Pakistan on Friday urged the UN to “thoroughly investigate” the widespread use of the Israeli-developed Pegasus software to spy on journalists, human rights defenders, politicians, and others.

“Bring the facts to light, and hold the Indian perpetrators to account,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement, referring to the use of the Israeli spyware by India.

“We have noted with serious concern recent international media reports exposing Indian government’s organized spying operations against its own citizens, foreigners as well as Prime Minister Imran Khan, using an Israeli origin spyware,” the ministry said.

“We condemn in strongest possible terms India’s state-sponsored, continuing and widespread surveillance and spying operations in clear breach of global norms of responsible state behavior,” it added.

Earlier this week, the NSO Group, accused of supplying spyware to governments, has been linked to a list of tens of thousands of smartphone numbers, including those of activists, journalists, business executives, and politicians around the world.

The NSO Group and its Pegasus malware – capable of switching on a phone’s camera or microphone, and harvesting its data – have been in the headlines since 2016, when researchers accused it of helping spy on a dissident in the United Arab Emirates.

Among those who were put on the spy list include Pakistani Premier Khan and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Working with new data from the journalism nonprofit organization Forbidden Stories and Amnesty International, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project and media partners around the world worked to uncover who might have fallen victim to Pegasus, and tell their stories.

“Keeping a clandestine tab on dissenting voices is a long-standing textbook ploy of the RSS-BJP regime to commit human rights atrocities in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and peddle disinformation against Pakistan. The world has seen the true face of the so-called Indian ‘democracy’ when the reports of EU Disinfo Lab, Indian Chronicle, surfaced earlier last year,” the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said.

In late 2019, the EU Disinfo Lab uncovered a vast network of news websites and NGOs engaged to target Pakistani interests across global platforms./aa

A meeting of the environment and energy ministers of the Group of 20 rich nations began Thursday in Naples hosted by Italy, the rotating president of the G20.

The ministers, along with representatives of relevant organizations, met at the historic Royal Palace of Naples to hold discussions and seek solutions on the issues of biodiversity loss and pollution, degradation of agricultural land, desertification, and unsustainable use of water and other natural resources.

Italy's Ecological Transition Minister Roberto Cingolani welcomed the ministers.

The summit is being held in unprecedented circumstances that require heartfelt, joint and urgent global action, he said in his opening speech.

Noting that it is impossible to ignore scientific reports on climate change indicators, he stressed that the tragic weather events the world has witnessed in recent months and days show the climate system is experiencing serious problems.

Cingolani said the same applies to ecosystems and biodiversity.

He said the COVID-19 pandemic is also disrupting societies and economies, noting they must fight together against these two tests, both the impact from the outbreak and the climate crisis.

Following him, the environment ministers of Saudi Arabia and Indonesia also gave speeches.

At the two-day summit, participants will evaluate international developments and discuss sustainable policies on nature conservation.

Turkey urges collective fight against climate change

Turkey's Environment and Urbanization Minister Murat Kurum also attended the meeting.

Speaking at the first session, Kurum said: “As Turkey, we continue our fight against climate change resolutely, but a country cannot continue this struggle alone.”

“Climate change and pollution know no borders. So we have to act collectively in the fight against climate change and environmental problems,” Kurum said.

“As Turkey, we conduct scientific research to protect our biological diversity. By increasing our protected areas’ size to 11%, we saved all our living and non-living assets and rivers from the danger of pollution and extinction.

“We continue our work to increase this above 17%, which is the average rate in Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries,” Kurum noted.

Kurum underlined that in the coming period, Turkey will host the 16th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and will assume the presidency of the conference for two years.

“In this process, Turkey will play a leading role in the steps to be taken towards the protection and sustainable use of biological diversity,” he added.

Kurum was expected to make another speech later in the day at the session on "Joint Efforts for Sustainable and Cyclical Resource Utilization.”

The G20 ministers will also meet in Naples on Friday on fighting climate change, developing a common vision in energy and strengthening areas of cooperation.

Kurum will attend both meetings with a technical delegation consisting of the relevant ministries.

Protests

Due to the G20 meeting, security measures were increased in Naples and about 2,200 security guards were deployed.

Some environmental groups were expected to hold protests at different points throughout the day in the city.

In the morning, a group of environmental activists blocked an intersection on the A3 highway in the east of the city to traffic, Italian media reported.

The protesters argue that the G20 is acting “hypocritically” on the issue of the environment and only protects the interests of multinationals./aa

France launched an investigation on Thursday into the Pegasus spyware case, two days after it was revealed that the telephone of the head of the state was the target of possible hacking.

Government spokesperson Gabriel Attal told FranceInter news that President Emmanuel Macron was closely following the case and is taking the matter very seriously.

“This morning he chaired the exceptional defense council meeting at the Elysee dedicated to the Pegasus case and to the issue of cybersecurity in our country,” he said.

Le Monde newspaper, which is part of an international consortium of 17 news media outlets that published Project Pegasus, revealed Tuesday that Macron, former Prime Minister Eduard Philippe and at least 14 other ministers were featured on a list of Pegasus spyware by a Moroccan security service.

Around 12 governments are accused of employing the Israeli military software company to hack the phones of journalists, activists, opposition political figures, lawyers, judges, and critics.

Besides the Macron government, the prosecution in Paris has also opened an investigation into Pegasus following a complaint by two journalists from Mediapart news who said their numbers were targeted by Moroccan secret services.

Attal said the government was investigating whether mobile phones were infected and if the data was withdrawn.

Regarding reports that one of Macron’s two Iphones was allegedly targeted in the surveillance was in continuous use since 2017, Attal said the president's phones are changed regularly as per security parameters.

He also said France was seriously working on the issue of cyber defense and cybersecurity and in the last year has spent €100 million ($118 million) to protect hospitals and communities from cyberattacks.

The government in Morocco denied using Pegasus to hack phones of the French political leadership or journalists.

The Israeli company that developed Pegasus, NSO Group, refuted the investigation by the journalists.

“Any claim that a name in the list is necessarily related to a Pegasus target or Pegasus potential target is erroneous and false,” it said./aa

A criminal case was announced by Greek authorities against individuals working for NGOs who investigate abuses against migrants on Greek borders, according to Human Rights Watch on Thursday.

The rights group issued a report that said at a news conference by Greek police on July 19 on Lesvos Island, 10 foreign nationals, four of whom are working for NGOs were allegedly accused of helping migrants enter Greece illegally, conducted espionage and complicated investigations by authorities.

Although police did not make the name of the NGOs public, pro-government media reports pointed to an organization that monitors movements in the Aegean Sea.

Eva Cosse, a researcher at Human Rights Watch, said in the report that Greece for more than a decade has been documented on several occasions to push back and “abandon migrants at sea and violently transferring people from Greek islands or from other boats to motorless rafts before leaving them adrift near Turkish waters.”

Cosse claims that it is a pattern by Greek authorities to “intimidate their critics” as several such cases in which NGOs employees are accused have been announced.

Similarly, in September 2020 a criminal case against 33 foreign members of NGOs was announced, said the watchdog.

Additionally, authorities in 2020 introduced unclear registration requirements for NGOs that work with refugees raising concerns about their capacities to operate in Greece, said Human Rights Watch.

Aegean Boat Report, the organization accused by Greek authorities, said: “Aegean Boat Report is not, has never been and will never be a part of any smuggling ring.”

“We strongly doubt that any such ring exists in the Aegean region in any case, but if it did, we would not be involved,” it said in response to the Greek government’s accusations.

“If men, women and children contact us when they are in Greece waters, is to ensure they are met by people who can give them food, water and dry clothing, and help them enter the system and apply for asylum, as is their legal right,” it said, adding that the Greek government should be doing so as required under international, European and Greek law./aa

A Kigali court announced Thursday that it will issue a verdict next month in the trial of Paul Rusesabagina, portrayed as a hero in the Oscar-nominated movie Hotel Rwanda.  

Judge Antoine Muhima said the verdict against Rusesabagina and 20 defendants will be issued Aug. 20. 

Last month prosecutors asked the Rwandan High Court Special Chamber for International and Cross-border Crimes to hand down a life sentence to Rusesabagina. 

Rusesabagina, 67, faced multiple charges, including forming an illegal armed group, financing terror activities, murder, kidnapping and arson, in a trial he has boycotted since March on grounds of “unfairness and lack of independence.” 

The prosecution requested a sentence for each of the nine charges, ranging from 10 years to life. 

Prosecutors allege Rusesabagina was behind attacks against innocent civilians in Rwanda’s southern districts of Nyaruguru and Nyamagabe between 2018 and 2019. He was arrested in August 2020. 

Rusesabagina is suspected of being a founder, leader, sponsor or member of extremist terror outfits including the Rwandan Movement for Democratic Change and PDR-Ihumure, operating out of various places in the region and abroad.

Rusesabagina’s family has reportedly denied the charges against him and urged Rwanda to transfer the case to an international court./aa

The Turkish Red Crescent Society distributed meat to needy people on Thursday for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. 

The holiday commemorates the willingness of the Prophet Ibrahim, or Abraham, to sacrifice his son at God's command before the last-minute divine substitute of a ram.

Sacrificed meat is distributed to the needy during the three-day holiday.

Aid from the group reached more than 80,000 families in Somalia.

At least 30 areas were distribution sites, including the capital, Mogadishu, and Hargeisa, the second-largest city and self-declared capital of the breakaway region of Somaliland.

Meat distribution was conducted in internally displaces person camps, orphanages, hospitals, and disability centers.

"We slaughtered 850 head of cattle in Mogadishu, 650 in Beletweyne, 650 in Kismayo, 4,550 goats in Galkacyo, 4,550 goats in Bosaso, and 650 head of cattle in Hergeisa," Orhan Kokcu, the head of the Red Crescent's Somalia delegation, told Anadolu Agency.

It is important to distribute the aid to families in need because it is the Eid al-Adha holiday and Turkish people wanted to share the happiness with their Somali brothers and sisters, he said.

He said humanitarians are happy that they were able to reach families in need and put smiles on their faces.

"In the face of the difficulties that Somalis experienced, this brotherhood and friendship will increasingly continue that restarted in 2011 and will continue in the following years," he said./aa

Turkey urged a united fight against xenophobia, racism, Islamophobia on Thursday for the tenth anniversary of a deadly terror attack in Norway.

“We must resolutely fight & unite against all kind of hatred this terrorist has advocated,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in underlining the xenophobic, racist, and Islamophobic motives of the terrorist.

On July 22, 2011, Anders Breivik -- a radical conservative -- carried out a bomb attack in Oslo.

He then slaughtered students on Utoya Island located near Oslo.

In total, 77 people died, and more than 200 others were wounded.

The victims included Gizem Dogan, a 17-year-old woman of Turkish descent./aa

Iraq said Thursday that more than 160,000 people have been infected with the coronavirus as the country enters a third wave.

"More than 750” patients are “being treated in the intensive care units," Faleh al-Ziyadi, a member of the Health Committee in parliament, told Iraqi official news agency.

Al-Ziyadi said young people are the most affected by the third wave.

He urged Iraqis to abide by preventive and protective measures and to get vaccinated to curb the spread.

In light of the surge in infections, Iraqis fear the collapse of the health system as it relies on old infrastructure and suffers local instability and corruption.

As of Wednesday, total infections surged to 1,518,837, including 18,020 deaths and 1,379,074 recoveries.

The number of Iraqis who have been vaccinated stands at 2,203,546./aa

British far-right extremist Tommy Robinson on Thursday lost a high court libel case to a Syrian refugee schoolboy.

Judge Nicklin, a High Court judge, ordered Islamophobic activist Robinson to pay Jamal Hijazi £100,000 ($137,407) in damages after making false allegations about the refugee.

“This judgment – but more importantly – the award of damages will mark clearly that the Defendant has failed to demonstrate the truth of his allegations,” Nicklin said in his closing remarks.

“The Defendant took on the burden of proving his allegations to be true. He has failed. In reality, and for the reasons I have explained, his evidence fell woefully short. He has, however, persisted with the serious allegations he originally made, and has even added to them during the proceedings.”

Nicklin added: “The Claimant has had to face them in the full glare and publicity of a High Court trial. It is my responsibility to make clear that the Defendant has failed in his defence of truth, to vindicate the Claimant and to award him a sum in damages that represents fair compensation.”

Nicklin also said Robinson is responsible for the harm caused by his lies, harm that could have long lasting consequences.

In a widely circulated video, Hijazi, then a schoolboy at a school in Huddersfield, was racially and physically abused by peers in 2018. The attack drew disgust and criticism across the country, but Robinson defended the attackers, falsely claiming that Hijazi had attacked young English girls at the school.

Robinson’s libel about Hijazi risked him facing death threats and “extremist agitation” by Robinson’s supporters against the refugee, who sought asylum with his family in the UK in 2016 after fleeing war and oppression in Syria.

“I had a tough time at school because of the bullying, and I want to forget about it and move on. But I do not think it is fair for someone to be able to publish lies about me, as if I am a violent trouble-maker, when I am not. I have been extremely hurt by the defendant’s actions in wanting to portray me as a bad person. I want to set the record straight,” Hijazi said in his closing remarks./aa

The Olympic Games are finally here again, with the delayed 2020 Tokyo Games set to start on Friday and last through Aug. 8 – postponed from a year ago, during the early months of the pandemic.

Planned initially for summer 2020, the Tokyo Olympics were held back by closed borders, and now a late resurgence in the virus means they will be played without any live spectators, either from Japan or abroad, according to an International Olympic Committee (IOC) ruling.

The decision makes the Games the first to be held without spectators in Olympic history. And as of late Thursday, 87 people accredited to the Tokyo Olympics had tested positive for COVID-19.

The daily number of new coronavirus cases in Tokyo, the Games’ host city, recently rose to over 500, more than double the fewer than 250 daily cases in June.

But with viewership from around the world, the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony will be held tomorrow at the National Stadium in the capital.

Olympics mascot looks ahead

Miraitowa, the signature mascot of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, was chosen by school-age children.

Its name, combining the Japanese words "Mirai" (future) and "Towa" (eternity), represents the eternal hope for the future in the heart of all humanity, say organizers.

The mascot is a cat-like figure styled with white and indigo and a 2020 Tokyo Olympics emblem on its crown.

New and returning sports

The Tokyo Olympics will feature five sports newly added to the prestigious lineup: surfing, sport climbing, skateboarding, baseball, and karate.

Baseball/softball, which last appeared in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, was also re-added to the Games.

Recycled material for coveted medals

In an earth-friendly move, the medals of the Tokyo Olympic Games and Paralympic Games – the stuff of dreams for thousands of athletes – were made this year through recycled materials.

Since 1928, one side of the medals shows Nike, the ancient Greek goddess of Victory, holding a wreath, drawn by Italian artist Gassoili. The reverse side is the emblem of the country that organized the Olympics.

Thousands of hopeful athletes from around the world are taking part in the Games, all with their hearts set on bringing home a gold medal.

The Tokyo Games are set to award 339 gold medals in 36 divisions.

The athlete with the most Olympic medals to his name is retired US swimmer Michael Phelps, boasting fully 28 medals, all but five of them golds.

- Top athletes to watch in Tokyo

Many remarkable athletes from nations worldwide will compete in the 2020 Games.

In men's volleyball, Poland is the standout team, as their squad includes star player Wilfredo León.

Wrestling is a strong event for Turkey, as wrestlers Riza Kayaalp captured bronze in 2012 London and silver in Rio 2016, Taha Akgul grabbed gold in Rio 2016, and Cenk Ildem brought home a bronze medal from Rio 2016.

In gymnastics, four-time Olympic Gold winner Simone Biles of the US is one of many talented American athletes set to take the floor.

Nine-time US Olympic medalist Allyson Felix is expected to be a top runner in the 400-meter relay.

Other US standouts to keep an eye on include Alex Morgan in women's soccer and Kevin Durant in men's basketball.

In swimming, two-time Olympic gold medalist Caeleb Dressel of the US and 200-meter butterfly world record holder Kristof Milak of Hungary are both expected to shine.

In tennis, world no. 1 Novak Djokovic will be in the spotlight, as he has won three Grand Slams held this year, with only one to go, after the Games.

- Turkey chase gold medal in women's volleyball

This year will see the Turkish National Women's Volleyball Team at the Olympics for a second time, following their debut in the 2012 London Games.

The team placed second on two occasions in European Championships, in 2003 and 2019, and also placed third in the FIVB Nations League in 2018, and so are prepping for Tokyo with the wind at their backs.

Turkey will compete in the Women's Preliminary Round Pool B with China, the US, Italy, Russia (competing for the Russian Olympic Committee, under an OIC ruling), and Argentina./aa