Switzerland has issued an arrest warrant for the uncle of Syria's President Bashar Al Assad over war crimes allegedly committed in the 1980s.
The warrant was ordered by a Swiss court last year but made public only on Wednesday, according to activists who filed a criminal complaint.
It calls for Rifaat Al Assad to be extradited from Syria, where he returned from exile in 2021 after having assets frozen in France.
The Justice Ministry had initially denied the prosecutors' bid to arrest Mr Al Assad, 85, arguing Switzerland did not have jurisdiction to pursue him.
It was argued he was neither a Swiss citizen, nor residing in the country, and that no Swiss citizens were among the victims of the 1982 massacre in the Syrian city of Hama at the centre of the case.
But the court did not share that interpretation, saying he was staying at a Geneva hotel when Swiss prosecutors first launched their investigation into him in 2013.
That presence was enough, according to the court, to give Switzerland jurisdiction to pursue him over alleged war crimes, including the issuance of an international arrest warrant.
The warrant is meanwhile likely to go unheeded. The younger brother of former Syrian president Hafez Al Assad returned to the country in 2021 after 37 years in exile.
Separately implicated in French and Spanish corruption cases, he was forced into exile in 1984 after a failed attempt to overthrow his brother.
France's highest court last year confirmed a ruling that found him guilty of acquiring millions of euros' worth of property using funds diverted from the Syrian state.
The war crimes complaint was first filed a decade ago by Trial International, a human rights group that works with victims and pushes Switzerland to prosecute.
It said much of the evidence it had compiled against Mr Al Assad relates to his role in suppressing the 1982 Hama rebellion, where thousands of people were estimated to have been killed and two thirds of the city destroyed.
He was at the time in command of the Syrian Defence Forces, which is accused of "executions, enforced disappearances, rape and torture on an unimaginable scale", according to Trial. It cited estimates that as many as 40,000 people were killed across a three-week span.
In a statement, the organisation on Wednesday called on Swiss authorities to "swiftly indict and bring to trial the man nicknamed the 'Butcher of Hama'".
"It is to be welcomed that the prosecuting authorities have finally decided to request Mr Al Assad's extradition, although it is regrettable that we had to wait until his return to Syria before demanding he appear before the Swiss courts," Benoit Meystre, a legal adviser, said in the statement.
Four reasons global stock markets are falling right now
There are many factors worrying investors right now and triggering a rush out of stock markets. Here are four of the biggest:
1. Rising US interest rates
The US Federal Reserve has increased interest rates three times this year in a bid to prevent its buoyant economy from overheating. They now stand at between 2 and 2.25 per cent and markets are pencilling in three more rises next year.
Kim Catechis, manager of the Legg Mason Martin Currie Global Emerging Markets Fund, says US inflation is rising and the Fed will continue to raise rates in 2019. “With inflationary pressures growing, an increasing number of corporates are guiding profitability expectations downwards for 2018 and 2019, citing the negative impact of rising costs.”
At the same time as rates are rising, central bankers in the US and Europe have been ending quantitative easing, bringing the era of cheap money to an end.
2. Stronger dollar
High US rates have driven up the value of the dollar and bond yields, and this is putting pressure on emerging market countries that took advantage of low interest rates to run up trillions in dollar-denominated debt. They have also suffered capital outflows as international investors have switched to the US, driving markets lower. Omar Negyal, portfolio manager of the JP Morgan Global Emerging Markets Income Trust, says this looks like a buying opportunity. “Despite short-term volatility we remain positive about long-term prospects and profitability for emerging markets.”
3. Global trade war
Ritu Vohora, investment director at fund manager M&G, says markets fear that US President Donald Trump’s spat with China will escalate into a full-blown global trade war, with both sides suffering. “The US economy is robust enough to absorb higher input costs now, but this may not be the case as tariffs escalate. However, with a host of factors hitting investor sentiment, this is becoming a stock picker’s market.”
4. Eurozone uncertainty
Europe faces two challenges right now in the shape of Brexit and the new populist government in eurozone member Italy.
Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG, which has offices in Dubai, says the stand-off between between Rome and Brussels threatens to become much more serious. "As with Brexit, neither side appears willing to step back from the edge, threatening more trouble down the line.”
The European economy may also be slowing, Mr Beauchamp warns. “A four-year low in eurozone manufacturing confidence highlights the fact that producers see a bumpy road ahead, with US-EU trade talks remaining a major question-mark for exporters.”
Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Results
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Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
