UK reestablishes diplomatic ties with Syria as Lammy visits Damascus
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The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Britain marks 20 years of London bombings with reflection
LONDON, July 7 (Xinhua) -- Britain on Monday marked the 20th anniversary of the 2005 London bombings that killed 52 people and injured over 700, with ceremonies, remembrance, and renewed focus on counterterrorism. At 8:50 a.m.(0750 GMT), the time the first bomb exploded, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and London Mayor Sadiq Khan laid wreaths at Hyde Park's memorial, with King Charles III praising acts of courage and compassion from that day. Experts like Naomi Davis-Crane, a former counterterrorism analyst, warned of ongoing threats, especially from lone actors radicalized online. She stressed the need for vigilance, better victim support, and stricter control of extremist content on social media. "There is a melancholy, and just a question as to when it will happen again -- because it will happen again," she told Xinhua. While the 7/7 attacks were carried out by four British nationals radicalized by al-Qaeda ideology, more recent incidents -- including the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing and the 2021 explosion outside Liverpool Women's Hospital -- reflect an emerging pattern of lone actors radicalized online. The case of Southport murderer Axel Rudakubana may further illustrate how radicalization has increasingly moved online. "A significant number of counterterrorist authorities during the last 20 years have realized the need to manage content that people are consuming via social media," said Davis-Crane. "The social media platforms themselves have to identify and remove the content, and there is a responsibility on governments to legislate in this field," she added. "Terrorism will impact every individual in a very different way, and the support needs will potentially last a lifetime," she said.
New Straits Times
8 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Sacked Russian transport minister found dead hours after Putin fired him
MOSCOW: Russia's sacked transport minister has been found dead in his car outside Moscow with a gunshot wound and the principal hypothesis is that he took his own life, state investigators said on Monday, hours after President Vladimir Putin fired him. A presidential decree published earlier on Monday gave no reason for the dismissal of Roman Starovoit after barely a year in the job, though political analysts were quick to raise the possibility that he may have been dismissed in connection with an investigation into corruption in the region he once ran. Reuters could not independently confirm these suggestions, though a transport industry source, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, said Starovoit's position had been in question for months due to questions about the same corruption scandal, which centred on funds earmarked for fortifying Russia's border with Ukraine in the Kursk region. There were conflicting reports about the timing of Starovoit's death. Russia's Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said in a statement it was working to establish the precise circumstances. Various Russian media cited law enforcement sources as saying a pistol belonging to Starovoit had been found alongside his body in his car. Before being appointed transport minister in May 2024, Starovoit had been governor of the Kursk region for nearly five years. Three months after he became transport minister, Ukrainian troops crossed the border into Kursk in the biggest foreign incursion into Russian territory since World War Two and were only pushed out earlier this year after fierce fighting and widespread destruction. In April this year, Starovoit's successor as governor, Alexei Smirnov, was charged with embezzling money earmarked for defence purposes amid accusations that the funds earmarked for border defences had been stolen, leaving Kursk more vulnerable to Ukrainian attack. Pressed earlier on Monday by reporters on whether his dismissal meant Putin had lost trust in Starovoit over Kursk, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said "a loss of trust is mentioned if there is a loss of trust." "There is no such wording in the (Kremlin) decree." Starovoit's dismissal comes at a time of significant challenges for Russia's transport sector as the war in Ukraine drags on for a fourth year. Russia's aviation sector is short of spare parts and Russian Railways, the country's largest employer, is grappling with soaring interest costs as high rates - needed to curb higher inflation exacerbated by the war - take their toll. The Kremlin said Andrei Nikitin, a former governor of the Novgorod region, had been appointed acting transport minister and it published photographs of him shaking hands with Putin in the Kremlin. Asked about Nikitin's swift appointment, Kremlin spokesman Peskov said: "At present, in the president's opinion, Andrei Nikitin's professional qualities and experience will best contribute to ensuring that this agency, which the president described as extremely important, fulfils its tasks and functions." Two transport industry sources said plans to replace Starovoit with Nikitin had been in the works since before last month's International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg. The transport ministry declined to comment on Monday. At his meeting with Putin, Nikitin spoke about working on the huge task of digitising Russia's transport industry in an effort to reduce cargo bottlenecks and ensure smoother cross-border flows of goods. --REUTERS If you are feeling depressed or stressed, know that help is available. All you have to do is reach out. The Befrienders is an example of a place you can call if you have suicidal thoughts or feeling overwhelmed. They provide emotional support 24/7. For more info, visit or contact 03-76272929. You can also contact Talian Kasih at 15999 (24/7), BuddyBear Helpline at 1800-18-2327 (BEAR) (daily 12pm to 12am), Mental Illness Awareness & Support Association (MIASA) at 1-800-820 066 (24/7), and the Health Ministry - Mercy Malaysia Psychosocial Support Helpline at 03-2935 9935.
New Straits Times
9 hours ago
- New Straits Times
BRICS nations resist 'anti-American' label after Trump tariff threat
RIO DE JANEIRO: Developing nations participating in the BRICS summit on Monday brushed away an accusation from US President Donald Trump that the bloc is "anti-American," as he threatened them with additional 10% tariffs. Trump's threat on Sunday night came as the US government prepared to finalize dozens of trade deals with a range of countries before his July 9 deadline for the imposition of significant "retaliatory tariffs." "Tariffs should not be used as a tool for coercion and pressuring," Mao Ning, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said in Beijing. The BRICS advocates for "win-win cooperation," she added, and "does not target any country." South Africa, which was slapped with 30% tariffs that were later suspended pending trade talks, reaffirmed that it is "not anti-American," trade ministry spokesman Kaamil Alli said, adding that talks with the US government "remain constructive and fruitful." A Kremlin spokesman said Russia's cooperation with the BRICS was based on a "common world view" and "will never be directed against third countries." India and Brazil, which is hosting the BRICS gathering, did not immediately provide an official response to Trump. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva told reporters that he would only comment after wrapping up the summit. His opening remarks to BRICS leaders gathered in Rio de Janeiro on Monday focused on the environmental and public health issues on the summit's official agenda. A Brazilian diplomat who was not authorized to comment officially said Trump's threat underscored the importance of the BRICS group to give developing nations a way to argue for fair and effective global ground rules on topics such as trade. Many BRICS members and many of the group's partner nations are highly dependent on trade with the United States. New member Indonesia's senior economic minister, Airlangga Hartarto, who is in Brazil for the BRICS summit, is scheduled to go to the US on Monday to oversee tariff talks, an official told Reuters. Malaysia, which was attending as a partner country and was slapped with 24% tariffs that were later suspended, said that it maintains independent economic policies and is not focused on ideological alignment. MULTILATERAL DIPLOMACY With forums such as the G7 and G20 groups of major economies hamstrung by divisions and Trump's disruptive "America First" approach, the BRICS group has presented itself as a haven for multilateral diplomacy amid violent conflicts and trade wars. In a joint statement released on Sunday afternoon, leaders at the summit condemned the recent bombing of member nation Iran and warned that the rise in tariffs threatened global trade, continuing its veiled criticism of Trump's tariff policies. Hours later, Trump warned he would punish countries seeking to join the group. The original BRICS group gathered leaders from Brazil, Russia, India and China at its first summit in 2009. The bloc later added South Africa and last year included Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates as members. Saudi Arabia has held off formally accepting an invitation to full membership, but is participating as a partner country. More than 30 nations have expressed interest in participating in the BRICS, either as full members or partners.
