backed by Russia’s state-owned Rosatom
  • Rosatom, world’s largest supplier of enriched uranium, refuted the allegations, adding that it was committed to combat corruption in all its projects

NEW DELHI: Ousted Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s son and adviser on Tuesday described allegations of corruption involving the family in the 2015 awarding of a $12.65 billion nuclear power contract as “completely bogus” and a “smear campaign.”
Bangladesh’s Anti Corruption Commission said on Monday it had launched an enquiry into allegations of corruption, embezzlement and money laundering in the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project, backed by Russia’s state-owned Rosatom.
A deal for two power plants, each with a capacity of 1,200 megawatts, was signed in 2015.
The commission has alleged that there were financial irregularities worth about $5 billion involving Hasina, her son Sajeeb Wazed and her niece and British treasury minister Tulip Siddiq, through offshore accounts.
Rosatom, the world’s largest supplier of enriched uranium, refuted the allegations, adding that it was committed to combat corruption in all its projects and that it maintains a transparent procurement system.
“Rosatom State Corporation is ready to defend its interests and reputation in court,” it said in an emailed statement to Reuters.
“We consider false statements in the media as an attempt to discredit the Rooppur NPP project, which is being implemented to solve the country’s energy supply problems and is aimed at improving the well-being of the people of Bangladesh.”
Siddiq did not respond to a request for comment.
A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Siddiq had denied any involvement in the claims and that he had confidence in her. Siddiq would continue in her role, the spokesperson added.
Wazed, speaking on behalf of the family, said they were the targets of a political witch hunt in Bangladesh.
“These are completely bogus allegations and a smear campaign. My family nor I have ever been involved or taken any money from any government projects,” he told Reuters from Washington, where he lives.
“It is not possible to siphon off billions from a $10 billion project. We also don’t have any offshore accounts. I have been living in the US for 30 years, my aunt and cousins in the UK for a similar amount of time. We obviously have accounts here, but none of us have ever seen that kind of money.”
Reuters could not contact Hasina, who has not been seen in public since fleeing to New Delhi in early August following a deadly uprising against her in Bangladesh. Since then, an interim government has been running the country.
The government in Dhaka said on Monday it had asked India to send Hasina back. New Delhi has confirmed the request but declined further comment.
Wazeb said the family had not made a decision on Hasina’s return to Bangladesh and that New Delhi had not asked her to seek asylum elsewhere.


Kashmir’s ‘bee queen’ sets out to empower women, inspire youth

Updated 25 December 2024
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Kashmir’s ‘bee queen’ sets out to empower women, inspire youth

  • Sania Zehra manages about 600 bee colonies, sells products across India
  • She created an empowerment group to help aspiring women entrepreneurs

NEW DELHI: For the past four years, beekeeping has become central to Sania Zehra’s life. Every morning, she wakes at about 6 a.m. to tend to her colonies, before spending the rest of the day building the enterprise that turned her into the “bee queen” of Kashmir. 

Her beekeeping journey began as a 16-year-old, watching her father hard at work at the family farm in Balhama in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

“I first saw my grandfather working with the bees, and then I saw my father doing the same business. When I saw my father working hard, I decided to also contribute and support him,” Zehra told Arab News. 

She overcame her initial fear of bee stings and got to work immediately, applying for a government scheme that allowed her to expand the business. 

It was not always smooth sailing — she struggled to make a profit in the first couple of years and had to juggle maintaining the hectic routine of beekeeping and selling her products. 

But as her hard work of managing hundreds of colonies garnered her the “bee queen” title, today her products are being sold across the country.

“I am selling my product across India (and) I am getting orders from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Dubai, South Africa, Qatar and all,” Zehra said. 

Beekeeping is a multi-pronged passion for the 20-year-old, who sees it as a way to protect the environment and preserve her family legacy. 

She joins an increasing number of women in Kashmir who are running their own businesses, many of whom access government programs aimed at training and supporting women entrepreneurs. 

Despite the social barriers that persist to this day, Zehra found support from her family, especially her mother. 

“My mother supports me wholeheartedly. She says ‘I have sons but you have gone ahead of the boys and there is nothing that can stop a woman if she wants to,’” she said. 

“For me, it’s a passion as well as a desire to carry the family legacy … I have been fascinated by bees’ social structure and the importance of bees in our ecosystem. I want to contribute to their conversation and produce natural honey and connect with nature. They are an inspiration for me.” 

As time went by, she found that beekeeping was not only therapeutic for her mental health but also a way to support the entrepreneurial landscape in Kashmir. 

To fuel that mission, Zehra created an empowerment group whose members comprise talented women who lack access to resources. 

“My main focus is that I should act as a catalyst for many and help others to grow too,” she said. 

With 40 members so far, Zehra is aiming to take it to 100 and help them gain access to the government initiatives that once helped her. 

“I want to give employment to all,” Zehra said. “I have a future plan to address the unemployment issue in Kashmir and make Kashmir a wonderful place. I want to inspire young people.”


Pope calls for ‘arms to be silenced’ across world

Pope Francis waves as he delivers his traditional Christmas Day Urbi et Orbi speech to the city and the world.
Updated 25 December 2024
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Pope calls for ‘arms to be silenced’ across world

  • “I think of the Christian communities in Israel and Palestine, particularly in Gaza, where the humanitarian situation is extremely grave,” Pope Francis said

VATICAN: Pope Francis called Wednesday for “arms to be silenced” around the world in his Christmas address, appealing for peace in the Middle East, Ukraine and Sudan as he denounced the “extremely grave” humanitarian situation in Gaza.
He used his traditional “Urbi et Orbi” (“to the city and the world“) message to the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics to call for talks for a just peace in Ukraine as the country was pummelled by 170 Russian missiles and drones on Christmas morning.
“May the sound of arms be silenced in war-torn Ukraine,” the 88-year-old pontiff said, his voice strained and breathless. “May there be the boldness needed to open the door to negotiation and to gestures of dialogue and encounter, in order to achieve a just and lasting peace.”
In front of thousands of the faithful gathered in front of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, also appealed for a ceasefire in Gaza and for the freeing of Israeli hostages held there by Hamas.
“I think of the Christian communities in Israel and Palestine, particularly in Gaza, where the humanitarian situation is extremely grave. May there be a ceasefire, may the hostages be released and aid be given to the people worn out by hunger and by war,” he added.
Francis extended his call for a silencing of arms to the whole Middle East and to Sudan, which has been ravaged by a ravaged by 20 months of brutal civil war where millions are under the threat of famine.
“May the Son of the Most High sustain the efforts of the international community to facilitate access to humanitarian aid for the civilian population of Sudan and to initiate new negotiations for a ceasefire,” he said.


Passenger plane flying from Azerbaijan to Russia crashes in Kazakhstan with many feared dead

Updated 25 December 2024
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Passenger plane flying from Azerbaijan to Russia crashes in Kazakhstan with many feared dead

  • The plane was carrying 67 passengers and five crew, Kazakh authorities say 12 people had survived
  • Azerbaijan Airlines said aircraft forced to make emergency landing approximately 3 km from Aktau

ASTANA: An Embraer passenger plane flying from Azerbaijan to Russia crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday with 67 passengers and five crew on board, Kazakh authorities announced, saying 12 people had survived.
Unverified video of the crash showed the plane, which was operated by Azerbaijan Airlines, bursting into flames as it hit the ground and thick black smoke then rising.
The Central Asian country’s emergencies ministry said in a statement that fire services had put out the blaze and that survivors were being treated at a nearby hospital.
Azerbaijan Airlines said the Embraer 190 aircraft, with flight number J2-8243, had been flying from Baku to Grozny, the capital of Russia’s Chechnya, but had been forced to make an emergency landing approximately 3 km (1.8 miles) from the Kazakh city of Aktau.
Russian news agencies said the plane had been rerouted due to fog in Grozny.
Authorities in Kazakhstan said they had begun looking into different possible versions of what had happened, including a technical problem, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported.


Pakistan air strikes kill 46 in Afghanistan: Taliban spokesman

Updated 25 December 2024
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Pakistan air strikes kill 46 in Afghanistan: Taliban spokesman

  • Border tensions between the two countries have escalated since the Taliban government seized power in 2021

KABUL: Pakistan air strikes in an eastern border province of Afghanistan killed 46 people, the Taliban government spokesman told AFP on Wednesday.
“Last night (Tuesday), Pakistan bombarded four points in the Barmal district of Paktika province. The total number of dead is 46, most of whom were children and women,” spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.
He added that six more people were wounded, mostly children.
A defense ministry statement late Tuesday condemned the latest strikes by Pakistan on Afghan territory, calling them “barbaric” and a “clear aggression.”
“The Islamic Emirate will not leave this cowardly act unanswered, but rather considers the defense of its territory and sovereignty to be its inalienable right,” the statement said, using the Taliban authorities’ name for the government.
Border tensions between the two countries have escalated since the Taliban government seized power in 2021, with Islamabad claiming militant groups are carrying out regular attacks from Afghanistan.
Islamabad has accused Kabul’s Taliban government of harboring militant fighters, allowing them to strike on Pakistani soil with impunity.
Kabul has denied the allegations.