An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan has sentenced three members of Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed’s Jamaat-ud-Dawa to six months in jail in a case of terror financing. Saeed’s brother-in-law Hafiz Abdur Rehman Makki, JuD spokesperson Yahya Mujahid and Zafar Iqbal were handed down the six-month imprisonment each. With the sentencing, the collective imprisonment of Mujahid and Iqbal has climbed to 80 and 56 years respectively. The verdicts will run concurrently. The counter-terrorism department had registered 41 cases against JuD members, an official said, adding that trial courts have so far decided 37 cases.
32 killed in Baghdad suicide attack
Two men blew themselves up in a crowded Baghdad market last week, killing at least 32 people and injuring 110 others in Iraq’s first big suicide bombing for three years, authorities said, describing it as a possible sign of the reactivation of Islamic State terror group Maj Gen Tahsin al-Khafaji, spokesman for the Joint Operations Command, said the first suicide bomber cried out loudly that he was ill in the middle of the bustling market, prompting a crowd to gather around him - and that’s when he detonated his explosive belt. The second detonated his belt shortly after, he said. The Islamic State claims responsibility for the suicide attack.
Thai woman gets 43 years in prison for insulting monarchy
A Thai court sentenced a 65-year-old woman to more than 43 years in jail for sharing online posts criticising the royal family, her lawyer said, the country’s harshest ever sentence for insulting the monarchy. Her sentence comes at a time of unprecedented youth-led demonstrations in which protest leaders have openly criticised the monarchy, risking prosecution under Thailand’s strict law which carries a 15-year penalty for each violation. Anchan Preelert pled guilty to 29 separate violations of sharing and posting clips on YouTube and Facebook between 2014 and 2015, her lawyer, Pawinee Chumsri, said. Anchan was initially sentenced to 87 years but because she had acknowledged her violations the court halved this, the lawyer said.
Man breaks Putin’s party office window, gets 6 years jail
A Russian court jailed a mathematician for six years for breaking a window at an office of President Vladimir Putin’s ruling party, causing outrage among activists. Azat Miftakhov was convicted of “hooliganism”, his lawyer Svetlana Sidorkina said, adding that he would appeal against the ruling. “We do not agree with this decision... based particularly on two anonymous witness statements that could not be verified,” Sidorkina said. Rights group Memorial has called Miftakhov a political prisoner and almost 90,000 people have signed a petition calling for his release. More than 2,500 mathematicians from around the world have threatened to boycott a 2022 congress in Saint Petersburg if he is not freed, Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta reported. The 27-year-old Miftakhov openly calls himself an anarchist activist.
UAE to establish embassy in Tel Aviv
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced the establishment of its embassy in Tel Aviv as the US national security advisor announced that America hopes to build “on the success of Israel’s normalisation agreements” under the Biden administration. The UAE cabinet decision to approve establishing the embassy comes after they signed the Abraham Accords in September, becoming the first Gulf state to establish a full diplomatic relationship with Israel. No further details about the embassy were given in UAE media. While Israel’s government recognises Jerusalem as its capital, the international community does not, with Palestinians claiming East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state. Most countries base their embassies in Tel Aviv.
Turkey slaps ad ban on Twitter
Turkey’s Information and Communication Technologies Authority has imposed advertising bans on Twitter, Periscope and Pinterest under a new social media law, according to decisions published in the countrý’s Official Gazette. Under the law, which critics say stifles dissent, social media companies that do not appoint such representatives are liable for a series of penalties, including the latest move by the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK). The law allows authorities to remove content from platforms, rather than blocking access. It has caused concern as people turn more to online platforms after Ankara tightened grip on mainstream media.
Twitter locks China’s US embassy a/c
Twitter has locked the account of China’s US embassy for a tweet that defended China’s policy towards Muslim Uighurs in Xinjiang, which the US social media platform said violated its stand against “dehumanising” people. China’s foreign ministry said it was confused by the move and that it was the embassy’s responsibility to call out disinformation and clarify the truth. “We hope they won’t apply double standards on this issue. We hope they can discern what is correct and truthful from disinformation on this matter,” Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said. The Chinese embassy account posted a tweet this month that said that Uighur women had been emancipated and were no longer “baby-making machines”, citing a study reported by state-backed newspaper China Daily.
China sanctions 28 people linked to Trump admn
China announced it would sanction more than two dozen US citizens, including Mike Pompeo, the former Secretary of State, in response to "grave interference” over Taiwan. Among the 28 named were Pompeo, as well as John Bolton, Donald Trump’s former National Security Advisor; Peter Navarro, former Director of Trade; and Steve Bannon, former White House chief strategist. "These individuals and their immediate family members are prohibited from entering the mainland of China, Hong Kong and Macau. They and companies and institutions associated with them are also restricted from doing business with China," it added.
Kremlin brushes off calls to release Navalny
The Kremlin brushed off calls from US and European officials to release opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was arrested after returned to Russia from Germany following treatment for nerve agent poisoning, calling the situation with Navalny “an absolutely internal matter.’’ Statements have come from around the globe calling for the Navalny’s release. He blames his poisoning on Vladimir Putin’s government. They add to the existing tensions between Russia and the West, with some EU countries suggesting the imposition of additional sanctions against Moscow.
