MSF chief: Afghan maternity ward closure 'painful and heart-breaking'
The decision to close a maternity ward in Afghanistan after a militant attack that killed 24 people, including mothers, children and babies, last month has been “painful and heartbreaking’” said the director-general of humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
Speaking to The National on Wednesday following the announcement of the ward’s closure, Thierry Allafort-Duverger said the decision was taken to protect its staff, patients and health workers as they see the hospital at high risk of a repeat attack.
On May 12, 24 women, children and babies – including one midwife – were killed when gunmen entered the Dasht-e-Barchi hospital in western Kabul and opened fire. Three of the 16 mothers killed were shot in the delivery room, along with their unborn babies.
Despite accusations of blame, it is not yet clear who carried out the attack because no group has claimed responsibility.
“Mothers, babies and health workers were deliberately targeted by unknown assailants with a systematic intent to kill ... Higher perimeter walls or thicker security doors won’t prevent patients and health workers from being brutally killed again,” Mr Allafort-Duverger said.
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Daily Update
John Bolton’s new book: former national security advisor has explosive claims about President Donald Trump
Donald Trump pleaded with China's leader Xi Jinping for help to be re-elected and promised Turkey's president that he would intervene in a US judicial case against a major Turkish state lender, a new book claims.
The US president is also alleged to have called former Republican president George W Bush “stupid”. He and other White House officials also laugh about the president behind his back.
These are some of the explosive claims in a coming book by Mr Trump's former national security adviser, John Bolton.
Excerpts of the book, The Room Where it Happened, a White House Memoir, were published on Wednesday in US newspapers including The Washington Post, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.
Mr Trump met the Chinese premier at a summit last June in Japan.
Mr Bolton writes that he "stunningly turned the conversation to the US presidential election, alluding to China's economic capability to affect the ongoing campaigns, pleading with Xi to ensure he'd win".
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Eggstra steady hands
Black Iraqis say George Floyd's death sheds light on their own centuries-long plight
The death of George Floyd during his arrest in the US city of Minneapolis last month has shed light on the plight of another community: Black Iraqis.
They say racial discrimination against them is on par with the racism experienced by African Americans, sometimes even surpassing it, as they not only face a lack of recognition, but also economic, political and social atrocities.
Many of them are descendants of African slaves brought to Iraq and have lived in the southern city of Basra for centuries.
They want recognition as a minority group whose rights should be protected, but some told The National that their demands have been ignored by the Iraqi government.
Many say they are unfairly represented and want to prohibit being called “slaves”, especially as the burdens of their ancestors continue to haunt them.
The killing of Mr Floyd has put the global spotlight on racism, one that Black Iraqis say has been brushed off by authorities.
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Hell hath no fury: Italian police arrest 20 suspected Mafiosi on tip-off from angry ex-wives
A special task force of 150 Italian police has swooped in on Rome’s notorious Casamonica criminal clan, arresting 20 alleged members and confiscating €20 (Dh82.5m) million in assets after two embittered ex-wives gave information to authorities.
The clan, which operates on the outskirts of the capital and in hill towns near it, is famed for its lavish lifestyle and bling: gold taps and baths and gilded furniture described as Scarface-chic.
In dawn raids on Thursday, officers with drones arrested 20 alleged mob members and found large sums of cash, gold watches, guns and jewellery.
Police sequestered several properties, including villas, a petrol station and a bar, with property amounting to €20m, believed to be funded by revenue from extortion, loan sharking and racketeering.
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Beyond the Headlines
Cold War chill: Europe faces threat from Russian nukes, says Nato head
Russia is acting in a “dangerous and destabilising” manner by developing nuclear-tipped missiles that could threaten European cities, the head of Nato has said.
Countries across the continent are now taking strong defensive measures by arming themselves with the latest anti-missile systems.
But the alliance does not want to enter into another nuclear arms race with Moscow, said Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato Secretary General. "We have also seen a pattern over many years of irresponsible Russian nuclear rhetoric aimed at intimidating and threatening Nato allies," he said. "Russia's behaviour is destabilising and dangerous."
Defence ministers across the 30 member countries raised the issue of Russia’s growing nuclear missile arsenal and its implication for Nato’s security.
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Prime Minister in fender bender
Britain has ’failed’ its citizens in Iranian prisons
Iran has been encouraged to step up its campaign of hostage-taking because of the “weak and ineffective” attempts by the UK to have its citizens released, the MP for Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has claimed.
In a damning indictment of efforts to help British passport holders detained in Iran, Tulip Siddiq called for an overhaul of the “failed approach” of diplomats working to release Britons held on trumped-up charges.
The UK’s ambassador to Iran told Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s family that more Britons were unfairly held than any other Western nation, according to Ms Siddiq. Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s campaign is aware of about 10 Britons who were held at the start of 2020.
Those known to be held include Anoosheh Ashoori, 66, a British-Iranian engineer jailed for 10 years for spying on Iran, and British resident Aras Amiri, who works for the British Council, which promotes education and cultural programmes.
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