Five Indians kidnapped in attack in Niger

Five Indians kidnapped in attack in Niger
Five Indian citizens were kidnapped in western Niger during an attack last week by armed men that also killed a dozen soldiers, according to two Nigerian security sources and a statement by Indian state authorities seen by Reuters on Wednesday. (AFP/File)
Short Url
Updated 30 April 2025
Follow

Five Indians kidnapped in attack in Niger

Five Indians kidnapped in attack in Niger
  • The victims were working for an Indian company providing services to Niger’s Kandadji dam project
  • The armed men who carried out the kidnapping have not been officially identified

NIAMEY: Five Indian citizens were kidnapped in western Niger during an attack last week by armed men that also killed a dozen soldiers, according to two Nigerian security sources and a statement by Indian state authorities seen by Reuters on Wednesday.

Reuters reported on Saturday that 12 soldiers had been killed in the attack a day earlier near the village of Sakoira in the tri-border region, where the West African Sahel countries of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali meet.

The victims were working for an Indian company providing services to Niger’s Kandadji dam project, the two security sources said.

The local government of the Indian state of Jharkhand said in a statement that the five citizens had been working in the Tillaberi region.

It said all five were from Jharkhand and that the Indian embassy in Niger had approached Nigerian authorities for support in securing their release.

The armed men who carried out the kidnapping have not been officially identified, but last month Niger blamed the EIGS group, a Daesh affiliate, for an attack on a mosque near the tri-border area in which at least 44 civilians were killed.

Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso are fighting a jihadist insurgency linked to Al-Qaeda and Islamic State that spun out of a Tuareg rebellion in northern Mali in 2012 and later spread to its neighboring countries.

Kidnappings appear to have intensified this year, with an Austrian woman kidnapped in January and a Swiss citizen earlier in April, both in Niger. Also in January, four Moroccan truck drivers went missing on the border between Niger and Burkina Faso.


Taiwan says China opening flight path raises regional unease

Taiwan says China opening flight path raises regional unease
Updated 18 sec ago
Follow

Taiwan says China opening flight path raises regional unease

Taiwan says China opening flight path raises regional unease
  • Chinese civil aviation authority opened another west-to-east connecting route above the sensitive waterway
  • Statement: China ‘unilaterally violated the consensus’ three times by launching the routes without consulting Taiwan
TAIPEI: Taipei condemned Sunday China’s move to open a sensitive aviation route that runs through the Taiwan Strait, warning the change could increase tensions between the two sides and “regional unease.”
Taiwan’s top China policy body criticized Beijing after its civil aviation authority opened another west-to-east connecting route above the sensitive waterway.
China has shown “complete disregard for the consensus of both sides and Taiwan’s public opinion, using unilateral actions to change the status quo and increase cross-strait and regional unease,” Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council said.
Beijing adjusted the M503 north-to-south route through the Taiwan Strait in January 2024 and opened two west-to-east connecting flight paths months later.
The newly-activated west-to-east route is intended to “alleviate the pressure caused by the increase of flights,” China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Chen Binhua said Sunday, quoted by state news agency Xinhua.
But Taipei’s Mainland Affairs Council denied there had been an increase in air traffic.
It said China had “unilaterally violated the consensus” three times by launching the routes without consulting Taiwan and urged Beijing to engage in negotiations.
“The current cross-strait and Asia-Pacific situation is complex, the Mainland’s unilateral actions will escalate regional tensions, which no party wishes to see,” the Council said.
Beijing insists democratic Taiwan is part of its territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring the self-ruled island under its control.
Beijing regularly deploys fighter jets, warships and coast guard ships near Taiwan, and has held several major military exercises around the island in recent years.

Japan PM says won’t ‘easily compromise’ to Trump on tariffs

Japan PM says won’t ‘easily compromise’ to Trump on tariffs
Updated 06 July 2025
Follow

Japan PM says won’t ‘easily compromise’ to Trump on tariffs

Japan PM says won’t ‘easily compromise’ to Trump on tariffs
  • American President Trump has said he was going to write a letter to Japan, asking it to “pay a 30 percent, 35 percent or whatever the number is that we determine,” and called the bilateral trade relation “unfair”

TOKYO: Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Sunday he won’t “easily compromise” in talks with Washington as Tokyo seeks to avert President Donald Trump’s threat to impose tariffs of up to 35 percent on Japanese goods.

“We will not easily compromise. That’s why it is taking time and why it is tough,” Ishiba told a television talk show.

His comments came as Japan rushes to negotiate with the Trump administration before the Wednesday deadline for trade deals.

While Trump imposed a sweeping 10 percent tariff on imports from most trading partners in April, he unveiled — then paused — higher rates on dozens of economies including Japan to allow room for negotiations.

This pause will expire July 9, meaning the elevated rates are due to kick in if countries fail to reach agreements with Washington to avert them.

Trump has said he was going to write a letter to Japan, asking it to “pay a 30 percent, 35 percent or whatever the number is that we determine,” and called the bilateral trade relation “unfair.”

He has particularly pressed Japan to accept more US automobiles and rice.

Ryosei Akazawa, Tokyo’s trade envoy, held telephone calls with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Thursday and Saturday.

In the Sunday television show, Ishiba reiterated that Japan, as the biggest investor nation in the US economy, should be treated differently from other countries.

“What is unfair? How is it unfair? We need to examine each one” of the US claims, he said.

“We are allies, but we have to say what we have to say. We are the world’s largest investor nation and the largest job creator (in the US). We are different,” he said.

On another Sunday television show, Ishiba said Japan was “preparing to deal with all kinds of situations,” when asked about how he plans to deal with Trump’s letter.


Colombia arrests man suspected of organizing hit on politician

Colombia arrests man suspected of organizing hit on politician
Updated 06 July 2025
Follow

Colombia arrests man suspected of organizing hit on politician

Colombia arrests man suspected of organizing hit on politician
  • Arteaga Hernandez, who has a long criminal record and a file with Interpol, coordinated the attack, hired the shooter and provided him with a gun, police said

BOGOTA: Colombian police probing the attempted assassination of a prominent right-wing presidential candidate arrested on Saturday a man they believe hired the teenager accused of pulling the trigger.

Elder Jose Arteaga Hernandez was described by police as a key planner of the June 7 attack on conservative senator Miguel Uribe, who remains hospitalized in serious condition.

Arteaga Hernandez organized “the before of the attack, the during, and the after,” said police chief Carlos Fernando Triana Beltran.

Uribe, 39, was shot three times, including twice in the head, during a campaign rally in a park in Bogota.

Police have now arrested five suspects, including the 15-year-old alleged hitman.

Arteaga Hernandez, who has a long criminal record and a file with Interpol, coordinated the attack, hired the shooter and provided him with a gun, police said.

The shooter is believed to belong to a network of contract killers.

Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez said that Arteaga Hernandez “had allegedly negotiated the execution of the crime” for the equivalent of about $250,000.

“He planned the cover, the movements, and even ordered one of his accomplices to be silenced after the incident,” Sanchez posted on X.

Uribe’s attorney, Victor Mosquera, has said the probe had revealed a “structured organization” with a “history of attacks on right-wing leaders.”

Uribe, a member of the Democratic Center party, announced his intention last October to run in the May 2026 presidential election.


Sanctions? No big deal, say Russian middle class couple

Sanctions? No big deal, say Russian middle class couple
Updated 06 July 2025
Follow

Sanctions? No big deal, say Russian middle class couple

Sanctions? No big deal, say Russian middle class couple
  • Western countries first levied economic sanctions against Russia in 2014, after Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine
  • Despite warnings of a looming recession and high inflation, many Russians feel their economy has adapted successfully to Western sanctions, even if it means parting with some Western brands for good

MYTISHCHI: For Sergei Duzhikov and Maria Tyabut, a middle-class couple living in a town just outside Moscow, Western sanctions on Russia over the conflict in Ukraine have been manageable.

The pair drive a Chinese car, vacation in Venezuela and buy “Camembert” cheese made in Russia.

Their modest two-bedroom apartment in Mytishchi, home to 300,000 people northeast of the capital, has been recently renovated and their Chinese-made fridge is stocked with Russian goods.

Despite warnings of a looming recession and high inflation, they and many other Russians feel their economy has adapted successfully to Western sanctions, even if it means parting with some well-known Western brands for good.

“From the perspective of my everyday life — home, family, work, leisure, friends, hobbies, and interests, I honestly don’t feel the impact of sanctions,” said Maria, who works at a cosmetics company.

“There aren’t any brands that have left such a void that I can’t live without them,” the 43-year-old added.

Supermarkets have found a range of domestic and foreign alternatives to Western products, including Camembert cheese, one of Maria’s creature comforts.

“It’s delicious. I haven’t tried real French Camembert, so I can’t compare,” she admitted.

“Overall, my life hasn’t changed much,” she told AFP.



Western countries first levied economic sanctions against Russia in 2014, after Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine.

Those sanctions became significantly tighter following Moscow’s full-scale assault on its neighbor.

Moscow responded by ramping up production of domestic goods, shifting its trade away from the West to what it calls “friendly” nations like China and importing other items through third countries.

For ordinary Russians, the most noticeable effect of this was an exodus of Western brands from supermarket shelves and from the high street.

Among the most well-known brands to leave was fast-food chain McDonald’s, famously replaced by Russian-owned “Vkusno i tochka” (which translates to ‘Delicious, Full Stop’) in 2022.

Maria’s husband Sergei, a funeral director, said he had “no complaints” about the quality of the food.

“The kids love it,” he said of the restaurant chain.

When shopping, Maria buys a new brand of yoghurt that replaced one belonging to French company Danone.

Danone left the Russian market in 2022 and eventually sold its operations to a businessman linked to Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.

Some Russian companies have also been able to import popular Western goods via third countries, albeit at a higher cost.

As for vacations, Maria and Sergei have opted for trips across Russia and Latin America.

Most European countries cut off direct flights to Russia shortly after the offensive began, while some tightened entry requirements for Russian citizens.

The couple said they had been to Venezuela, a country under US sanctions, which they described as a nation of “friendly people who love Russians.”



The couple admitted there were a few teething issues.

Two years ago, after a car accident, Sergei said he waited “three months” for spare parts to repair his Korean-made Kia because of sanctions.

“That’s when I realized that it probably made sense to sell my beloved Korean car and replace it with a similar Chinese one,” he told AFP.

Maria also said she noticed it was harder to find products in “certain” categories of goods.

But overall, she said, “I don’t feel deprived in any way. Certainly not when it comes to food. There’s a wide and rich selection.”

The Russian economy has been marked by volatility since Moscow launched its Ukraine offensive in 2022, a military assault that has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths.

The country reported strong economic expansion in 2023 and 2024, largely due to massive state defense spending on the conflict, but is now slowing down after a period of what officials called “overheating.”

Inflation has also been running high, clocking in at more than double the central bank’s target for over a year.

Maria and her husband’s combined income is around 300,000 rubles (around $3,800), higher than the average wage for one person of around 100,000.

While Maria acknowledged prices were going up, she said her family was not “crying” about it.

“It’s not like we used to buy a kilogramme (35 ounces) of buckwheat three years ago, and now we can only afford 600 grams,” she said.

“They are rising little by little.”


Alleged arsonist charged over fire at Australian synagogue

Alleged arsonist charged over fire at Australian synagogue
Updated 06 July 2025
Follow

Alleged arsonist charged over fire at Australian synagogue

Alleged arsonist charged over fire at Australian synagogue
  • Angelo Loras appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court and was charged with arson, endangering life and property damage

MELBOURNE: A man was charged Sunday over an arson attack on a Melbourne synagogue in an apparent escalation of antisemitic violence in Australia’s second-most populous city.

Angelo Loras, 34, appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court Sunday charged with arson, endangering life and property damage. He was also charged with possessing a “controlled weapon” on Saturday when he was arrested. The charge sheet does not say what that weapon was.

The Sydney resident did not enter a plea or apply to be released on bail. Magistrate John Lesser remanded Loras in custody to appear in court next on July 22.

Flammable liquid was ignited at the door of the East Melbourne Synagogue, also known as the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation, on Friday night as 20 worshippers shared a Shabbat meal inside.

The congregation escaped without harm via a rear door and firefighters contained the blaze to the entrance area of the 148-year-old building.

It was the first of three apparent displays of antisemitic violence across the city on Friday and early Saturday morning.

Authorities have yet to establish a link between incidents at the synagogue and two businesses.

Antisemitism blamed for attacks on businesses

Also in downtown Melbourne on Friday night, around 20 masked protesters harassed diners in an Israeli-owned restaurant.

A restaurant window was cracked, tables were flipped and chairs thrown as protesters chanted “Death to the IDF,” referring to the Israel Defense Forces. A 28-year-old woman was arrested at the scene and charged with hindering police.

Police are also investigating the spray-painting of a business in Melbourne’s northern suburbs and an arson attack on three vehicles attached to the business before dawn on Saturday. The vehicles had also been graffitied.

Police said there were antisemitic “inferences” at the scene. The business had also been the target of pro-Palestinian demonstrations in the past year.

Political leaders condemn antisemitism

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke met with Jewish leaders at the damaged synagogue on Sunday.

Burke told reporters that investigators were searching for potential links between the three incidents.

“At this stage, our authorities have not drawn links between them. But obviously there’s a link in antisemitism. There’s a link in bigotry. There’s a link in a willingness to either call for violence, to chant violence or to take out violent actions. They are very much linked in that way,” Burke said.

“There were three attacks that night and none of them belonged in Australia. Arson attacks, the chanting calls for death, other attacks and graffiti — none of it belonged in Australia and they were attacks on Australia,” Burke added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the Australian government to “take all action to deal with the rioters to the fullest extent of the law and prevent similar attacks in the future.”

“I view with utmost gravity the antisemitic attacks that occurred last night in Melbourne, which included attempted arson of a synagogue in the city and a violent assault against an Israeli restaurant by pro-Palestinian rioters,” Netanyahu said in a statement on Saturday.

“The reprehensible antisemitic attacks, with calls of ‘death to the IDF’ and an attempt to attack a place of worship, are severe hate crimes that must be uprooted,” he added.