King Charles regrets on British colonial brutality In Kenya

By Joseph Muia, NAIROBI Kenya

King Charles III has acknowledged the painful past and especially the pain inflicted on Kenyans in the struggle for freedom more than 60 years ago. 

Speaking during a dinner at State House in Nairobi on Tuesday, the King said he is seeking to better understand Kenya's painful past and will interact with communities affected. 

“It is the intimacy of our shared history that has brought our people together. However, we must also acknowledge the most painful times of our long and complex relationship. The wrongdoings of the past are a cause of the greatest sorrow and the deepest regret,” he said.

"In coming back to Kenya, It matters greatly to me that I should deepen my own understanding of these wrongs and that I meet some of those whose lives and communities were grievously affected.”

King Charles also highlighted the atrocities meted on Kenyans especially the Mau Mau terming it ‘abhorrent and unjustifiable’ saying that the two nations should strive to live past the painful history.

“There were abhorrent and unjustifiable acts of violence committed against Kenyans as they waged a painful struggle for independence and sovereignty,” he noted.

“None of these can change the past but by addressing our history with honesty and openness. We can perhaps demonstrate the strength of our friendship today. And in so doing we can I hope continue to build a bond for the years ahead.”

The King's remarks followed similar calls by Kenyans to apologise for the colonial brutality.

President William Ruto had also asked the King to address the issue further asking the two nations to put the past behind in order to achieve a better future relationship.

"We cannot live as prisoners of the past. Neither can we go far into the future if we turn our backs on historical actions and omissions whose legacies encumber our present,” he stated.

“While there have been efforts to atone for the death, injury and suffering inflicted on Kenyan Africans by the colonial government, much remains to be done in order to achieve full reparations,” President Ruto noted.

UK High Commissioner Neil Wigan, speaking on Citizen TV’s JKLive show last week remained coy on whether the King will actually offer a personal apology for the brutality meted on Kenyans during the period, rather stating that the country had always “expressed regret” over the issue.

Israel envoy wears yellow star at UN

UNITED NATIONS, New York US

Israel's ambassador to the United Nations displayed a yellow star reminiscent of Holocaust victims on his chest Monday, provocatively pledging to wear the badge until members of the Security Council condemn Hamas 'atrocities.'

Israel's UN envoy wore a yellow star similar to the one Nazis would force Jews to wear

The state has previously called for Secretary General Antonio Guterres to resign after he said last week that the October 7 Hamas attack that killed 1,400 'didn't happen in a vacuum.'  

'Some of you have learned nothing in the past 80 years. Some of you have forgotten why this body was established,' envoy Gilad Erdan said. 

Erdan denounced the Security Council for 'staying silent' over the unprecedented deadly attacks by Hamas Palestinian militants against Israel.

The deeply divided 15-member council has not adopted a single resolution on the three-week-long war between Israel and Hamas.

'So, I will remind you. From this day on, each time you look at me you will remember what staying silent in the face of evil means,' the ambassador said.

'Just like my grandparents, and the grandparents of millions of Jews, from now on my team and I will wear yellow stars,' he said, standing up to affix one on the breast of his suit inscribed with the words 'Never Again,' in reference to the yellow stars Jews were forced to wear by the Nazis.

But Erdan will wear it 'as a symbol of pride,' he said.

'We will wear this star until you wake up and condemn the atrocities of Hamas.'

His wearing of the badge, which has come to symbolise the oppression of Jews since its imposition in Nazi-occupied Europe, was swiftly criticised by Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust memorial, which urged him to wear the Israeli flag instead. 

'This act disgraces the victims of the Holocaust as well as the state of Israel,' Yad Vashem chairman Dani Dayan said in a Hebrew-language post on X, formerly Twitter.

'The yellow star symbolises the helplessness of the Jewish people and their being at the mercy of others. We now have an independent state and a strong army. We are the masters of our own fate. 

'Today we will fasten to our lapel a blue and white flag, not a yellow star.'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called the October 7 attacks the worst against the Jewish people since the Holocaust.

For weeks the Security Council has been riven by divisions over the war and its impact, rejecting four draft resolutions about the conflict.

Jews wearing Star of David badges, Lodz Ghetto, Poland, World War II, 1940-1944

Some texts were blocked by the United States, a close Israel ally, because they did not mention Israel's right to defend itself.

Another presented by the Americans was stymied by Russia and China in particular because it did not clearly call for a ceasefire.

In light of the impasse, the UN General Assembly last Friday adopted by a large majority a nonbinding resolution requesting an 'immediate humanitarian truce,' but not mentioning Hamas.

Israel, through Erdan, blasted the text, saying it will 'go down as infamy.'

During Monday's Security Council meeting, several speakers, while denouncing the Hamas attacks, highlighted the price paid by inhabitants of Gaza, where health officials say more than 8,300 people have been killed in the Hamas-run Palestinian territory.

Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, or UNRWA, said the siege of Gaza amounts to collective punishment of its residents.

It comes as Israeli officials are going back on their promised refusal to grant entry visas to U.N. officials.

Martin Griffiths, the head of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, tweeted Monday that he was in Israel - less than a week after Israel´s U.N. ambassador said it had 'refused' to grant Griffiths a visa.

Israel has called for the UN's Secretary General to resign for saying the Hamas attacks cannot justify the 'collective punishment of the Palestinian people'.

In a major diplomatic row, Israel's UN ambassador said Antonio Guterres was 'not fit' to lead the body after he claimed the 1,400 murders did not happen 'in a vacuum'.

The UN chief made the incendiary comments in a high-level meeting of the 15-member Security Council ahead of an expected ground invasion of Gaza.

'The Palestinian people have been subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation,' said Guterres.

'But the grievances of the Palestinian people cannot justify the appalling attacks by Hamas. And those appalling attacks cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.'

Erdan said the speech was 'shocking' and Mr Guterres was 'completely disconnected from the reality in our region'.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Guterres stood by his remarks.

On Monday, Israel´s ambassador in Geneva, Meirav Eilon Shahar, said, 'We haven´t said categorically that we´re not giving visas. We are ... We understand their need to be there.'

Eilon Shahar confirmed that Griffiths was in Israel, as well as other officials, including Han Kluge, the regional head of the World Health Organization.

But she continued to voice Israel´s frustration that U.N. institution chiefs didn´t speak out more forcefully against Hamas militants for 'butchering civilians and women in such a vicious way.'

'The United Nations has let down the people of Israel,' Eilon Shahar added. 'When I say the United Nations, I´m talking about the multilateral organizations have let down the people of Israel.'

He added: 'The UN Secretary General, who shows understanding for the campaign of mass murder of children, women, and the elderly, is not fit to lead the UN. I call on him to resign immediately. There is no justification or point in talking to those who show compassion for the most terrible atrocities committed against the citizens of Israel and the Jewish people.'

Earlier, Israel's foreign minister said he would no longer meet with Mr Guterres and criticised his call for a ceasefire at the UN security council in New York on Tuesday.

Eli Cohen said: 'Mr. Secretary General, in what world do you live? Definitely this is not our world,' as he held up photos of children kidnapped by Hamas. 'How can you agree to a ceasefire when someone swore to kill and destroy your existence,' he added.

Cohen then thanked President Joe Biden and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken for standing with Israel.

In yesterday's meeting, Israel defied calls for a ceasefire, saying its war on Hamas was a 'war of the free world'.

Blinken and the Palestinian Authority's foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki both appealed for protection of civilians in Gaza.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrive in Kenya

NAIROBI, Kenya

The Royal Air Force carrying King Charles III and Queen Camilla have landed in Nairobi, touching down at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) minutes before 11 pm, Monday.

The arrival comes ahead of a four-day state visit to Kenya which officially begins on Tuesday, October 31.

The visit is aimed at celebrating the warm relationship between the two countries and the strong and dynamic partnership they continue to forge.

The King and Queen will visit Nairobi City County, Mombasa County, and surrounding areas.

Their program will reflect on how Kenya and the United Kingdom are working together to boost mutual prosperity, tackle climate change, promote youth opportunity and employment, advance sustainable development, and create a more stable and secure region.

During the visit, the King and Queen will meet President Ruto and the First Lady as well as other members of the Kenyan Government, UN staff, CEOs, faith leaders, young people, future leaders, and Kenyan Marines training with UK Royal Marines.

The King will also attend an event to celebrate the life and work of the Nobel Laureate the late Professor Wangari Maathai, together with Wangari’s daughter, Wanjira Mathai.

The visit will acknowledge the more painful aspects of the UK and Kenya’s shared history, including the Emergency (1952-1960).

The King will take time during the visit to deepen his understanding of the wrongs suffered in this period by the people of Kenya.

Together, the King and Queen will tour a new museum dedicated to Kenya’s history and will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior at Uhuru Gardens, as well as visit the site of the declaration of Kenya’s independence in 1963.

Colonial abuses hang over King Charles's Kenya visit

By Anne Soy, NAIROBI Kenya

King Charles and his wife Camilla are on a four-day state visit to Kenya, where he will acknowledge "painful aspects" of the UK's colonial past.

More than 10,000 people were killed and others tortured during the brutal suppression of the Mau Mau uprising in the 1950s, one of the British Empire's bloodiest insurgencies. In 2013 Britain expressed regret and paid out £20m ($24m) to more than 5,000 people - but some feel that didn't go far enough.

One of those is 90-year-old Agnes Muthoni.

With a steady stride despite a stoop, she leads us to the grave site at her home in Shamata, central Kenya.

She plucks weeds that have grown next to her husband's grave. Elijah Kinyua died two years ago, aged 93. He was also known as General Bahati, and like his wife was a fighter during the bloody uprising against the British Empire's colonial government in the 1950s.

She held the rank of a major in the Kenya Land and Freedom Army - more commonly known as the Mau Mau.

Ms Muthoni breaks into a radiant smile as she shows us her wedding ring. They only met after the revolt ended and he was released from detention.

"He said if there were women fighters who survived, he would like to marry one of them because she would understand his problems and not call him Mau Mau."

The struggle united them. But even after Kenya gained independence from British colonial rule, the couple continued to live in the shadows - like many former Mau Mau fighters.

The resistance group remained outlawed. It was designated a terrorist organisation by the colonial government and subsequent administrations in independent Kenya did not overturn the ban. "Three Mau Mau members could not meet; it was an offence," says Kenyan lawyer and politician Paul Muite. "It was atrocious."

It was only in 2003 that the law was changed, and members of the Mau Mau were finally recognised as freedom fighters.

But this also meant that post-independence generations knew little of the past.

"So many children and grandchildren had no idea about the roots of the country's suffering that gave birth to independence," says historian Caroline Elkins, who conducted interviews on the topic in the 1990s.

Her observations are echoed on the streets of Nairobi today. Many young people hardly know about the detention and torture of the Mau Mau. They are more concerned about the economy and wonder if King Charles's visit will have any impact.

Ms Muthoni's 36-year-old grandson, Wachira Githui, is one of the few who heard about it first-hand. But he is also at ease with several of the lasting impacts of colonialism on Kenya's social, political and economic life. "I speak English and I'm proud of that," he says, adding that he is a fan of Chelsea football club.

Kenyan social media comes alive when a crucial English Premier League game is on. Fans trade banter for hours on end.

From the streets to offices, the legacy of empire remains unmissable in Nairobi.

A neatly pressed black gown and white neck bands hang behind Paul Muite's desk in his office in the Kilimani neighbourhood. He dons a wig as well when appearing in court. Much of the British legal, governance and educational structures were inherited not only in Kenya but across much of the former empire.

But knowledge of many aspects of the "more painful past" which the King is expected to acknowledge was seldom passed down through the generations, and remains hidden from the public.

Mr Muite is calling for a commission of inquiry to be set up by both the Kenyan and UK governments to go to every part of Kenya and document the colonial period in detail. He was part of the legal team that took a test case to British courts in 2009, which ended with an out-of-court settlement four years later.

The British government expressed regret and paid the compensation to Mau Mau veterans.

But Mr Muite says only those fighters still alive who could be examined by doctors and confirmed as torture victims received payments. Those who provided services and maintained supply lines for fighters, as well as Kenyans outside the centre of the country who fought against colonialism, were not included, he says.

Among them are members of the Talai clan, who have recently renewed their calls for the British government to return the skull of their leader Koitalel arap Samoei. He led the Nandi community's resistance to colonial settlement, disrupting the plans to occupy the highlands of the Rift Valley for over a decade. Eventually, he was lured to a peace meeting where he was killed in 1905.

Mr Muite argues that recognising "those who were killed, those who provided services including meals to Mau Mau fighters and those who were raped, and giving them a bit of compensation" would help bring closure.

Historian Caroline Elkins says the anticipated announcement by the monarch will be "an extraordinary moment" but adds that the right thing would be to "insist upon proper investigations, done by the government, to change history books, to change museums in Britain and to provide funding in Kenya to establish its own museums and cultural artefacts".

She says the atrocities committed during the state of emergency - declared by the colonial government in October 1952 in response to the Mau Mau revolt - were done in the monarch's name. Queen Elizabeth II acceded to the throne just eight months earlier while on a visit to central Kenya where the rebellion had been brewing.

"It was Her Majesty the Queen whose picture hung in detention camps, [and] as they were being tortured and forced to labour, they had to sing God Save the Queen."

The Mau Mau attacks could be brutal, and would often occur at night. Images of six-year-old Michael Ruck - hacked to death along with his parents and a farmhand - and his bloodied teddy bears, were published in newspapers abroad, and drew no sympathy for the fighters.

The colonial government used its air power and ground forces that included many Kenyans - known as the home guards - to mount a brutal crackdown on the Mau Mau.

Ms Elkins estimates that as many as 320,000 people were interned in detention or concentration camps. Prisoners were reportedly castrated, flogged to death, and even set on fire.

More than 1,000 were executed by hanging during the emergency period. The total death toll is estimated to be in the thousands. Historians have described the operations to crush the revolt as the bloodiest post-war conflict the UK was involved in last century.

"There were no houses for us to live in," says veteran Agnes Muthoni of the conditions in the forest during the emergency. "There were hyenas, hunger and rain."

She now lives in a blue-roofed house made of corrugated iron sheets and timber which overlooks the undulating green ranges of the Aberdare mountain range.

The vast fertile land stretching across central Kenya to the Rift Valley was once known as the "White Highlands". Almost all of it was exclusively owned by settler farmers. Local people, like Ms Muthoni, were pushed to the fringes to pave the way for European farmers to occupy the best land.

After independence much of it went to the home guards, as the Mau Mau continued to be considered a terrorist organisation.

But Ms Muthoni is ready to let go of the past. "We are not bitter in our hearts because the past is gone," she says.

"Human beings forgive each other and continue living together, but I would like to be given land."

Israel Prime Minister rejects calls for cease-fire

By Patrick Kingsley, JERUSALEM Israel

Striking a defiant tone at a rare news briefing on Monday evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel ruled out a cease-fire in Gaza, dismissed calls for his resignation and rejected criticism of Israel’s strikes on civilian homes.

The IDF claimed several militants in the Gaza Strip were killed in Israeli raids of tunnels and civilian buildings

Mr. Netanyahu’s political opponents have called for him to resign over his failure to stop the attacks of Oct. 7, when terrorists from Gaza raided Israel and killed more than 1,400 people.

Abroad, the conduct of the Israeli counterattack on Gaza — which has killed more than 8,000 people, according to the Hamas-run Gazan health ministry — has generated widespread outcry, with humanitarian groups and the United Nations General Assembly calling for a cease-fire.

Speaking to reporters in Tel Aviv, Mr. Netanyahu said that Israel would not agree to a halt in attacks because, he argued, it would strengthen Hamas, the group that controls Gaza and led the attacks earlier this month.

“Just as the United States would not agree to a cease-fire after the bombing of Pearl Harbor or after the terrorist attack of 9/11, Israel will not agree to a cessation of hostilities with Hamas after the horrific attacks of Oct. 7,” Mr. Netanyahu said, adding that “calls for a cease-fire are calls for Israel to surrender to Hamas, to surrender to terrorism.”

He then dismissed accusations that Israel is collectively punishing more than two million Gazans for the crimes of Hamas. Israel has cut off electricity, fuel and most food and water supplies to Gaza, and its airstrikes have killed more than 3,000 children, according to the Gazan health ministry.

On Sunday, António Guterres, the U.N. secretary general, said the number of civilians killed in Gaza was “totally unacceptable” and that “all parties must respect their obligations under international humanitarian law.”

But Mr. Netanyahu said Israel was doing what it could to save civilian lives. He cited Israel’s warning civilians to move to southern Gaza, where there are fewer Israeli strikes.

“We’re going out of our way to prevent civilian casualties,” Mr. Netanyahu said.

Israel said it hit 600 targets in 24 hours, one of the most intense periods of bombing to date, and that a missing woman soldier was rescued from Hamas inside Gaza.

The release of Private Ori Megidish was “secured during a ground operation” inside Gaza the army said, adding she was in Israel, reunited with family and was “doing well.”

Netanyahu has vowed the war will “eliminate” Hamas, ensuring no possible repeat of the group’s attacks.
Israel has also promised to free the hostages taken by Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups on October 7.

Israel’s campaign has flattened thousands of buildings and Gaza’s 2.4 million residents are under near continuous bombardment, with little access to water, food, fuel and other essentials.

The United Nations has repeatedly called for a humanitarian truce in the violence, which the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza claims has killed more than 8,000 people, many of them children.

On Monday, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA said the limited number of aid trucks entering the besieged territory were insufficient to meet the “unprecedented humanitarian needs” there.

“Nearly 70 percent of those reported killed are children and women,” said Philippe Lazzarini, who heads UNRWA. “This cannot be ‘collateral damage.’“

Rizk Abu Rok, a 24-year-old paramedic with the Palestinian Red Crescent, told AFP that transporting those killed and wounded had become a daily routine.

But a recent strike on the Rio Cafe in Khan Yunis added his father and several other relatives to the growing toll.

“I found them all, one after the other,” he said.

Israel has accused Hamas of using hospitals as military headquarters and using civilians as “human shields.”

But even Israel’s staunchest allies have voiced concern about the dire humanitarian situation inside the territory.

In Washington, the White House has ruled out a permanent ceasefire — fearing it would only give Hamas time to restock and regroup.

But National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said “pauses” to allow aid into Gaza should be considered.

Limited aid has entered Gaza from Egypt under a US-brokered deal, but its volume has fallen far short of the hundreds of trucks a day aid agencies say are needed.

Israel said it is inspecting cargo to make sure weapons are not being smuggled in, and is monitoring to guarantee supplies are not seized by Hamas.

More than three weeks on, Israelis are still trying to comprehend the events of October 7.

Still little is known about the fate of the 230-plus hostages — aged between a few months and over 80 years old — who are believed to be held in a network of Hamas tunnels under Gaza.

Hamas recently released a video of what it claimed were three women hostages, seated against a tile wall.

The time and place of the recording could not be verified, but one of the women called for Israel to agree to Hamas’ demand to exchange the hostages for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

Netanyahu in a statement decried the clip as “cruel psychological propaganda.”

And even as Israel continues to be struck by daily rocket attacks from Gaza and Lebanon, Israelis have yet to account for all their missing and dead. - Agencies

Messi wins eighth Ballon d'Or as Bonmati claims women's award

PARIS, France

Lionel Messi won the eighth Ballon d'Or of his remarkable career at a glittering ceremony in Paris on Monday, while Spain's World Cup-winning star Aitana Bonmati took the women's prize.

For Messi, the trophy rewards, above all else, his inspirational performances at last year's World Cup in Qatar, when he dragged Argentina to victory, scoring seven goals and being named the tournament's best player.

It was the crowning moment of his astonishing career, and it allowed him to see off stiff competition, in particular from Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe, to take the award on the stage of the Chatelet Theatre in Paris.

It was a return to the French capital after his departure from Paris Saint-Germain in June and his subsequent move to Inter Miami in Major League Soccer.

"This is a gift to the whole Argentina team for what we achieved," said Messi on stage after receiving his award from David Beckham, the co-owner of Inter Miami.

Messi dedicated the trophy to late Argentina legend Diego Maradona, who would have celebrated his 63rd birthday on Monday.

"Happy birthday Diego. This is for you too," he said.

Messi benefits from a recent change which means the award is based on a player's record over the last season, rather than over the calendar year.

Messi won despite an underwhelming final season at PSG, even if he was a Ligue 1 title winner.

Mbappe was the star player in that team, scoring 41 goals, and was also the World Cup's top scorer with eight goals, including a hat-trick in the final which France lost to Argentina on penalties.

Yet he fell just short for the Ballon d'Or, finishing third, while Norway striker Haaland came second after scoring 52 goals in 53 games for the Manchester City team that won the treble of English Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League.

Messi is 36 and won his first Ballon d'Or in 2009. With eight, he is now three ahead of his old rival Cristiano Ronaldo, the next most decorated player in the history of the award.

It remains to be seen if Messi will again feature in the running for the prize, which is voted for by one journalist in each of the top 100 nations in the Fifa ranking.

Messi will struggle to hold off the next wave of superstars, led by Mbappe, Haaland and Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham, but his World Cup performances made his victory this time feel inevitable.

The women's prize seemed even more clear cut, as Bonmati was rewarded for starring as Spain won the World Cup in Australia in August.

The 25-year-old midfielder was named the best player at the World Cup as the Spanish team overcame off-field turbulence, including protests against their national federation and coach Jorge Vilda, to lift the trophy.

Bonmati also starred as Barcelona won the Champions League last season and was recently named as the Uefa Women's Player of the Year.

"It is difficult to improve on this. It has been a unique year," she told various media including AFP.

"If anyone said to me when I was little that I would play at the Camp Nou, win the World Cup, two Champions Leagues, a Ballon d'Or, a Uefa award, these are extraordinary things."

She was one of four members of the triumphant Spain team to feature among the 30 nominees, with Alba Redondo, Salma Paralluelo and full-back Olga Carmona, who netted the winner in the final, all shortlisted.

Last year's Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas, also part of that Spain side, was not nominated after missing almost all of last season with a knee injury.

Australia's Sam Kerr came second with Paralluelo in third place.

Putellas had won the Ballon d'Or in each of the previous two campaigns. Norway's Ada Hegerberg won the inaugural award in 2018 and USA star Megan Rapinoe succeeded her a year later.

Bellingham won the Kopa Trophy for the best player of last season aged under 21.

The 20-year-old has started his Madrid career with 13 goals in 13 games, although the prize rewards his performances in his final campaign with Borussia Dortmund.

Bellingham's Madrid teammate, the Brazil forward Vinicius Junior, won the Socrates prize in recognition of his off-pitch work.

Messi's Argentina colleague Emiliano Martinez won the Yashin Trophy for the best goalkeeper of the season.

Mob storms Russian airport looking for Israelis

DAGESTAN, Russia

A mob looking for Israelis and Jews overran an airport in Russia's Caucasus republic of Dagestan on Sunday, after rumours spread that a flight was arriving from Israel.

The violence in the mostly Muslim region, which comes as war rages between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, prompted Israel to call on Russia to protect its citizens, while the United States condemned the "antisemitic protests".

The governor of Dagestan promised that those responsible for the incident would be punished.

Dozens of protesters, many of them chanting "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest), broke through doors and barriers at Makhachkala airport, with some charging onto the runway, according to videos posted on social media and Russia's RT and Izvestia media.

Russia's aviation agency Rosaviatsiya announced shortly afterwards that it had closed the airport to incoming and outgoing flights and that security forces had arrived.

"The situation is under control," local authorities said on Telegram.

A statement from the republic's health ministry said there had been injuries, but did not elaborate on how many or who had been hurt.

Late on Sunday, Rosaviatsiya announced that the airport had been "freed" from the mob and would remain closed until November 6.

Several local Telegram channels showed photos and videos of dozens of men waiting outside the airport to stop cars.

One protester appeared in the videos holding a sign that read "Child killers have no place in Dagestan".

Other videos showed a crowd inside an airport terminal trying to break down doors as staff members tried to deter them.

The website Flightradar indicated that a Red Wings flight out of Tel Aviv had landed at Makhachkala at 7:00 pm (1600 GMT).

The independent Russian media outlet Sota said it was a transiting flight that had been due to take off again for Moscow two hours later.

Hamas militants stormed across the Gaza border on October 7 in the deadliest attack in Israel's history, indiscriminately killing 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping 230 others, according to Israeli officials.

Israel has retaliated by relentlessly bombing Gaza, killing more than 8,000 people, half of them children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

- Calls for calm -

A statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office on Sunday evening said: "Israel expects the Russian authorities to protect all Israeli citizens and all Jews, and to act decisively against the rioters and against incitement to violence against Jews and Israelis."

White House National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said on X, formerly Twitter: "The United States vigorously condemns the antisemitic protests in Dagestan, Russia.

"The US unequivocally stands with the entire Jewish community as we witness a worldwide surge in antisemitism."

Earlier Sunday, Akhmed Dudayev, the minister of information in Dagestan's neighbour Chechnya, warned on Telegram against "provocations" and called for calm in the face of rising tensions in the Caucasus.

The Dagestan government posted on Telegram appealing to those involved to stop their "illegal acts" despite their anger over the "inhumane massacre of a civilian population -- the Palestinian people".

"At the same time, we urge residents of the republic not to succumb to provocations of destructive groups and not to create panic in society."

Sergei Melikov, the republic's governor, posted on Telegram later Sunday saying: "All Dagestanis empathise with the suffering of victims by the actions of unrighteous people and politicians and pray for peace in Palestine.

"But what happened at our airport is outrageous and should receive the appropriate assessment from law enforcement. This will be done."

- 'Culture of hatred' -

Dagestan and Chechnya are mainly Muslim areas -- known in Russia as "republics" -- in a region that has witnessed years of violent tension with the central Russian authorities.

The RIA Novosti news agency reported on Sunday that a Jewish centre in another North Caucasus republic -- Kabardino-Balkaria -- had been set on fire in the city of Nalchik.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, expressing concern at the "appalling" videos posted on social media, said on X that it was not an isolated incident.

It was, he said, "part of Russia's widespread culture of hatred toward other nations, which is propagated by state television, pundits and authorities".

Dagestan is Russia's southernmost territory and one of its poorest regions.

It has taken an active part in the Ukraine offensive -- with independent reports showing it has sent proportionally more men to Ukraine than many more ethnically Russian regions.

In his statement, Melikov said the mob had betrayed Dagestanis who were "representing the republic with dignity" while fighting in Ukraine.

Sudanese army and RSF resume ceasefire talks in Jeddah

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia

The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have officially recommenced negotiations for a ceasefire in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, as confirmed in a statement released by the mediators.

The ceasefire discussions are being facilitated by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United States of America, IGAD, and the African Union. The two regional organizations are participating for the first time in the talks.

Aligned with the objectives of the May 11 Jeddah Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan, the negotiations have set the following goals: facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid, achieving a ceasefire, implementing confidence-building measures, and exploring the potential for a comprehensive agreement to terminate hostilities.

The facilitators have made it clear that the talks will not address political matters.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the State Department emphasized the importance of Sudan’s civilians taking the lead in shaping the country’s future and determining the process for addressing political issues, ultimately restoring Sudan’s democratic transition.

The quartet of mediators has affirmed their role as the exclusive joint spokesperson for the negotiations and has established agreed-upon rules of conduct to guide the proceedings.

While the delegations arrived on Thursday, October 26, disagreements surfaced regarding the composition of the delegations, particularly concerning Omer Siddiq, an individual previously dismissed by the empowerment removal committee and subsequently reinstated by al-Burhan after the coup on October 25, 2021.

In their statement, the facilitators clarified that Siddiq is no longer a member of the negotiating team but rather serves as an expert on the Sudanese army delegation.

Each delegation comprises six members, comprising a four-member negotiation team and two experts.

The ceasefire had been halted in May, with the Sudanese army asserting that a ceasefire could only be reached once the RSF withdrew from urban areas.

In a separate statement, Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, announced that the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs would oversee the humanitarian aspect of these negotiations.

Since the outbreak of the conflict in mid-April of this year, more than a thousand lives have been lost, and over five million people have been displaced. However, only 3.6 million individuals have received humanitarian assistance, leaving 80 per cent of those in need without aid.

“These talks present a crucial opportunity to reassure the people of Sudan that they are not forgotten, that we take our international responsibilities seriously, and that we are committed to ensuring they receive the care, protection, and life-saving assistance they require,” emphasized Griffiths.

Russians commemorate victims of Soviet repression

LONDON, England

Russians commemorated the victims of Soviet state terror on Sunday, while the Russian government continues its crackdown on dissent in the country.

The “Returning of the Names” event was organized by the Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights group Memorial.

The commemoration has traditionally been held in Moscow on Oct. 29 — the eve of Russia’s Remembrance Day for the Victims of Political Repression — at the Solovetsky Stone memorial to victims of Soviet-era repression, and centers on the reading out of names of individuals killed during Joseph Stalin’s Great Terror of the late 1930s.

Since 2020, Moscow authorities have refused to grant a permit for the demonstration. This is allegedly owing to the “epidemiological situation” and a ban on holding public events, though supporters of Memorial believe the refusal is politically motivated.

Memorial itself was ordered to close by the Moscow authorities in November 2021. Although it was shut down as a legal entity in Russia, the group still operates in other countries and has continued some of its human rights activities in Russia.

Instead of a demonstration, on Sunday Muscovites and several Western ambassadors laid flowers at the Solovetsky Stone. The subdued event took place under the watchful eyes of police.

Memorial also organized a live broadcast of the reading of the victims’ names, from Moscow and other Russian cities, as well as from abroad.

The “Returning of the Names” event comes as Russian prosecutors seek a three-year prison sentence for human rights campaigner and Memorial co-chair Oleg Orlov.

Orlov was fined around $1,500 earlier this month and convicted of publicly “discrediting” the Russian military after a Facebook post in which he denounced the invasion of Ukraine, the latest step in a relentless crackdown on activists, independent journalists and opposition figures.

Memorial said on Friday that state prosecutors had appealed the sentence, calling it “excessively lenient.”

“It’s obvious that Orlov needs isolation from society for his correction,” Memorial quoted the prosecutor as saying.

A law adopted shortly after the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine made such public “discrediting” a criminal offense if committed repeatedly within a year. Orlov has been fined twice for antiwar protests before facing criminal charges.

Memorial, one of the oldest and the most renowned Russian rights organizations, was awarded the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize along with imprisoned Belarusian activist Ales Bialiatski and the Center for Civil Liberties, a Ukrainian organization.

Memorial was founded in the Soviet Union in 1987 to ensure that victims of Communist Party repression would be remembered. It has continued to compile information on human rights abuses and track the fate of political prisoners in Russia while facing a Kremlin crackdown in recent years.

The group had been declared a “foreign agent,” a designation that brings additional government scrutiny and carries strong pejorative connotations.

Over the years, Memorial was ordered to pay massive fines for alleged violations of the ”foreign agent” law.

Russia’s Supreme Court ordered it shut down in December 2021, a move that sparked an outcry at home and abroad.

Memorial and its supporters have called the trial against Orlov politically motivated. His defense team included Dmitry Muratov, editor-in-chief of the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021.

‘Heavy fighting’ in Gaza as Israel steps up ground war - Hamas

GAZA STRIP, Palestine

Hamas said it was engaged in “heavy fighting” with Israeli troops inside northern Gaza Sunday, as besieged residents were again warned to flee southward.

Black smoke ascends from the Gaza Strip amid heavy bombardment of the Israeli army on the Palestinian enclave.

After weeks of ferocious airstrikes, Israel has declared a new “stage” in a war that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned would be “long and difficult.”

Late Sunday Israel’s military released footage that purported to show a significant number of tanks, infantry and artillery operating in Palestinian territory.

The military claimed to have struck more than “450 terror targets, including operational command centers, observation posts, and anti-tank missile launch posts.”

Hamas said its Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades were already “engaged in heavy fighting... with the invading occupation forces.”

With a fierce door-to-door urban war expected, Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari told Palestinian civilians to go south “to a safer area.”

It is now 23 days since Hamas gunmen launched a wave of bloody cross-border raids against homes, communities, farms and security posts inside Israel.

An estimated 1,400 people, mostly civilians, were killed and 239 people were taken hostage, according to the latest Israeli tallies.

Israeli troops gather near the border with Gaza before entering the Palestinian strip on October 29, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement.

Israel has vowed to free the hostages, track down those responsible and “eradicate” Hamas, a Palestinian Islamist movement that has governed Gaza since 2007.

But there is deep and growing international concern about the toll of Israel’s campaign on Gaza’s two-plus million residents.

The territory is under siege, with people unable to leave and only a limited amount of humanitarian aid allowed in.

Meanwhile, Israel has carried out one of the most intense bombing campaigns in recent memory.

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says more than 8,000 people, mainly civilians and half of them children have already been killed.

Inside Gaza’s maze of streets, rubble and hulled-out buildings, there is a growing sense of panic, fear and desperation.

Ibrahim Shandoughli, a 53-year-old from Jabaliya in northern Gaza, asked why he would head south when that area is also being bombed.

“Where do you want us to evacuate to? All the areas are dangerous,” he said.

Etidal Al-Masri was among those who fled after Israel told residents in the north to leave.

But she still struggles to find even the basics amid shortages of food, water and medicine.

Gazans “must now queue for bread, toilets and even for sleep,” she said.

On Sunday, the desperation appeared to boil over.

The United Nations reported that “thousands of people” had ransacked several of its warehouses looking for tinned food, flour, oil and hygiene supplies.

Only a trickle of aid has been allowed to cross the border from Egypt.

The UN said 33 trucks carrying water, food, and medical supplies had entered Gaza on October 29.

It is one of the largest deliveries to date, but still far short of the 100-a-day aid groups say is needed.

International Criminal Court lead prosecutor Karim Khan told Israel on Sunday that preventing access to humanitarian aid could be a “crime.”

“Impeding relief supplies as provided by the Geneva conventions may constitute a crime within the court jurisdiction,” Khan told reporters in Cairo.

He said he wanted “to underline clearly to Israel that there must be discernible efforts without further delay to make sure civilians” in the Hamas-run Palestinian territory “receive basic food, medicines.”

In a phone call with Netanyahu on Sunday, US President Joe Biden also underscored the need to “immediately and significantly” increase the flow of aid.

And while the White House has welcomed the gradual return of cell phone and Internet services that had been cut for days, it had a sharp warning for Israel’s leaders.

The “burden” lies with Israel to distinguish between militants and innocent civilians in Gaza, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN.

This as the United Nations said all hospitals in the north of Gaza had received evacuation orders, despite sheltering thousands of patients and more than 117,000 people who had become internally displaced because of the bombardment.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported repeated strikes around Al-Quds hospital in central Gaza.

Mohamed Al-Talmas, who has taken shelter in Gaza’s biggest hospital Al-Shifa, said “the ground shook” with intense Israeli raids.

Washington has also expressed deep concern about the war spilling over, as Israel’s enemies — and in particular an Iran-allied “axis of resistance” — step up actions across the Middle East.

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi has warned Israel’s “crimes have crossed the red lines, which may force everyone to take action.”

Since Hamas’s attack on October 7, Iran-backed groups have launched attacks from Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq and Syria.

Skirmishes have intensified on the Israeli-Lebanese border with Iran-backed Hamas ally Hezbollah.

On Sunday militants in south Lebanon fired rockets toward Israel, which has responded with strikes.

The Israel Defense Forces also said they had “struck military infrastructure in Syrian territory” in response to launches “toward Israeli territory.”

Inside Israel, where shocked residents still face daily rocket attacks, much of the focus is on the hostages abducted by Hamas.

Hamas has released four prisoners and offered to release more as part of a swap for Palestinians detained in Israel.

It has also claimed “almost 50” hostages were killed by Israeli strikes — a claim that was impossible to verify but has caused anguish to those praying for their loved ones to return.

“We demanded that no action be taken that endangers the fate of our family members,” said Meirav Leshem Gonen, the mother of hostage Romi Gonen.

Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant accused Hamas of playing “psychological games.”

“Hamas is cynically using those who are dear to us — they understand the pain and the pressure,” he said.