December 6, 2023

Nepal has arrested a gang that it accuses of smuggling people to be forced to join the Russian military campaign in Ukraine. The 10 detainees are accused of extorting large sums of money from unemployed youths, with the promise of a travel visa, an official said on Wednesday. However, the customers were then coerced into illegal recruitment into the Russian army. end of list Earlier this week, the government in Kathmandu urged Moscow to stop the use of Nepali mercenaries and send any men serving back home. That move followed the death of six Nepali citizens on the front line in Ukraine, with another captured by Kyiv’s forces. Kathmandu district police chief Bhupendra Khatri said the 10 suspects were arrested over the past few days following tip-offs. “We are discussing with the government lawyers about the case and will produce them to the court,” Khatri told Reuters news agency. He did not say when they would appear in court. Khatri said the detainees illegally charged each person up to $9,000 and sent them to Russia on “visit [tourist] visas”, mainly through the United Arab Emirates. They were then recruited into the Russian army. “It is a case of human smuggling … organised crime,” Khatri added. The detainees could not be immediately reached for comment. Situated between China and India, Nepal has requested compensation from Russia, currently involved in a prolonged war since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, for the families of Nepali citizens who lost their lives. Nepali soldiers, renowned for their courage and combat prowess, known as Gurkhas, have served in the British and Indian armies since India gained independence in 1947 through a trilateral agreement. However, there is no such agreement with Russia. A large number of Nepalis seek employment abroad to make a living, and remittances play an important role in Nepal’s economy. These remittances accounted for nearly a quarter of the gross domestic product (GDP) last year, ranking as the ninth-highest globally, according to the World Bank. Russia has sought various sources for soldiers to post to Ukraine as its invasion extends. A mobilisation drive launched last year has added more than 300,000 soldiers to the cause, while the Wagner mercenary group recruited thousands of convicts. Last week, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree boosting the size of the Russian army by 15 percent, although the Kremlin said it would not seek to fill the quota with a draft by offering generous benefits to recruits. Source:https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/12/6/nepal-detains-10-over-allegations-they-sent-citizens-to-russian-army

Palestinian foreign ministry demands halt to planned Al-Aqsa march The Palestinian Authority‘s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is calling for international pressure to halt a planned Thursday march by far-right Israeli activists on Al-Aqsa Mosque. Israeli police have approved the protest for Thursday. Activists are expected to march through Jerusalem’s Muslim quarter before reaching the holy site, Israeli news site Haaretz reported. They are demanding full Israeli control of the Temple Mount, seeking to revoke the Islamic Waqf’s rights to administer Al-Aqsa. After four days, two girls recovered alive from under rubble in central Gaza Two young sisters have been rescued from under the rubble of a poultry hatchery that was targeted by Israeli tank shelling four days ago. Dozens of displaced people were staying at the hatchery in the central town of Deir el-Balah after they were forced to flee their homes in northern Gaza. “I woke up and felt something hurt, so I raised my hands and found a wall above me, and from the many pains, I went back to sleep,” Maria Abu Safi said, adding that there were about 72 adults and 62 children sheltering in the hatchery. She heard her younger sister Lana screaming in pain, her feet stuck under a pile of boxes and stones. “We stayed four days under the rubble, with no food or drink,” Maria said. “I was trying to get out, but there were many stones above us.” Click here to share on social media Israel, Hezbollah attack each other’s posts near border Hezbollah claims to have directly hit a “radar site” in northern Israel, Anadolu news agency reports. The claim comes as Israel’s military says it is repeatedly shelling Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon and responding to rocket attacks near the border. Click ‘Losing my mind’: Israeli army stripped two Gaza brothers, released only one Linah Alsaafin Maram Humaid Two brothers were walking with their family along the so-called “safe passage” that Israeli forces told Palestinians in northern Gaza and Gaza City to take to flee south. But a short distance from Wadi Gaza, they found dozens of Israeli army tanks flanking the Salah al-Din Road — Gaza’s main highway — with some snipers standing on top. The soldiers ordered the brothers to walk towards the soldiers and forced them to strip to their underwear. One was released, but the fate of the other remains unknown. Khader al-Saeedi shows a photo on his phone of his brother Mohammed, who was kidnapped by Israeli soldiers last October [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera] Click here to share on social media Japan PM tells Netanyahu civilian casualties should be minimised Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held a phone call with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu earlier in the day. “Prime Minster Kishida stated continued growth in the number of civilian casualties should be avoided, and that it is important to calm the situation swiftly, minimize civilian casualties and observe international law including international humanitarian law,” a Japanese foreign ministry announcement said. In response, Netanyahu set out Israel’s position on the military operation in Gaza, the announcement said, without elaborating. WATCH: How does Israel compare with failed states? Israel has been in a state of near-perpetual war for decades, receiving billions of dollars annually in aid and weapons. It has also consistently broken international law by expanding its occupation and settlements. But for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, it is “the only democracy in the Middle East” – a view often repeated by supporters. Critics, however, say Israel is a political entity that can only survive with repression, the denial of rights and violence. Gaza on the agenda as Putin heads to UAE, Saudi Arabia Russian President Vladimir Putin has begun his rare trip to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia where he is expected to discuss the war in Gaza, among others. Al Jazeera’s diplomatic editor James Bays says Putin and the Gulf leaders he is meeting share a similar stance on the war and want a permanent ceasefire. “It is interesting when they talk about the US’s role and the US abandoning the Palestinians and going around the Palestinians, actually that was done [by] the UAE … that’s one of the countries that signed the Abraham Accords with Israel. So I think there are possibly some differences there,” Bays noted. “Russia has certainly taken a much tougher line with Israel since the start of this war than it has ever done in the past. It always had pretty good, cordial relations both with the Palestinians and the Israelis, we even saw a Hamas delegation going to Moscow. Despite that, though, Russia is still saying it wants to be involved in any solution to the conflict,” he added. Click here to share on social media How Israel is squeezing 1.8 million Palestinians into al-Mawasi The Israeli military is asking Palestinians in Gaza to evacuate to a section of the southern town of al-Mawasi – the only area it has clearly designated as a “safe” zone. But can the area actually accommodate the more than 1.8 million Palestinians while it carries out its bombardments of southern Gaza, especially around the city of Khan Younis? Here is all you need to know about al-Mawasi and Israel’s latest evacuation order. Click here to share on social media Sirens sound in Eilat, Israel intercepts missile over Red Sea The Israeli military says it has intercepted a surface-to-surface missile over the Red Sea. It added the missile did not cross into Israeli territory and did not pose a threat to civilians. Air raid sirens sounded across Eilat, a city on the southeastern tip of Israel by the border with Jordan, but Israeli forces said this was standard procedure. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Yemen’s Houthi rebels have, on several occasions, fired missiles and drones towards the coastal city after the start of the war. Click here to share on social media Israel’s original plan was to ‘level’ the entire Gaza Strip: Report After the Hamas attacks on October 7, Israel’s initial planned response