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...