KHARKIV: President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Ukraine’s northeastern city of Kharkiv on Friday as it faces intensified Russian air attacks amid an offensive push by Moscow’s forces into the north of the surrounding region.
The Ukrainian leader met senior military leaders in the city and traveled to the site of a major printing house a day after it was destroyed in a Russian missile attack that killed at least seven people.
“Today I am in Kharkiv... I also received updates on defense operations, particularly in the Vovchansk area, as well as the recovery of damaged energy infrastructure,” Zelensky said on X.
Russian forces launched a cross-border assault on May 10, driving toward the border town of Vovchansk on one line of attack and pushing toward the village of Lyptsi on the other.
Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ukraine’s top commander, said on Thursday that Russian forces were locked in street fighting in Vovchansk and that they had moved onto a defensive footing near Lyptsi.
Russia says it wants to set up a “buffer” zone in the region in what it calls a response to Kyiv’s shelling of Russian border regions such as Belgorod. Russia frequently launches air strikes on Ukraine from the region of Belgorod.
The assault opened a new front in the war in what Kyiv said was an effort to divert its outnumbered troops from the east where the fiercest fighting is taking place.
Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city which lies some 30 km from the border with Russia, and the surrounding region have faced daily missile, drone and guided bomb strikes for months.
Most of the energy infrastructure has been severely damaged in the city, which is still home to around 1.3 million people.
“The entire city and region of Kharkiv deserve our support, gratitude, and respect,” Zelensky said.
Zelensky visits Kharkiv in show of support for city pounded by Russian strikes
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Zelensky visits Kharkiv in show of support for city pounded by Russian strikes
- The Ukrainian leader met senior military leaders in the city and traveled to the site of a major printing house a day after it was destroyed
- “I also received updates on defense operations, particularly in the Vovchansk area, as well as the recovery of damaged energy infrastructure,” Zelensky said on X
70-year-old Irish woman detained in Israel as son urges authorities to ‘send her home’
- Deirdre Murphy, an Irish activist originally from Cork and now based in Swansea, was arrested last week in the West Bank village of Khalet Al-Daba’a
LONDON: The son of a 70-year-old Irish woman detained by Israeli authorities has issued a plea for her release, citing urgent concerns over her health and wellbeing, The Independent newspaper reported on Friday.
Deirdre Murphy, an Irish activist originally from Cork and now based in Swansea, was arrested last week in the West Bank village of Khalet Al-Daba’a, which was recently demolished by Israeli bulldozers.
She remains in custody at the Givon Prison in Ramla after choosing to challenge a deportation order issued against her, The Independent added.
Her son, Dale Ryan, called on Israeli authorities to ensure that she is treated “with dignity and respect” and urged them to “send her home quickly,” adding that he is “really proud” of his mother.
“Israel is meant to be a civilized country, so you think (the detainees’) basic rights would have been met. But maybe that trust is a little bit misguided,” Ryan told The Independent.
Ryan said that Murphy suffers from bronchiectasis, a long-term condition that causes inflammation of the airways in the lungs.
“Stress can make symptoms worse as well,” he said. “So I am a little bit concerned. I just hope my mother’s in good health, but also my mother is quite a resilient person. I know she will gain strength from this.”
Murphy was detained alongside Swedish national Susanne Bjork, 48, who told the newspaper that the pair were denied access to a toilet during their initial detention.
“Who doesn’t allow a 70-year-old woman to go to the toilet? It’s certainly not something a democratic country would be doing,” Bjork said.
She has since been deported from Israel.
Israeli police did not respond to the allegation when approached by The Independent.
According to the International Solidarity Movement, Murphy has not had legal counsel since Monday. The group also alleges that she was brought to a deportation hearing on Wednesday without legal representation and without her lawyer being notified, despite her request.
The two women had been in Khalet Al-Daba’a filming and monitoring settler activity when they were approached by a settler in military uniform, who demanded to see their passports. Bjork said that they were complying with orders to leave the area when they were apprehended.
Authorities later accused the women of being in a restricted area and of failing to show ID, allegations the Swedish woman rejects.
“These are completely false accusations,” she said. “As soon as they told us we were not allowed in the area, we tried to leave. The soldiers had at first our passports, and then the police took our passports. We complied with all instructions.”
Video footage obtained by The Independent shows armed Israeli personnel holding the women’s passports. The video ends before they were detained by the settler.
The women were released briefly on Saturday evening and then detained again after refusing to leave the country voluntarily. Murphy opted to fight her deportation, while Bjork agreed to depart.
Bjork added that their treatment in custody stood in stark contrast to the treatment of Palestinians, describing seeing “two small boys who were blindfolded and zip-tied” brought into the police station.
“They looked about 13 or 14, these boys were obviously terrified. I mean, we were getting water and being fed and everything, so we’re very privileged in one way, because the way we were treated and the way Palestinians are treated is wildly different,” she said.
A spokesperson for Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed to The Independent that consular assistance is being provided in Murphy’s case.
Israeli police told the newspaper that the women had been detained on “suspicion of violating a military order” and were barred from the West Bank for 15 days.
“Over the weekend, police received a report from the security coordinator of the community of Ma’on regarding the presence of several suspicious individuals near a structure in the area of Khirbet Al-Dab’a, located within an active military firing zone near the community of Avigayil in the South Hebron Hills,” they said.
“Officers from the Hebron station, along with IDF forces from the subdistrict, arrived at the scene and identified the individuals as two foreign nationals, who were present within the closed military zone in violation of a standing military order. Information provided by the Judea and Samaria Central Investigations Unit (YAMAR) indicated that one of the suspects are known abroad for involvement in anti-Israel activity.
“Following the hearing on Sunday, it was determined that both individuals would be removed from the country,” the statement continued.
“One of the suspects agreed to the removal order and signed a declaration stating that she would not appeal the decision. The second notified authorities of her intent to file a petition against the decision.”
They confirmed Murphy will remain in custody until “her departure or the legal resolution of her appeal.”
Russia downed three drones targeting Moscow, mayor says
- Emergency services were working at the sites
MOSCOW: Russian air defense forces shot down three drones attempting to attack Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, the Russian capital’s mayor, said on Friday.
He did not provide further details about the incident but said emergency services were working at the sites where debris from the downed drones had fallen.
Separately, Russia’s aviation watchdog said that the Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports in the Moscow region had temporarily suspended operations to ensure flight safety.
On Java, Indonesian Muslims celebrate Eid with time-honored royal tradition
- Procession involving local harvest is at least 400 years old, historian says
- Tradition can be traced back to Demak Sultanate, first Islamic kingdom in Java
JAKARTA: Indonesia’s historic royal capital of Solo will celebrate Eid Al-Adha with a royal procession on Saturday, in which “mountains” of local harvest are paraded and distributed as a symbol of gratitude and a reminder of the role of leaders in looking after the people’s welfare.
Grebeg, which roughly translates to ‘mass celebration,’ is a public ceremony held three times a year on the island of Java to mark Islamic holidays, including Eid Al-Fitr and the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad.
Though Indonesians joined Muslims in other parts of the globe in starting Eid celebrations on Friday, the centuries-old Javanese tradition will take place on the second day of Eid.
“Grebeg tradition started about 200 years ago at the Surakarta Royal Palace, this is a continuation from the same tradition that began in the Demak Sultanate,” Kanjeng Gusti Pangeran Haryo Adipati Dipokusumo, chief administrator of the Surakarta Royal Palace, told Arab News.
Demak Sultanate, which was located in the present-day city of Demak, was the first Islamic state in Java, while Surakarta is another name for Solo, once the capital of the Mataram Sultanate — the last major independent Islamic state in Java before it was colonized by the Dutch.
Grebeg involves an elaborate arrangement of local produce — including long beans, chili, and cassava — assembled in a decorated, mountain-like form and paraded from the palace to the nearby Great Mosque for a blessing, before it is brought to the public square for distribution.
“First and foremost, the palace began this tradition as a way to spread Islamic teachings,” Dipokusumo said. “It is symbolic of values taught by Islamic prophets. The values of sincerity, patience, belief and trust, which also cover the importance of faith, intention, and gratitude.”
Eid Al-Adha, the second of the two main holidays observed in Islam, commemorates the Prophet Ibrahim’s test of faith when he was commanded by God to sacrifice his son. To reflect his readiness to do so, Muslims around the world slaughter an animal, usually a goat, sheep or cow, and distribute the meat among relatives and the poor.
The grebeg staged at Eid Al-Adha is known as Great Grebeg and incorporates the animal sacrifice aspect of the holiday. On Saturday, more than 500 people are expected to participate.
Historically, the tradition also functions as a barometer of the local economy and welfare, he added, as the quality of the local harvest will be on display for the ceremony.
“If there is some kind of issue with the production or distribution, it will be visible, prompting questions as to why it is happening. Let’s say maybe there is some kind of pest going around,” he said. “It will then prompt the palace to send an officer to investigate.”
According to Ody Dwicahyo, an historian at the Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, the tradition is between 400 and 500 years old.
Today, it is observed not only in Solo but also at the royal palace in Yogyakarta, another Javanese city.
People will usually try to get an item from the mountain of produce to take home, Dwicahyo told Arab News.
“Javanese people believe that produce from the king is symbolic, that it is blessed and far more special than food items they buy in the markets or harvest from their own farms,” he said.
“Grebeg is mainly about Earth’s harvest, but when it is conducted during Eid Al-Adha, there’s the additional aspect of meat distribution from the ritual sacrifice presented by the king.”
As Javanese people are “big believers in symbolic gestures,” grebeg served as an important occasion where the king gives something back to the people in return for their loyalty, and also a symbol of “how leaders must ensure the people’s welfare,” Dwicahyo said.
Today, the palaces in Solo and Yogyakarta function as “cultural keepers” for this time-honored tradition.
“Though times and people become more modern, this annual event is still routinely organized so people will still be aware of its function,” he said.
“Maybe people won’t participate directly, but it’s actually a symbol that is applicable for leaders anywhere in the world: that a leader must ensure the welfare of his people.”
Trump has no plans to call Musk, White House says after feud
- Trump lobbed fresh insults at the South African-born Musk a day after the fiery implosion of their unlikely political marriage
- “The president does not intend to speak to Musk today,” a senior White House official told AFP
WASHINGTON: The White House squashed speculation that Donald Trump and Elon Musk would patch up their stunning public feud, saying the US president had no plans to call his billionaire former aide Friday.
Trump lobbed fresh insults at the South African-born Musk a day after the fiery implosion of their unlikely political marriage, saying the tech tycoon had “lost his mind.”
In a telling symbol of how their relationship had deteriorated, the president was even considering selling or giving away a Tesla he had bought to show support for Musk amid protests against the company.
The row exploded on Thursday when Trump said he was “very disappointed” by Musk and threatened to end his government contracts, after his ex-aide criticized the president’s flagship budget bill as an “abomination.”
Reports had emerged that Musk and Trump would speak by phone on Friday in a bid to patch up the damaging public row, but the White House scotched such speculation.
“The president does not intend to speak to Musk today,” a senior White House official told AFP on condition of anonymity when asked if the feuding pair planned to speak.
Trump told broadcaster ABC in a phone call earlier Friday that he was “not particularly interested” in talking to Musk.
“You mean the man who has lost his mind?” ABC quoted Trump as saying.
Trump, who once called Musk a “genius,” branded him “crazy” on social media on Thursday.
The row could have major political and economic fallout, as shares in Musk’s Tesla car company seesaw and the SpaceX boss vowed that he would end a critical US spaceship program.
The White House called a special meeting on Thursday to discuss how to handle the crisis with Musk, a government source told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Trump meanwhile may ditch the red Tesla that he bought from Musk’s firm at the height of their relationship. The electric vehicle was still parked on the White House grounds on Friday.
“He’s thinking about it, yes,” the senior White House official told AFP when asked if Trump would sell or give away the Tesla.
Trump and Musk had posed inside the car at a bizarre event in March, when the US president turned the White House into a pop-up Tesla showroom after protests against Musk’s government role tanked the firm shares.
Speculation had long swirled that a relationship between two big egos like the president and the tycoon could not last long — but the speed of the meltdown took Washington by surprise.
Trump said in a televised Oval Office diatribe on Thursday that he was “very disappointed” after his former top donor criticized his “big, beautiful” spending bill before Congress.
The pair then hurled insults at each other on social media — with Musk even posting, without proof, that Trump was referenced in government documents on disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
US citizen Joseph Tater leaves Russia after detention and psychiatric treatment, TASS says
- Tater was sentenced to 15 days in jail last August for “petty hooliganism“
- He was also being investigated on a more serious charge of assaulting a police officer
MOSCOW: US citizen Joseph Tater, who was detained in Moscow last August and later sent for compulsory psychiatric treatment, has left Russia, the state news agency TASS said on Friday.
Tater, who according to a Kremlin source last month was one of nine Americans being held in Russia that Washington wanted returned in a prisoner exchange, was sentenced to 15 days in jail last August for “petty hooliganism” after being accused of abusing staff at a Moscow hotel, something he denied.
Russian state news agencies later said he was also being investigated on a more serious charge of assaulting a police officer, which carries up to five years in prison.
But on April 6 a court ordered Tater be removed from pre-trial detention, saying he was not criminally responsible for his actions after doctors diagnosed him with a mental disorder, according to state media.
TASS reported on Friday that Tater had been discharged from the psychiatric clinic where he was being treated. It cited unnamed medical sources as saying that the clinic had no grounds to keep him there and had let him leave for outpatient treatment.
TASS cited a law enforcement source as saying Tater’s current whereabouts were unknown, but that he had left Russia.
