Russia’s Saratov regional airport lifted flight curbs on Monday imposed after homes were damaged as a result of Ukraine’s drone attack that wounded a woman, Russian officials and news agencies said.
The lifting of the curbs at the Saratov regional airport, at about 9:30 a.m. (0530 GMT), was reported by Russia’s RIA news agency, which had earlier reported the clampdown, citing the airport’s press service.
A residential complex in the city had been damaged by falling debris from drones destroyed by Russia’s air defense systems, regional governor Roman Basurgin said on the Telegram messaging app.
“A woman was hospitalized in serious condition,” Basurgin said. “Doctors are fighting for her life.”
Russia’s defense ministry said its air defense systems destroyed nine drones over the Saratov region, which lies some 900 kilometers (560 miles) away from the border with Ukraine.
Earlier, Basurgin said emergency services had fanned out at affected sites in Saratov and Engels, key cities in the region several hundred kilometers southeast of the capital.
Russia has a strategic bomber military base in Engels that Ukraine has attacked numerous times since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in Feb. 2022.
There was no immediate information on damage at the base, or the scale of the Ukrainian attack on the region, which is several hundred kilometers away from the border with Ukraine.
Video posted on Telegram by the Russian news SHOT channel showed what it identified as a high-rise residential building in Saratov, with a damaged side and several windows blown out across three floors.
In Engels, the top floor of a residential building was damaged, it added.
Reuters could not independently verify the reports. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine. Both sides deny targeting civilians in their attacks, which they say aim to destroy infrastructure key to war efforts.
Russia’s Saratov airport lifts flight curbs after Ukraine drone attack
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Russia’s Saratov airport lifts flight curbs after Ukraine drone attack
- A residential complex in the city had been damaged by falling debris from drones destroyed by Russia’s air defense systems
- Air defense systems destroyed nine drones over the Saratov region, which lies some 900km away from the Ukraine border
Bangladesh urges India to keep Sheikh Hasina ‘quiet’ in ‘best interest’ of bilateral ties
- Ousted Bangladeshi PM is in India, with which she enjoyed close ties during 15-year rule
- New caretaker government in Dhaka says it also seeks a good relationship with New Delhi
DHAKA: For the sake of bilateral relations, India should influence Bangladesh’s ex-PM Sheikh Hasina to “keep quiet,” Dhaka’s top diplomat said, as the ousted prime minister continued to give instructions from her exile in New Delhi.
After 15 straight years in power, Hasina resigned and fled to neighboring India on Aug. 5, forced out by weeks of student-led rallies and a nationwide uprising in the wake of a police crackdown on demonstrators that left hundreds of people dead.
In the following days, the parliament was dissolved, and a new temporary administration was appointed, with Nobel Prize-winning economist Muhammad Yunus at the helm.
With the new government in office, Hasina kept making political remarks from India and official calls to her party supporters. She also demanded a “thorough investigation” into the protests-related violence to “bring to justice those responsible for these heinous killings and acts of sabotage” and claimed that the US was behind her ouster.
“As long as she is in India … it is not in the best interest of relations that she continues to sermonize from there. Since she is being given shelter there, we would prefer that she keeps quiet and her hosts tell her that she keeps quiet,” Bangladesh’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain told Arab News in an interview at his office in Dhaka this week.
A former foreign secretary and ambassador, Hossain was appointed last month as chief of the interim government’s foreign affairs.
While Hasina enjoyed close strategic and economic ties with India during her 15-year rule, Hossain said that the new government in Dhaka also wanted “a good relationship” with New Delhi.
Amid calls for Hasina’s extradition from India to face trial at home for the violence preceding her downfall, he added that time will show if such a request will be made.
“It’s a much wider issue,” he said. “But for the moment, I think that it is in her best interest — and also the interests of her hosts and us — that she keeps quiet.”
Hasina, 76, was one of the world’s longest-ruling female leaders and played a pivotal role in the politics of Bangladesh, a nation of about 170 million people that declared its independence in 1971.
She is the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the country’s charismatic founding leader, who was killed in 1975 in a military coup when Hasina was 28. She served as prime minister from 1996 to 2001 and regained power in 2009.
Under her leadership, Bangladesh became one of the fastest-growing economies in the region, with World Bank estimates showing that more than 25 million people in the country have been lifted out of poverty in the last two decades.
But critics say she has grown increasingly autocratic and called her a threat to the country’s democracy, with many saying that the sudden collapse of Hasina’s government had reflected a broader discontent against her rule.
The student-led demonstrations that began peacefully in July were against a quota system for government jobs, which was widely criticized for favoring those with connections to the ruling party.
The rallies then turned violent as security forces clashed with protesters, leading to the killing of hundreds of people and triggering a civil disobedience movement that forced Hasina’s resignation.
Bangladesh’s interim government has agreed to a probe into the events by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. According to the OHCHR’s preliminary analysis of the unrest and state violations in addressing it, immediately available data indicates that more than 600 people were killed, but “the reported death toll is likely an underestimate.”
The violations include cases of “extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests and detention, enforced disappearances, torture and ill-treatment.”
European, Muslim countries meet in Spain eyeing schedule for Palestinian statehood
- European, Muslim nations meet to talk two-state solution
- Participants want to work out clear implementation schedule Spain, Norway, Ireland now recognize Palestinian state
“We meet to make another push for the end of the war in Gaza, for a way out of the unending spiral of violence between the Palestinians, the Israelis... That way is clear. The implementation of the two-state solution is the only way,” Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told reporters.
In attendance were his counterparts including from Norway and Slovenia, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa and members of the Arab-Islamic Contact Group for Gaza that includes Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkiye.
Albares said there was “a clear willingness” among the participants, who notably do not include Israel, “to move on from words to actions and to make strides toward a clear schedule for the effective implementation” of a two-state solution, starting with Palestine joining the United Nations.
Israel was not invited because it was not part of the contact group, Albares said, adding though that “we will be delighted to see Israel at any table where peace and the two-state solution are discussed.”
On May 28, Spain, Norway and Ireland formally recognized a unified Palestinian state ruled by the Palestinian Authority comprising the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, with East Jerusalem as its capital. With them, 146 of the 193 member states of the United Nations now recognize Palestinian statehood.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has repeatedly described the co-existence of two sovereign states on the territory of the former Mandatory Palestine as the only viable path to peace in the region.
Such a two-state solution was set out in the 1991 Madrid Conference and the 1993-95 Oslo Accords, but the peace process has been moribund for years.
However, the search for a peaceful solution has been given new urgency by the 11-month-long war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and the Palestinian militant groups Hamas — the bloodiest episode yet in the overall conflict — as well as escalating violence in the occupied West Bank.
The West Bank, including East Jerusalem, was captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war and has been occupied ever since, with expanding Jewish settlements complicating the issue. Israel annexed East Jerusalem in 1980 in a move generally not recognized internationally.
Israel also says guarantees on its security are of paramount importance.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide has told Reuters the meeting also needed to discuss the demobilization of Hamas — which controlled Gaza prior to the war — and the normalization of ties between Israel and some other states, notably Saudi Arabia.
Ukrainian pilots begin F-16 training in Romania
- The first four Ukrainian pilots arrived earlier this week and have started their “theoretical training“
- Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov welcomed the program on social media, saying it would ensure that there are “more F-16s in Ukrainian skies“
BUCHAREST: The first group of Ukrainian pilots has started its F-16 fighter jet training at Romania’s regional hub this week, the NATO country’s defense ministry told AFP on Friday.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Kyiv has been looking to boost its air force, asking the West to donate advanced military jets and sending pilots to train in NATO countries, including France.
Romania inaugurated a hub for F-16 training at its Fetesti air base in November 2023, pledging to also train Ukrainians there.
The first four Ukrainian pilots arrived earlier this week and have started their “theoretical training,” Romanian defense ministry spokesperson Constantin Spinu told AFP.
He said that practical training could begin “toward the end of the year.”
Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov welcomed the program on social media, saying it would ensure that there are “more F-16s in Ukrainian skies.”
The Fetesti hub is part of the country’s air base situated about 150 kilometers outside the capital Bucharest, and was inaugurated after an agreement with the Netherlands was reached to make several F-16s available for training.
The planes are maintained by its US-based manufacturer Lockheed Martin, who also provides the training.
The Romanian army has 26 F-16 jets in total, of which 17 were bought from Portugal and nine from Norway.
Norway is due to supply a further 23 jets to Romania by the end of 2025.
Kremlin says it disagrees with Turkiye’s Erdogan that Crimea should return to Kyiv’s control
- Kremlin said this week that President Vladimir Putin may visit Turkiye for talks with Erdogan once preparations are completed
- Erdogan said this week that Turkish support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence was unwavering
MOSCOW: Russia completely disagrees with comments from Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan that Crimea should return to Ukrainian control, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.
Erdogan said this week that Turkish support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence was unwavering, and that the return of Crimea — which Russia seized from Ukraine and annexed in 2014 — was a requirement of international law.
Asked about Erdogan’s comments, Peskov said the topic of Crimea “falls under the category of disagreements between us and our Turkish friends.
“Here we have completely divergent opinions. At the same time, we do not abandon our deliberate attempts to explain to our Turkish friends and colleagues our point of view, our position.”
Peskov said that Erdogan was under pressure from the United States over its traditionally close economic ties with Moscow
“As for Turkiye’s attempts to mitigate US pressure, indeed, the US is exerting undisguised pressure on the Turkish Republic, not shying away from intimidation, with consequences for the Turkish economy,” said Peskov.
The Kremlin said this week that President Vladimir Putin may visit Turkiye for talks with Erdogan once preparations are completed.
Turkiye, a NATO member, has played a key role as a go-between for Russia and Ukraine during their
2-1/2-year-old conflict, including arranging an export deal for Ukrainian grain.
Erdogan told Putin at a summit in Kazakhstan in July that Ankara could help end the conflict, but the Kremlin has not taken the Turkish leader up on his offer.
Malaysia widens probe into ‘horror’ care home child abuse
- Investigators stormed 20 charity shelters across two Malaysian states on Wednesday, arresting 171 suspects including religious studies teachers and caregivers, and bringing to safety 400 children
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian police expanded their probe Friday into a major Muslim company with links to a banned sect, after hundreds of children were rescued from alleged abuse at care homes believed to be run by the group.
Investigators stormed 20 charity shelters across two Malaysian states on Wednesday, arresting 171 suspects including religious studies teachers and caregivers, and bringing to safety 400 children.
In what is believed to be the worst such case to hit Malaysia in decades, police suspect the victims — aged from one to 17 — had been subjected to sexual and physical attacks.
They were also allegedly forced by the care home staff to abuse each other.
Investigators were “working toward” further raids and arrests as the probe on the organization called Global Ikhwan Services and Business (GISB) continues, said police inspector-general Razarudin Husain.
Investigations and health checks so far show that at least 13 minors had been sexually abused, Razarudin said at a press conference.
The children, who are temporarily being housed in a police training center in Kuala Lumpur among other locations, are still undergoing medical examinations, added the police chief.
Razarudin had said on Wednesday that children as young as five were burnt with hot spoons, while others who were ill were not allowed to seek treatment until their condition became critical.
“The caretakers also touched the children’s bodies as if to carry out medical checks,” he said.
GISB has denied the allegations and said they do not run the care homes raided in the states of Selangor and Negri Sembilan.
“It is not our policy to do things that go against Islam, and the laws,” the group said in a statement this week.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he has urged relevant authorities to “investigate thoroughly” without delay.
“This concerns the faith of the community. It is important and a serious matter, involving abuse of power, misuse of religion,” he told reporters after performing Friday prayers.
Multi-ethnic Malaysia has a dual-track legal system, with Muslims subject to sharia (Islamic law) in certain areas.
GISB has long been controversial for its links to the now-defunct Al-Arqam sect and has faced scrutiny by religious authorities in the Muslim-majority country.
Al-Arqam was banned by the authorities in 1994 for deviant teachings, while GISB members had in 2011 set up an “Obedient Wives Club” that called on women to be “whores in bed” to stop their husbands from straying.
According to its website, GISB runs businesses from supermarkets to restaurants, and operates in several countries including Indonesia, France and the United Kingdom.
Police believe the minors in the care homes were all children of GISB members.
“We believe that all 402 children are fathered by GISB members. That’s our suspicion at the moment,” Razarudin told AFP on Thursday.
“We feel that there’s a need for DNA samples to be taken.”
Religious authorities in Selangor state said this week they were closely monitoring GISB’s activities.
“(We) remain vigilant about any facts leading to deviations from true Islamic teachings,” they said.
The United Nations children’s agency underlined the “unimaginable horror” faced by the victims.
The children “will need long-term professional medical and psychosocial support,” said Robert Gass, UNICEF’s Malaysia representative.
The case has also rattled locals.
“This incident is very shocking and sudden,” said Uzair Abdul Aziz, 37, a Selangor resident.
