Author: Aljazeera
Arshad Sharif was killed last year when police at a checkpoint opened fire on the car he was travelling in.An elite Kenyan police unit is on trial on a charge of wrongful death following the killing of a Pakistani journalist in Nairobi last year. The case opened at the Kajiado High Court on the outskirts of Nairobi on Tuesday, with petitioners claiming that Arshad Sharif’s death was an “assassination” planned in Pakistan. The critic of Pakistan’s powerful military leadership was killed in October 2022 when the car he was in with another Pakistani man drove through a checkpoint outside the…
Athens, Greece – Greece has emerged as a key supporter of Israel in the Eastern Mediterranean, a position unimaginable little more than a decade ago and apparently at odds with public opinion. “I come here not just as an ally but as a true friend,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, in Tel Aviv on October 23, as the latest Middle East conflict flared. “Greece, from the very first moment, supported the right of Israel to defend itself in line with international law,” he said. Unlike some other European leaders who demonstrated similar solidarity, Mitsotakis…
The Middle East abounds in tales of spirits and their antics. Today, Al Jazeera brings some of these tales to life. Myths and legends, whispered under the veil of night from elder to child, offer glimpses into a culture’s most profound fears, dreams, and values. In Iraq, the enigmatic Marshes resonate with tales of the Tantal, an elusive creature that can shape-shift – from man to beast to inanimate object. It is the essence of mischief, a trickster that delights in its trickery. Imagine encountering a stranger in the Marshes, adorned in flashy, seemingly tasteless attire. This stranger, possibly a…
The incident triggered air raid sirens in the popular tourist resort and sent residents running for shelter.The Israeli military says it has shot down an approaching “aerial target” outside Israeli airspace, near the Red Sea city of Eilat, as regional tensions rise amid the Israel-Gaza war. The incident on Tuesday triggered air raid sirens in the popular tourist resort and sent residents running for shelter. After an initial warning of a possible “hostile aircraft intrusion”, the military said in a statement, its “systems identified an aerial target approaching Israeli territory”. “There was no threat or risk to civilians,” it added.…
Police say suspects are members of hardline groups Jemaah Islamiyah and Jamaah Ansharut Daulah.Indonesian authorities have arrested dozens of people from hardline groups over suspected plots aimed at disrupting next year’s presidential election, police have said. Police arrested 59 suspects and seized weapons, propaganda material and bomb-making chemicals, a spokesperson for Indonesia’s Counterterrorism Special Detachment 88 unit said on Tuesday. “For them, the election is part of democracy, whereby democracy is immoral. Democracy is something that violates the law for them,” spokesperson Aswin Siregar told a press conference in the capital Jakarta “They planned to carry out attacks on security…
Lionel Messi won the eighth Ballon d’Or of his remarkable career, while Spain’s World Cup-winning star Aitana Bonmati took the women’s prize at a glittering ceremony in Paris. For Messi, the trophy awarded to him on Monday rewards, above all else, his inspirational performances at last year’s World Cup in Qatar, when he dragged Argentina to victory, scoring seven goals and being named the tournament’s best player. It was the crowning moment of his astonishing career, and it allowed him to see off stiff competition, in particular from Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe, to take the award on the stage…
Censors are on the the lookout for criticism of President Xi Jinping disguised as praise for the former premier.China’s government censors have ordered media and government WeChat accounts to be on the lookout for “overly effusive” comments about former Premier Li Keqiang as the country prepares for his cremation on Thursday. The instructions were leaked to the China Digital Times along with details on how to report information about Li’s death, such as exclusively using content from state-run Xinhua, CCTV, or the People’s Daily and instructions to monitor the comments section. The warning about “effusive comments” reflects fear that such…
Developers of powerful AI will have to share safety results and critical information with the US government.United States President Joe Biden has issued a sweeping executive order to regulate the development of artificial intelligence (AI) amid growing concern about its potential impact on everything from national security to public health. “To realise the promise of AI and avoid the risk, we need to govern this technology,” Biden said on Thursday. “In the wrong hands, AI can make it easier for hackers to exploit vulnerabilities in the software that makes our society run.” The executive order includes a provision that developers…
Tokyo’s measures follow announcement of similar sanctions by the United States earlier this month.Japan has announced sanctions against nine people and a company over their alleged links to the Palestinian armed group Hamas. Japan’s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday the measures would freeze assets belonging to individuals and a company that have helped fund Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip. The sanctions follow the announcement of similar measures by the United States earlier this month. Tokyo has attempted to walk a fine line on the Israel-Hamas war as it tries to balance relations with the US, its closest ally, and…