World reacts to New Zealand terrorist attacks on mosque

Many of those caught up in the shootings may have been migrants and refugees, said the New Zealand PM. (AP)
Updated 18 March 2019
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World reacts to New Zealand terrorist attacks on mosque

  • King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman offer their condolences to New Zealand's government
  • The Muslim World League expressed its deep sorrow and condemnation at the terrorist attack

Political, Muslim and leaders of other faiths expressed their disgust at deadly shootings at two mosques in New Zealand on Friday as some revealed their citizens had been caught up in the bloodshed.
The timing of the shootings in the city of Christchurch, during Friday prayers, and the posting on social media of what appeared to be live, point-of-view video footage of the assault by a gunman added to the distress of many.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman offered their condolences to New Zealand’s government after the terrorist attacks on two mosques in the country.

King Salman on Friday sent a cable of condolences to the Governor-General of New Zealand Batsy Reddy for the victims of Friday’s terror attack on two mosques in Christchurch.

"We strongly condemn this outrageous criminal act and would like to express to you and to the families of the deceased and to the people of New Zealand on behalf of the people and government of Saudi Arabia our heartfelt and sincere condolences.” 

He assured the Kingdom’s support for New Zealand and said that the terrorist attack was condemned by “all religions and international conventions.”

"The heinous massacre of the worshipers at mosques in New Zealand is a terrorist act and underlines the responsibility of the international community to confront the rhetoric of hatred and terrorism, which is not recognized by religions or values of coexistence among peoples," said King Salman via his official Twitter account.

An official source at the Saudi Foreign Ministry also condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist attack. 
The source reiterated Saudi Arabia's condemnation of terrorism in all its forms, regardless of its source, and said that terrorism has no religion and no homeland. It emphasized the Kingdom's position that religions should be respected.

Saudi Arabia has repeatedly warned of racist and anti-cultural rhetoric at the national level, and has called on some governments to adopt balanced rhetoric and policies that contribute to the integration of Muslims into the societies of these countries.
Speaking in Geneva, Dr. Fahd Al-Mutairi, head of Human Rights Section at the Kingdom’s Permanent Mission to the UN office in Geneva, took the opportunity to express his deepest condolences to the victims of the terrorist attack in the Christchurch mosques.
Al-Mutairi expressed concern about some racist speeches and policies in some countries, including Australia, Iceland, New Zealand, Canada, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Britain, Norway, Denmark and Sweden.
Al-Mutairi expressed the Kingdom’s deep concern about the leniency and favoritism of some of those who support the rhetoric of extremism, hatred and violence, as “there are those who welcome these despicable speeches in some parliaments of these countries, while welcoming the pretext of freedom of opinion and expression.
“We call on these countries to pass laws that limit racism against Muslims,” he added.
UAE
Anwar Gargash, the UAE’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, tweeted “heartfelt condolences” to New Zealand on Friday.
Gargash wrote: “Our collective work against violence & hate must continue with renewed vigor. Our thoughts & prayers are with the families of the victims.”

Kuwait

Kuwait supports New Zealand and all measures it takes to maintain its security and the safety of its citizens and residents on its territory, the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry said. 

Oman

The sultanate affirmed its firm stance of rejecting all forms of violence, terrorism, hatred and racism against innocent people, and expressed its sincere condolences to the families of the victims. 

Turkey
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s spokesman condemned what he called a “racist and fascist” attack.
“This attack shows the point which hostility to Islam and enmity to Muslims has reached,” Ibrahim Kalin wrote on Twitter.
“We have seen many times Islamophobic discourse against Islam and Muslims turning into a perverse and murderous ideology. The world must raise its voice against such discourse and must say stop to Islamophobic fascist terrorism,” he said.

Jordan

Jordanian State Minister for Media Affairs Jumana Gneimat emphasized the country’s “rejection of terrorism and the assault of those living in peace and places of worship.”

Egypt

Egypt condemned the terror attack in New Zealand and demanded that the names of victims be disclosed immediately.  

Saudi Arabia’s Council of Senior Scholars

Saudi Arabia’s Council of Senior Scholars strongly condemned on Friday the horrific incident that targeted worshippers in two mosques in New Zealand, resulting in dozens of people being killed and injured. 

It called on “the world, its organisations and institutions to criminalise racist speech as soon as possible because it nourishes extremism and terrorism, and leads to such brutal terrorist incidents.”

The council also emphasized that hate speech should be fought because it does not serve peace and security which is what the world wants. 

Al-Azhar Mosque

The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayeb condemned the terrorist attack on mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Al-Azhar warned in a statement that the attack is a serious indicator of the consequences of the escalation of hate speech, xenophobia and the spread of Islamophobia in many European countries, stressing the need not to tolerate the racist groups committing such abhorrent acts.

Muslim World League

The Muslim World League expressed its deep sorrow and condemnation at the terrorist operation that claimed dozens of lives and injuries in some mosques in New Zealand, which clearly reflected one of the worst forms of inciting hatred in a world that is most in need of circumventing the values of love, harmony and peace.
The Secretary-General and Chairman of the World Council of Muslim Scholars, Sheikh Dr. Mohammed bin Abdul Karim Al-Issa, said that this barbaric work is added to the parallel models of the acts of Daesh and Al-Qaeda. The league always emphasizes the importance of tackling extremism and counter-extremism. In particular, the enactment of legislation that prevents all forms of incitement of hatred, including religious and ethnic contempt.
The Secretary-General of the Association confirmed his confidence in the New Zealand government to bring those involved in this crime to justice and to prosecute them as terrorists.

Arab League 

The Arab League strongly condemned the terrorist attack on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.   

United Nations 

The Secretary-General of the UN Antonio Guterres is appalled by the terror attacks in New Zealand and said there is an urgent need to work better globally to tackle Islamophobia, a spokesman said. 

Egypt's Coptic Church

Egypt's Coptic Church condemned the terrorist attack on two mosques in New Zealand. 

Morocco

Morocco strongly condemned the terrorist attack on two mosques in New Zealand.
Indonesia
“Indonesia strongly condemns this shooting act, especially at a place of worship while a Friday prayer was ongoing,” Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said in a statement.
She was earlier cited by media as saying six Indonesians had been inside the mosque when the attack occurred, with three managing to escape and three unaccounted for.
Indonesia’s ambassador to New Zealand, Tantowi Yahya, told Reuters inquiries were being made as to whether Indonesians were caught up in the attack. There are 331 Indonesians in Christchurch, including 134 students, the foreign ministry said.
Malaysia
In Muslim-majority Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim, the leader of the biggest party in its ruling coalition, said one Malaysian had been wounded in the attack he described as a “black tragedy facing humanity and universal peace.”
“I am deeply saddened by this uncivilized act, which goes against humanistic values and took the lives of civilians,” he said in a statement.
“We extend our deepest sympathies and condolences to the families of the victims and the people of New Zealand.” 

The Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said that “I hope New Zealand will arrest these terrorists and do the necessary under the law of the country.”

Iran
Iranian state TV Friday said a spokesman of the foreign ministry, Bahram Ghasemi, condemned the shootings as a “terrorist attack.”
Iran’s ambassador to New Zealand, Jalaleddin Namini, told Iranian state TV that there were no Iranian nationals among those killed or wounded. However, Namini said he is still waiting for a confirmed list of the victims. 
Afghanistan
Afghanistan’s ambassador to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, Wahidullah Waissi, said on Twitter three Afghans had been wounded.
“My thoughts are with the family of Afghan origin who’ve been shot and killed at this heinous incident.”
Pakistan
Pakistan’s foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Faisal condemned the incident on social media, using the hashtag #pakistanagainstterror.

Bangladesh

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has sent a message to her New Zealand counterpart, Jacinda Ardern, expressing her “deep shock” and condemnation of the attacks on two mosques in Christchurch.
Hasina’s press wing said the prime minister reached out to Ardern on Friday.
An international cricket match between New Zealand and Bangladesh has been canceled after players from the visiting team narrowly avoided a mass shooting at one of the mosques.
Bangladesh’s cricket board president says the team is safe in a locked hotel in Christchurch.

More on New Zealand attacks: At least 49 killed as gunman livestreams New Zealand mosque ‘terrorist attacks’

Meanwhile, other world leaders have also reacted to the terrorist attack, which New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern described as “one of New Zealand’s darkest days.”

United States

US President Donald Trump is expressing “warmest sympathy and best wishes” to the people of New Zealand after “the horrible massacre in the Mosques.”
Trump tweeted Friday as the White House issued a statement condemning the attacks at two mosques.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders described the attack as a “vicious act of hate.” She says the US stands in “solidarity” with the people of New Zealand.

Trump tweeted that “innocent people have so senselessly died” and added: “The US stands by New Zealand for anything we can do. God bless all!“

Russia
“An attack against peaceful people gathering for prayer is shocking in its cruelty and cynicism,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
“I hope that those involved will be severely punished,” he said in a message to Arden.

European Union
“Harrowing news from New Zealand overnight” said EU Council president Donald Tusk. “The brutal attack... will never diminish the tolerance and decency that New Zealand is famous for.”

“The European Union will always stand with New Zealand and against those who heinously want to destroy our societies and our way of life,” the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker said.

United Kingdom

Queen Elizabeth II said she's “deeply saddened” by the “appalling” terrorist attacks.

“I have been deeply saddened by the appalling events in Christchurch... At this tragic time, my thoughts and prayers are with all New Zealanders,” she said in a message.
“Prince Philip and I send our condolences to the families and friends of those who have lost their lives,” she said, paying tribute to emergency workers and volunteers providing support to the injured.

British Prime Minister Theresa May offered her deepest condolences “after the horrifying terrorist attack in Christchurch. My thoughts are with all of those affected by this sickening act of violence.”

Norway

The prime minister of Norway, which saw 77 people killed in a far-right attack eight years ago, has expressed solidarity with New Zealand after deadly attacks on two mosques.
Erna Solberg told Norwegian broadcaster NRK that “although it is across the globe, this is a strong reminder of how important it is for all of us to help bring down tensions, work against extremism, and that we show solidarity with each other when something like that happens.”
“This looks like it is a terrorist attack from the extreme right against immigrants and refugees,” Solberg said, adding it is “a reminder that we have to fight extremism in all forms.”

Germany
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said his country was “profoundly affected by the brutal crimes in Christchurch.”

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has sent a telegram to the prime minister of New Zealand, expressing her condolences.
“It is a perfidious attack on worshippers and their houses of prayer,” Merkel said Friday. “The attack on Muslim citizens is also an attack on New Zealand’s democracy and its open and tolerant society. We share these values and thus also the horror of the New Zealanders.”

Spain
Spanish Premier Pedro Sanchez said his thoughts were with the victims, families and government of New Zealand after terrorist attacks by “fanatics and extremists who want to destroy our societies.”

Italy

Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte has sent his condolences to the victims of the mosque attacks in New Zealand that left 49 dead.
Conte on Friday called the attacks “dreadful,” noting that the victims were “hit while they were in a place of prayer. All forms of intolerance, hatred and violence are inacceptable.”

France

France is increasing security measures at mosques and other religious sites after the deadly attack against two mosques in New Zealand.
French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner tweeted Friday that he ordered regional prefects to send patrols and reinforce surveillance of places of worship “as a precaution.”
French President Emmanuel Macron, also in a tweet, denounced the “odious crimes against the mosques in New Zealand” and said that France will work with international partners to fight terrorism.

“France stands against any form of extremism,” the country’s president Emmanuel Macron said.  
The rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris condemned the attack in Christchurch, which left at least 49 dead.
France is home to western Europe’s largest Muslim community. While French Muslim and Jewish sites are sporadically targeted by vandals, France has not seen a major attack on mosques of the kind that targeted New Zealand.

Sweden

Sweden’s Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom has tweeted that she was “shocked by the attack in Christchurch,” saying “we condemn terrorism in all forms.”
Danish Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen also commented that “extremism has again shown its ugly face.”
Denmark’s Jewish community, which was targeted in a February 2015 attack where a guard was shot and killed, also expressed “shock” at the news of the New Zealand attack.

Hungary

Hungary’s president has sent a telegram to New Zealand’s governor-general expressing all Hungarians’ condolences to the families and friends of the victims’ in the “ruthless attack” against the two Christchurch mosques.
President Janos Ader said he was “deeply shocked” by the news and wished the injured a speedy and full recovery.
Ader said that “in these difficult hours, we all express our sympathies with those who mourn their loved ones lost in this pointless terror attack.”

Japan

Japan’s top government spokesman has offered his condolences to the victims of mosque attacks in New Zealand and says Japan stands by the people of that country.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, in a regular news conference Friday, expressed “heartfelt condolences” to the shooting victims and their families, while extending sympathy for the injured.
Suga expressed “solidarity with the people of New Zealand.”
Japan’s Foreign Ministry issued an emergency safety advisory to Japanese nationals in the area, urging them to stay indoors and follow instructions from the local authorities.
The ministry also advised the Japanese in Christchurch to closely monitor local news “to secure your own safety.”
So far no Japanese have been affected by the attacks

Pope Francis

Pope Francis is denouncing the "senseless acts of violence" in the Christchurch mosque shootings and is praying for the Muslim community and all New Zealanders.
In a telegram of condolences Friday, Francis offered his solidarity and prayers to the injured and those who are mourning lost loved ones, and noted that it was a particularly difficult time for security and emergency personnel.
He said he was "deeply saddened to learn of the injury and loss of life cause by the senseless acts of violence at two mosques in Christchurch, and he assures all New Zealanders, and in particular the Muslim community, of his heartfelt solidarity in the wake of these attacks."
The message sent by the Vatican secretary of state ended by saying: "Commending those who have died to the loving mercy of Almighty God, Pope Francis invokes the divine blessings of comfort and strength upon the nation."


Ten men arrested at Mexico drug cartel ranch found guilty of murder

Updated 5 sec ago
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Ten men arrested at Mexico drug cartel ranch found guilty of murder

GUADALAJARA: Ten men arrested at a farm linked to a drug cartel in the Mexican state of Jalisco were found guilty of murder and kidnapping in a high-profile trial that concluded Monday, the prosecutor’s office said.
The Izaguirre ranch allegedly served as a forced recruitment center for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), one of the most powerful criminal gangs in the country.
The men were found guilty of “disappearance committed by private individuals” and “qualified homicide,” according to a statement from the Jalisco prosecutor’s office.
They men were arrested last September when they exchanged gunfire with police and National Guard officers.
The Guerreros Buscadores collective, a group dedicated to locating missing relatives, reported in March that hundreds of objects and items of clothing had been found on the same property, allegedly belonging to missing people who had been forced to join the cartel.
The group also stated that they found probable charred human remains and that the site had been a sort of “extermination center” for the CJNG.
But the Attorney General’s Office, which carried out the investigation, stated that it did not find evidence to confirm these allegations, although it said the farm served as a criminal training center.
Since March, about 15 other people, including a mayor and police officers, have been arrested in connection with this site.
The case has received significant press coverage in a country where more than 100,000 people have gone missing, most of them since 2006 when the federal government launched a widely criticized anti-drug military operation.

Residents wear masks as volcanic ash blankets villages near erupting Indonesian volcano

Updated 10 min 10 sec ago
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Residents wear masks as volcanic ash blankets villages near erupting Indonesian volcano

  • Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki eruption at dawn Tuesday sent lava and clouds of ash up to 4km high
  • Monday’s initial eruption of Lewotobi Laki Laki was one of Indonesia’s largest since 2010

MAUMERE, Indonesia: Residents wore masks to protect themselves from thick volcanic ash that blanketed roads and green rice fields in villages in south-central Indonesia as rumbling Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki erupted Tuesday for a second straight day.

The eruption at dawn sent lava and clouds of ash up to 4 kilometers (2.4 miles) high. That followed an eruption around midday Monday that sent a column of volcanic materials up to 18 kilometers (11 miles) into the sky and an evening burst that spewed lava and send volcanic ash as high as 13 kilometers (8 miles) into the air.

Photos and videos circulating on social media showed terrified residents ran for their lives under the rain of ash and gravel and motorists struggled to drive motorbikes and cars in the reduced visibility as the ash clouds from Monday’s eruption expanded into a mushroom shape.

No casualties have been reported from the latest eruptions of the volcano that has been at the highest alert level since June 18 when its no-go zone was expanded to a 7-kilometer (4.3-mile) radius, said Abdul Muhari, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesperson.

“People around the volcano have increasingly understood how to minimize the impact of disaster risks as eruptions became more frequent since the end of 2023,” Muhari said in a statement.

The eruptions of the volcano on Flores Island affected more than 10,000 people in 10 villages in East Flores and Sikka districts, according to initial assessments by the local disaster management agency.

Thick volcanic ash and rocks were reported to have fallen in villages of Nawakote, Klantanio, Hokeng Jaya, Boru, Pululera and Wulanggitang, where roads and green rice fields were transformed into grey thick mud and rocks, said Very Awales, a public information official at Sikka district administration, adding that schools were closed in those affected areas since Monday to protect students and staff from various hazards due to volcanic activities.

“The smell of sulfur and ash hung so thickly in the air that breathing was painful,” Awales said.

Authorities distributed 50,000 masks and urged residents to limit outdoor activities to protect themselves from volcanic materials. Residents were also urged to be vigilant about heavy rainfall that could trigger lava flows in rivers originating from the volcano.

The eruption of Lewotobi Laki Laki followed its eruption in November 2024 that killed nine people and injured dozens.

The Geology Agency recorded an avalanche of searing gas clouds mixed with rocks and lava traveling up to 5 kilometers (3 miles) down the slopes of the 1,584-meter (5,197-foot) mountain Monday. Observations from drones showed lava filling the crater, indicating deep movement of magma that set off volcanic earthquakes. Volcanic materials, including hot thumb-size gravel, were thrown up to 8 kilometers (5 miles) from the crater.

Muhari said two airports in the cities of Maumere and Larantuka in East Nusa Tenggara province remained closed Tuesday.

Dozens of flights to and from the Ngurah Rai international airport on the resort island of Bali were delayed or canceled, but airport spokesperson Ahmad Syaugi Shahab said the airport was running normally despite the cancelations, as monitoring showed the volcanic ash had not affected Bali’s airspace.

Monday’s initial eruption of Lewotobi Laki Laki was one of Indonesia’s largest since 2010 when Mount Merapi, the country’s most volatile volcano, erupted on the densely populated island of Java. That killed 353 people and forced over 350,000 people to evacuate.

Indonesia is an archipelago of more than 280 million people with frequent seismic activity. It has 120 active volcanoes and sits along the “Ring of Fire,” a horseshoe-shaped series of seismic fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.


One dead, 17 missing as Nepal flood destroys China border bridge

Updated 20 min 13 sec ago
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One dead, 17 missing as Nepal flood destroys China border bridge

  • The wall of water that hit Tuesday morning also swept away one of the main bridges linking Nepal and China
  • Eleven Nepalis and six Chinese people are among the missing

Katmandu: Floods triggered by torrential rains in Nepal on Tuesday tore down a Himalayan mountain valley, sweeping away 18 people and destroying a key border bridge with China, a government official said.
One person has been confirmed dead and 17 others are listed as missing in the floods on the Bhotekoshi river, said Arjun Paudel, chief district officer of Rasuwa district.
The wall of water that hit Tuesday morning also swept away one of the main bridges linking Nepal and China.
Eleven Nepalis and six Chinese people are among the missing, Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said.
Deadly floods and landslides are common across South Asia during the monsoon season from June to September but experts say climate change is making them worse.
The UN’s World Meteorological Organization said last year that increasingly intense floods and droughts are a “distress signal” of what is to come as climate change makes the planet’s water cycle ever more unpredictable.
The Katmandu-based International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) warned in June that communities face heightened disaster risks this monsoon season.
“Rising temperatures and more extreme rain raise the risk of water-induced disasters such as floods, landslides, and debris flows,” ICIMOD said.


Srebrenica women bury loved ones but remain haunted by memories of 1995 massacre

Updated 38 min 33 sec ago
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Srebrenica women bury loved ones but remain haunted by memories of 1995 massacre

  • To date, almost 90 percent of those reported missing since the Srebrenica massacre have been accounted for through their remains exhumed from hundreds of mass graves scattered around the eastern town

SREBRENICA: Three decades after their fathers, brothers, husbands and sons were killed in the bloodiest episode of the Bosnian war, women who survived the Srebrenica massacre find some solace in having been able to unearth their loved ones from far-away mass graves and bury them individually at the town’s memorial cemetery.
The women say that living near the graves reminds them not only of the tragedy but of their love and perseverance in seeking justice for the men they lost.
“I found peace here, in the proximity of my loved ones,” said Fadila Efendic, 74, who returned to her family home in 2002, seven years after being driven away from Srebrenica and witnessing her husband and son being taken away to be killed.
The Srebrenica killings were the crescendo of Bosnia’s 1992-95 war, which came after the breakup of Yugoslavia unleashed nationalist passions and territorial ambitions that set Bosnian Serbs against the country’s two other main ethnic populations — Croats and Bosniaks.
On July 11, 1995, Serbs overran Srebrenica, at the time a UN-protected safe area. They separated at least 8,000 Bosniak men and boys from their wives, mothers and sisters and slaughtered them. Those who tried to escape were chased through the woods and over the mountains around town.
Bosniak women and children were packed onto buses and expelled.
The executioners tried to erase the evidence of their crime, plowing the bodies into hastily dug mass graves and scattering them among other burial sites.
Mothers have sought the remains of loved ones for years
As soon as the war was over, Efendic and other women like her vowed to find their loved ones, bring them back and give them a proper burial.
“At home, often, especially at dusk, I imagine that they are still around, that they went out to go to work and that they will come back,” Efendic said, adding: “That idea, that they will return, that I am near them, is what keeps me going.”
To date, almost 90 percent of those reported missing since the Srebrenica massacre have been accounted for through their remains exhumed from hundreds of mass graves scattered around the eastern town. Body parts are still being found in death pits around Srebrenica and identified through painstaking DNA analysis.
So far, the remains of more than 6,700 people – including Efendic’s husband and son — have been found in several different mass graves and reburied at the memorial cemetery inaugurated in Srebrenica in 2003 at the relentless insistence of the women.
“We wrote history in white marble headstones and that is our success,” said Kada Hotic, who lost her husband, son and 56 other male relatives in the massacre. “Despite the fact that our hearts shiver when we speak about our sons, our husbands, our brothers, our people, our town, we refused to let (what happened to) them be forgotten.”
The Srebrenica carnage has been declared a genocide by two UN courts.
Dozens of Srebrenica women testified before the UN war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, helping put behind bars close to 50 Bosnian Serb wartime officials, collectively sentenced to over 700 years in prison.
The loss that never goes away
After decades of fighting to keep the truth about Srebrenica alive, the women now spend their days looking at scarce mementos of their former lives, imagining the world that could have been.
Sehida Abdurahmanovic, who lost dozens of male relatives in the massacre, including her husband and her brother, often stares at a few family photos, two handwritten notes from her spouse and some personal documents she managed to take with her in 1995.
“I put these on the table to refresh my memories, to bring back to life what I used to have,” she said. “Since 1995, we have been struggling with what we survived and we can never, not even for a single day, be truly relaxed.”
Suhra Malic, 90, who lost two sons and 30 other male relatives, is also haunted by the memories.
“It is not a small feat to give birth to children, to raise them, see them get married and build them a house of their own and then, just as they move out and start a life of independence, you lose them, they are gone and there is nothing you can do about it,” Malic said.
Summers in Srebrenica are difficult, especially as July 11, the anniversary of the day the killing began in 1995, approaches.
In her own words, Mejra Djogaz “used to be a happy mother” to three sons, and now, “I look around myself and I am all alone, I have no one.”
“Not a single night or day goes by that I do not wake up at two or three after midnight and start thinking about how they died,” she said.
Aisa Omerovic agrees. Her husband, two sons and 42 other male relatives were killed in the massacre. Alone at home, she said she often hears the footsteps of her children and imagines them walking into the room. “I wait for the door to open; I know that it won’t open, but still, I wait.”


Trump says new tariff deadline ‘not 100 percent firm’

Updated 47 min 46 sec ago
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Trump says new tariff deadline ‘not 100 percent firm’

  • US leader sent letters to trading partners including key US allies Japan and South Korea
  • He also threatened an extra 10% tariff on countries aligning themselves with BRICS nations
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump reignited his trade war by threatening more than a dozen countries with higher tariffs Monday – but then said he may be flexible on his new August deadline to reach deals.
Trump sent letters to trading partners including key US allies Japan and South Korea, announcing that duties he had suspended in April would snap back even more steeply in three weeks.
Tokyo and Seoul would be hit with 25 percent tariffs on their goods, he wrote. Countries including Indonesia, Bangladesh, Thailand, South Africa and Malaysia were slapped with duties ranging from 25 percent to 40 percent.
But in a move that will cause fresh uncertainty in a global economy already unsettled by his tariffs, the 79-year-old once again left the countries room to negotiate a deal.
“I would say firm, but not 100 percent firm,” Trump told reporters at a dinner with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when asked if August 1 deadline was firm.
Pressed on whether the letters were his final offer, Trump replied: “I would say final – but if they call with a different offer, and I like it, then we’ll do it.”
The US president had unveiled sweeping tariffs on imports on what he called “Liberation Day” on April 2, including a baseline 10 percent tariff on all countries.
But he quickly suspended all tariffs above 10 percent for 90 days following turmoil in the markets.
They were due to kick back in on Wednesday and Trump sent the letters in advance of that deadline.
Trump’s near-identically worded letters to Japanese and South Korean leaders said he would impose 25 percent tariffs as their trading relationships with Washington were “unfortunately, far from Reciprocal.”
He warned of further escalation if there was retaliation against the levies.
But Trump on Monday also signed an order formally extending the Wednesday deadline, postponing it to August 1.
The new August date effectively marks a further delay – and Trump’s latest comments threaten to compound the uncertainty over when the deadline really is.
According to letters posted to Trump’s Truth Social platform, products from Indonesia will face a 32 percent tariff, while the level for Bangladesh is 35 percent and Thailand, 36 percent.
Most countries receiving letters so far had duties similar or unchanged from rates threatened in April, although some like Laos and Cambodia saw notably lower levels.
The Trump administration is under pressure to show results after promising “90 deals in 90 days.”
So far only two firm deals have emerged, with Britain and Vietnam, plus an agreement to dial back super-high tit-for-tat tariffs with China.
Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said at a cabinet meeting Monday that the announcement of the 25 percent tariffs is “genuinely regrettable,” local media reported.
South Korea’s National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac meanwhile met with his US counterpart Marco Rubio in Washington, expressing hope that a bilateral summit could soon be held to achieve “mutually beneficial outcomes across key pending issues.”
Asked why Trump opted to start with Japan and South Korea, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said: “It’s the president’s prerogative, and those are the countries he chose.”
Thailand’s acting prime minister Phumtham Wechayachai said Tuesday he wanted a “better deal” than the 36 percent tariff Trump threatened to impose, adding: “The most important thing is that we maintain good relations with the US.”
Malaysia said it was “committed to continuing engagement with the US toward a balanced, mutually beneficial, and comprehensive trade agreement,” its trade ministry said in a statement, after Washington imposed a 25 percent tariff on the Southeast Asian nation.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday that there would be more deals coming up: “We are going to have several announcements in the next 48 hours.”
Trump has also threatened an extra 10 percent tariff on countries aligning themselves with the emerging BRICS nations, accusing them of “Anti-American policies” after they slammed his duties at a summit.
But partners are still rushing to avert Trump’s tariffs altogether.
The European Commission said EU chief Ursula von der Leyen had a “good exchange” with Trump on trade when the pair spoke Sunday.