South Korea authorities deploy choppers, troops to battle wildfire

South Korea authorities deploy choppers, troops to battle wildfire
A Korea Forest Service helicopter is used to help extinguish a forest fire near its ignition point in Uiseong, Gyeongbuk on March 23, 2025. (Yonhap/AFP)
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Updated 24 March 2025
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South Korea authorities deploy choppers, troops to battle wildfire

South Korea authorities deploy choppers, troops to battle wildfire
  • Four people have been killed so far, with officials warning that high winds and rising temperatures were hindering efforts to put out the blazes
  • The government declared a state of emergency in the affected regions, citing ‘the extensive damage caused by simultaneous wildfires across the country’

SEOUL: South Korean authorities said Monday they would deploy dozens of helicopters and thousands of firefighters and soldiers as they struggle to control multiple wildfires in the southeast, which have been burning for days.
Four people have been killed so far, with officials warning that high winds and rising temperatures were hindering efforts to put out the blazes.
In Uiseong, nearly 7,000 hectares (17,000 acres) of land has been affected and around 600 people evacuated, Lim Sang-seop, head of the Korea Forest Service, told a press briefing.
“A total of 57 wildfire fighting helicopters are to be deployed to extinguish the fire,” he said, adding that more than 2,600 firefighting personnel – including soldiers – would be mobilized “to respond with all their might.”
The fire had been partly contained but was still burning as of Monday afternoon.
The forest agency has issued “severe” fire warnings, its highest level, in multiple locations, including North and South Gyeongsang provinces, Busan and Daejeon.
A major wildfire claimed four lives over the weekend in Sancheong county, in South Gyeongsang province, about 250 kilometers (155 miles) southeast of Seoul.
That fire was also partly contained by Monday – but still burning.
The government declared a state of emergency in the affected regions, citing “the extensive damage caused by simultaneous wildfires across the country.”
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who was reinstated as acting president earlier Monday, visited the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, urging authorities to work together “until the wildfires are completely extinguished.”
“It is a truly heartbreaking incident,” he said, adding that he would meet people affected by the fires later Monday.
The leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, Lee Jae-myung, urged authorities to “mobilize all means at their disposal to quickly and safely suppress the fires” and take further measures to prevent any additional wildfires.
Some types of extreme weather have a well-established link with climate change, such as heatwaves or heavy rainfall.
Other phenomena such as forest fires, droughts, snowstorms and tropical storms can result from a combination of complex factors.


UK announces £1m fund to help track anti-Muslim hate crimes

UK announces £1m fund to help track anti-Muslim hate crimes
Updated 5 sec ago
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UK announces £1m fund to help track anti-Muslim hate crimes

UK announces £1m fund to help track anti-Muslim hate crimes
  • Money available to organizations that will monitor incidents of Islamophobic hate
  • Religious hate crimes have risen to record levels since the Gaza war started

LONDON: The UK government on Wednesday announced £1 million in annual funding for a new service to monitor incidents of anti-Muslim hate and help victims.

The Combatting Hatred Against Muslims Fund will help counter Islamophobia and ensure Muslim communities feel safe, the government said.

The announcement comes as Muslims in Britain face a record number of Islamophobic incidents this year, according to police figures.

Last month it emerged that the UK was withdrawing funding for the Islamophobia reporting service Tell Mama. A report in the Byline Times last year said the organization had heavily underreported anti-Muslim hate crimes.

The new fund will be open from next week to applications from a single organization or a group of organizations working together to deliver an accurate record of hate incidents across England.

“Putting an end to the shocking rise of targeted attacks against Muslims requires a thorough understanding of the nature and scale of the hatred our Muslim communities face,” Lord Khan, the faith minister said. “That’s why we’re taking a crucial step forward this week to open this fund, seek new ideas and solutions, and tackle this hatred head on.”

Religious hate crimes have risen sharply in the UK since the Gaza war started in October 2023.

Last year, almost two in five of all religious hate crimes in England and Wales targeted Muslims, police figures showed, a 13 percent increase on the previous year.

The recipient of the grant will monitor and report Islamophobic incidents, raise awareness of hate crime, encourage victims to report incidents, and facilitate support for victims.

Up to £650,000 will be available in the 2025/26 financial year, and up to £1 million in the following years, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said.

Earlier this year, the UK set up a working group to provide the government with a working definition of anti-Muslim hatred and Islamophobia.


Trump tells Cabinet, others that Musk will leave soon, Politico reports

Trump tells Cabinet, others that Musk will leave soon, Politico reports
Updated 35 min 18 sec ago
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Trump tells Cabinet, others that Musk will leave soon, Politico reports

Trump tells Cabinet, others that Musk will leave soon, Politico reports
  • Trump has tasked the Tesla and SpaceX CEO to lead efforts to cut government funding
  • Shares of Tesla rebounded Wednesday following Politico's report

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has told members of his Cabinet and other close contacts that his billionaire ally Elon Musk will soon step back from his government role, Politico reported on Wednesday, citing three people close to Trump.
Trump has tasked the Tesla and SpaceX CEO to lead efforts to cut government funding and dismantle various US agencies as a special government employee.
Politico reported that both Trump and Musk decided in recent days that Musk will soon return to his businesses.
Representatives for the White House and the Musk-led task force could not be immediately reached to confirm the report.

Meanwhile, shares of Tesla rebounded Wednesday following the report Musk would soon retreat from his work for Trump’s administration, a role that has weighed on his electric car brand.
Shares jumped 3.8 percent shortly after midday following a Politico report that Musk would soon leave or sharply reduce his work for Trump. Shares had fallen more than six percent earlier Wednesday following weak first-quarter auto sales.


Modi government tables bill to take over centuries-old waqf management from Indian Muslims

Modi government tables bill to take over centuries-old waqf management from Indian Muslims
Updated 40 min 20 sec ago
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Modi government tables bill to take over centuries-old waqf management from Indian Muslims

Modi government tables bill to take over centuries-old waqf management from Indian Muslims
  • India has one of the largest number of waqf assets in the world, valued at around $14.2bn
  • Waqf tradition in India can be traced back to the Delhi Sultanate period in the 13th century 

NEW DELHI: The Indian government tabled on Wednesday a bill in parliament aimed at making sweeping changes to the decades-old Waqf Act, which governs vast tracts of properties run and managed by Muslims in the country. 

With over 200 million Indians professing Islam, Hindu-majority India has the world’s largest Muslim-minority population.

The country has one of the largest numbers of waqf assets in the world, including over 870,000 properties spanning more than 900,000 hectares, with an estimated value of about $14.2 billion. Domestically, only the military and railways control more land. 

In Islamic tradition, a waqf is a charitable or religious donation made by Muslims for the benefit of the community. Properties categorized as waqf, which typically involve mosques, schools, orphanages or hospitals, cannot be sold or used for other purposes.

In India, where the tradition of waqf can be traced back to the Delhi Sultanate period in the early 13th century, such properties are currently managed by about 30 government-established waqf boards, whose members are all Muslims. 

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, proposes more than 40 changes to the 1995 Waqf Act aimed at shifting the management of waqf properties from the boards to state governments, including the inclusion of non-Muslim members. 

“The government is not interfering in any religious practice or institution. There is no provision in this to interfere in the management of any mosque. This is simply an issue of management of a property,” Minister of Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju, who tabled the bill, said during a parliament session on Wednesday. 

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board, which works to safeguard Islamic law in the country, said the bill could weaken waqf properties and their management. 

“I think this bill has been brought with an intention to destroy the waqf board, not to improve it. The new law is very weak and aimed at attacking waqf properties,” board member Malik Mohtasim Khan told Arab News. 

“They want to make a waqf law which is free from the influence of Muslims. I feel that their main aim is to make Muslims a second-class citizen.” 

Indian Muslims have faced increasing discrimination and challenges in the past decade, accompanied by tensions and riots ignited by majoritarian policies of the Hindu right-wing BJP since it rose to power in 2014.

“They want to weaken Muslims’ rights in India,” Khan said. “The existing government has created such an atmosphere that there is no respect for parliamentary values and judicial values are also getting diluted. Today the Muslim community is being pushed to the margins. This is a lived reality.” 

 The bill’s fate will be decided with a vote by the ruling alliance and opposition lawmakers in the lower house, before it moves to the upper house for another debate and voting. If approved by both houses of parliament, it will be sent to President Droupadi Murmu for her assent before becoming law. 

 Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, a New Delhi-based author and political analyst who has focused on Hindu nationalist politics, described the bill as an “unfortunate development,” referring to the way it was prepared without proper consultations with Indian Muslims. 

 “I’m deeply disturbed by the manner in which this government is going about enacting the waqf bill in complete disregard of the sentiment of the Muslim community and their representatives,” he told Arab News. 

 “The only message which this government is repeatedly making — because that is the only thing which is going to continue to keep its electoral support — is that ‘we are tightening the screws on the Muslims; we are forcing them to act as the majority community wants.’”
 


Hungary must arrest Netanyahu during visit, HRW says

Hungary must arrest Netanyahu during visit, HRW says
Updated 02 April 2025
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Hungary must arrest Netanyahu during visit, HRW says

Hungary must arrest Netanyahu during visit, HRW says
  • Israeli leader expected to travel to country today at invitation of PM Viktor Orban
  • Netanyahu is subject of an ICC arrest warrant relating to war crimes in Gaza

LONDON: Hungary must deny entry to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or arrest him during his planned visit to the country today, Human Rights Watch has said.

The appeal came a day after Amnesty International urged Hungary to arrest the Israeli leader, the subject of an International Criminal Court warrant.

Netanyahu is traveling to the EU country at the invitation of Viktor Orban, Hungary’s prime minister.

The ICC’s warrant for his arrest, which was issued on Nov. 21 last year, relates to allegations of crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in the Gaza Strip, including starving civilians, murder and persecution.

HRW has documented a litany of abuses and war crimes carried out by the Israeli military in Gaza.

Liz Evenson, the organization’s international justice director, said: “Orban’s invitation to Netanyahu is an affront to victims of serious crimes.

“Hungary should comply with its legal obligations as a party to the ICC and arrest Netanyahu if he sets foot in the country.”

The EU state is a member country of the ICC, and therefore obligated to secure the arrest of any suspects on its territory.

The ICC lacks a police force or enforcement protocol, and relies on member states to enact its mandate.

Several EU member states have said they will refuse to enforce the arrest warrant against Netanyahu, in what HRW described as “regrettable” decisions.

These include France, Poland, Italy and Germany.

All ICC members must uphold their obligations to the court’s treaty, the Rome Statute, HRW said, urging the EU’s leadership to call on Hungary to arrest Netanyahu.

When the Israeli leader’s arrest warrant was issued, Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto described the decision as “shameful, absurd and unacceptable.”

The country also announced a “review” of its relations with the ICC following US President Donald Trump’s decision to authorize the use of sanctions against the court’s officials in the wake of the Netanyahu warrant.

Evenson said: “Allowing Netanyahu’s visit in breach of Hungary’s ICC obligations would be Orban’s latest assault on the rule of law, adding to the country’s dismal record on rights.

“All ICC member countries need to make clear they expect Hungary to abide by its obligations to the court, and that they will do the same.”


Indian government tables bill to take over centuries-old waqf management from Muslims

Indian government tables bill to take over centuries-old waqf management from Muslims
Updated 45 min 46 sec ago
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Indian government tables bill to take over centuries-old waqf management from Muslims

Indian government tables bill to take over centuries-old waqf management from Muslims
  • India has one of the largest numbers of waqf assets in the world, valued at around $14.2bn
  • Waqf tradition in India can be traced back to the Delhi Sultanate period in the 13th century  

NEW DELHI: The Indian government tabled on Wednesday a bill in parliament aimed at making sweeping changes to the decades-old Waqf Act, which governs vast tracts of properties run and managed by Muslims in the country. 
With over 200 million Indians professing Islam, Hindu-majority India has the world’s largest Muslim-minority population.
The country has one of the largest numbers of waqf assets in the world, including over 870,000 properties spanning more than 900,000 hectares, with an estimated value of about $14.2 billion. Domestically, only the military and railways control more land.  
In Islamic tradition, a waqf is a charitable or religious donation made by Muslims for the benefit of the community. Properties categorized as waqf, which typically involve mosques, schools, orphanages or hospitals, cannot be sold or used for other purposes.
In India, where the tradition of waqf can be traced back to the Delhi Sultanate period in the early 13th century, such properties are currently managed by about 30 government-established waqf boards, whose members are all Muslims.  
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, proposes more than 40 changes to the 1995 Waqf Act aimed at shifting the management of waqf properties from the boards to state governments, including the inclusion of non-Muslim members. 
“The government is not interfering in any religious practice or institution. There is no provision in this to interfere in the management of any mosque. This is simply an issue of management of a property,” Minister of Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju, who tabled the bill, said during a parliament session on Wednesday. 
The All India Muslim Personal Law Board, which works to safeguard Islamic law in the country, said the bill could weaken waqf properties and their management. 
“I think this bill has been brought with an intention to destroy the waqf board, not to improve it. The new law is very weak and aimed at attacking waqf properties,” board member Malik Mohtasim Khan told Arab News. 
“They want to make a waqf law which is free from the influence of Muslims. I feel that their main aim is to make Muslims a second-class citizen.” 
Indian Muslims have faced increasing discrimination and challenges in the past decade, accompanied by tensions and riots ignited by majoritarian policies of the Hindu right-wing BJP since it rose to power in 2014.
“They want to weaken Muslims’ rights in India,” Khan said. “The existing government has created such an atmosphere that there is no respect for parliamentary values and judicial values are also getting diluted. Today the Muslim community is being pushed to the margins. This is a lived reality.” 
 The bill’s fate will be decided with a vote by the ruling alliance and opposition lawmakers in the lower house, before it moves to the upper house for another debate and voting. If approved by both houses of parliament, it will be sent to President Droupadi Murmu for her assent before becoming law. 
 Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, a New Delhi-based author and political analyst who has focused on Hindu nationalist politics, described the bill as an “unfortunate development,” referring to the way it was prepared without proper consultations with Indian Muslims.   
 “I’m deeply disturbed by the manner in which this government is going about enacting the waqf bill in complete disregard of the sentiment of the Muslim community and their representatives,” he told Arab News. 
 “The only message which this government is repeatedly making — because that is the only thing which is going to continue to keep its electoral support — is that ‘we are tightening the screws on the Muslims; we are forcing them to act as the majority community wants.’”