Middle east

This gruesome event changed everything. The grisly beheading of an American journalist by a British jihadist plumbed new depths of depravity in the Middle East mayhem. It also sends a frightening threat of revenge to those who take up arms against Islamic State terrorists in Iraq and Syria. British support for US air strikes against the ­insurgents increases the risk of terror attacks here at home. The stakes are rising at a dizzying pace. It’s a pity that events had to take such a macabre turn for David Cameron to realise that his place was in Downing Street, not on a beach in Cornwall. And a scandal that he could only take a break of less than 24 hours before he was strapping on his sandals again. He’s playing the warrior-premier rather than dealing with this unfolding crisis. The situation requires a strategy. The Government hasn’t got one. We’ve been here before. Tony Blair’s ill-fated invasion of Iraq in 2003 led directly to the 7/7 atrocity … [Read more...] about David Cameron sunbathes while the Middle East burns as politicians remain criminally casual about crisis

Nine days before the Paris attacks, Islamic State leaders gathered in the Syrian town of Tabqah to talk about what was coming next for the terror organisation. Senior officials from across the so-called caliphate had made difficult journeys under constant fear of airstrikes to the small town west of Raqqa. In what marked a critical phase in the group’s evolution, there was to be a new focus on exporting chaos to Europe, the assembled men were told. And up to 200 militants were in place across the continent ready to receive orders. Details of the meeting have been relayed to the Guardian by two Isis members who are familiar with what was discussed. Both said the mood in Tabqah that evening in early November was triumphant. Senior leaders said they were turning their focus to European capitals, and had dispatched foreign fighters back to their homelands to prepare attack plans. And wait. The move marked a decisive shift away from putting all the organisation’s efforts into … [Read more...] about How Isis laid out its plans to export chaos to Europe

Two British human rights activists have "disappeared'"in Qatar while investigating the treatment of the country's migrant workforce. The Global Network for Rights and Development (GNRD), which employs the men, has not heard from them for more than four days and fears that they may have been detained. Krishna Upadhyaya, 52, and Ghimire Gundev, 36, arrived in Qatar on 27 August to research a forthcoming report on the working and living conditions of Nepalese migrant workers in the Gulf emirate. Qatar's treatment of its migrant workers has drawn widespread criticism from human rights groups as it prepares to host the 2022 World Cup. On the evening of Saturday August 30, Upadhyaya sent an urgent text to a friend in Norway saying, "I am being followed by the police here. Looks like they will give me troubles now." Evgenia Kondrakhina, chief executive of GNRD, a human rights and development organisation based in Norway, said that despite repeated attempts to contact the Qatari authorities, … [Read more...] about British human rights activists feared detained by police in Qatar

Relatives of the two British human rights researchers who are believed to have been detained in Qatar have questioned the right of the Gulf emirate to host the 2022 World Cup. "If Qatar wants to organise the World Cup, it should respect the human rights of people. If they don't want to respect human rights, they should not hold these events," said Yuvraj Ghimire, the younger brother of one of the men, Krishna Upadhyaya. "In my opinion they have been detained because they were working for the rights of labourers in Qatar. We have seen the situation of the people who work there; almost every day a Nepali dies. The Qatar government does not want this disclosed." Krishna Upadhyaya and Ghimire Gundev went missing on Sunday 31 August as they prepared to leave their hotel in Doha and fly home, but they never boarded the plane. The men, who are British citizens of Nepalese extraction, were visiting Qatar to investigate the treatment of Nepalese migrant workers. Shyam Ghimire, the older brother … [Read more...] about Qatar should not hold World Cup, say relatives of missing human rights workers

Krishna Upadhyaya and Gundev Ghimire, the two British human rights researchers detained in Qatar for almost nine days, have reportedly been released from custody, but have not yet left the country. "I received a call from Krishna at about 1am [UK time]. He said he had just been released," Upadhyaya's wife, Sarita Poudyal, told the Guardian. "He sounded very happy. He was completely unaware of all the work they had been done to release him. He told me he would be leaving Qatar in two days." Ghimire's wife, Bandana Koirala, said she had communicated with her husband on Facebook. He confirmed he had been released and asked her to convey the message to all his friends and family. "I can't explain how I feel right now," said Koirala. "It's been a very difficult situation for all the family. Now that I know he has been released I feel able to wait a few more days until he comes home." Upadhyaya and Ghimire went missing in Qatar on 31 August. After almost a week without any official statement … [Read more...] about UK human rights researchers held in Qatar freed