Latest news with #genocide
Associated Press
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
Armenian prime minister to meet Erdogan in rare visit to Turkey aimed at mending ties
ISTANBUL (AP) — Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is scheduled to hold talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday as part of the two countries' efforts to normalize ties that were strained over historic disputes and Turkey's alliance with Azerbaijan. The talks between the two countries, which have no formal diplomatic ties, were expected to center on the possible reopening of their joint border as well as the war between Israel and Iran. Turkey, a close ally of Azerbaijan, shut down its border with Armenia in 1993 in a show of solidarity with Baku, which was locked in a conflict with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. In 2020, Turkey strongly backed Azerbaijan in the six-week conflict with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh, which ended with a Russia-brokered peace deal that saw Azerbaijan gain control of a significant part of the region. Turkey and Armenia also have a more than century-old dispute over the deaths of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians in massacres, deportations and forced marches that began in 1915 in Ottoman Turkey. Historians widely view the event as genocide. Turkey vehemently rejects the label, conceding that many died in that era but insisting that the death toll is inflated and the deaths resulted from civil unrest. The rare visit by an Armenian leader comes after Ankara and Yerevan agreed in 2021 to launch efforts toward normalizing ties and appointed special representatives to lead talks. Pashinyan previously visited Turkey in 2023 when he attended a presidential inauguration ceremony following an election victory by Erdogan. The two have also held talks on the sideline of a meeting in Prague in 2022. It is Ankara and Yerevan's second attempt at reconciliation. Turkey and Armenia reached an agreement in 2009 to establish formal relations and to open their border, but the deal was never ratified because of strong opposition from Azerbaijan.
The National
5 hours ago
- Politics
- The National
Pro-Palestinian activists on scooters attack UK military aircraft after breaking into air base
Pro- Palestinian protesters claim to have attacked British military aircraft at a Royal Air Force base, in what appears to be a major security breach. Video posted on X by the Palestine Action network appears to show activists on electric scooters racing across the tarmac towards cargo planes at RAF Brize Norton, in Oxfordshire, southern England. They can then be seen attacking the engine of a Voyager aircraft with repurposed fire extinguishers that sprayed red paint. They said they caused further damage with crowbars. Paint was also sprayed on the runway. The activists claim to have escaped without detection. The group says that it has damaged two aircraft and referenced flights that depart daily from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. 'From Cyprus, British planes collect intelligence, refuel fighter jets and transport weapons to commit genocide in Gaza,' said Palestinian Action in its post. 'Not only did actionists manage to break into Britain's largest air force base, they also escaped undetected. Ordinary people can take direct action to intervene in the genocide.' They said putting the planes out of service had interrupted Britain's direct participation in 'genocide and war crimes across the Middle East'. RAF Brize Norton serves as the hub for UK strategic air transport and refuelling, including flights to RAF Akrotiri. Culture Minister Lisa Nandy described the incident as 'deeply, deeply concerning'. During the morning media round, she said it appeared to be a 'very bad choice of behaviour' that would probably result in very tough action being taken and 'frankly, cracking down on people who think they can treat national security with that level of disregard.' Mark Francois, the opposition Conservative Party shadow armed forces minister, said there are 'serious questions' for the Ministry of Defence to answer about how 'protesters, who might even have turned out to be armed terrorists, were able to gain access to what is supposed to be a secure RAF airbase'. The Ministry of Defence said: 'We strongly condemn this vandalism of Royal Air Force assets. We are working closely with the police who are investigating. 'Our armed forces represent the very best of Britain. They put their lives on the line for us, and their display of duty, dedication and selfless personal sacrifice are an inspiration to us all. It is our responsibility to support those who defend us.' The statement came as British Foreign Secretary David Lammy arrived in Geneva for talks with the Iranian foreign minister and European allies as the UK presses for a diplomatic solution to the Israel-Iran conflict. Mr Lammy will meet Abbas Araghchi on Friday alongside his counterparts from France, Germany and the EU as he seeks to negotiate a settlement before US President Donald Trump decides whether to take military action against Tehran. A group of 96 UK parliamentarians are demanding stronger economic action against Israel, following Britain's recent moves to impose sanctions on individual Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank and suspend new trade talks. In a letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday, the parliamentarians, including 72 MPs, expressed 'grave concern' over the 'relentless violence against Palestinians' across Gaza, occupied East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank. Mr Starmer recently changed his tone on Gaza, describing the humanitarian crisis as 'intolerable' and 'appalling'.
Arab News
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Rwanda arrests opposition leader, says investigative body
KIGALI: Rwanda has arrested prominent opposition leader Victoire Ingabire, who is being held at a detention facility in the capital Kigali on charges of inciting the public and creating a criminal organization, a state investigative agency was freed in 2018 after serving six years of a 15-year jail sentence handed to her in 2012 following her conviction on charges related to conspiring to form an armed group and seeking to minimize the 1994 is now accused of 'playing a role in creating a criminal organization and engaging in acts that incite public disorder,' the Rwanda Investigations Bureau said in a statement late on did not say when she would be charged in who heads unregistered opposition party DALFA–Umurinzi, returned from exile in the Netherlands to contest a presidential election in 2010, but was barred from standing after being accused of genocide year President Paul Kagame, in power for a quarter of a century, won re-election after securing 99.18 percent of the vote, according to the electoral is lauded for transforming Rwanda from the ruins of the 1994 genocide to a thriving economy but his reputation has also been tainted by longstanding accusations of rights abuses and supporting rebels in neighboring Democratic Republic of denies the allegations.
The National
a day ago
- Health
- The National
MSF chief warns of Israeli push to confine medics in Gaza to field hospitals
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) secretary general Christopher Lockyear has voiced concern over what he described as an Israeli attempt to push Gaza medical teams into field hospitals instead of established buildings. The aim, he said, appears to be greater control over who receives treatment, echoing a disastrous aid distribution strategy via an Israeli-US channel that has led to the deaths of dozens of hungry residents. In an exclusive interview with The National in Abu Dhabi, Mr Lockyear appealed for all nations to use economic, political and diplomatic pressure to stop the "pattern of genocide and ethnic cleansing' in Gaza after the destruction of its health system. You go to these distributions because you're desperate, you may return with a bag of flour, you may return with a shroud Christopher Lockyear, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) 'We are fearful that we could become part of that broader strategy by moving out of these bigger established hospitals into field hospitals,' he told The National in an exclusive interview in Abu Dhabi. 'It gives the impression that the situation is manageable because you can run a hospital. But that is a much, much lower capacity than previously. And we don't want to be part of destroying the infrastructure of the society of Gaza". Israel's war in Gaza has entered its 20th month, with no signs of slowing down. More than 55,600 Palestinians have reportedly been killed, despite attempts to reach a ceasefire with Hamas. Israeli officials have made it clear the war will not stop until Hamas is eliminated and the hostages abducted on October 7 are returned, even as hunger threatens two million Gazans. The health sector has borne one of the heaviest costs. Israel's army has systematically attacked hospitals and clinics, accusing Hamas of using them as military launchpads and intelligence centres, often with little or no evidence. 'We no longer talk of a health system in Gaza,' said Mr Lockyear. "The health system has been systematically targeted, destroyed. The only remaining partially functional referral hospital, the Gaza hospital itself, we're supporting them. 'We had to move the surgical support out of that hospital just a few days ago. We're working in a series of field hospitals but it's impossible to provide what is needed. There's a major effort there but it's nowhere near what is needed.' Abuse of humanitarian action Similar to food, medical equipment has been largely restricted. 'We've managed to bring in a trickle of medical supplies over the last few weeks' said the secretary general. "But the supplies are dwindling. And as a consequence of that, we have to reduce, for example, how often we're changing people's dressings, which increases the rate of infection." What our teams are witnessing on a daily basis is patterns of genocide and ethnic cleansing Christopher Lockyear He sharply criticised the aid system now being overseen by Israel, one that has led to the killing of dozens of Palestinians attempting to receive the basics to survive in what he called humiliating circumstances. 'What we're seeing in terms of aid delivery at the moment in Gaza, through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, I would say is not humanitarian. This is an approach to aid that we completely reject. Why do we reject it? Well, it's a militarised, politicised form of giving assistance,' he said. 'The way that the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is carrying out the work in Gaza is following a repeated and systematic abuse of the terms 'humanitarian' and 'humanitarian action'. One member of our staff said the other day, 'you go to these distributions because you're desperate, you may return with a bag of flour, you may return with a shroud.'' MSF is currently operating in Gaza with a force of about 300, most of them local. But it has lost 11 staff members in the fighting and others face complex situations and endless obstacles to carrying out their work. Mr Lockyear stressed that humanitarian aid, especially from a medical perspective, is about much more than supplies. 'It's about having facilities where there is electricity, running water and fuel,' he explained, all of which barely exist now. 'I would say it's also about having staff who are fed, who have slept, who are able to carry out operations and procedures on people. And we have staff who are themselves in the hospital because of spreading disease, because of hunger, because of starvation," the MSF chief said. 'What our teams are witnessing on a daily basis is patterns of genocide and ethnic cleansing, the destruction of the health system and the destruction of infrastructure as a whole. So this needs to stop. We're appealing to all states to use their economic, political and diplomatic pressure to stop this carnage.' War on people With the Israeli war on Iran escalating, there are fears the war in Gaza could be pushed off the radar, even as hundreds remain under fire. More than 250 people have been killed by the Israeli army since Friday, when Israel launched a serious assault on Iran. Another place at risk of being forgotten is Sudan, where hundreds of thousands have died in the civil conflict. 'It's really hard to get coverage on Sudan at any time, but one of the consequences of what's happening in and around Iran and Israel over the last few days is that they could make it even harder to get eyes on what's happening in Sudan,' Mr Lockyear warned. 'It's been a war on people. The level of violence by both sides of this conflict – or all sides – has been absolutely horrendous. The way this war is being conducted is utterly horrific. "The health system in Sudan is – I wouldn't say on its knees – it's in a desperate situation and there needs to be humanitarian actors there to support that response.' From Gaza to Sudan and Syria, recent Middle East conflicts have heavily impacted the operations of leading humanitarian and charity organisations. 'Increasing conflict around the world makes decisions even more complicated, because we have to focus and prioritise even harder," he said.
Al Jazeera
2 days ago
- Health
- Al Jazeera
Why is Israel killing so many Palestinians seeking food in Gaza?
As Israel attacks Iran, its genocide in Gaza has shown no signs of easing. At least 70 Palestinians were killed in a single day this week at a food distribution site run by a controversial group in Khan Younis that is backed by Israel and the United States. All other aid channels are blocked – including medical supplies. So, what's the impact of this latest Israeli strategy? Presenter: Nick Clark Guests: Amjad Shawa – Director of the Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations Network in Gaza Christopher Lockyear – Secretary-general at Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres or MSF) Mads Gilbert – Medical doctor with extensive experience in Gaza
