World
Cyprus rescues 115 Syrian migrants aboard 3 separate boats over the last three days
Cyprus police on Monday rescued 18 Syrian migrants after their boat started taking on water some 3.5 miles off the Mediterranean island nation's southeastern coast.
Police said the 11 men, three unescorted minors, one woman and her three children had set sail from Tartus, Syria and were brought ashore aboard a police patrol vessel.
State-run Cyprus News Agency reported that the woman and her children were taken to the hospital after one of the kids had fainted. The migrants' boat reportedly sank.
The remaining 14 migrants were taken to a reception center on the western fringes of the capital, Nicosia. A 23-year-old man was taken into custody on suspicion of facilitating illegal entry, police said.
The latest rescue comes after police rescued another 97 Syrian migrants aboard two boats over the last 72 hours.
Police said they intercepted on Sunday a 40-foot boat with 57 men, six women and 23 children aboard some 14 miles off the island's southeastern coast. All 86 people, who departed from Lebanon, were taken ashore by a police patrol vessel and transported to the reception center.
Four men aged between 18-30 were detained, and face charges of facilitating the illegal entry of migrants, police said.
On Saturday, police intercepted another small boat with 11 migrants aboard some six miles off Cyprus' southeastern tip. The 10 men and one unescorted minor had departed from Lebanon aboard their 11-foot boat, according to police. Three men aged between 31-47 were also detained.
Cyprus' Interior Ministry had noted an increase in seaborne arrivals of Syrian migrants in recent months, although asylum applications have dropped significantly as a result of government actions to deter such arrivals, especially from sub-Saharan Africa.
According to official figures, asylum applications in June and July reached a combined 1,285 this year – less than a third than the same period last year.
To discourage more migrant arrivals, the Cypriot government decided to exclude migrants who arrived after Jan. 1st of this year from eligibility for relocation to another EU country.
Nearly 2,000 unaccompanied immigrant minors landed in Rome over the weekend
Nearly 2,000 unaccompanied migrant minors landed in Italy at the weekend, the interior ministry said Monday.
Some 1,902 migrant children without any parent came to Italy's southern shores, it said.
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Some 12,188 of them have arrived since the start of the year, the ministry said, adding that overall migrant arrivals have been 105,449, over double the 50,759 of the same period last year.
Read: Migrant sea arrivals more than double so far in 2023
In August alone, it said, some 16,512 migrants have landed in Italy. (ANSA).
BRICS leaders to discuss expansion as Global South countries line up to join
The upcoming 2023 BRICS summit logo features a sun that beams light in five colors: green, blue, orange, red and yellow, representing the current five members of the group.
This year's summit, to be held in South Africa from Aug. 22 to 24, champions the theme "Partnership for Mutually Accelerated Growth, Sustainable Development and Inclusive Multilateralism."
That spirit, BRICS officials say, has sparked the interest of some 40 countries from the Global South in joining the group.
GROWING INTEREST
At the forthcoming summit, leaders are expected to discuss the BRICS group's expansion, including the admission criteria and the guiding principles, Carlos Maria Correa, executive director of the South Center, told Xinhua in a recent interview.
"Twenty-two countries have formally approached BRICS countries to become full members. There's an equal number of countries that have been informally asking about becoming BRICS members," said Anil Sooklal, South Africa's BRICS ambassador.
Read: PM Hasina off to South Africa to attend the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg
Algeria is among the latest countries to show their interest. "We officially applied to join the BRICS group, and we sent a letter asking to be shareholder members in the bank (New Development Bank)," Ennahar TV, an Arabic broadcaster, quoted Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune as saying on July 22.
According to Mainichi Shimbun, a Japanese daily, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Nigeria and other oil-producing countries have also made applications. Once approved, the BRICS members will cover over half of the world's oil and gas resources.
"Many countries in the Global South have sought to come together in order to work towards a more just and inclusive world order ... BRICS inspires many countries to come together again in order to advance this vision," said Kenneth Creamer, a senior lecturer at the University of the Witwatersrand, during a recent interview with Xinhua.
CHARM OF BRICS
In June this year, French President Emmanuel Macron once voiced his intention to attend the upcoming summit following his talks with South Africa's International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor.
This is where the charm of BRICS lies. The bloc has become a positive, stable and constructive force in international affairs.
Read: Russia, China look to advance agendas at BRICS summit of developing countries in South Africa
Several emerging economies, for instance, are financially distressed due to the IMF's stringent economic policies, said Deutsche Welle, Germany's state-owned broadcaster. It noted that the New Development Bank and the BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement could support economies with payment difficulties.
"The New Development Bank is the most prominent achievement. It's also led to some increased trade between the countries, and won some international attention," said Daniel Bradlow, a University of Pretoria professor who has studied the group.
Above all, BRICS defends multipolarity and multilateralism, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said. By doing so, "BRICS countries are countering the concept of the Cold War and opening up the possibility of a more equitable and just international order that benefits the world."
"In an increasingly polarised world, BRICS is creating an enabling avenue for countries to fashion a more inclusive political and economic order," said Cavince Adhere, a Kenyan international relations scholar.
Many countries are tired of the United States' virtual domination of the global economy for decades, the Spanish website Rebelion said. Failure to comply with Washington's directives results in sanctions and financial blackmail.
BROADER PROSPECTS
With potential members down the road, cross-border trade within the group would become more efficient and catch the eye of more investors. The prospect of a BRICS-issued currency is a possibility.
Read: BRICS Summit: Hasina, Modi likely to hold meeting on the sidelines
"Its members would likely be able to produce a wider range of goods than any existing monetary union," said Foreign Policy, an American news publication, while remarking on the prospective currency. "Because each member of the BRICS grouping is an economic heavyweight in its own region, countries around the world would likely be willing to do business in the hypothetical money."
As Bangladesh, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Uruguay were added as new members of the BRICS New Development Bank, there's bound to be even fairer and more accessible international trade as the four countries lie on three continents.
"For new entrants, being part of BRICS could expand their diplomatic influence and open up lucrative trade and investment opportunities," the Washington Post said in a recent article.
In an interview with the TASS news agency, Nozipho Mxakato-Diseko, South Africa's permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva, said BRICS is happy to accept new members who express interest in joining.
"BRICS is committed to upholding multilateralism, reforming the global governance system and has consistently advocated for the developing countries to be fairly treated in the international arena," Gerald Mbanda, an Africa-China cooperation expert, told Xinhua.
"This is the reason I believe that the BRICS is undoubtedly an avenue for accelerated growth with increased trade and investment opportunities," Mbanda said.
17-year-old Palestinian killed during Israeli military raid in northern West Bank
Israeli security forces stormed into a town the northern West Bank on Tuesday, leading to fighting that killed a 17-year-old Palestinian, according to Palestinian health officials, the latest violence to grip the occupied territory.
The Israeli military conducted an arrest raid before dawn in the town of Zababdeh south of Jenin, local medics said. The Palestinian Health Ministry reported that 17-year-old Othman Abu Kharj was fatally shot in the head. The raid came as Israeli security forces were still searching for the Palestinian gunman that carried out a shooting in the northern Palestinian city of Hawara that killed an Israeli father and son on Saturday.
Read: Suspected Palestinian shooting attack at West Bank car wash kills 2 Israelis
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the raid in Zababdeh.
In the southern West Bank, the Israeli army captured two Palestinians who were suspected in a shooting the day before that killed an Israeli woman and seriously wounded a man. The Israeli military said the two suspects confessed during interrogation to involvement in the attack near the Palestinian city of Hebron. Israeli security forces said they also confiscated the rifle used to shoot at the car on Monday. A car without a license plate that was allegedly used to carry out the attack was found burned north of Hebron, said mayor of the town of Halhoul.
Read: Israeli military kills 3 alleged Palestinian gunmen in volatile West Bank
Palestinian media identified the two suspects arrested near Hebron as Saqer and Muhamad al-Shantir.
Nearly 180 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank since the start of this year, according to a tally by The Associated Press. Israel says most of the Palestinians killed were militants. But stone throwing youths protesting the incursions and those not involved in the confrontations have also been killed.
Some 30 people have been killed by Palestinian attacks against Israelis during that time.
Read: Israeli forces kill 2 wanted Palestinians in shootout in the occupied West Bank
Israel says the raids are meant to dismantle militant networks and thwart future attacks. Palestinians say the raids undermine their security forces, inspire more militancy and entrench Israeli control over lands they seek for a hoped-for future state. Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war, along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau slams Facebook for blocking Canada wildfire news
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday accused Facebook of putting profits over people’s safety during the emergencies created by Canada’s record wildfire season.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced earlier this summer it would keep its promise to block news content from Canada on its platforms because of a new law that requires tech giants to pay publishers for linking to or otherwise repurposing their content online.
Fires raging in Canada have pushed tens of thousands of people from their homes and threatened cities such as Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories. About 30,000 people were under evacuation orders in British Columbia.
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“Right now, in an emergency situation where up to date local information is more important than ever, Facebook is putting corporate profits ahead of people's safety,” Trudeau said at a news conference in Cornwall on Prince Edward Island.
“It is so inconceivable that a company like Facebook is choosing to put corporate profits ahead of insuring that local news organizations can get up to date information to Canadians,” the prime minister said.
Government ministers called on Meta on Friday to lift its Canada news ban, which applies to local outlets as well as national media such as the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Read: Poor air quality from Canadian wildfires affects people as far as away as North Carolina
The company, which is headquartered in Northern California, stood by its decision and said in a statement about the wildfires that people in Canada can continue to use Instagram and Facebook “to connect with their communities and access reputable information, including content from official government agencies, emergency services and non-governmental organizations.”
The country's residents and visitors are not able to view or share news on the Meta-owned social networks, including news articles, videos and audio posted by outlets inside or outside of Canada.
Meta has not been alone in its action. Google’s owner, Alphabet, also said it planned to remove Canadian news links in response to the new law, although it hasn’t followed through yet. The Online News Act, passed in late June after lengthy debate, is set to take effect later this year.
“This is Facebook’s choice," Trudeau said. “In a democracy, quality local journalism matters, and it matters now more than ever before when people are worried about their homes, worried about their communities, worried about the worst summer for extreme events that we’ve had in a very long time.”
British Columbia Premier David Eby said it is unacceptable that Meta hasn't reversed its decision to block Canadian news from being shared online.
Read: Millions breathing hazardous air as smoke from Canadian wildfires streams south over US
“I find it astonishing that we are at this stage of the crisis and the owners of Facebook and Instagram have not come forward and said ‘We’re trying to make a point with the federal government, but it’s more important that people are safe,'" Eby said.
He added that many people in British Columbia rely on media shared through Facebook to access information about the wildfires.
Meta took similar steps in the past. In 2021, it briefly blocked news from its platform in Australia after the country passed legislation that would compel tech companies to pay publishers for using their news stories. It later struck deals with Australian publishers.
Trump says he will surrender Thursday on Georgia charges tied to efforts to overturn 2020 election
Former President Donald Trump says he will surrender to authorities in Georgia on Thursday to face charges in the case accusing him of illegally scheming to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state.
“Can you believe it? I’ll be going to Atlanta, Georgia, on Thursday to be ARRESTED,” Trump wrote on his social media network Monday night, hours after his bond was set at $200,000.
It will be Trump’s fourth arrest since April, when he became the first former president in U.S. history to face indictment. Since then, Trump, who remains the leading candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, has had what has seemed like an endless procession of bookings and arraignments in jurisdictions across the country. His appearances in New York, Florida and Washington, D.C., have drawn enormous media attention, with news helicopters tracking his every move.
Read: Canadian PM Justin Trudeau slams Facebook for blocking Canada wildfire news
Trump's announcement came hours after his attorneys met with prosecutors in Atlanta to discuss the details of his release on bond. The former president is barred from intimidating co-defendants, witnesses or victims in the case — including on social media — according to the bond agreement signed by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, Trump’s defense attorneys and the judge. It explicitly includes “posts on social media or reposts of posts” made by others.
Trump has repeatedly used social media to attack people involved in the criminal cases against him as he campaigns to reclaim the White House in 2024. He has been railing against Willis since before he was indicted, and singled out Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp — a Republican who rebuffed his efforts to overturn the election — by name in a social media post Monday morning.
The agreement also prohibits the former president from making any “direct or indirect threat of any nature” against witnesses or co-defendants, and from communicating in any way about the facts of the case with them, except through attorneys.
The order sets Trump's bond for the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations — or RICO — charge at $80,000, and adds $10,000 for each of the 12 other counts he is facing. Bond is the amount defendants must pay as a form of collateral to ensure they show up for required court appearances.
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Willis set a deadline of noon Friday for Trump and his 18 co-defendants to turn themselves in to be booked. The prosecutor has proposed that arraignments for the defendants follow during the week of Sept. 5. She has said she wants to try the defendants collectively and bring the case to trial in March of next year, which would put it in the heat of the presidential nominating season.
A Trump spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the filing. A phone message seeking comment was also left for an attorney for the former president.
Trump's appearance in Georgia will come a day after the first Republican primary debate, which he has decided to skip.
He is expected to turn himself in at the Fulton County jail, which has long been plagued with problems. The Department of Justice last month opened a civil rights investigation into conditions, citing filthy cells, violence and the death last year of a man whose body was found covered in insects in the main jail’s psychiatric wing. Three people have died in Fulton County custody in the past month.
The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Monday afternoon that when Trump surrenders there will be a “hard lockdown” of the area surrounding the jail.
But Trump is not expected to spend much time there.
When defendants arrive at the building, they typically pass through a security checkpoint before checking in for formal booking in the lobby. During the booking process, defendants are typically photographed and fingerprinted and asked to provide certain personal information. Since Trump’s bond has already been set, he will be released from custody once the booking process is complete.
Unlike in other jurisdictions, in Fulton County, arraignments — where a defendant first appears in court — are generally set after a defendant completes the booking process and do not happen on the same day.
Booking a former president, who still has 24-hour Secret Service protection, has created myriad security and logistical issues in other jurisdictions.
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In his past appearances in a New York state court and federal courts in Miami and Washington, Trump was not handcuffed while in custody. He was also not required to pose for a mugshot, with officials instead using existing photographs of the former president.
Georgia officials have said Trump will be treated like others charged with crimes in their state.
“Unless somebody tells me differently, we are following our normal practices, and so it doesn’t matter your status, we’ll have a mugshot ready for you,” Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat said at a news conference earlier this month.
Trump was charged last week in the case alongside a slew of allies, who prosecutors say conspired to subvert the will of voters in a desperate bid to keep the Republican in the White House after he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing, and he characterizes the case — and the three others he is facing — as efforts to hurt his 2024 presidential campaign. He has regularly used his Truth Social platform to single out prosecutors and others involved in his cases, and to continue to spread falsehoods that the 2020 election was stolen from him.
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In a post on Monday, Trump called the Fulton County district attorney “crooked, incompetent, & highly partisan.” He also attacked Kemp, whom he has long targeted for the governor's refusal to intervene after the 2020 election. Kemp has been outspoken in pushing back against Trump, writing in social media last week: “The 2020 election in Georgia was not stolen."
Bond was also set Monday for three lawyers who were indicted along with Trump. For each of them, the bond for the RICO charge was set at $20,000, with varying amounts for the other charges they face. John Eastman and Kenneth Chesebro each had a bond set at $100,000, while Ray Smith’s bond is $50,000.
Bail bondsman Scott Hall, who was accused of participating in a breach of election equipment in rural Coffee County, had his bond set at $10,000.
Other defendants include former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows; Trump attorney and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and a Trump administration Justice Department official, Jeffrey Clark, who aided the then-president’s efforts to undo his election loss in Georgia.
The Georgia indictment came just two weeks after the Justice Department special counsel charged Trump in a separate case in a vast conspiracy to overturn the election. Besides the two election-related cases, Trump faces a federal indictment accusing him of illegally hoarding classified documents as well as a New York state case charging him with falsifying business records.
British nurse imprisoned for life for the murders of 7 babies and attempted murders of 6
A former neonatal nurse convicted of murdering seven babies in her care and trying to kill six others at a hospital in northern England was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of release by a judge who highlighted "the cruelty and calculation" of her actions.
Lucy Letby, who refused to appear in court to face her sentencing or to hear grieving parents share their anger and anguish, was given the most severe punishment possible under British law, which does not allow the death penalty.
Justice James Goss said the number of killings and attempts and the nature of the murders by a nurse entrusted with caring for the most fragile infants provided the "exceptional circumstances" required to impose a rare "whole-life order."
"There was a malevolence bordering on sadism in your action," Goss said, addressing the absent defendant. "During the course of this trial, you have coldly denied any responsibility for your wrongdoing. You have no remorse. There are no mitigating factors."
A Manchester Crown Court jury that deliberated 22 days convicted Letby, 33, of murdering the seven babies over a yearlong period that saw her prey on the vulnerabilities of sick newborns and their anxious parents.
The victims, who were given anonymity and listed only by letters, such as Child A and Child B, died in the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital in northwest England between June 2015 and June 2016.
"I don't think we will ever get over the fact that our daughter was tortured till she had no fight left in her and everything she went through over her short life was deliberately done by someone who was supposed to protect her and help her come home where she belonged," the mother of a girl identified as Child I said in a statement read in court.
Prosecutor Nicholas Johnson said Letby deserved a "whole-life tariff" for "sadistic conduct" and premeditated crimes.
Defense lawyer Ben Myers said Letby maintained her innocence and that there was nothing he could add that would be able to reduce her sentence.
Some families suffered multiple tragedies, as Letby targeted three sets of twins and a set of triplets.
A mother of twins was left to grieve the loss of a son and blame herself when her family — vigilant to watch over the second infant after the first one's death — let their guard down and Letby struck again, harming the boy's sister, who survived.
"Little did we know you were waiting for us to leave so you could attack the one thing that gave us a reason to carry on in life," the mother said.
The parents of triplets lost two of their babies, and the third survived after being transferred to another hospital. The couple said in a video played in court that Letby had ruined their lives.
"The anger and the hatred I have towards her will never go away," the father said. "It has destroyed me as a man and as a father."
One father called Letby "the devil" and said she had tried to kill his daughter twice. The nurse didn't succeed but the girl was left blind, with brain damage and having to be fed through a tube.
"Every day I would sit there and pray. I would pray for God to save her," the father of Child G said. "He did. He saved her, but the devil found her."
Letby's absence, which is allowed in British courts during sentencing, fueled anger from the families of the victims, who wanted her to listen to statements about the devastation caused by her crimes.
Politicians and victim advocates have called for changes in the law to force criminals to appear for sentencing after several high-profile convicts chose not to face their victims in recent months.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who called the crimes "shocking and harrowing," said his government would bring forward in "due course" its plan to require convicts to attend their sentencings.
"It's cowardly that people who commit such horrendous crimes do not face their victims and hear first-hand the impact that their crimes have had on them and their families and loved ones," Sunak said.
An independent inquiry will be conducted into what happened at the hospital and how staff and management responded to the spike in deaths. However, there are calls for a more formal inquiry led by a judge who could order people to testify.
During Letby's 10-month trial, prosecutors said that in 2015 the hospital started to see a significant rise in the number of babies who were dying or suffering sudden declines in their health for no apparent reason.
Some suffered "serious catastrophic collapses" but survived after getting help from medical personnel.
Letby was on duty in all of the cases, with prosecutors describing her as a "constant malevolent presence" in the neonatal unit when the children experienced medical distress or died. The nurse harmed babies in ways that were difficult to detect, and she persuaded colleagues that their collapses and deaths were normal, they said.
Senior doctors said over the weekend that they had raised concerns about Letby as early as October 2015 and that children might have been saved if managers had taken their concerns seriously.
Dr. Stephen Brearey, the head consultant at the Countess of Chester Hospital's neonatal unit, told the Guardian newspaper that deaths could arguably have been avoided as early as February 2016 if executives had "responded appropriately" to an urgent meeting request from concerned doctors.
Letby was finally removed from front-line duties in late June 2016. She was arrested at her home in July 2018.
After Letby was arrested, police found a note in her home that served as a chilling confession: "I killed them on purpose because I'm not good enough to care for them," she wrote. "I am a horrible evil person."
The mother of Child C wept on the witness stand as she spoke of the loss of her firstborn, a "feisty" and "defenseless baby boy."
She had worn her son's hand and foot prints around her neck to remember him. The later realization that the person who took those prints — Letby — was the same person who took his life tainted the memory, she said.
"There is no sentence that will ever compare to the excruciating agony that we have suffered as a consequence of your actions," she said. "At least now there is no debate that, in your own words, you killed them on purpose. You are evil. You did this."
Over 70,000 affected by floods in India's Punjab
The flood situation in the northern Indian state of Punjab has remained grim as the flood water on Monday entered more villages inundating houses, crop lands and roads.
At least 36 villages in Tarn Taran, Fazilka and Ferozepur districts were inundated due to fresh breaches in the Sutlej river.
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Officials said the situation in the Sutlej remained dangerous in Ferozepur district and authorities are watching closely the situation at vulnerable locations along the embankments.
According to officials, so far over 70,000 people have been affected by the floods in the seven affected districts.
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Floods in Punjab were triggered by the release of water from the Bhakra and Pong dams in neighbouring Himachal Pradesh.
Last week landslides, cloudbursts, flash floods and house collapses triggered by heavy rains in Himachal Pradesh killed over 70 people. The incessant rains also pushed the water level up in several dams of the state.
Reports said at least 20,000 residents of nearly a dozen villages in Punjab's Fazilka district were facing fresh flooding in the wake of the heavy discharge from the Hussainiwala Headworks. With roads waterlogged these villages are at present connected to the mainland only through boats.
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Meanwhile, the situation in villages in Kapurthala, Gurdaspur, Rupnagar and Hoshiarpur districts has started improving.
The overflow of the Sutlej river has also led to the drowning of posts of border guards belonging to the Border Security Force. Many outposts and fencing on the Ferozepur border of Punjab have been submerged. In addition, 14 villages have been cut off from other districts. The local administration is trying to establish contact with these villages.
Authorities in these flood-hit districts have deployed teams of the National Disaster Response Force, army and border guards to carry out rescue operations.
Meanwhile, a local media report said police in Ludhiana district booked four persons who were allegedly found fishing and bathing in the raging waters of swollen Sutlej. The local administration has already issued warnings to the public to avoid going near the banks.
Last month floods also hit 19 districts of the state, claiming 41 lives.
Rights group says Saudi Arabian border guards fired on and killed hundreds of Ethiopian migrants
Border guards in Saudi Arabia have fired machine guns and launched mortars at Ethiopians trying to cross into the kingdom from Yemen, likely killing hundreds of the unarmed migrants in recent years, Human Rights Watch said in a report released Monday.
The rights group cited eyewitness reports of attacks by troops and images that showed dead bodies and burial sites on migrant routes, saying the death toll could even be “possibly thousands.”
The United Nations has already questioned Saudi Arabia about its troops opening fire on the migrants in an escalating pattern of attacks along its southern border with war-torn Yemen.
A Saudi government official, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak publicly, called the Human Rights Watch report “unfounded and not based on reliable sources,” without offering evidence to support the assertion. Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who allegedly make tens of thousands of dollars a week smuggling migrants over the border, did not respond to requests for comment.
Some 750,000 Ethiopians live in Saudi Arabia, with as many as 450,000 likely having entered the kingdom without authorization, according to 2022 statistics from the International Organization for Migration. The two-year civil war in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region displaced tens of thousands of people.
Saudi Arabia, struggling with youth unemployment, has been sending thousands back to Ethiopia in concert with Addis Abba.
Human Rights Watch said it spoke to 38 Ethiopian migrants and four relatives of people who attempted to cross the border between March 2022 and June 2023 who said they saw Saudi guards shoot at migrants or launch explosives at groups.
The report said the group also analyzed over 350 videos and photographs posted to social media or gathered from other sources filmed between May 12, 2021, and July 18, 2023. It also examined several hundred square kilometers (miles) of satellite imagery captured between February 2022 and July 2023.
“These show dead and wounded migrants on the trails, in camps and in medical facilities, how burial sites near the migrant camps grew in size, the expanding Saudi Arabian border security infrastructure, and the routes currently used by the migrants to attempt border crossings,” the report said.
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An April 27 satellite photo from Planet Labs PBC analyzed by The Associated Press showed the same tent structures identified by the rights group near al-Raqw, Yemen, on the Saudi border. Two sets of fence lines could be seen just across the border into Saudi Arabia.
The site Human Rights Watch identified as the migrant camp at Al-Thabit also could be seen in satellite images, which corresponded to the group’s narrative that the camp largely had been dismantled in early April.
Both areas are in northwestern Yemen, the stronghold of the country’s Houthi rebels. The U.N. has said that the Houthi-controlled immigration office “collaborates with traffickers to systematically direct migrants” to Saudi Arabia, bringing in $50,000 a week.
The Houthis have held Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, since September 2014. A Saudi-led coalition has battled the Houthis since March 2015, without dislodging them from the capital. Fighting has largely halted between the Saudi-led forces and the Houthis as Riyadh seeks a way to end the war. However, throughout the war years, the Houthis claimed multiple incursions across the Saudi border in this mountainous region.
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Migrants from Ethiopia have found themselves detained, abused and even killed in Saudi Arabia and Yemen during the war. But in recent months, there has been growing concern from the U.N. human rights body about Saudi forces attacking migrants coming in from Yemen.
An Oct. 3, 2022, letter to the kingdom from the U.N. said its investigators “received concerning allegations of cross-border artillery shelling and small arms fire allegedly by Saudi security forces causing the deaths of up to 430 and injuring 650 migrants.”
“If migrants are captured, they are reportedly oftentimes subjected to torture by being lined up and shot through the side of the leg to see how far the bullet will go or asked if they prefer to be shot in the hand or the leg,” the letter from the U.N. reads. “Survivors of such attacks reported having to ‘play dead’ for a period of time in order to escape.”
A letter sent by Saudi Arabia’s mission to the U.N. in Geneva in March said that it “categorically refutes” allegations that the kingdom carries out any “systematic” killings on the border. However, it also said the U.N. provided “limited information” so it could not “confirm or substantiate the allegations.”
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All Alpine glaciers above zero, says CNR
Italy's National Research Council (CNR) said Sunday that all of Italy's Alpine glaciers were current above zero degrees amid an ongoing string of heatwaves and as a result of the climate crisis.
Read: Putin profits off US and European reliance on Russian nuclear fuel "All the Alpine glaciers, at all altitudes, are above zero and the situation is quite critical", said Claudio Tei, researcher and meteorologist at the CNR and the Lamma Consortium, on the heat wave that is sweeping Central and Northern Italy, due to a sub-tropical anticyclone coming from Africa.
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"The hottest days predicted by the models are Monday 21 and Tuesday 22 August, with peaks of 38 degrees in some cities and more than 7 degrees above this season's average, even 10 degrees above seasonal values in the western Alps," Tei explains, "while the zero temperature at altitude is expected to rise up to 5,000 metres..