UK faces legal action over refusal to evacuate Gaza's critically ill children
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Saudi Gazette
32 minutes ago
- Saudi Gazette
British couple held by Taliban 'may die in prison,' son warns
LONDON — The son of a British couple detained by the Taliban five months ago has told the BBC that he fears they may die in prison. Peter Reynolds, 80, and Barbie, 76, were arrested on 1 February while returning to their home in central Bamiyan province, Afghanistan. Their son Jonathan Reynolds said their health was rapidly deteriorating, with his father suffering serious convulsions and his mother "numb" from anaemia and malnutrition. It is not known exactly why they were detained, and a Taliban official told the BBC in February that the group planned to release the couple "as soon as possible". The UN has also warned that they could perish "in such degrading conditions" if they do not receive medical care at once, calling their detention "inhumane". Reynolds said it had been a "harrowing and surreal" five months waiting for the release of his parents, who lived in Afghanistan for 18 years, where they had citizenship and ran education projects. One of these projects involved training women and children and had apparently been approved by local authorities, despite the Taliban banning education for girls over 12-years-old and not allowing women to work. Reynolds said his parents had been held in harsh conditions — including a maximum security prison — despite being "deemed innocent" by a judge and facing no charges. "My dad was chained to murderers and criminals," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme, adding that they had at one point been held in a basement for six weeks without sunlight, and not allowed out. The couple revealed "just how bad their health is" when they last had contact with their children on 15 June, Reynolds said. "My dad's health is deteriorating fast in particular," he said of the 80-year-old, who has a history of minor heart attacks. "Now he's maybe got something like early Parkinson's — tremors and shakes down the right side of his body, his arms and face," he told BBC Breakfast. He added that his father spent "half an hour convulsing on the prison floor" before his wife called for a prison guard to move him onto a "mattress pad on the floor" serving as a bed. Mrs Reynolds "has blue hands and feet to do with anaemia, malnutrition, just not getting the right healthcare," he added. Reynolds said he did not know his parents' exact location — and that he was unsure "that the demand has been made for their immediate release". "Every week it seems like we're told 'just wait two or three more days now... just hang tight'. "Week after week we're told that — and they're still in prison." However, he said he was grateful to the Foreign Office (FCDO) for the level of communication with the family. The couple have both had birthdays in prison, and last week marked their 55th wedding anniversary; they married in Kabul in 1970. Reynolds said: "I'm thankful they were together, but they're certainly not free." The UN likewise warned on Monday that the pair's health was quickly declining, and questioned why they were being held at all. "Without access to adequate medical care, they are at risk of irreparable harm or even death," read a statement by the UN's human rights body, which called for their immediate transfer to a civilian hospital. "We see no reason why this older couple should be detained at all, and have requested an immediate review of the grounds of their detention. "It is inhumane to keep them locked up in such degrading conditions and more worrying when their health is so fragile." It added that it had raised the couple's case with the Taliban and the UK. Taliban official Abdul Mateen Qani said in February: "A series of considerations is being taken into account, and after evaluation, we will endeavour to release them as soon as possible." The FCDO has been approached for a response. The UK shut its embassy in Kabul and withdrew its diplomats from the country after the Taliban returned to power in 2021. The FCDO says support for British nationals in Afghanistan is therefore "severely limited" and advises against all travel to the country. — BBC
Saudi Gazette
an hour ago
- Saudi Gazette
Thousands pay tribute to veteran Indian communist leader
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM — Thousands are paying their respects to veteran Indian communist leader VS Achuthanandan whose funeral will be held on Wednesday. VS, as he was popularly known, died on Monday at the age of 101. He was a founding member of India's largest communist party and a former chief minister of the southern state of Kerala. Tens of thousands of people have thronged the streets to pay tribute to the politician, widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in Kerala's political history. Forced to drop out of school as a child, Achuthanandan overcame grinding poverty and torture in police custody to become one of the state's most beloved leaders. He was being treated at a hospital in Thiruvananathapuram after suffering a cardiac arrest last month. His funeral will be held near his hometown in Alappuzha district with full state honours. "Fighting for the rights of the oppressed and the exploited was the guiding principle of his life," MA Baby, general secretary of Achuthanandan's party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI(M), wrote in tribute. He described the leader as "the epitome of struggle". Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, also from the CPI(M), called Achuthanandan a "limitless repository of inspiration and lessons". Apart from being Kerala's chief minister, Achuthanandan was the state's leader of opposition three times and a member of the CPI(M)'s Politburo for 23 years. Achuthanandan's popularity among Indian communists rivals only that of Jyoti Basu, the long-serving West Bengal chief minister and CPI(M) co-founder. But unlike the London-educated Basu, Achuthanandan came from humble roots and didn't finish school. While Basu shaped his legacy in power, Achuthanandan did so from the streets, championing people's issues as an opposition leader. Achuthanandan started working young after losing his mother at four and father at 11. As a teen in a coir factory, he joined the undivided Communist Party at 17 and began organising agricultural workers in Travancore in then British-ruled India. AK Antony, a former Kerala chief minister from the Congress party, said that as a school student in the 1960s, he would wait beside paddy fields to listen to Achuthanandan's speeches. "Achuthanandan's life and struggles and the torture and beatings he endured in the vanguard of the communist agitations for bonded agriculture workers in Kuttanad are unequalled and historical," he was quoted as saying by The Hindu newspaper. Achuthanandan led a 1946 revolt against the state authorities, in which hundreds of communists were reportedly killed. He went underground, was later arrested, tortured in custody, and spent five years in jail. His work spanned labour rights, land rights, education, women's right, anti-corruption measures and environmental protection. A staunch communist, Achuthanandan wasn't afraid to defy his party - most notably when he met the widow of TP Chandrasekharan, murdered in 2012 by a gang that included former CPI(M) colleagues after he broke away to form his own party. After public outcry forced the CPI(M) to reverse its attempts to sideline him in 2006 and 2011, Achuthanandan served as Kerala's chief minister (2006–2011) before retiring from public life following a 2019 stroke and living with his son in Thiruvananthapuram. — BBC
Leaders
13 hours ago
- Leaders
Trump Withdraws US from UNESCO Amid Clash over Ideological Priorities
President Donald Trump announced the US will withdraw from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), citing the organization's anti-American and anti-Israel bias, along with its woke agenda. The decision follows a 90-day review initiated in February, focusing on anti-Semitism and anti-Israel sentiment within UNESCO. Concerns Over DEI Policies Administration officials expressed concerns about UNESCO's diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. White House deputy spokesperson Anna Kelly stated that the organization's pro-Palestinian and pro-China stance influenced the decision, emphasizing that Trump prioritizes American interests in international organizations. UNESCO's recent initiatives raised alarms, as the 2023 'anti-racism toolkit' urged member states to adopt anti-racist policies. Additionally, the 2024 'Transforming MEN'talities' initiative aimed to reshape perceptions of gender issues in India, which also included a report on using video games to promote gender equality. Anti-Israel Actions UNESCO has faced criticism for its anti-Israel actions, including designating Jewish holy sites as 'Palestinian World Heritage' sites, with the organization frequently describing Palestine as 'occupied' by Israel while failing to condemn Hamas's actions in Gaza. Moreover, China, the second-largest funder of UNESCO, has leveraged its influence to promote its interests. The Chinese Communist Party has faced scrutiny for downplaying the role of minorities, such as Uyghur Muslims, in its history. Trump previously withdrew the US from UNESCO in 2017, citing similar concerns. The US first left the organization in 1983 under President Reagan, who criticized its politicization and hostility toward free societies. President Biden rejoined UNESCO in 2023, arguing that American presence was essential to counter China's influence, with his administration also pledging to repay over $600 million in dues since 2011. Short link :
