A senior Syrian intelligence officer under investigation for war crimes was spirited from France to Vienna by the Israeli secret service Mossad after it struck a clandestine deal with its Austrian counterpart, according to media reports.
Leaked documents obtained by the Austrian daily Kurier suggest that Khaled Al Halabi was smuggled into Austria in a hire car after his asylum claim in France ran into trouble because of suspicions he was linked to the torture of protesters.
Brig Gen Halabi was based in Raqqa from 2009 to 2013 and is accused of involvement in the torture and shooting of demonstrators.
Civilian investigators say he is the most senior suspected war criminal in Europe whose unit was responsible for “abhorrent crimes”, including sexual offences.
He claims to have fled to Europe via Turkey after Raqqa fell to rebel fighters in 2013, and denies any role in human rights abuses. Last year in a French television interview, he said: “In all my life, I never hurt anyone.”
Documents uncovered by Kurier suggest that Operation White Milk, the plan to bring him to Austria, was conceived after a meeting in 2015 between senior officials from the country's main spy agency BVT and Mossad.
The Kurier reported that the Israelis described Mr Halabi as clean and as someone who could have a role to play in the future of Syria.
The operation to whisk Mr Halabi from France sparked a political furore in Austria after he was given fast-track asylum. He was also reportedly given a cover story that he left France by train because he felt threatened by Syrians in exile.
The far-right party FPO demanded a full explanation from the government and claimed the state had acted “as a smuggler for a wanted war criminal”.
The Kurier said it has thousands of emails and documents related to the case, which is currently being examined by the judiciary. The newspaper claims that he was given thousands of euros in public money.
The documents suggest that, by 2016, the authorities were aware that Mr Halabi was wanted for alleged war crimes after a meeting with representatives of the Commission for International Justice and Accountability (Cija), an NGO that has collected thousands of documents from Syria to prosecute war criminals.
The Cija unit said it amassed evidence including documents and statements from insiders who worked with Mr Halabi in Raqqa. The group was alerted in late 2015 and found out where he was in Vienna in early 2016 before alerting Austria’s Ministry of Justice.
It said it provided further evidence to the authorities before Austrian authorities raided the home of Mr Halabi in 2018. He was not there but Austrians a month ago believed they knew where he was, according to Nerma Jelacic, a director of Cija.
Cija has previously provided evidence for the trial in Koblenz, Germany, of former colonel Anwar Raslan, who is accused of involvement in the murders of 58 protesters and the torture of about 4,000 people in a Damascus detention centre in 2011.
The controversy surrounding Mr Halabi follows a series of intelligence failures surrounding the terrorist murder of four people in Vienna this month. The killer was released early from a prison sentence for terrorism and the authorities failed to take action after being alerted to meetings he had with other extremists.
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SPECS
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Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
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The Way It Was: My Life with Frank Sinatra by Eliot Weisman and Jennifer Valoppi
Hachette Books
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
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Sarfira
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HEADLINE HERE
- I would recommend writing out the text in the body
- And then copy into this box
- It can be as long as you link
- But I recommend you use the bullet point function (see red square)
- Or try to keep the word count down
- Be wary of other embeds lengthy fact boxes could crash into
- That's about it
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
Batti Gul Meter Chalu
Producers: KRTI Productions, T-Series
Director: Sree Narayan Singh
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Divyenndu Sharma, Yami Gautam
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The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Quick facts on cancer
- Cancer is the second-leading cause of death worldwide, after cardiovascular diseases
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- By 2040, global cancer cases are on track to reach 30 million
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- This rate is expected to increase to 75 per cent by 2030
- At least one third of common cancers are preventable
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strategies
- The total annual economic cost of cancer is $1.16 trillion
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Transmission: 10-speed auto
Power: 300hp
Torque: 420Nm
Price: Dh189,900
On sale: now
Aston martin DBX specs
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 542bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Top speed: 291kph
Price: Dh848,000
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Brief scores
Day 1
Toss England, chose to bat
England, 1st innings 357-5 (87 overs): Root 184 not out, Moeen 61 not out, Stokes 56; Philander 3-46
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Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
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Max touring range: 620km / 590km
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June 10: Crusaders 3 Lions 12
June 13: Highlanders 23 Lions 22
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June 20: Chiefs 6 Lions 34
June 24: New Zealand 30 Lions 15
June 27: Hurricanes 31 Lions 31
July 1: New Zealand 21 Lions 24
July 8: New Zealand v Lions
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Toss: Rajputs, elected to field first
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pakistan Test squad
Azhar Ali (capt), Shan Masood, Abid Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Fawad Alam, Haris Sohail, Imran Khan, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Abbas, Yasir Shah, Usman Shinwari
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Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
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England v South Africa schedule
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- Second Test: July 14-18, Trent Bridge, Nottingham, 2pm
- Third Test: The Oval, London, July 27-31, 2pm
- Fourth Test: Old Trafford, Manchester, August 4-8
The lowdown
Badla
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Produced by: Red Chillies, Azure Entertainment
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Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule
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