Tag: AFP

  • BBC India office raided by tax official after airing documentary on Modi

    BBC India office raided by tax official after airing documentary on Modi

    Indian tax authorities raided BBC’s New Delhi offices on Tuesday, weeks after it aired a documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s role in the deadly riots of 2002 in the western state of Gujarat.

    A BBC employee based in the office told AFP that the tax raid was in progress and that officials were “confiscating all phones”.

    Police were at the BBC’s office in the centre of the capital to prevent people from entering or leaving, an AFP journalist at the scene reported.

    “A government procedure is happening inside the office,” an official said, declining to disclose which department he was from.

    Last month, the broadcaster aired a two-part documentary alleging that the then-Chief Minister Modi ordered police to turn a blind eye to the riots. The violence left at least 1,000 people dead, most of them minority Muslims.

    Government adviser Kanchan Gupta had slammed the documentary as “hostile propaganda and anti-India garbage”.

    Earlier, the Indian foreign ministry dismissed the news as “propaganda”.

    According to the documentary, the inquiry team assessed that Modi had prevented the police from acting to stop the violence targeted against Muslims, stating that he had specifically ordered law-enforcing authorities not to intervene. The documentary also features a former top UK diplomat who says that the violence had been planned by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP)

    Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson for the foreign ministry, has termed the BBC documentary a “propaganda piece”.

    India’s government blocked videos and tweets sharing links to the documentary soon after its release, calling it “hostile propaganda and anti-India garbage”.

  • Did water come to earth by asteroids?

    Did water come to earth by asteroids?

    Water may have been brought to Earth by asteroids from the outer edges of the solar system.

    A report in Deccan Herald (DH) suggests that scientists said this after analysing rare samples collected on a six-year Japanese space mission. Researchers scrutinised material brought back to earth in 2020 from the asteroid Ryugu.

    The 5.4 grams (0.2 ounces) of rocks and dust were gathered by a Japanese space probe, called Hayabusa-2, that landed on the celestial body and fired an impactor into its surface.

    In a new paper published in the journal Nature Astronomy, scientists said the Ryugu samples could give clues to the mystery of how oceans appeared on Earth billions of years ago.

    “Volatile and organic-rich C-type asteroids may have been one of the main sources of Earth’s water,” said a study by scientists from Japan and other countries.

    But the organic materials found “in Ryugu particles, identified in this study, probably represent one important source of volatiles”.

  • Afghans forced to sell kidneys as struggle to feed children continues

    Afghans forced to sell kidneys as struggle to feed children continues

    In the western city of Herat, a nearby area is known as “one kidney village” as Afghans are willing to sacrifice an organ to save and feed their families. 

    The country’s financial situation has gotten worse after the Taliban’s takeover which has left tens of thousands of Afghans, jobless, debt-ridden, and struggling.

    Nooruddin, 32 told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that he quit his factory job when his salary was slashed to $30 (Rs5,323) but after he was unable to find another one, in desperation, he sold a kidney as a short term fix. 

    He said he regrets it now as he can no longer work. “I’m in pain and I cannot lift anything heavy”, he added. Nooruddin was among eight people AFP spoke to who had sold a kidney— some for as little as $1,500 (Rs266,175).

    Shakila is a mother of two and at the age of 19, sold her kidney for $1,500 to settle the family’s debt. AFP reported that a mother-of-three Aziza was waiting for her opportunity.

    Aziza said, “If I don’t sell my kidney, I will be forced to sell my one-year-old daughter.” 

    The practice of selling an organ is unregulated in Afghanistan. A former top Afghan surgeon stated, “There is no law to control how the organs can be donated or sold, but the consent of the donor is necessary.” He added that they never investigate how or where the patient or donor comes from because it’s not their job.

    The country is in dire need of foreign aid. Last month, United States (US) President Joe Biden signed an executive order to release Afghan assets worth $7 billion but Biden split the money between humanitarian aid for war-torn Afghanistan and a fund for September 11 attacks victims.

     

  • Israeli star Gal Gadot’s ‘Death on the Nile’ gets banned in Kuwait

    Israeli star Gal Gadot’s ‘Death on the Nile’ gets banned in Kuwait

    Kuwait’s government has banned the upcoming Hollywood film Death on the Nile starring Israeli actress Gal Gadot. This film is the adaptation of whodunnit written by Agatha Christie.

    The decision was made after the outcry on social media over the casting of Israeli actress Gal Gadot who served two years in the Israel Defense Forces as a soldier.

    A spokesperson for Information Ministry, Anouar Mourad, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that cinemagoers will not be able to watch Death on the Nile.

    This film will be released on February 11 in the United States (US) which is directed by and co-starring Kenneth Branagh.

    An Indian film actor, Ali Fazal is also starring along with Game of Thrones star Rose Leslie alongside Gadot and other lead actors.

  • Taliban meet Afghan women activists and journalists in Oslo

    Taliban meet Afghan women activists and journalists in Oslo

    A delegation of the Afghan Taliban, led by Foreign Minister (FM) Amir Khan Muttaqi, met women activists and journalists in Oslo, Norway.

    “It was a positive icebreaking meeting,” feminist activist Jamila Afghani told AFP.

    “They listened patiently and responded to most of our concerns. Let’s see what their actions will be, based on their words,” she added.

    Anas Haqqani, a leader of the most violent faction of the Taliban movement, is also a part of the delegation.

    Following the talks, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid tweeted: “Afghanistan is the shared home of all Afghans. They need to work together for the political, economic and security prosperity of the country.”

    Taliban representatives will meet delegations from other western nations [United States (US), France, Britain, Germany, Italy and the European Union (EU)] today (Monday) and will be certain to press their demand to unfreeze $10 billion by the US and other western countries as the country is currently facing a humanitarian crisis.

    It has been confirmed by Norwegian FM Anniken Huitfeldt that the meetings are not for legitimation or recognition of the Taliban.

    So far, the Taliban have visited Russia, Iran, Qatar, Pakistan, China and Turkmenistan.

  • In Saudi Arabia, women riders debut in camel beauty contest

    In Saudi Arabia, women riders debut in camel beauty contest

    For the first time in the kingdom, Saudi women paraded camels in a beauty pageant for the “desert ship”.

    “I hope today to reach a certain social standing, InshaAllah (God willing),” said Lamia al-Rashidi, 27, who participated at the weekend contest in the Rumah desert northeast of the capital Riyadh.

    Part of the famous King Abdul Aziz Festival, this event was previously a men-only event.

    “I’ve been interested in camels ever since I was little,” said Rashidi, whose family owns 40 camels.

    “Once this event was opened to women, I decided to participate,” said the young woman, wearing a black face covering and with a colourful shawl over her shoulders.

    The top five in the field of about 40 participants in the women’s event returned home with a total prize pool of one million riyals (about $ 260,000).

    The beauty of a camel is judged by several criteria, but the shape and size of the lips, neck and hump are the main attributes.

    Since Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman came to power in 2017, Gulf countries have lifted some restrictions on women as the country is opened up with radical reforms.

    This shift allows women to grab the steering wheel and participate in a mixed gender environment.

    “Women have always been an integral part of Bedouin society. They owned and looked after camels,” said Mohammed al-Harbi, a manager of the festival.

    Women´s participation was in keeping with “the historical heritage” of Saudi Arabia, he told AFP.

    Munira al-Mishkhas, another participant, chimed in: “Camels have been a part of us for a long time, but staging a contest for us (women) is a big step forward.”

    At just seven years old, Maras Binto Enad was the youngest contestant and her animal finished third. Her proud father, a 35-year-old camel dealer who said he had more than 200 beasts, was very pleased with the admission of the female.

    “This will increase enthusiasm for the festival and increase the value of the camels,” said Enad bin Sultan, clad in traditional costume and red-and-white keffiyeh headdress.

    The 40-day festival, which kicked off last month, is an annual Bedouin event that lures breeders from across the Gulf with total prize money of up to $66 million.

  • Man arrested for taking girlfriend’s exams, dressed as woman

    Man arrested for taking girlfriend’s exams, dressed as woman

    A Senegalese student has been arrested on the charges of fraud after allegedly posing as a woman and sitting for his girlfriend’s high school exams, his lawyer told AFP on Tuesday.

    The girlfriend has also been detained.

    Both are due in court in the West African country on Thursday, on charges of fraud and complicity in the fraud, lawyer Serigne Ndiongue said. The suspects are contesting the charges.

    Photo via AFP

    According to the prosecution, the university student moved to the central city of Diourbel in order to take his girlfriend’s baccalaureate exams on her behalf.

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    Photos circulating on social media showed the student wearing a red dress and a black shawl.

    Local media reported that supervisors caught him on the third day of the exams after noticing something wrong with his attire. They then reported him to the police.

  • Birthday cake helps two brothers escape leopard

    Birthday cake helps two brothers escape leopard

     Two brothers in India escaped from a leopard by throwing a birthday cake at the animal as it chased them while they were on a motorbike.

    “Your first instinct when you sense danger is to do whatever you can to save yourself. That’s what they did,” a forest official told AFP.

    “They had a cake with them and they threw it at the leopard.”

    As per reports, Firoz and Sabir Mansuri were going to a birthday party for Firoz’s son in Madhya Pradesh state when the leopard came out of a sugarcane field.

    They rode their bike faster but the big cat kept on chasing them. One of the brothers smacked the cake in the leopard’s face. Hit by the “weapon of sweet distraction”, the big cat gave up its chase and ran back into the fields.

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    “The leopard followed us for over 500 metres (yards). We narrowly escaped death,” said Sabir.

    Leopard numbers in India grew more than 60 percent between 2014 and 2018 to almost 13,000, according to the government, with the highest numbers in Madhya Pradesh. They often enter villages and towns.

  • Coronavirus: Airlines may lose up to $113 billion

    Airlines could lose up to $113 billion in revenues this year due to the coronavirus, equivalent to the damage experienced by the industry during the financial crisis, AFP quoted a trade body as warning.

    The dire prediction came as Flybe — a British airline — collapsed into bankruptcy with the virus, which has killed over 3,200 people worldwide, dealing a fatal blow to the ailing regional carrier.

    With the disease now rapidly spreading outside China, demand for air travel is nose-diving globally, spelling serious trouble for many already struggling carriers. In a new assessment of the impact, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimated revenue losses to airlines’ passenger business of between $63 billion and $113 billion in 2020.

    The higher figure is for a scenario where the virus spreads more widely, and would be equivalent to the hit to the industry during the 2007-2008 global financial crisis, the group warned.

    The “industry’s prospects in much of the world have taken a dramatic turn for the worse”, said IATA head Alexandre de Juniac, and appealed to governments for support. “Airlines are doing their best to stay afloat,” he said. “As governments look to stimulus measures, the airline industry will need consideration for relief on taxes, charges and slot allocation. These are extraordinary times.”

    Flybe had narrowly avoided going bust in January when the United Kingdom (UK) government agreed to review air passenger duty paid by its customers — and shareholders pledged extra investment.

    But it finally collapsed after the government reportedly refused a rescue loan for £100 million ($128 million).

    In further bad news Thursday, Norwegian Air scrapped its 2020 earnings guidance after earlier predicting a return to profit following several years of losses.

    Other recent high-profile aviation industry casualties in Europe include French carriers Aigle Azur and XL Airways, as well as Slovenia’s Adria Airways.

    Meanwhile, travel analytics company ForwardKeys said the number of new flight bookings to Europe fell by 79 percent in the final week of February due to the outbreak.

    IATA’s assessment was far bleaker than just two weeks ago, when it forecast revenue losses would come in at $29.3 billion. But since then the virus has spread rapidly outside China, and has now reached some 80 countries and territories, infecting more than 95,000 people. The vast majority of global deaths and infections are in China, which quarantined entire cities, temporarily shut factories and closed schools indefinitely after the virus emerged.

    IATA predicted that worldwide passenger revenues would fall between 11 and 19 percent this year. The impact on Asia-Pacific carriers will be bigger than during the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2002-2003, as the Chinese travel market is far bigger now, said IATA chief economist Brian Pearce.

    Like the new virus, SARS emerged in China before spreading to numerous countries, killing hundreds. A plunge in oil prices caused by the virus could cut airlines’ fuel costs by up to $28 billion this year, which would provide some relief but would not have a significant impact, the body added.