Latest news with #repatriation
Khaleej Times
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
First batch of repatriated overseas Filipino workers from Iran arrive in Philippines
The Philippine government on June 28 repatriated the first group of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Iran escaping the conflict between the Islamic Republic and Israel. Six OFWs from Iran arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) in Pasay City via Emirates flight EK 334. This marked the initial batch of Filipino workers to be repatriated from the Islamic Republic since the June 13 breakout of the Israel-Iran conflict. Among the group, five were working as shrimp hatchery technicians, while one was a domestic worker based in Dubai who was accompanying her employer on a trip to Iran. They were received by personnel from the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Owwa), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). Owwa is covering their temporary stay in Manila as well as the cost of their return flights to their respective provinces. Two additional workers from Iran are expected to arrive on Saturday night, June 28. Prior to this, the government had also repatriated 31 OFWs from Israel due to the same conflict. While Iran is home to less than 30 OFWs, around 1,100 Filipinos are spouses and children of Iranians. So far, only eight Filipinos in Iran have sought government-assisted repatriation. The Department of Foreign Affairs on June 20 raised Alert Level 3 for both Iran and Israel, initiating voluntary repatriation efforts. This followed the DMW's announcement of stricter deployment measures for OFWs heading to the Middle East.
Malay Mail
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
Stealing back what was stolen: South African game ‘Relooted' targets colonial spoils (VIDEO)
JOHANNESBURG, June 28 — Under the cover of darkness, Nomali jumped over a wall, burst into a museum and snatched a human skull from a pedestal before escaping through a window to the wail of an alarm. The daring heist was not the work of a real-life criminal. Nomali is the protagonist of a new action-packed video game where players 'reclaim' artefacts taken from African countries to be displayed in the West. Developed by Johannesburg studio Nyamakop, Relooted is set in an imaginary future but tackles a topical issue: calls for Western institutions to return to Africa the spoils of colonisation. Players are tasked with taking back 70 artefacts — all of which exist in real life — with a 'team of African citizens', said producer Sithe Ncube, one of a team of 30 working on the game. The items include the 'Benin Bronzes' sculptures removed from the former kingdom of Benin more than 120 years ago, and which The Netherlands officially returned to Nigeria on June 21. Another is the sacred Ngadji drum from Kenya's Pokomo community, which was confiscated by British colonial authorities in 1902. 'Its removal destabilised the community,' Ncube said as an animated drawing of the wooden instrument flashed on her computer. Players 'can see where it's from... and read about the history,' she said, giving a demo. 'Is it stealing?' On the screen a crew of characters in Afrofuturist costumes debated a plan to recover the remains of Tanzanian chiefs hanged by German colonial forces. One asked: 'Is it stealing to take back what was stolen?' 'We are going to do whatever it takes to take back Africa's belongings, and we are going to do it together,' said the character Nomali. 'Sometimes the stories behind these (artefacts) are actually very upsetting,' Ncube told AFP. 'It makes you see how much colonialism has affected... and shaped the world.' Growing up in Zambia, she knew of her country's iconic 'Broken Hill Man', a skull about 300,000 years old held in London's Natural History Museum and which is also featured in Relooted. But it was only when working on the game that Ncube realised how many African cultural artefacts were held abroad, she said. In France alone, museums stored about 90,000 objects from sub-Saharan Africa, according to a 2018 report commissioned by the government. 'Africans, to actually see these things that are part of their own culture, have to get a visa, pay for flights and go to a European country,' Ncube said. 'My whole life, I've never seen 'Broken Hill Man'.' Sithe Ncube, producer at Nyamakop video game studio, plays a soon to be launched video game called 'Relooted' at their office space in Rosebank, near Johannesburg, June 20, 2025. — AFP pic Skewed identity The looting of artefacts over centuries robbed communities of their 'archives' and 'knowledge systems', said Samba Yonga, co-founder of the digital Museum of Women's History in Zambia. 'Our history predates colonisation by millennia,' she told AFP, but many people 'don't even realise that we have a skewed sense of self and identity.' Reclaiming these objects would enable 'a shift in how the next generation views their culture and identity,' she said. The same hope underpinned Relooted, which was unveiled this month at Los Angeles' Summer Game Fest where it attracted a lot of interest from the diaspora and other Africans, Ncube said. 'I hope that the game encourages people from other African countries to want to tell their own stories and bring these things to light,' she said. One character felt personal for the producer: Professor Grace, Nomali's grandmother and described as 'the brains behind the mission'. 'I started seeing my own grandmother in her,' Ncube said with emotion. 'She represents a connection between our generations, fighting for the same thing we've always been fighting for.' — AFP
CBC
16 hours ago
- General
- CBC
Over 800 Deer Lake First Nation wildfire evacuees returning home after weeks in Toronto
Social Sharing A month after being displaced by the region's largest wildfire, hundreds of evacuees from Deer Lake First Nation in northwestern Ontario are returning home. The first plane out of Toronto, where roughly 885 people have been staying for the past four weeks, left on Friday, Chief Leonard Mamakeesic told CBC News. The community is first bringing back its essential workers, who will then be able to prepare the First Nation for the large-scale repatriation of the rest of its members. "Everybody's happy, right? Everybody wants to go home. It's really exhausting here. They want to be able to sleep in their own home," said Deer Lake's head councillor, Jeremy Sawanis. "It's so noisy in Toronto, too." The remote Oji-Cree community, located in Treaty 5 territory, is about 600 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay. It's only accessible by air or winter road. Its evacuation was prompted by Red Lake 12, a wildfire that's now more than 194,000 hectares in size. However, the fire is moving away from the community, and crews are starting to take down the sprinkler systems that have been protecting the First Nation's homes and essential infrastructure. For Sawanis, being in Toronto has been a big culture shock. "I spend my whole time out in the bush, right? This just gets depressing after a while," he said. "I should be out fishing and hunting, [I] need to be on the land." Meanwhile, more than 2,000 evacuees from Sandy Lake First Nation remain in communities in southern Ontario, also because of Red Lake 12. Its evacuation was assisted by the Canadian Armed Forces earlier in June. Mamakeesic hopes all of his community members will be back in Deer Lake by Tuesday. There's been high demand for planes over the last few days, with members of Keewaywin First Nation also returning home, which pushed Deer Lake's repatriation back a day or two, he said. "Everybody is still with us. We have not lost anybody," Mamakeesic said. "That is my main goal — get everybody back home safe." 'People do care' Earlier this week, fire information officer Alison Bezubiak of Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services (AFFES) told CBC News that recent rainfall and cooler temperatures have offered reprieve to FireRangers on the front lines. However, as the weather has been warming up over the last couple days, the wildland fire hazard has worsened, and is considered primarily moderate across the southern half of the region and high across the Far North. "More rainfall is expected over the weekend into Tuesday," Ontario Forest Fires said in its latest update, on Thursday evening. Since the evacuation began, Mamakeesic said, he's learned three key lessons: patience, the importance of working together and the value of communication. He's been satisfied with the accommodations provided in Toronto and the security services offered by ISN Maskwa, an Indigenous emergency operations centre, which were supplemented by his own members, he said. "[I have] gratitude for all the patience and people that have reached out to help us. There are surrounding tribal councils that have reached out, the Lions Club as well, and there's people that have reached out [from] surrounding organizations as well — they're dropping off donations," Mamakeesic said. "People do care."
Asharq Al-Awsat
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Game 'Reloots' African Artefacts from Western Museums
Under the cover of darkness, Nomali jumped over a wall, burst into a museum and snatched a human skull from a pedestal before escaping through a window to the wail of an alarm. The daring heist was not the work of a real-life criminal. Nomali is the protagonist of a new action-packed video game where players "reclaim" artefacts taken from African countries to be displayed in the West. Developed by Johannesburg studio Nyamakop, "Relooted" is set in an imaginary future but tackles a topical issue: calls for Western institutions to return to Africa the spoils of colonization. Players are tasked with taking back 70 artefacts -- all of which exist in real life -- with a "team of African citizens", said producer Sithe Ncube, one of a team of 30 working on the game. The items include the "Benin Bronzes" sculptures removed from the former kingdom of Benin more than 120 years ago, and which The Netherlands officially returned to Nigeria on June 21. Another is the sacred Ngadji drum from Kenya's Pokomo community, which was confiscated by British colonial authorities in 1902. "Its removal destabilized the community," Ncube said as an animated drawing of the wooden instrument flashed on her computer. Players "can see where it's from... and read about the history," she said, giving a demo. 'Is it stealing?' On the screen a crew of characters in Afrofuturist costumes debated a plan to recover the remains of Tanzanian chiefs hanged by German colonial forces. One asked: "Is it stealing to take back what was stolen?" "We are going to do whatever it takes to take back Africa's belongings, and we are going to do it together," said the character Nomali. "Sometimes the stories behind these (artefacts) are actually very upsetting," Ncube told AFP. "It makes you see how much colonialism has affected... and shaped the world." Growing up in Zambia, she knew of her country's iconic "Broken Hill Man", a skull about 300,000 years old held in London's Natural History Museum and which is also featured in "Relooted". But it was only when working on the game that Ncube realized how many African cultural artefacts were held abroad, she said. In France alone, museums stored about 90,000 objects from sub-Saharan Africa, according to a 2018 report commissioned by the government. "Africans, to actually see these things that are part of their own culture, have to get a visa, pay for flights and go to a European country," Ncube said. "My whole life, I've never seen 'Broken Hill Man'." Skewed identity The looting of artefacts over centuries robbed communities of their "archives" and "knowledge systems", said Samba Yonga, co-founder of the digital Museum of Women's History in Zambia. "Our history predates colonization by millennia," she told AFP, but many people "don't even realize that we have a skewed sense of self and identity." Reclaiming these objects would enable "a shift in how the next generation views their culture and identity," she said. The same hope underpinned "Relooted", which was unveiled this month at Los Angeles's Summer Game Fest where it attracted a lot of interest from the diaspora and other Africans, Ncube said. "I hope that the game encourages people from other African countries to want to tell their own stories and bring these things to light," she said. One character felt personal for the producer: Professor Grace, Nomali's grandmother and described as "the brains behind the mission". "I started seeing my own grandmother in her," Ncube said with emotion. "She represents a connection between our generations, fighting for the same thing we've always been fighting for."
The National
2 days ago
- Politics
- The National
Ceasefire with Iran gives Israelis a chance to return from temporary Cyprus haven
Police at Limassol's port were jumpy as Israelis who had sought a safe haven and were stranded by weeks of airline disruption arrived on Thursday in dribs and drabs to get on a cruise ship to take them home. Many had spent weeks away from home after Israel closed its airspace to commercial flights but were boarding the cruise ship Crown Iris. It is conducting a final repatriation voyage to Ashdod port as operations at Ben Gurion resume. The 11 deck Panamanian-registered ship has ferried 2,000 to Israel on each of its voyages. Israelis are purchasing real estate in sensitive areas that pose a threat to national security Stefanos Stefanou On the dockside concourse a set of polite, if slightly stressed local Cypriot officers, took passport details and made a few calls to their bosses. There have been reports of Iranian-linked sleeper agents on the island and last week police arrested a suspect conducting surveillance against the nearby British airbase, RAF Akrotiri. A statement said a British citizen was being investigated for ties to Iran in attacking the base. Once they have taken details, the senior officer of the three, apologetically nodding in the direction of the ship, said: 'You understand this is sensitive.' He then made it clear reporting from the scene 'is over'. The sailing has been organised by Israeli national airline El Al and comes as flights began departing Cyprus for Israel after it began the phased reopening its airspace in the wake of a ceasefire with Iran. Israel first closed its airspace on June 13 when its troops launched their attack on Iran, leaving and 100,000 to 150,000 Israelis stranded abroad. Speaking as she prepared to get ready to board the ship back in her hotel, stranded El Al passenger Nesher Drohah told The Nationa l she has been out of Israel since June 6. 'We travelled to Macedonia, Kosovo and Albania and we were meant to be there until June 18 when the war broke out,' she said. 'But we've been stuck in Tirana until two days ago so now we're here to go home by boat.' She said it she is anxious to return to Israel after people she knows had a narrow escape from an Iranian missile but lost their home. 'He's OK but the house is not OK, the car is not OK,' she said. 'For that reason we were trying to fly back to get home fast and I hope tomorrow we will be home.' Ms Drohah said she backed the decision by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to launch an attack on Iran. She said that 'Iran is dangerous for all over the world but for us the most'. Cyprus has become a key transit point for Israelis wishing to return home in the absence of direct flights there and also the foreign nationals looking to escape the conflict. These include UK citizens first evacuated by the UK's Royal Air Force to the Akrotiri airbase. It is further along the same peninsula as Limassol's port. There are frequent flights to Cyprus from Israel, the result of the island's popularity as a tourist destination for Israelis. At different points of tension including the months since the October 7 assault by Hamas that led to Israel's Gaza operation, Cyprus has been a point of refuge for those who want to get out of the danger zone. The spillover from the Israeli assault on Gaza has seen a steady flow of Israelis arrive in Cyprus. While there is a ceasefire with Iran, the warplanes, drones and artillery attacks continue against the Palestinians both in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. The Cyprus chief Rabbi Arie Zeev Raskin has previously said that about 6,500 Israelis were in Cyprus after leaving the war zone for the east Mediterranean island, the closest European nation to Israel. Others had travelled there to catch flight or boat trip back to their country. Many Israelis have now settled in Cyprus and bought property there. There are now six Chabad Houses, which are community centres and also places of worship, on the island. Israeli restaurants cater for compatriots in the handsome Mediterranean port city that attracts tens of thousands of tourists every year. Targeted purchases The presence of Israelis has provoked a backlash. This week, a local political party Akel, singled out the purchase of land by them, as part of its highlighting of foreign land purchases by non-EU nationals. Stefanos Stefanou, the left-wing party's leader, accused Israelis of making 'targeted purchases' of land with the aim of creating gated communities in Larnaca and Limassol. 'Our country is being taken away from us,' he said. 'Israelis are purchasing real estate in sensitive areas that pose a threat to national security.' The party has put forward legislation in parliament aimed at restricting 'golden visas', which issued to non-EU nationals for an investment of at least €300,000 ($351,000) in real estate or company shareholding. Mr Stefanou appeared to focus on Israelis buying land claiming 'Zionist schools are being built' and quoting what he said were media reports 'suggesting that Israel is preparing a 'backyard' in Cyprus'. At Limassol's Chabad House, Rabbi Yitzchok Lapidus told The National that recently he has seen an increase in what he described as 'antisemitic graffiti'. He is one of three Rabbis, who work there under leadership of Rabbi Yair Baitz, and also with their wives. But for Rabbi Lapidus, his mind has been focused on providing food and shelter for the 'thousands' of Israelis and majority, he estimates, have come through the doors of the Chabad Houses in Cyprus. A traditional Israeli breakfast of fried eggs, salad and bread was laid on in the cafe next door just in case any travellers arrived that morning. Such has been the desperation of Israelis to get home, many have resorted to unusual methods, explained the Rabbi. 'They tried to go to Israel by yacht, by helicopter. There are a lot of families who were stuck here and need help to get out because of an emergency. People needed medicine, there were pregnant women,' he told The National. 'Some of them went for one day or for business and they were stuck for a week, two weeks. In the marina area of the city there one yacht charterer who asked not to be identified confirmed that her company had leased boats out to Israelis. 'It was our company that did most of this. There was a lot of demand last week and through the weekend but that's now over as people can get flights.' But another yacht charter company said it turned down requests by Israelis to charter yachts. 'We had a lot of inquiries from people who wanted to go to Israel but we decided it would be too risky because of the war but I know others were happy.' Omer Gonen is one of the unlucky ones who was only meant to be out of Israel for weekend. He came to Limassol with his wife and two children, along with their friends, two weekends ago but has been stuck here. 'We just wanted a weekend holiday but we're still here,' he said. 'We're now booked on a very expensive flight on Saturday. It's good to be going home now, finally but it's been terrible here.' Sitting on the floor with his two friends at Larnaca airport, Uriel, 24, from Jerusalem, explained they had just been released from the army and were about to return from a holiday in Tblisi, in Georgia when they became stuck. 'We had been on holiday for two to three weeks and then we got stuck,' he said. 'We came from Tblisi to here because it's easy for us to get a visa.' Uriel explained that him and his friends were about to board a special flight organised by a wealthy Israeli, which was exempt from the ban on commercial flights. He said their families 'were in the safest place but it's still a worry' but he added 'we've had two and a half years of war'. Meanwhile, the first RAF flight set off from Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on Monday afternoon carrying 63 British passengers, who landed in Cyprus and were then flown back to Birmingham Airport, where they arrived in the early hours of Tuesday. In the days since, more Britons have made the journey home as part of the Government's evacuation strategy. Meanwhile, the US has helped about 400 of its citizens and others to fly out of Israel since Saturday amid conflict with Iran and hopes to accommodate more in the coming days, a senior State Department official said.
