LONDON: Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned Friday that UK authorities must “stay on high alert” for more far-right riots, as courts issued the first jail sentences for online incitement during the recent disorder.
While England has had consecutive nights of relative quiet, disturbances have continued unabated in Northern Ireland where police have blamed pro-UK loyalist paramilitaries for fueling nightly violence in Belfast.
More than 1,000 anti-racism protesters massed in the Northern Irish capital on Friday amid a large police presence.
Several dozen anti-immigration demonstrators also showed up.
Starmer told reporters during a visit to the London police headquarters that “swift justice” handed out by courts was helping deter more disorder in English towns.
“But we have to stay on high alert going into this weekend because we absolutely have to make sure that our communities are safe and secure,” Starmer added.
A judge in Leeds, northern England, jailed a 28-year-old man for 20 months after he admitted publishing Facebook posts that met the criminal threshold for stirring racial hatred.
In the first case of its kind linked to the disturbances, a judge sentenced Jordan Parlour for posts last week encouraging people to attack a hotel in the city housing asylum seekers and refugees.
The hotel manager had to put the building into lockdown Saturday due to disorder in the city, and at least one window was broken after stones were thrown at it.
In Northampton, central England, a judge jailed 26-year-old Tyler Kay for 38 months after he called on social media for hotels housing asylum seekers to be set alight.
Speaking before the sentences — but after both had been convicted — Starmer said they were “a reminder to everyone that whether you’re directly involved or whether you’re remotely involved, you’re culpable.”
Social media executives and users should be “mindful of the first priority, which is to ensure that our communities are safe and secure.”
“We’re going to have to look more broadly at social media after this disorder but the focus at the moment has to be on dealing with the disorder,” Starmer said.
Police in England said nearly 600 arrests have been carried out linked to the unrest since July 30 and around 150 charges had been filed.
The disturbances, sparked by a July 29 knife attack in which three children were killed, have seen mosques and migrant-related facilities attacked alongside police and other targets.
Officials say false information spread on social media about the suspected perpetrator fueled the disorder.
Courts across England have started sentencing participants in the disorder, with about a dozen people jailed on Thursday.
In Northern Ireland, a number of Belfast businesses and libraries closed early on Friday after more disorder overnight and the latest protests.
Police there said 23 people have been arrested so far in Belfast following the disturbances, and 15 charged.
Officers have been granted additional powers to stop and search suspected troublemakers and ask them to remove face coverings, while additional manpower is being sent from the UK mainland, according to reports.
Britain’s monarch, King Charles III, praised the police and emergency services “for all they are doing to restore peace in those areas that have been affected by violent disorder.”
He hoped that the “shared values of mutual respect and understanding will continue to strengthen and unite the nation,” a palace spokesman added in a statement, his first reaction to the unrest
French President Emmanuel Macron offered his support to Starmer in a phone call with the prime minister Friday, said a statement from the French presidency.
Offering condolences to the families of the victims of the July 29 stabbing, Macron “firmly condemned the violence and disorder” in Britain in his conversation with Starmer, said the statement.
UK remains on ‘high’ riot alert as jail terms ordered for social media posts
https://arab.news/v9jnd
UK remains on ‘high’ riot alert as jail terms ordered for social media posts
- Racist attacks and disorder have mostly targeted Muslims and migrants
- There are around 40 counter-protests due on Saturday, according to the Stand Up to Racism group
Using force against pro-Palestine student protests in US could be unlawful: Human rights groups
- Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, American Civil Liberties Union urge colleges to protect free speech
- ‘The information we have gathered on excessive use of force against student protesters is extremely worrisome’
LONDON: Human rights organizations have urged higher education institutions across the US to “respect and protect the right to protest in support of Palestinian rights.”
Large numbers of students across America have held ongoing protests at their places of learning over the past year to call for an end to Israel’s war in Gaza — with some being broken up forcibly by local police departments at the behest of their schools.
In an open letter, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the American Civil Liberties Union suggested that university and college administrations calling in police to break up demonstrations could be unlawful, and that they should not suppress student protests.
Amnesty said its researchers had identified at least 174 photos, videos and social media posts showing potential examples of excessive police force against protesters on campuses.
It added that at least 17 universities were identified where chemicals were used on students, including pepper spray, and 11 campuses where police used non-lethal kinetic projectiles such as rubber bullets.
“Universities are responsible for protecting both physical safety and free expression on campus,” said Jamil Dakwar, director at the ACLU’s Human Rights Program.
“It’s deeply concerning to see universities needlessly expose students to police violence for peacefully expressing their political opinions.
“We’re urging schools once again to exercise restraint, practice de-escalation, and protect free speech and dissent on campus.”
The use of force against protesters on US campuses has led to numerous injuries, many of them severe.
HRW detailed “injuries such as bleeding puncture wounds, head injuries, broken teeth, and suspected broken bones,” singling out the University of California Los Angeles, Columbia University and City College of New York as having witnessed the most egregious cases.
Amnesty’s Digital Verification Corps said at least half of the injuries it had identified via social media appeared to have been caused by exposure to chemical irritants.
Justin Mazzola, researcher with Amnesty International USA, said: “The information we have gathered on excessive use of force against student protesters is extremely worrisome and we are still in the beginning of our investigation.
“With the continuation of the Israeli military’s assault on Gaza and the risk of US complicity through the sending of weapons, campus protests in favor of stopping the violence and destruction will continue.
“Universities have a responsibility to protect academic freedom and the rights to freedom of expression, and to peacefully protest, and we will be watching to ensure they do.”
Police responses to campus protests in the US have also been criticized by other bodies and individuals of note, including the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, and the UN special rapporteur on the right to education, Farida Shaheed.
HRW, Amnesty and the ACLU made clear that even on private college campuses where freedom of speech in relation to protesting the war in Gaza is not protected under the First Amendment of the US Constitution, international law still insists upon freedom of peaceful assembly.
They added that American higher education institutions should take steps to facilitate free dialogue and “fulfill their human rights responsibilities” to their students, regardless of their ideological persuasion. A full report, the three organizations said, will be published later this year.
“Instead of resorting to police action that both shuts down free speech and heightens the risk of injuries, universities need to do more to protect student speech from violence and intimidation, and actively ensure that peaceful student expression continues without interference,” said Tanya Greene, HRW’s US program director.
Indian women entrepreneurs to visit UAE to study AI governance, medical innovation
- Delegation will attend panel discussions, networking opportunities with UAE industry leaders in Dubai
- India, UAE have witnessed significant rise in bilateral exchanges since signing free trade pact in 2022
NEW DELHI: Dozens of women entrepreneurs from the Indian Women Network of the Confederation of Indian Industry will depart to the UAE next week to study AI governance in education and medical innovation.
IWN was launched in 2013 by India’s largest and oldest industrial body, the CII, to create the largest network for professional women and promote their participation, growth and leadership in the workplace. Today, it has established chapters in almost two dozen Indian states.
For its first international trip, IWN will lead a 35-member delegation comprising women entrepreneurs from various sectors of Indian industries for a two-day visit to the UAE’s commercial capital, Dubai, starting Nov. 4.
“Dubai was chosen as the destination because of its progressive strides in areas such as AI governance in education, medical innovation, R&D and women’s empowerment,” Megha Chopra, co-chair of CII’s IWN chapter in New Delhi, told Arab News on Thursday.
“The delegation will explore how Dubai has successfully implemented forward-thinking strategies in these sectors, drawing valuable insights to inspire similar growth and innovation in India.”
The trip, which also includes panel discussions and networking opportunities, aims to “foster knowledge-sharing, networking and leadership development” as well as making connections with UAE-based industry pioneers, she added.
For Chopra, executive director at software company RateGain Travel Technologies, the learning retreat is an important extension of the India-UAE economic partnership.
“This trip also highlights the significance of women’s roles in enhancing bilateral ties and contributing to economic progress, with IWN creating a platform where Indian women entrepreneurs can not only draw inspiration, but also forge connections that could lead to tangible business partnerships and investments,” she said.
India and the UAE have significantly advanced bilateral exchanges since they signed the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement in 2022.
The UAE is the largest Middle Eastern investor in India, with investments amounting to about $3 billion in the financial year 2023-24, according to Indian government data.
The two countries also expect to increase the total value of bilateral trade in non-petroleum products to more than $100 billion and trade in services to $15 billion by 2030.
“By connecting 35 women entrepreneurs from diverse Indian industries with eminent leaders and disruptors in Dubai, the delegation fosters knowledge exchange and cultivates potential avenues for cross-border collaborations,” Chopra said.
“In essence, the IWN delegation strengthens the India-UAE economic bond, championing women’s leadership as a key driver of continued growth and collaboration between the two nations.”
Taliban FM goes viral riding motorcycle through Kabul
- Amir Khan Muttaqi filmed on a motorbike in Wazir Akbar Khan area
- Kabul residents admit that public safety has been increasing in the city
Kabul: A video of Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister riding a motorcycle through Kabul has gone viral on social media, with people saying it showed improving security under Taliban rule.
Officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed to Arab News that the video shot this week shows Amir Khan Muttaqi riding after sunset in the Wazir Akbar Khan area of the Afghan capital.
The street where Muttaqi was driving is less than 1 km away from the Arg — the presidential palace, which since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan three years ago has served as the meeting place of the country’s interim government.
The surrounding neighborhood was known as the diplomatic zone of Kabul before most representatives of the international community left the country after its Western-backed government collapsed and US-led troops withdrew in August 2021.
The sighting of a minister riding on the street was for some residents a reflection of the country being safer now than during the two-decade period of foreign military presence following the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.
“The security is very good now. The security forces are trying day and night to make sure people live in peace without any fear,” Hamza Kawsar, a resident of Kabul, told Arab News on Thursday.
“Unlike the leaders in previous regimes, our current leaders are not hiding from the people. They live a simple life. The foreign minister’s move to come out alone is proof of this.”
While people generally acknowledged that security had improved, many other pending issues were left unaddressed or aggravated.
“It’s been two weeks, and I can’t get my national ID. I go from one office to the other and my work is delayed,” said Rahmanullah, 22, who came from Logar province to Kabul to have his documents issued.
“It’s good that the ministers and other people are able to go around in the city without any worries. But in some offices it’s very difficult to see director-level officials, let alone a minister.”
For Javed Rahimi, a shopkeeper, the motorcycle video was a PR stunt and many new problems emerged with Taliban rule, including huge unemployment, poverty and bans on women’s education and work.
He admitted, however, that cases of theft, robbery, and deadly blasts, which were common before, had decreased.
“The good thing is that there’s no war and conflict anymore,” he said. “Our countrymen are not dying in explosions and attacks every day.”
Russia’s ‘comprehensive’ treaty with Iran will include defense, Lavrov says
- The United States accused Tehran in September of delivering close-range ballistic missiles to Russia for use against Ukraine
Military ties between the two countries are a source of deep concern to the West as Russia wages war in Ukraine while Iran and Israel have exchanged missile and air strikes in the Middle East.
“The treaty on a comprehensive strategic partnership between Russia and Iran that is being prepared will become a serious factor in strengthening Russian-Iranian relations,” Lavrov told state television.
He said the agreement was being prepared for signing “in the near future.” Russia has said it expects Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian to visit Moscow before the end of the year.
“It will confirm the parties’ desire for closer cooperation in the field of defense and interaction in the interests of peace and security at the regional and global levels,” Lavrov said. He did not specify what form the defense ties would take.
Russia has deepened its ties with Iran and North Korea, which are both strongly antagonistic toward the United States, since the start of its war with Ukraine.
President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a similarly titled “comprehensive” treaty in June, including a mutual defense clause, and the US and NATO say Pyongyang has sent some 10,000 soldiers to Russia for possible deployment in the war.
Russia has not denied their presence, and says it will implement the treaty as it sees fit.
The United States accused Tehran in September of delivering close-range ballistic missiles to Russia for use against Ukraine, and imposed sanctions on ships and companies it said were involved in delivering Iranian weapons.
Tehran denies providing Moscow with the missiles or with thousands of drones that Kyiv and Western officials have said Russia uses against military targets and to destroy civilian infrastructure, including Ukraine’s electrical grid.
The Kremlin declined to confirm its receipt of Iranian missiles but acknowledged that its cooperation with Iran included “the most sensitive areas.”
India says frontier disengagement with China along their disputed border is ‘almost complete’
- The two countries reached a new pact on military patrols that aims to end a four-year standoff that hss strained relations
- Ties between the two countries deteriorated in July 2020 after a military clash killed at least 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese
NEW DELHI: India and China have moved most of their frontline troops further from their disputed border in a remote region in the northern Himalayas, India’s defense minister said Thursday, some 10 days after the two countries reached a new pact on military patrols that aims to end a four-year standoff that’s strained relations.
Rajnath Singh said the “process of disengagement” of Indian and Chinese troops near the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh is “almost complete.”
The Line of Actual Control separates Chinese and Indian-held territories from Ladakh in the west to India’s eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims in its entirety. India and China fought a deadly war over the border in 1962.
Ties between the two countries deteriorated in July 2020 after a military clash killed at least 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese. That turned into a long-running standoff in the rugged mountainous area, as each side stationed tens of thousands of military personnel backed by artillery, tanks and fighter jets in close confrontation positions.
Earlier this month the two neighbors announced a border accord aimed at ending the standoff, followed by a meeting between India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and China’s President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the recent BRICS summit in Russia, their first bilateral meeting in five years.
It’s not clear how far back the troops were moved, or whether the pact will lead to an overall reduction in the number of soldiers deployed along the border.
“Our efforts will be to take the matter beyond disengagement; but for that, we will have to wait a little longer,” Singh said.
Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang said Thursday that the frontline troops were “making progress in implementing the resolutions in an orderly manner.”
The pact called for Indian and Chinese troops to pull back from the last two areas of the border where they were in close positions. After the deadly confrontation in 2020, soldiers were placed in what commanders called “eyeball to eyeball” positions at least six sites. Most were resolved after previous rounds of military and diplomatic talks as the two nations agreed to the creation of buffer zones.
However, disagreements over pulling back from in the Depsang and Demchok areas lasted until the Oct. 21 pact.
“It is a positive move,” said Lt. Gen. D.S. Hooda, who from 2014 to 2016 headed Indian military’s Northern Command, which controls Kashmir region, including Ladakh. “Given how deep mistrust has been between the two countries and how all confidence building measures collapsed, it is quite a positive beginning,” he said.
However, Hooda added, it will take time for both countries to return to their pre-2020 positions. “It does not mean everything is going to as normal as it existed earlier. We have to re-establish traditional patrolling and also the buffer zones need to be sorted out,” he said.
The border standoff also damaged business ties between the two nations, as India halted investments from Chinese firms and major projects banned.
