It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Thursday, November 04, 2021
Beirut port blast investigator forced to suspend probe for third time
The Lebanese judge leading investigations into last year's Beirut port blast was forced to stop work Thursday over a lawsuit filed by an ex-minister he had summoned for interrogation.
Tarek Bitar was informed of a "lawsuit submitted by former public works minister Youssef Fenianos... which forced him to pause the probe until a ruling is issued", a court official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
It is the third time that Bitar has had to suspend his probe in the face of lawsuits filed by former ministers suspected of negligence over the August 2020 explosion.
The total number of lawsuits filed against Bitar now stands at 15, according to judicial sources.
The latest comes amid a campaign led by the powerful Shiite movement Hezbollah demanding Bitar's replacement over allegations of "bias" that have been widely dismissed by rights groups and families of blast victims.
The Shiite group's representatives in government have said they will boycott cabinet meetings until it takes a clear stand on demands to replace Bitar.
The cabinet, as a result, has failed to hold a single session in three weeks.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Thursday condemned attempts to force his government to intervene in judicial affairs, in a thinly veiled criticism of Hezbollah.
"We have tried as much as possible to keep the Beirut blast probe under the purview of the judiciary and we have rejected any kind of (political) interference," Mikati told a news conference.
Human rights groups and victims' relatives fear the repeated suspensions are a prelude to Bitar's removal, which would further derail the official inquiry into Lebanon's worst peace-time tragedy.
Bitar's predecessor, Fadi Sawan, was forced to suspend his probe for the same reason before he was finally removed in February, in a move widely condemned as political interference.
(AFP)
Europe rights body pulls pro-hijab campaign after French outcry
The pan European rights body the Council of Europe has pulled a campaign promoting diversity among women and their freedom to wear the Muslim headscarf after it sparked an outcry in fiercely secular France. European Affairs Editor Catherine Nicholson tells us more.
Text by: Catherine BENNETT Four French porn actors have been charged with rape in what’s being called the French porn industry’s #MeToo moment. Feminist organisations are calling for “the end of impunity” in the sector.
Over the course of a year-long police investigation, 53 women have come forward to recount their experiences of abuse on porn sets in France. They have described a culture of sexual violence in the industry, including being drugged and forced to carry out humiliating and degrading acts. Thirty women have filed a formal complaint with police.
Now, for the first time in France, four male porn actors – one of whom is primarily a cameraman – have been charged with rape. Three of the men who were charged on October 29 are currently in detention pending trial, while the other man remains under legal supervision.
“These are women who weren’t believed, by the police but also by their colleagues,” explained Marjolaine Vignola, a Paris-based lawyer representing two of the victims, in an interview with FRANCE 24. “Particularly because some of them had contracts – contracts that had questionable legality, and sometimes were even totally legally void. But in the world of pornography, as soon as someone has a contract, people aren’t going to dig deeper or check if it’s valid or not.”
It’s the latest development in an investigation into the French amateur porn website ‘French Bukkake’ that began in March 2020. Four people were charged last October with aggravated pimping and human trafficking, including the porn director, actor and producer who set up the French Bukkake website and who goes by the pseudonym of ‘Pascal OP’. Pascal OP is notorious in the porn industry for his violent, gonzo-style of pornography. Both he and another porn producer with the pseudonym ‘Mat Hadix’ are now in prison.
‘If you’re in your bedroom or a porn film, the law is the same’
French daily Le Parisien reported how even the men who have been charged found it difficult to rewatch the pornographic videos in the courtroom. One actor was asked to rewatch a scene in which he violently forced an actress to fellate him, and a judge asked him how he would describe the scene. He replied, “In this case, I’m guilty, I don’t have an excuse. From what you’ve told me, it’s rape, because the girl’s consent isn’t …” before bursting into tears.
“It’s a good thing that actors are being charged as well,” said Vignola. “If you have a woman in front of you who is crying and you carry on having anal sex with her – whether you’re in your bedroom or acting in a porn film, the law is the same. Consent has to be constantly reiterated during a sexual act.” ‘A vast pimping network’
Mouvement du Nid is an organisation that campaigns against prostitution and supports women who are or have been sex workers. In a press release, the organisation said that the investigation has “laid bare how the criminal porn industry is organised: a vast network of pimping and human trafficking, subjecting women to prostitution, rape and acts of torture”.
A spokesperson for the organisation, Sandrine Goldschmidt, told FRANCE 24, “This is a very important case because it shows that impunity [in the industry] can be challenged, it’s not a foregone conclusion.”
A parallel investigation was opened into the French porn website ‘Jacquie et Michel’ in July 2020. That investigation was launched after the three feminist organisations Osez le féminisme, les Effronté-es and Mouvement du Nid reported a video by the French media Konbini to the police, in which two women revealed the abuse they received when filming porn videos for 'Jacquie et Michel'.
In response to the accusations, in November 2020, 'Jacquie et Michel' and the French porn giant Marc Dorcel said they would draw up an ethical charter for the porn industry in France. The guidelines were published in April 2021 after months of consultations with people working in the industry.
But the charter has been slammed by feminist organisations as “phony”. The French journalist Robin D’Angelo, who spent a year undercover investigating the amateur porn sector, told France Inter that “these charters are just a marketing gimmick, opportunistic if not downright cynical”.
For the lawyer Marjolaine Vignola, simply bringing out a charter “isn’t a response to accusations of pimping, gang rape and human trafficking. A charter can’t change a whole system. It’s an attempt to try and redeem themselves".
The French porn industry is not the only one under scrutiny. In the United States, the porn actor Ron Jeremy was indicted with 30 charges of rape or sexual assault against 21 women in August and is currently in jail awaiting trial.
The AP Interview: Justice Dept. conducting cyber crackdown
By ERIC TUCKER Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco speaks to The Associated Press during an interview at the Department of Justice in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. Monaco told the AP that the public should expect to see more arrests and law enforcement action as the Justice Department deals with the threat of ransomware. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department is stepping up actions to combat ransomware and cybercrime through arrests and other actions, its No. 2 official told The Associated Press, as the Biden administration escalates its response to what it regards as an urgent economic and national security threat.
Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said that “in the days and weeks to come, you’re going to see more arrests,” more seizures of ransom payments to hackers and additional law enforcement operations.
“If you come for us, we’re going to come for you,” Monaco said in an interview with the AP this week. She declined to offer specifics about who in particular might face prosecution.
The actions are intended to build off steps taken in recent months, including the recent extradition to the U.S. of a suspected Russian cybercriminal and the seizure in June of $2.3 million in cryptocurrency paid to hackers. They come as the U.S. continues to endure what Monaco called a “steady drumbeat” of attacks despite President Joe Biden’s admonitions last summer to Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin after a spate of lucrative attacks linked to Russia-based hacking gangs.
“We have not seen a material change in the landscape. Only time will tell as to what Russia may do on this front,” Monaco said.
But Monaco added: “We are not going to stop. We’re going to continue to press forward to hold accountable those who seek to go after our industries, to hold our data hostage and threaten national security, economic security and personal security.”
Another official, National Cyber Director Chris Inglis, painted a rosier picture, telling lawmakers Wednesday that the U.S. had seen a “discernible decrease” in attacks emanating from Russia but that it was too soon to say why.
Monaco is a longtime fixture in Washington law enforcement, having served as chief of staff at the FBI to then-Director Robert Mueller and as head of the Justice Department’s national security division. She was a White House official in 2014 when the Justice Department brought a first-of-its-kind indictment against Chinese government hackers.
Monaco’s current position, with oversight of the FBI and other Justice Department components, has made her a key player in U.S. government efforts against ransomware. That fight has defied easy solutions given the sheer volume of high-dollar attacks and the ease with which hackers have penetrated private companies and government agencies alike. How much lasting impact the latest government response will have is also unclear.
Though not a new phenomenon, ransomware attacks — in which hackers lock up and encrypt data and demand often-exorbitant sums to release it to victims — have exploded in the last year with breaches affecting vital infrastructure and global corporations.
Colonial Pipeline, which supplies roughly half the fuel consumed on the East Coast, paid more than $4 million after a May attack that led it to halt operations, though the Justice Department clawed the majority of it back after identifying the virtual currency wallet of the culprits, known as DarkSide. The public should expect to see more such seizures, Monaco said.
JBS, the world’s largest meat processor, said in June that it had paid $11 million following a hack by a Russian group known as REvil, which weeks later carried out a massive ransomware attack that snarled businesses around the world.
The splashy attacks elevated ransomware as an urgent national security priority while the administration scrambled to stem the onslaught.
Inside the Justice Department, officials in April formed a ransomware task force of prosecutors and agents, and they’ve directed U.S. attorney offices to report ransomware cases to Washington just as they would terrorism attacks.
It has also tried prosecutions, extraditing from South Korea last month an accused Russian hacker, Vladimir Dunaev, who prosecutors say participated in a cyber gang whose malicious software — known as “Trickbot” — infected millions of computers.
“You’re going to see more actions like you saw last week in the days and weeks to come,” Monaco said.
Still, holding foreign hackers accountable in the U.S. is notoriously difficult, and ransomware gangs are abundant. Even if recent attacks haven’t generated the same publicity as the ones last spring, Monaco said there’s been no discernible change in behavior by opportunistic hackers still targeting a range of industries with attacks that threaten to paralyze crucial business operations — or force multimillion-dollar payouts.
Monaco said she’s sympathetic to the hard decisions companies must make, in part because she’s had experience confronting criminals’ monetary demands.
As homeland security and counterterrorism adviser in the Obama administration, she helped craft new policy on Americans held hostage overseas. The policy reiterated that ransom payments for hostages were discouraged and illegal, but also made clear that prosecutors didn’t plan to criminally charge families who made such payments.
“What it reflects, and frankly what the whole endeavor reflected, was a sense on Lisa’s part that this was an area where you needed an extraordinary balance between policy and humanity,” said Joshua Geltzer, the Biden administrator’s deputy homeland security adviser who worked with Monaco in the Obama White House.
The U.S. government has publicly discouraged ransomware payments but Monaco — who during the Obama administration faced criticism from hostage families about the government’s response to their plight — says the administration is trying to listen to and work with victimized companies.
Officials have shown no interest in prosecuting companies that pay ransom to hackers, though Monaco did announce last month that the department was prepared to sue federal contractors who fail to disclose that they’ve been hacked or who fail to meet cybersecurity standards.
“We have experienced where companies do not pay the attention they need to on this front,” Monaco said.
Ransomware attacks have flourished even as the federal government grapples with more old-fashioned, albeit sophisticated, cyber espionage. The Justice Department was among the agencies hit hard by the SolarWinds breach, in which Russian government hackers exploited a supply chain vulnerability to gain access to the networks of federal departments and private companies.
US authorities have offered a bounty for the identification of the leaders of ransomware gang DarkSide OLIVIER DOULIERY AFP/File
Washington (AFP) – The United States announced a $10 million reward Thursday for help finding leaders of the high-profile ransomware gang DarkSide, authorities' latest try at combating spiking cyber-extortion attacks.
Washington blamed the Russia-based group for the online assault that forced the shutdown of the largest oil pipeline in the eastern United States in May.
Cyber-extortion heists involve breaking into a company or institution's network to encrypt its data, then demanding a ransom, typically paid via cryptocurrency in exchange for the digital key to unlock it.
"In offering this reward, the United States demonstrates its commitment to protecting ransomware victims around the world from exploitation by cyber criminals," said a US State Department statement.
Washington also offered a $5 million bounty for information leading to the arrest or conviction in any country of anyone who tries to join in an attack with DarkSide.
Despite the temptation potentially provoked by the sums, not all cyber-security experts were convinced the rewards would be effective in unmasking hackers.
"Absent a bounty hunter willing to travel to their jurisdiction, put their unconscious body in a bag and dumping it at the nearest US embassy, I doubt this will have much of an impact," said John Bambenek at Netenrich, an IT and security operations company.
"To be fair, it certainly won't hurt either," he added.
Cyber crimes have been booming, with new data out in October showing $590 million in ransomware-related payments were reported to US authorities in the first half of 2021 alone.
The figure is also 42 percent higher than the amount divulged by financial institutions for all of 2020, the US Treasury report said, and there are strong indicators the true cost is likely in the billions.
Companies and institutions face intense pressure to pay up in order to get their data unlocked, but also to keep the attack from potentially angry clients and authorities who issue stern warnings not to give cash to criminals.
US to cover costs for journalists under legal pressure
US Agency for International Development Administrator Samantha Power said the United States will cover the costs incurred by journalists abroad who face frivolous lawsuits meant to silence them
Jim WATSON AFP
USAID HAS BEEN A CONDUIT FOR THE CIA IN THE PAST
Issued on: 04/11/2021 -
Washington (AFP) – The United States will devote funding to help journalists overseas survive frivolous lawsuits meant to silence them, USAID chief Samantha Power announced Thursday.
In a wide-ranging speech, the US Agency for International Development administrator also promised to increase sharply how much American aid is channelled to local groups, vowing to make such assistance more inclusive and effective.
Power, herself a former reporter, said that President Joe Biden's administration was setting up a "global defamation defense fund" for journalists as part of his democracy promotion agenda.
"We will offer the coverage to survive defamation claims or deter autocrats and oligarchs from trying to sue them out of business in the first place," she said at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service.
Power said her talks with international journalists showed that autocratic regimes were increasingly using the "crude but effective tactic" of filing lawsuits to bankrupt news outlets and kill stories they do not like.
"As autocrats grow savvier in their attempts to control and manipulate people, we need to help support a free and fair global press to hold leaders to account," she said.
She did not outline how the fund would work or whether it would support journalists in countries allied with the United States.
Biden plans next month to hold a summit to back democracy, seeking to show a sharp change from his predecessor Donald Trump who embraced autocratic leaders and persistently denounced the role of independent media.
Critics will likely point to Washington's continued to extradite from Britain the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who considers himself a journalist and faces the rest of his life in prison for the leak of classified US documents.
Honduras presidential candidate arrested on murder, drug-trafficking charges
Issued on: 04/11/2021 -
Presidential candidate Santos Rodriguez is escorted by Honduran authorities following his arrest over money laundering
Handout AGENCIA TECNICA DE INVESTIGACION CRIMINAL de Honduras/AFP
Tegucigalpa (AFP) – Honduran authorities on Thursday arrested presidential candidate Santos Rodriguez over accusations of money laundering related to drug-trafficking and homicide, including the murder of a DEA informant.
His arrest comes less than a month ahead of presidential elections in which the main candidates all face accusations of either corruption or drug trafficking.
Outgoing President Juan Orlando Hernandez has himself been accused of drug-trafficking, while his brother Tony Hernandez was in March sentenced to life in prison in New York for the same crime.
Rodriguez, a retired army captain, was not among the favorites for the November 28 election.
According to the public ministry he is wanted for "money laundering."
A protected witness also claimed that when Rodriguez carried out operations in his army role and found money or drugs, he "did not declare them in their entirety, keeping part of what was seized and the confiscated weapons were taken to a criminal group."
"According to witnesses he is also involved in the death of many people including an informant" for the US Drug Enforcement Agency, said the ministry.
The public prosecutor's office said that Rodriguez is accused of organizing the delivery of drugs that had been stolen from other criminal organizations, adding that the money for illicit operations was brought to his wife and mother-in-law, both of whom have been arrested.
The public ministry said analysis of the detainees' bank accounts showed activity that was "inconsistent" with their declared earnings.
Already in 2016, the US Embassy in the Honduras capital Tegucigalpa said Rodriguez was "under investigation for alleged links to drug-trafficking and corruption."
The favorites in the presidential election are Tegucigalpa Mayor Nasry Asfura from the governing National Party, and leftist Xiomara Castro, the wife of former president Manuel Zelaya.
Having already served two terms as president, Hernandez cannot run for office again.
He insists the accusations against him and his brother are "false" and are retaliation by drug lords his government helped extradite to the United States.
Racism, misogyny claims made in report on NBA Suns owner
Issued on: 04/11/2021 -
Phoenix Suns team owner Robert Sarver faced allegations of racism and misogyny in an ESPN story released Thursday on the network's website, claims Sarver denied last week and to ESPN through his lawyers
Christian Petersen GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File
Los Angeles (AFP) – Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver faced allegations of racism and misogyny on Thursday after an ESPN report detailed claims of a toxic and hostile workplace during his 17-year tenure.
Sarver issued a pre-emptive denial of the allegations last month, saying the then-unpublished story was based upon "lies, innuendo, and a false narrative" designed to "attack our organization."
The story, released on ESPN's website, stemmed from interviews with more than 70 current and former Suns employees, most of them not identified, who said Sarver repeatedly used racially insensitive language and detailed conduct seen as misogynistic and inappropriate.
"The level of misogyny and racism is beyond the pale," an unidentified Suns co-owner told ESPN about Sarver. "It's embarrassing as an owner."
Sarver supposedly used a racial insult in a conversation with a Black coach, talked about sex with his wife as he showed a photo of her in a bikini and asking a woman if he "owned" her when inquiring if she worked for the Suns.
ESPN said Sarver, through attorneys, denied using the racial slur more than once, declaring, "The N-word has never been a part of my vocabulary."
The report said Sarver's conduct contributed to a workplace culture that impacted how other managers treated employees.
Suns general manager James Jones and team president Jason Rowley defended Sarver to ESPN, Rowley saying the story was "completely outrageous and false" and Sarver "is not a racist and he's not a sexist."
NBA spokesman Mike Bass told ESPN the league has not "received a complaint of misconduct at the Suns organization" while NBA players union executive director Michele Roberts told ESPN she was unaware of any reports from players regarding misconduct by the Suns.
ESPN quoted an unidentified business department employee as saying, "If the commissioner comes in and investigates (he) would be appalled."
Multiple Suns staffers recalled Sarver using racist language in conversations, ESPN reported, also quoting Sarver as saying, "I don't like diversity" when it came to the organization.
Proven allegations of racist behavior or use of racist language could have serious implications for any NBA team owner.
In 2014, then Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling was fined $2.5 million and banned for life from the NBA after being recorded using racist language. The league later forced the sale of the team to new owners.
Sarver, 59, bought the Suns in 2004 for $401 million. The franchise is now worth an estimated $1.55 billion.
The Suns reached last season's NBA Finals, where they lost to the Milwaukee Bucks, but one unnamed current executive told ESPN that despite the on-court success "the culture is lower than it has ever been."
Grieving families of killed Sudanese protesters demand justice
A Sudanese protester writes "leave" in Arabic next to a painting of General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, amid ongoing demonstrations against a military coup (AFP/-)More
Thu, November 4, 2021
Young labourer Gamal Shazly first joined Sudan's street protests demanding full democracy almost three years ago, but in the end his desire for freedom cost him his life.
Shazly, 20, was among the more than one dozen demonstrators killed by security forces in violence that has shaken the capital since a military coup early last week.
"How could they confront peaceful protesters with weapons?" asked his bereaved father Abdelnasser Shazly about the death of his youngest son. "He was just calling for civilian rule."
Speaking at his home in southern Khartoum, the grieving father said that "when I went to the morgue to see him, I couldn't recognise him at first. His left eye was bulging out of his face.
"He was hit by three bullets, which seemed to have been fired at close range," he said, describing two gunshot wounds to the head and one to the stomach.
One side of his son's body appeared to have been mangled by a heavy vehicle, the father said.
Despite his young age, Shazly was already a veteran of the unprecedented, nationwide mass rallies that in April 2019 brought down Sudan's long-time president Omar al-Bashir.
Shazly had earned the nickname "Jawaya", or "airforce", since he had manned a protest roadblock near the building of that wing of the armed forces at Khartoum military headquarters in 2019.
- Fears of 'escalation' -
Those protests led Sudan's generals to topple and jail Bashir, and set the Northeast African country on a fragile transition period under a joint civilian-military government.
Tensions however simmered in the country, deepened by economic crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic.
They exploded on October 25 when the de facto leader, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, ousted the civilian leadership.
Burhan, who had risen through the ranks under Bashir's three-decade rule, insisted that it "was not a coup" but simply a move "to rectify the transition".
Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok was detained and then placed under house arrest, sparking international condemnation and outrage on the streets, where security forces once more confronted protesters.
The Central Committee for Sudanese Doctors, an independent union of medics, said security forces fired tear gas canisters and rubber-coated bullets, but also live rounds.
Amnesty International has said that security forces used "lethal force" and voiced fears about a looming "escalation in human rights violations". - 'Persecution and repression' -
Sudan has a long history of military coups, enjoying only rare interludes of democratic rule since winning independence in 1956.
The end of the Bashir era brought hope for many who had suffered under his autocratic reign, marked by decades of bloody internal conflict, international isolation, mismanagement and economic hardship.
"I have long lived under military regimes ... which are all about persecution and repression," said Abdelsalam Anwar -- another father who lost a son to the most recent crackdowns.
He recounted how 21-year-old Mohamed Anwar -- another participant of the anti-Bashir protests, nicknamed "Mido" -- was severely wounded in a demonstration on the day of the putsch.
The young man was among protesters who manned makeshift barricades and set car tyres ablaze in Khartoum-North, the capital's twin city, according to his brother, Osama.
Security forces then "fired tear gas" and targeted protesters, he said.
"They starting shooting heavily, and I was too scared to go out," Osama said.
"By the time it stopped, they told me my brother was shot and taken to the hospital."
- 'We're tired' -
The young man was treated for severe wounds close to his heart, and to the side of his body. He succumbed to his injuries two days later, his family said.
His sister Dalia said that, amid Sudan's years of turmoil, Mohamed had "still held onto hopes for this country, and that's why he joined the protests".
Despite the violence and cuts to internet and phone lines, anti-coup protesters have still rallied, with tens of thousands turning out last Saturday. Small rallies continued on Thursday.
Sudan's interior ministry has lambasted reports that protesters were killed as "inaccurate", and denied that security forces fired live rounds.
Local and international actors have sought to mediate between the civilians and the military.
Abdelsalam Anwar said he only wants justice for his son, and an end to military rule.
"We're tired," he said. "And the people will not stay still. It's a repressive regime in all respects. I don't want my son's blood to have been wasted."
bur/fz/pjm
DIWALI Indians celebrate festival of light amid COVID-19 fears
People light lamps on the banks of the river Saryu in Ayodhya, India, Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021. Millions of people across Asia are celebrating the Hindu festival of Diwali, which symbolizes new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. The celebrations were especially spectacular in Ayodhya city in northern Uttar Pradesh state, where over 900,000 earthen lamps were lit at the banks of the Saryu River as desk fell Wednesday. Hindus believe the city is the birthplace of god Ram. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
NEW DELHI (AP) — Indians across the country began celebrating Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, on Thursday amid concerns over the coronavirus pandemic and rising air pollution.
Diwali is typically celebrated by socializing and exchanging gifts with family and friends. Many light oil lamps or candles to symbolize a victory of light over darkness, and fireworks are set off as part of the celebrations.
Last year, celebrations in India were upended by a renewed spike in COVID-19 infections, but festivities this year seem to be back. Even though the government has asked people to avoid large gatherings, markets have been buzzing ahead of Diwali, with eager crowds buying flowers, lanterns and candles.
As dusk fell on Wednesday, over 900,000 earthen lamps were lit and kept burning for 45 minutes in the northern city of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh state, retaining the Guinness World Record it set last year. As part of the Diwali celebrations, the city last year lit 606,569 oil lamps.
Firecrackers light up the sky over lamps lined on the banks of the river Saryu in Ayodhya, India, Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021. Over 900,000 earthen lamps were lit and were kept burning for 45 minutes as the north Indian city of Ayodhya retained its Guinness World Record for lighting oil lamps as part of the Diwali celebration – the Hindu festival of lights. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
The lamps were lit at Ram ki Pauri, at the banks of Saryu River, a stunning spectacle for thousands of visitors who thronged its shores while ignoring coronavirus social distancing norms. A laser and fireworks show followed, illuminating the city’s lanes and river banks. Thousands of city residents also lit lamps at their houses and temples.
The festival is being celebrated at a time when India’s pandemic crisis has largely subsided.
On Thursday, the country recorded over 12,000 new coronavirus cases and 461 deaths, a far cry from earlier this year when India buckled under a few hundred thousand new infections every day. Overall, it has recorded more than 35 million infections and over 459,000 deaths, according to the Health Ministry. These figures, as elsewhere, are likely undercounts.
Even states where infections were swelling a few weeks ago, such as Kerala along the tropical Malabar Coast, have seen a sustained decline. India also celebrated administering its billionth COVID-19 vaccine dose last month, further boosting confidence that life is returning to normal.
Still, experts have warned that the festival season could bring a renewed spike in infections if COVID-19 health measures aren’t enforced.
There are also worries over air pollution, which typically shrouds northern India under a toxic grey smog at this time as temperatures dip and winter settles in.
On Diwali night, people also lit up the sky with firecrackers — their smoke causing pollution that takes days to clear.
While there is no nationwide ban on bursting firecrackers, a number of states have imposed restrictions to stem the pollution, with some allowing their residents to light green crackers for a certain number of hours. Green crackers produce lesser emissions than normal firecrackers. In the past, similar bans have often been flouted.
___
Associated Press writer Biswajeet Banerjee in Lucknow, India, contributed to this report.
In photos: Diwali marked in Asia with celebrations, prayers
Nov 05 2021.
Millions of people across Asia are celebrating the Hindu festival of Diwali, which symbolises new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness.
The festival is celebrated mainly in India, but Hindus across the world, particularly in other parts of Asia, also gather with family members and friends to socialize, visit temples and decorate houses with small oil lamps made from clay. The festival is also marked by raucous parties and fireworks displays, often throughout the night.
Like every year, India has been lit up in a dazzling display of lights and colours. Brightly coloured rangoli designs are drawn at the entrances of homes and offices, which are decked in fairy lights.
The celebrations were especially spectacular in Ayodhya city in northern Uttar Pradesh state, where over 900,000 earthen lamps were lit on the banks of the Saryu River as desk fell Wednesday. Hindus believe the city is the birthplace of the god Ram.
NIRANJAN SHRESTHA/AP
A Nepalese woman puts marigold petals on a police dog during Tihar festival celebrations at a kennel division in Kathmandu, Nepal. The festival is marked as Tihar, also known as Deepawali, in Nepal. On Wednesday, devotees celebrated dogs that are regarded as the guardian of the Hindu death god Yama.
A girl lights firecrackers as she celebrates Diwali, the festival of lights, in Hyderabad, India.
In eastern Ahmedabad city in Gujarat state, devotees worshipped their account books as the festival also marks the start of the new Hindu financial year.
The day was marked as Tihar, also known as Deepawali, in neighboring Nepal. There, the five-day celebrations began Tuesday and people thronged markets and shopped for marigold flowers, which hold huge cultural significance during the festival. On Wednesday, devotees celebrated dogs that are regarded as the guardian of the Hindu death god Yama.
VINCENT THIAN/AP
Hindu devotees climb the coloured stairs to pray at the Batu Caves temple during the
Hindu festival of lights, Diwali, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
In Malaysia, Hindu devotees prayed at temples and lit clay oil lamps. Some climbed the coloured stairs to pray at the Batu Caves temple just north of Kuala Lumpur to pay homage to their deity, Lord Muruga.
People also celebrated with friends and families in Indonesia, Japan and Taiwan.
Diwali marks Hindu god Ram’s return to his kingdom after 14 years in exile. Hindus believe that during Diwali the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi, will visit their homes if they are illuminated and decorated.
ALTAF QADRI/AP
A woman and her daughter make a rangoli, a traditional decoration, at the entrance
to their home during Diwali celebrations in New Delhi, India.
The Diwali festival is also observed among Jains, Sikhs and Buddhists. While each religion marks the festival with different historical events and legends, they all represent the victory of good over evil.
ERANGA JAYAWARDENA/AP
An ethnic Tamil woman prays holding a tray of oil lamps during Diwali in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
BINSAR BAKKARA/AP
Devotees pray during Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, at the Sri Mariamman Temple
in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia.
BIKAS DAS/AP
A roadside vendor displays garlands of marigold flowers, popularly used as offering
to Hindu deities, during Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, in Kolkata, India.
RAJESH KUMAR SINGH/AP
People light lamps on the banks of the river Saryu in Ayodhya, India.
FAREED KHAN/AP
Hindu women attend a ceremony at a temple in Karachi, Pakistan.
MAHESH KUMAR A/AP
Children play with firecrackers during Diwali celebrations in Hyderabad, India.
CHIANG YING-YING/AP
An artist applies henna on the hand or a woman in Taipei, Taiwan.
VINCENT THIAN/AP
Hindu devotees light clay oil lamps in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
KIN CHEUNG/AP
Hindu devotees pray at a temple in Hong Kong.
VINCENT THIAN/AP
A Indian man prays with lit coconut as an offering outside a temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
SAKCHAI LALIT/AP
A devotee prepares fruits and flower offerings to Hindu Goddess Lakshmi in Bangkok, Thailand.
NIRANJAN SHRESTHA/AP
A Nepalese woman picks marigold flowers to make garlands to sell for the upcoming
Tihar festival on the outskirts of Kathmandu, Nepal.
HIRO KOMAE/AP
Pathik Bhalodiya, 4, gets help from his mother Shital, members of an Indian family living in Japan.
ALTAF QADRI/AP
Children play with firecrackers during Diwali celebrations in New Delhi, India,
Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021. Diwali, the festival of lights, is one of Hinduism's most
important festivals dedicated to the worship of Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess
of wealth. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
ALTAF QADRI/AP
People watch a firecracker light up during Diwali celebrations in New Delhi, India.
AJIT SOLANKI/AP
Traders perform rituals during Chopada Pujan, or a mass prayer ceremony
dedicated to the worship of account books, at the Swaminarayan Gurukul in Ahmedabad, India.
UK unveils Mahatma Gandhi commemorative collectors coin
Indian independence movement leader, Mahatma Gandhi, has been featured for the first time on an official UK coin, launched on the same day as Hindus celebrate Diwali.
Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi outside 10 Downing Street in 1931
The UK unveiled a special 5-pound ($6.80; €5.90) collectors coin to celebrate the life of Indian independence movement leader Mahatma Gandhi on Thursday, the same day as the Indian festival of Diwali.
Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, announced the launch of the commemorative coin, saying he was proud to have unveiled the coin on the festive occasion.
"As a practicing Hindu, I am proud to unveil this coin during Diwali," Sunak said.
"Mahatma Gandhi was instrumental in the movement for Indian independence and it is fantastic to have a UK coin commemorating his remarkable life for the first time," Sunak added.
Indians typically exchange gifts, which include gold metal and coins, during the festive week of Diwali.
Gandhi appears on UK coin for the first time
The commemorative coin features an image of India's national flower, the lotus, and is part of the Royal Mint's wider Diwali collection. There's also a famous quote from Gandhi on the coin: "My life is my message."
It is the first time Gandhi has been commemorated on an official UK coin. It will be available in both gold and silver.
Though the coin is legal tender, it is not being designed for general circulation. It will be on sale from Thursday, along with gold bars, including the first gold bar of the UK depicting Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth.
Sunak commissioned a new "Diversity Built Britain" 50-penny coin last year as part of a campaign to fairly represent the minority community's contributions across all walks of life.
rm/rt (Reuters, AP)
Norway's largest pension fund divests from 14 arms firms
KLP has stopped investing in companies with ties to nuclear and regular arms production. It's not the first time the fund has made such a move on humanitarian grounds.
Raytheon, one of the firms behind the Patriot missile launcher, is among the firms that KLP has divested from
Norway's largest pension fund said on Thursday that it has divested from 14 nuclear and regular arms-producing companies.
Oslo-based KLP said it made the decision after reviewing its ethical criteria on weapons.
"This will primarily mean companies that produce certain types of weapons which, by their nature, violate fundamental humanitarian principles,'' the fund said in a statement.
"The criterion applies mainly to nuclear weapons and cluster munitions, as well as anti-personnel mines," it said in a statement.
KLP is also divesting from UK-based Babcock International, China Shipbuilding Industry, Dassault Aviation, Elbit Systems, General Dynamics, KBR, L3Harris Technologies, Larsen & Toubro, Leidos Holdings, Leidos Inc and Leonardo.
Two of the companies — Elbit Systems and Leonardo — have already been excluded by KLP for other reasons.
The exclusions mean that KLP has sold shares worth just over 1 billion Norwegian crowns ($117.50 million, €101.8 million) and debt securities in the form of bonds worth about 200 million crowns, the company said.
What are KLP's new grounds for divestment?
KLP has expanded its ethical exclusion criteria to include makers of key components used for nuclear and regular arms and providers of key support services.
"Companies do not need to produce the actual weapons components themselves," Kiran Aziz, KLP's head of responsible investment, told news agency Reuters.
"We are now taking a slightly more stringent line with producers of aircraft and vessels that have been developed, produced or adapted to launch nuclear weapons."
KLP said that Rolls Royce produces components for a number of vessels capable of launching nuclear weapons. Its ethical guidelines said "production of such delivery platforms constitutes grounds for exclusion."
The fund said Raytheon Technologies Corp. develops missiles that can carry nuclear warheads and called it the world's largest producer of guided missiles. Raytheon had previously been excluded from KLP investment because it produces components for nuclear weapons and cluster munitions but was added back last year.
Thales develops and produces components for nuclear missiles. It also produces delivery platforms exclusively intended for such weapons, KLP said.
What is KLP?
KLP manages more than 300 billion kroner for municipal employees in Norway.
This is not the first time that KLP has taken steps to divest on ethical grounds. Earlier this year, the fund divested from 16 companies that operated in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
The firms appeared on a UN list of 112 companies that it said were complicit in violating the human rights of Palestinians by operating in the West Bank.
The August 4, 2020, blast at the Beirut port killed more than 200 people, injured thousands and destroyed swathes of the Lebanese capital. © Dylan Collins, AFP/File
