Times Of Harvard

Saudi Arabia's former commander in charge of the coalition war in Yemen has been sentenced to death following a military trial, according to a report yesterday by the Washington DC-based Institute for Gulf Affairs. The report cited one of his relatives, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Fahd Bin Turki Bin Abdulaziz, a senior Saudi prince, and nephew of King Salman was apparently sentenced to death for treason after being accused of attempting a coup to oust the king and his son, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. The source is said to have revealed text messages he received from a former senior official in Riyadh, confirming the charges and the death sentence. In September last year, it was reported that Bin Turki was sacked from his position along with his son, Prince Abdulaziz Bin Fahd, who was a deputy governor of Al-Jawf region. Both were arrested during an investigation into corruption. At the time, a prominent Saudi whistle-blower, known online as Mujtahidd, claimed that th...

 Four Saudis who took part in the killing of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul are claimed to have been given paramilitary training in the US. The training was provided by the security company Tier 1 Group, which is owned by the private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management, under a contract approved by the US State Department, according to The New York Times. Cerberus advertises itself as a "global leader in alternative investing." Former Vice President Dan Quayle is Chairman of Cerberus Global Investments and a member of Cerberus's senior leadership team. The training was provided by the Arkansas-based security company Tier 1 Group, which is owned by the private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management. The company says the training — including "safe marksmanship" and "countering an attack" — was defensive in nature and devised to better protect Saudi leaders. One person familiar with the training said it also included work in surveillance ...

Derek Chauvin, the white former Minneapolis police officer convicted of killing George Floyd, a Black man, was sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison Friday. Chauvin, 45, was convicted in April of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for pressing his knee against Floyd’s neck for up to 9 1/2 minutes as the 46-year-old Floyd gasped that he could not breathe and went limp. Bystander video of Floyd’s arrest on suspicion of passing a counterfeit $20 bill at a corner store prompted protests around the world and led to scattered violence in Minneapolis and beyond. Judge’s justification Following emotional testimony Friday from Floyd’s family and Chauvin’s mother, along with brief condolences from Chauvin himself, Judge Peter Cahill said the sentence was not based on emotion, sympathy or public opinion. “I’m not going to attempt to be profound or clever because it’s not the appropriate time,” Cahill said, explaining his reasoning would be laid ou...

Two Indian workers are being held captive by their employer in Saudi Arabia's Yanbu city despite an assurance by authorities that they will be allowed to return by April-end, a Rajasthan Congress leader alleged today and appealed to President Ram Nath Kovind to intervene. Gaffar Mohammed (49) and Vishram Jatav (46) from Rajasthan's Bundi and Bharatpur district respectively had gone to Saudi Arabia over three years ago on a work agreement. The agreement expired in November 2020 and the two requested their employer to send them back to India. However, it is alleged, the two were held captive under inhuman conditions, and the issue was brought to the notice of the central government. "The website of the Prime Minister's Office, on a complaint dated April 3, 2021, responded that the case was closed on April 26, 2021 as the sponsor of the two Indians granted them permission to exit by end of the month (April)," Charmesh Sharma, Congress' Bundi district vice preside...

As we observe World Refugee Day on June 20, I would like to remind European and African governments of the need to genuinely work together in dealing with refugee and migration challenges facing the two neighboring continents. Looking at the European media, a certain image is always reproduced: The many young African people who want to come to Europe — even risking their lives in desperation. This is very one-sided — and creates an image that all African youth want to make such perilous journeys. In reality, there are few African refugees making such treacherous journeys. In fact, most African refugees go to the neighboring countries instead of heading to Europe. Different perspectives on dealing with refugees European and African countries have been working together on solving refugee and migration problems. However, progress has been slow. This is mainly because the two continents have different perspectives and priorities on dealing with the challenge. On the one hand, the European ...

   A 34-year old United States citizen who had been in Russia studying has been found dead after she went missing on Tuesday, local investigators said Saturday. Russia's state Investigative Committee said it had opened a criminal probe into the disappearance of "a foreign citizen," adding that authorities had arrested a man in his early 40s over her death. Catherine Serou had been studying law at a university in the Nizhny Novgorod region, 420 kilometers (260 miles) east of Moscow, according to Russia's RIA news agency. She arrived in Russia from California three years ago, RIA reported. What we know about Catherine Serou's disappearance According to an Investigative Committee statement, the woman's whereabouts had been unknown since she left home on June 15 and got into a vehicle. "Today, as a result of a large-scale search operation, the girl's body was discovered," the Investigative Committee said in a statement, without naming her. Her last c...

Gunmen in sports utility vehicles shot some 14 people in different parts of the Mexican border city of Reynosa, according to reports on Sunday. Another person was reported to have been killed in an attack on police near a border bridge. Criminal activity in the city — which lies across the border from McAllen, Texas — has long been dominated by the Gulf Cartel, but splits are thought to have developed in the gang. Local media reports on Sunday put the death toll as high as 18. The attacks began early Saturday afternoon in several neighborhoods in the eastern part of Reynosa, according to the Tamaulipas state agency that coordinates security forces. The identity of the victims and the attackers was initially unknown, as well as the motive. "Investigations were initiated to establish the causes of the homicides and locate those responsible, particularly in the surveillance and patrolling actions that are carried out in various parts of Reynosa," said an official report. The vio...

China has discovered a new 1-billion-ton super-deep oil and gas area in the Tarim Basin in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the largest discovery in the basin in nearly 10 years, the Chinese state-owned energy giant China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) said on Friday. The discovered well is located in the Fuman Oilfield area, a main block for crude oil production in the Tarim Oilfield. Its drilling depth reached 8,470 meters and the height of the test oil column hit 550 meters, both marking new records for the deepest oil production and the highest oil column in the desert area of the Tarim Basin. According to Yang Xuewen, general manager of Tarim Oilfield Co under CNPC, they found the new reserve area after drilling 56 wells in the Fuman Oilfield. The new oil reserve area could be the largest discovery in the Tarim Basin in the last 10 years. With its major oil producing zone of about 8,000 meters below the surface of the Earth, the Fuman Oilfield is one ...

More than 350 Indonesian doctors have contracted Covid-19 despite being vaccinated with Sinovac, dozens have been hospitalised and some have died, as concerns rise about the efficacy of some vaccines against more virulent virus strains. Most of the doctors were asymptomatic and self-isolating at home, said Badai Ismoyo on Tuesday, head of the Kudus district health office in Central Java but dozens were in hospital with high fevers and declining oxygen saturation levels. Kudus is battling an outbreak believed to be driven by the more transmissible Delta variant which has pushed bed occupancy rates above 90 percent in the district. Designated as a priority group, Indonesian healthcare workers were among the first to be vaccinated when the inoculation drive started in January. Almost all have received the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Chinese biopharmaceutical company Sinovac, according to the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI). While the number of Indonesian healthcare workers dying fr...

The chances of an earnest dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians under Benjamin Netanyahu as Israel’s prime minister were already dismal. Yet the ascension of Naftali Bennett, his protege at one time, has given Palestinian intellectuals more reasons to worry. While most expect him to be just as bad as Netanyahu, others say he would carry out his agenda to expand illegal settlements even more vigorously. Some hope he might cower under pressure from the Biden administration and turn out to be pragmatic. A staunch supporter of Jewish settlements and of the annexation of most of the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, Bennett also opposes a two-state solution to the conflict. At first glimpse, there appears to be little difference between him and his predecessor. Both are opposed to the resumption of any form of the peace process that may force them to make room for the aspirations of the Palestinians. Netanyahu, known by his nickname “Bibi”, even plotted together with the ...

 Britain and the United States on Thursday agreed a deal to resolve a trade dispute involving rival planemakers Boeing and Airbus. The truce in the 17-year conflict comes two days after the EU and the US reached a similar agreement. The two sides have been battling in parallel cases at the World Trade Organization since 2004 over subsidies for US aircraft firm Boeing and European rival Airbus. Each argued the measures exposed the other to unfair competition. The row led to damaging retaliatory tariffs slapped on products on both sides of the Atlantic. Britain's Trade Ministry said in a statement that the US and UK had now agreed to suspend these tariffs for five years and cooperate more closely on tackling unfair trade practices by non-market economies. "Today's deal draws a line under an incredibly damaging issue," British Trade Minister Liz Truss said. She added that the UK could now focus on taking its "trading relationship with the US to the next level,"...

Benjamin Netanyahu’s 12-year tenure as Israeli prime minister has come to an end, as the country’s parliament on Sunday approved a new coalition government led by right-wing nationalist Naftali Bennett. Bennett, the head of an ultranationalist party that controls six seats in the 120-seat Knesset, was sworn in as prime minister after the parliament backed the new coalition government by a razor-thin margin of 60 votes to 59. Bennett will lead an unlikely alliance of left-wing, centrist and right-wing parties, as well as a party that represents Palestinian citizens of Israel, who account for 21 percent of the country’s population. The parties have little in common apart from a desire to unseat Netanyahu. Under a rotational agreement, Bennett will serve as prime minister for two years, after which he will be replaced by centrist leader Yair Lapid, the chief architect of the new government. They plan largely to avoid sweeping moves on issues such as policy towards Palestinians in the occu...

  Emirati news reports revealed a resounding scandal for the Abu Dhabi government-owned company, Edge, as international human rights organizations are preparing a file to prosecute the company, which was established in 2019, on charges of war crimes.  The Emirates “EDGE” company Emirates Leaks, in this regard, quoted a human rights source as saying that several regional and international organizations are working on preparing the file for submission to a number of European courts with the authority to prosecute those involved in war crimes. According to the source, the file includes documents regarding Edge’s involvement in supplying weapons and military equipment to armed militias in Yemen, Libya and the countries of the Horn of Africa. These Emirati weapons were used to commit war crimes against civilians, according to the source, who confirmed that the Emirati officials of the company will be prosecuted in international forums. It is noteworthy that for years the Emirati re...

The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) has issued a decision that temporarily bans the import of poultry meat, table eggs and their products from Landes, Pyrenees-Atlantiques and Gers in France due to the spread of bird flu in these areas. The authority said that the ban was made after following up on the report issued by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) regarding registering new cases of spread of severe bird flu in these three areas. The authority’s ban decision excluded poultry meat and table eggs that go through thermal processing, which is enough to ensure eliminating the bird flu virus, provided that these products match accredited health conditions, constraints and standards with enclosing a health certificate issued by accredited relevant authorities in France proving that these products are free from the virus.  

It has been revealed that a secretive Israeli cyber company is selling offensive hacking technology to Saudi Arabia, according to reports by Haaretz. Quadream, which operates from an unmarked office in Ramat Gan and has a minimal online presence, provides offensive hacking solutions that allow its clients to access mobile phones, collect data stored on the devices, and even use the phones to track and spy on individuals. While many of Quadream’s clients are law enforcement agencies, they have also sold their services to repressive regimes, including Saudi Arabia. It is suspected that countries like Saudi Arabia are using the hacking tools to spy on dissidents. Quadream was founded by Guy Geva, Nimrod Reznik, and Ilan Dabelstien in 2016. Geva and Reznik both previously worked in the cyber industry and brought their technical expertise to the company, while Dabelstien is a former senior official in the Israeli military intelligence. A fourth man, Avi Rabinovtich, serves as the companies ...

 Avi Har-Even, the mastermind of the Israel missile program and the former head of the Israeli space agency was killed weeks after he was critically wounded in a hotel in Acre. Avi Har-Eve was staying at the Effendi Hotel in Acre during the recent Israeli-Gaza war and his residence was targeted by Molotov cocktails. As a result of this suspicious attack, several other important figures of the Israeli regime were also injured, but Avi Har-Even suffered severe burns and suffocation due to smoke inhalation and has been in a coma since May 11 at a medical center in Haifa. Avi Har-Even was known as the mastermind of the Zionist regime’s space and missile program. His background includes leading and overseeing the Shavit satellite missile development team, commander of the Dimona nuclear defense system, and head of the Israeli regime’s space agency from 1995 to 2004. Benny Gantz, Israeli Defense Minister said about Avi, “I heard with great sorrow about the death of Avi Har-Even, winner o...

Guatemala’s president said on Sunday that his government and the Biden administration remain at odds over the US’ approach to stemming Central American migration, while adding that he valued Vice President Kamala Harris as a negotiating partner. In an interview with CBS News as Ms Harris visits his country following her appointment to lead the Biden administration’s response to the surge of migration at the US’ southern border, Alejandro Giammattei stressed that the two sides differ over how to address the problem, but not in their beliefs regarding its causes. "We are not on the same side of the coin. It is obvious," Mr Giammattei told CBS, adding of the crisis’s causes and how to address them: "We are in agreement on the ‘what,’ which is something. We are in not agreement on the ‘how.’" The Guatemalan president pointed to the Biden administration’s pledges not to deport unaccompanied children, and the Democratic president’s efforts to end some of what many saw as ...

 President Joe Biden rejected the latest Republican counteroffer on infrastructure during a Friday afternoon call with the lead GOP negotiator but agreed to connect with her again on Monday as talks drag on for at least another week to try and break the impasse on a bipartisan deal. Biden spoke by phone with Sen. Shelley Moore Capito to continue their talks on whether there's a path forward to reach a bipartisan framework since they remain far apart on the amount of new spending, how to pay for it and what even constitutes infrastructure. According to the White House, Republicans' latest proposal included $50 billion in new spending "across a number of infrastructure programs," but Biden communicated that it fell short of his economic and climate change priorities. The call comes a few days after the pair met at the White House on Wednesday for their first one-on-one talks. Biden reportedly discussed on Wednesday what he'd like to see included in any future GOP co...

 Palestinian rights advocates in the United States have condemned a recent visit to the US capital by Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz, renewing their calls for an end to unconditional US military aid to Israel. US Senator Lindsey Graham told reporters last week that Israel would be requesting $1bn to “replenish” its Iron Dome missile interception system, as well as buy munitions for the Israeli air force, in the aftermath of 11 days of fighting between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian faction that governs the Gaza Strip. The Israeli bombardment of the besieged Palestinian territory killed 235 Palestinians, including 67 children, and displaced at least 58,000 Palestinians. Twelve people in Israel, including two children, were killed by rockets fired by Palestinian groups in Gaza. “The State Department is already trying to rush through $735m in additional weapons sales on top of the annual $3.8bn American taxpayers provide Israel every year,” Mohamad Habehh, a national developm...

  California held its first COVID-19 lottery on Friday, which saw 15 vaccinated residents of the state win $50,000 each as part of a host of efforts across the United States to encourage Americans reluctant to take one of the country’s jabs, as the world struggles with rising cases and deaths amid a global shortage. California is the most populous state in the US, with nearly 40 million residents, and its programme is the largest in the nation. The state government has set aside $116m in cash prizes and incentives as part of “Vax for the Win”, including awarding a $50 grocery gift card to the first 2 million people vaccinated since May 27. Faced with a nationwide slowdown, other states have undertaken similar lotteries, including Washington, Colorado and Ohio, which has already given $1m to two vaccinated residents as part of a lottery that will give away $5m in total. Ohio’s governor Mike DeWine congratulated the second winner on Twitter. Anyone 12 and older who has received at le...

 Former US President Donald Trump is suspended from Facebook for two years, the social media company announced on Friday, adding that they will no longer exempt public figures from some of its protocols. “Given the gravity of the circumstances that led to Mr. Trump’s suspension, we believe his actions constituted a severe violation of our rules which merit the highest penalty available under the new enforcement protocols,” Facebook Vice President of Global Affairs Nick Clegg said in a statement. “We are suspending his accounts for two years, effective from the date of the initial suspension on January 7 this year.” The company’s announcement comes after an oversight board put together by Facebook criticised its initial indefinite suspension of Trump following the former president’s praise of the US Capitol rioters on January 6. Last month, the oversight board upheld the suspension, but said it was “not appropriate for Facebook to impose the indeterminate and standardless penalty of...

  As the first Israeli missile landed on the besieged Gaza Strip, marking the start of an 11-day military offensive, Egypt saw a “tremendous opportunity” to assert itself politically in the region and, as many analysts say, to prove itself to the new US administration. US President Joe Biden thanked Egypt for “its successful diplomacy” in brokering a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. “The Egyptian regime wishes to illustrate to the Biden administration that they can still handle the ‘Palestinian file’, and that they are willing to follow the US guidance in this regard,” Alaa Tartir, policy adviser at Al-Shabaka: The Palestinian Policy Network, told Al Jazeera Network. Washington’s reliance on Egypt comes as it is one of the few countries in the region that engages with both Israel and Hamas. Egyptian diplomats were engaged in a flurry of diplomatic visits that eventually helped secure a ceasefire after the Israeli bombardment campaign killed 253 Palestinians, bolstering its regio...

 Like tens of thousands of Gazans, Aymen al-Djaroucha had to flee his home with his family last month during the 11 days of fighting between the Israeli military and Palestinian armed groups, mainly Hamas, which controls the blockaded enclave. Birds sing outside the window of his office as the father of three explains what it feels like to leave the place where you’ve spent the last 12 years – without any of your belongings. “You have all your memories there, it’s where our children grew up, where we spent time with each other and shared happy moments and difficult moments. All my life was there.” But, he had to leave. The Israeli military phoned the apartment block’s caretaker on May 14 to warn families to evacuate. They bombed it less than an hour later, destroying several flats and causing a fire that ripped through the building. He has since been back to assess the scale of the damage and to “try to return to my normal life”, he says. “The flats above the eighth floor were badl...

 A 41-year-old man in China’s eastern province of Jiangsu has been confirmed as the first human case of infection with a rare strain of bird flu known as H10N3, Beijing’s National Health Commission (NHC) has said. Many different strains of bird flu are present in China and some occasionally infect people, usually those working with poultry. There is no indication that H10N3 can spread easily in humans. The man, a resident of the city of Zhenjiang, was admitted to hospital on April 28 and diagnosed with H10N3 on May 28, the health commission said on Tuesday. It did not give details on how the man was infected. His condition is now stable and he is ready to be discharged. Investigation of his close contacts found no other cases, the NHC said. No other cases of human infection with H10N3 have been reported globally, it added. H10N3 is low pathogenic, which means it causes relatively less severe disease in poultry and is unlikely to cause a large-scale outbreak, the NHC added. Patient’...