Iraqi migrants caught in border tensions in Belarus fly home

Migrants from Iraq lineup to be registered on a special flight to Iraq at the National Airport outside Minsk, Belarus, Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021. (BelTA via AP)
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Updated 18 November 2021
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Iraqi migrants caught in border tensions in Belarus fly home

  • Most are fleeing conflict or hopelessness at home and aim to reach Germany or other western European countries
  • The West has accused Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko of luring the migrants to the border to use them as pawns

MOSCOW: Hundreds of Iraqis flew home from Belarus on Thursday, abandoning their hopes of reaching the European Union following more than a week of tensions at the bloc’s eastern border, where thousands of migrants became stuck.
Meanwhile, state-run Belarusian media reported that there were no more migrants left in the makeshift camps near the Polish frontier after authorities opened a heated warehouse for them to shelter from the cold in. This could not immediately be verified.
Since Nov. 8, some 2,000 people, mostly from the Middle East, have been stranded at the border crossing, trapped in a dank forest as forces from the two countries faced off against each other. At least 12 people have died in the area in recent weeks, including a 1-year-old whose death a Polish humanitarian organization reported Thursday.
Most are fleeing conflict or hopelessness at home and aim to reach Germany or other western European countries. But Poland didn’t want to let them in, and Belarus didn’t want them returning to the capital of Minsk or otherwise settling in the country.
The West has accused Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko of luring the migrants to the border to use them as pawns to destabilize the 27-nation bloc in retaliation for its sanctions on his authoritarian regime. Belarus denies orchestrating the crisis, which has seen migrants entering the country since summer and then trying to cross into Poland, Lithuania and Latvia.
Amid the tug-of-war, a total of 430 Iraqis have registered for flights home, according to Iraq’s consul in Russia, Majid Al-Kilani. And 374 boarded one that left Thursday afternoon, Lukashenko’s spokeswoman Natalya Eismont said. The flight plans to make two stops — one in the city of Irbil and another in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.
Other people have moved to a nearby warehouse, which Belarusian authorities set up on Tuesday, offering mattresses, water, hot meals and medical assistance.
That left no one at the border camps, state-run agency Belta reported Thursday.
But in all, Eismont, Lukashenko’s spokeswoman, said as many as 7,000 migrants in total remain in the country.
In the latest salvo in the war of words, European Union Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, accused Belarus of engaging in “an act of state-sponsored migrant smuggling” and said sanctions and stopping flights to Minsk that carry migrants were “our most effective tools in this struggle.”
Foreign ministers of the G-7 group of leading industrialized countries also condemned “the Belarus regime’s orchestration of irregular migration across its borders” in a statement Thursday.
Eismont said that the fact that hundreds of people were leaving Belarus shows that the government is holding up its part of the bargain. The rest are “categorically refusing to fly, but we will work on it,” she said.
Earlier this week, according to Eismont, Lukashenko proposed to German Chancellor Angela Merkel that the EU could open a “humanitarian corridor” to allow 2,000 migrants to head to Germany, while Belarusian authorities would work on convincing the other 5,000 to return to their home countries.
In response to a request for comment, Merkel’s office referred to its Tuesday statement on the call between her and Lukashenko, in which she stressed the need for humanitarian assistance and for the migrants’ safe return home.
Poland has taken a tough stand against the migrants’ illegal entry, reinforcing the border with riot police and troops and making plans to build a tall steel barrier. The Polish approach has largely met with approval from other EU nations, who want to stop a surge of migration.
But Poland also has been criticized by human rights groups and others for pushing migrants back into Belarus and not allowing them to apply for asylum.
In recent days, a melee broke out on the border, with migrants throwing stones at Polish forces massed on their side of the razor-wire fence, injuring 12, and the troops responded with water cannons and tear gas. Warsaw accused Belarusian forces of instigating the conflict, while the government in Minsk denounced Poland’s “violent actions.”
Lukashenko has rejected accusations of engineering the crisis and said his government has deported about 5,000 illegal migrants from Belarus this fall.
In May, however, he had railed against the EU sanctions imposed on his country for its harsh crackdown on internal dissent, saying: “We were stopping migrants and drugs — now you will catch them and eat them yourself.”


UK foreign secretary discusses ties with Kuwaiti crown prince, prime minister

Updated 3 sec ago
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UK foreign secretary discusses ties with Kuwaiti crown prince, prime minister

  • David Lammy, Kuwaiti officials discussed ways to enhance relations between London and Kuwait
  • Both countries’ respective ambassadors attended meetings, alongside other officials

LONDON: UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy met separately with Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah during his visit to Kuwait.

Lammy and the Kuwaiti officials discussed on Sunday ways to enhance relations between London and Kuwait.

Kuwait’s Ambassador to the UK Bader Al-Munaikh, UK Ambassador to Kuwait Belinda Lewis, Kuwait’s Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Europe Sadeq Marafi, and Kuwait’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah Al-Yahya attended the meetings.

Lammy visited the Middle East over the weekend, landing first in Syria and meeting with Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa and Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shibani. The foreign secretary is the first British official to visit Damascus in 14 years.


Palestinian armed group in Gaza admits to coordination with Israel

A Palestinian, wounded by Israeli fire while seeking aid on Friday, receives treatment at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.
Updated 14 min 43 sec ago
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Palestinian armed group in Gaza admits to coordination with Israel

  • Yasser Abu Shabab said his group, known as the Popular Forces, was able to move freely in zones under Israeli military control
  • European Council on Foreign Relations think tank describes Abu Shabab as head of a criminal gang in Rafah that has been suspected of looting aid trucks

GAZA CITY: The head of a Palestinian armed group opposed to Hamas and accused of aid looting in the Gaza Strip confirmed Sunday it was coordinating with the Israeli military in an interview with public radio.
Yasser Abu Shabab said his group, known as the Popular Forces, was able to move freely in zones under Israeli military control and communicated their operations beforehand.
“We keep them informed, but we carry out the military actions on our own,” he said in an interview with Makan, Israel’s Arabic-language public radio broadcaster.
Abu Shabab also said his group had received “logistical and financial support from several parties,” without mentioning Israel directly.
“There are things we can’t talk about publicly.”
Last month, the Israeli authorities admitted to providing support to armed Palestinian groups opposed to Hamas in Gaza, without naming them, though local media reports identified the group in question as Abu Shabab’s.
“It is only good, it is saving lives of Israeli soldiers,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the time.
Knesset member and ex-defense minister Avigdor Lieberman, however, accused the government of “giving weapons to a group of criminals and felons.”
The European Council on Foreign Relations think tank describes Abu Shabab as the head of a criminal gang in the Rafah region of southern Gaza that has been suspected of looting aid trucks.
Abu Shabab did not address the accusation in his radio interview, and stressed that the only goal of his militia was to defeat Hamas and to provide an alternative for governance in the Gaza Strip.
“We do not belong to any ideology or political organization,” Abu Shabab said in the interview, adding that he was seeking to eradicate Hamas’s “injustice” and “corruption.”
“We will continue to fight, no matter the bloodshed,” he added. “Right now, Hamas is dying. They know their end is near.”
Abu Shabab has drawn the ire of Hamas, which has ruled over the Gaza Strip since 2007. On Wednesday, a Hamas military court gave him 10 days to turn himself in to be tried for treason, among other charges.
On Sunday, a coalition of Palestinian clans accused the Popular Forces of “shamelessly collaborating with the enemy.”
“They are rejected by all our people,” the coalition said in a statement.
“We will show no mercy to them or to anyone who follows in their footsteps by aiding the occupation. They will be treated as they deserve to be: traitors and collaborators.”


Abu Dhabi crown prince holds talks with Brazilian president on sidelines of BRICS summit

Updated 06 July 2025
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Abu Dhabi crown prince holds talks with Brazilian president on sidelines of BRICS summit

  • Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan emphasized that the 50-year bond highlights the UAE and Brazil’s commitment to collaboration
  • Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva underscored the strength and depth of the bilateral relations between Abu Dhabi and Brasilia

LONDON: Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, discussed ways to strengthen ties between the UAE and Brazil during a meeting on the sidelines of the 17th BRICS Summit.

Sheikh Khaled emphasized the UAE’s pride in its strategic relationship with Brazil, a pioneering partnership built on decades of cooperation, mutual respect, and shared interests, the Emirates News Agency reported.

He stressed that the 50-year bond highlights both nations’ commitment to collaboration and sustainable development.

BRICS was founded in 2009 by Brazil, Russia, India and China. South Africa became a member the following year, and in late 2023 Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the UAE accepted invitations to join.

Rio de Janeiro is hosting the 17th edition of the summit on Sunday and Monday.

The Brazilian president underscored the strength and depth of the bilateral relations between his country and the UAE.

The meeting was attended by several Emirati officials, including Reem Al-Hashimy, minister of state for international cooperation; Thani bin Ahmed Al-Zeyoudi, minister of foreign trade; and UAE Ambassador to Brazil Saleh Ahmad Salem Alsuwaidi.


Influential far-right minister lashes out at Netanyahu over Gaza war policy

Updated 06 July 2025
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Influential far-right minister lashes out at Netanyahu over Gaza war policy

  • Bezalel Smotrich’s comments come a day before Israeli leader is due to hold talks in Washington with President Donald Trump

JERUSALEM: Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich sharply criticized on Sunday a cabinet decision to allow some aid into Gaza as a “grave mistake” that he said would benefit the militant Palestinian group Hamas.

Smotrich also accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of failing to ensure that Israel’s military is following government directives in prosecuting the war against Hamas in Gaza. He said he was considering his “next steps” but stopped short of explicitly threatening to quit the coalition.

Smotrich’s comments come a day before Netanyahu is due to hold talks in Washington with President Donald Trump on a US-backed proposal for a 60-day Gaza ceasefire.

.”.. the cabinet and the Prime Minister made a grave mistake yesterday in approving the entry of aid through a route that also benefits Hamas,” Smotrich said on X, arguing that the aid would ultimately reach the Islamist group and serve as “logistical support for the enemy during wartime.”

The Israeli government has not announced any changes to its aid policy in Gaza. Israeli media reported that the government had voted to allow additional aid to enter northern Gaza.

The prime minister’s office did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The military declined to comment.

Israel accuses Hamas of stealing aid for its own fighters or to sell to finance its operations, an accusation Hamas denies. Gaza is in the grip of a humanitarian catastrophe, with conditions threatening to push nearly a half a million people into famine within months, according to UN estimates.

Israel in May partially lifted a nearly three-month blockade on aid. Two Israeli officials said on June 27 the government had temporarily stopped aid from entering north Gaza.

Pressure

Public pressure in Israel is mounting on Netanyahu to secure a permanent ceasefire, a move opposed by some hardline members of his right-wing coalition. An Israeli team left for Qatar on Sunday for talks on a possible Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal.

Smotrich, who in January threatened to withdraw his Religious Zionism party from the government if Israel agreed to a complete end to the war before having achieved its objectives, did not mention the ceasefire in his criticism of Netanyahu.

The right-wing coalition holds a slim parliamentary majority, although some opposition lawmakers have offered to support the government from collapsing if a ceasefire is agreed.

The war erupted when Hamas attacked southern Israel in October 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel’s retaliatory war in Gaza has killed over 57,000 Palestinians, according to the enclave’s health ministry.

Most of Gaza’s population has been displaced by the war, a humanitarian crisis has unfolded, and much of the territory lies in ruins.


Gunmen on skiffs attack ship in Red Sea off Yemen: monitors

Updated 06 July 2025
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Gunmen on skiffs attack ship in Red Sea off Yemen: monitors

  • The incident occurred 51 nautical miles (94 kilometers) southwest of the Yemeni port of Hodeida, said the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations

DUBAI: Gunmen on small boats fired rocket-propelled grenades and small arms at a commercial vessel in the Red Sea off Yemen on Sunday, monitors said, in the latest attack on the vital shipping lane.
The incident occurred 51 nautical miles (94 kilometers) southwest of the Yemeni port of Hodeida, said the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations.
“The vessel has been engaged by multiple small vessels who have opened fire with small arms and self-propelled grenades. (The) armed security team have returned fire and situation is ongoing,” said UKMTO, which is run by the Britain’s Royal Navy.
UK-based security firm Ambrey reported the merchant vessel “was approached and attacked by eight skiffs while transiting northbound in the Red Sea” before being attacked with small arms and rocket-propelled grenades.
Hodeida is controlled by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis, though no one has claimed responsibility for the assault.
The Houthis, who have controlled large swathes of Yemen for more than a decade, began firing at Israel-linked shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in November 2023, weeks after the start of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
They broadened their campaign to target ships linked to the United States and Britain after military strikes by the two countries began in January 2024.
In May, the group struck a ceasefire with the United States but vowed to continue targeting Israeli ships in the Red Sea, despite agreeing to the truce that ended weeks of intense American strikes targeting the group.
The Houthis have attacked dozens of commercial vessels since launching their anti-shipping campaign and have prompted some freight companies to detour around southern Africa to avoid the Red Sea, a vital route that normally carries about 12 percent of global trade, according to the International Chamber of Shipping.