Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange has won the right to ask the British Supreme Court to stall his extradition to the US.

The High Court ruled on Monday that Assange could appeal in the UK's highest court for a hearing.

Assange’s partner Stella Moris said outside the High Court that the decision was “exactly what we wanted.”

Assange is wanted by the US authorities for alleged conspiracy after the publication of hundreds of thousands of leaked documents related to wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, including evidence of war crimes.

The Supreme Court will decide whether it should take the case or not after Assange’s application.

The US authorities won their High Court challenge to overturn a previous ruling that Assange should not be extradited due to a real and “oppressive” risk of suicide, last December.

​​​​​​​Assange will face 18 counts of hacking the US government computers and violating the espionage law if he is extradited to the US and a potential prison sentence for years.

He was dragged out of Ecuador’s embassy building in London last year, where he took refuge for more than seven years.

The British police said he was arrested for skipping his bail in 2012 and on behalf of the US due to an extradition warrant./aa

BERLIN (AA) - German police have arrested a suspect after several shots were fired at a mosque in the eastern city of Halle on Sunday.

At least three bullets hit the windows of the mosque run by the Islamic Cultural Centrum of Halle, but no one was injured in the incident, police said in a statement.

A 55-year old-man, living in an apartment across the mosque, was identified as a possible suspect, after the police received information from several witnesses.

Police have found a long gun and a gas pistol, during searches at the suspect’s apartment.

The suspect had no record of criminal offenses, but investigations are continuing, police said.

Germany has witnessed growing racism and Islamophobia in recent years, fueled by the propaganda of far-right groups and parties, which have attempted to stoke fear of Muslims and immigrants to win more votes.

A country of over 82 million people, Germany has the second-largest Muslim population in Western Europe after France. Among the country's nearly 4.7 million Muslims, 3 million are of Turkish origin.

The World Health Organization (WHO) chief on Monday praised Germany as the biggest donor to the UN health agency.

WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus spoke at a press conference in Geneva with Germany's Economic Cooperation and Development Minister Svenja Schulze.

“The commitment to equity from Germany's is really, really big. And it's not without reason that the last two years, Germany has become the number one donor also to WHO,” said Tedros.

He said that the hub for pandemic and epidemic intelligence in Berlin will play a vital role in fostering greater sharing of data and information between countries and Germany's newly adapted program for the G7 presidency.

"Germany has made an admirable commitment to the equitable distribution of vaccines and other COVID-19 tools to help and the pandemic support for health systems strengthening in lower-income countries and bolstering the global health architecture which includes securing reliable and sustainable financing," said the WHO chief.

Tedros said that Germany's support of mRNA vaccine manufacturing in Africa coalesces with WHO's work to develop a self-sufficient vaccine production capacity.

"This is a wise investment in global security that has the potential to provide huge benefits to underserved communities."

Global campaign

Schulze said the world needs a “massively accelerated truly global vaccination campaign.”

"And we also need to strengthen health systems, particularly in the poorest countries, that will have lasting benefits even after the end of the acute phase of the pandemic. Nobody should assume that omicron will be the last variant of the virus," the German minister said.

"We know that around $20 billion will be needed this year to supply the poorer countries with vaccines, tests, and therapeutics. The G7 will play an important role in that organization for the world. We will be pushing for the world's bigger economies to contribute their fair share of that financing," she added

When asked if Germany had changed its position and that of the EU on demands by India, South Africa, and other countries for a patent waiver on vaccines during the pandemic, Schulze said the German government maintains its support for voluntary licensing as part of patent goals.

"We are convinced that patent protection encourages innovation; it led to the development of these vaccines," said the German minister.

"And we will need further innovations in order to deal with the further variants of COVID, but also the many other diseases that we have in the world, where we will need vaccines," she added./aa

• 25.9% of Britons feel negatively toward them, 18.1% support banning Muslim immigration
• ‘Islamophobia remains one of the most acceptable forms of racism,’ expert tells Arab News

LONDON: Muslims are the second “least-liked” group in the UK, according to a new study that reveals the shocking extent of Islamophobia in the country.

The study, by researchers at the University of Birmingham, found that roughly one in four Britons hold negative views of Muslims and Islam — the highest of any group apart from gypsies and Irish travelers.

Over a quarter of people — 25.9 percent — feel negatively toward Muslims, and just under 10 percent feel “very negative.”

Significantly more Britons hold negative views of Islam in the survey of 1,667 people than they do of other religions.

That translates into much higher support for a hypothetical policy that bars all Muslim migration to Britain.

Nearly one in five people — 18.1 percent — support banning all Muslim migration to the UK, and 9.5 percent “strongly support” that idea.

The study found that Britons are very willing to pass judgment on Islam, but are extremely unlikely to have any real knowledge of the religion.

“British people acknowledge their ignorance of most non-Christian religions, with a majority stating they are ‘not sure’ how Jewish (50.8 percent) and Sikh (62.7 percent) scriptures are taught,” said the study.

“In the case of Islam, however, people feel more confident making a judgment, with only 40.7 percent being unsure. This is despite the fact that people are much more likely to make the incorrect assumption that Islam is ‘totally’ literalistic.”

This finding — that Britons know less about Islam but are more willing to pass judgment on the faith — “says something about how prejudice works,” Dr. Stephen Jones, author of the study and a researcher focusing on British Muslims, told Arab News.

“We tend to associate prejudice with ignorance, but that’s too simple. Instead, prejudice is a kind of miseducation: Many people in this country think they know what Islam is about, and what Muslims believe, in a way that they admit they don’t for other non-Christian religions.”

Islamophobia is so widespread in Britain, Jones said, that it has become socially acceptable. That is why the report dubs it “the dinner table prejudice” — because people will openly and freely admit to their anti-Muslim prejudice, in a way that they are unlikely to with other religious or ethnic groups.

Jones said: “What I think surveys like this into public attitudes tell us is that not only do Muslims suffer discrimination, but that public hostility toward Muslims is on some level publicly accepted. It’s not just that Muslims suffer from Islamophobia, but that this discrimination isn’t publicly recognized.”

The research makes a series of policy recommendations to address the prevalence of Islamophobia in the UK, including acknowledging that “systemic miseducation about Islam is common in British society and forms an important element of Islamophobia.”

It added: “Government and other public figures should publicly acknowledge and address the lack of public criticism that Islamophobic discourses and practices trigger.”

The report lands at a sensitive time for the ruling Conservative Party, with former Cabinet Minister Nusrat Ghani announcing that she was removed from her position because her “Muslimness” made her colleagues uncomfortable.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ordered an inquiry into her removal, but he has himself previously faced accusations of Islamophobia, including by comparing women who wear the niqab to “letterboxes.” 

Shaista Aziz, an anti-racism and equalities campaigner, told Arab News: “Islamophobia is anti-Muslim racism and it has deep-seated and historic roots in the UK. Yet Islamophobia continues to be denied as a form of racism by many across all spheres of society, including in politics, the media and academia.”

She added: “This report provides further nuanced evidence of how pernicious and mainstream Islamophobia is, and how those in power are refusing to recognize this racism.

“Islamophobia remains one of the most acceptable forms of racism, and one that overwhelmingly remains overlooked, denied and unchallenged.”/AN

A survey led by the University of Birmingham says people from middle and upper-class occupational groups are more likely to hold prejudiced views of Islam than people from working class occupational groups.

The survey, which was carried out in conjunction with YouGov, found that 23.2% of people who come from the social group ABC1 harbour prejudiced views about Islamic beliefs compared with only 18.4% of people questioned from the C2DE group.[1] However, when asked their views about Muslims, or most other ethnic or religious minority groups, older people, men, working class people and Conservative and Leave voters are consistently more likely to hold prejudiced views.

The survey, presented in a report titled 'The Dinner Table Prejudice: Islamophobia in Contemporary Britain', interviewed a sample of 1667 people between 20th and 21st July 2021 which was weighted by age, gender, social grade, voting record, region and level of education to ensure representativeness. Weighting was based on the census, Labour Force Survey, Office for National Statistics estimates, and other large-scale data sources.

Other key notable findings in the survey are:

1. Muslims are the UK’s second ‘least liked’ group, after Gypsy and Irish Travellers: 25.9% of the British public feel negative towards Muslims (with 9.9% feeling ‘very negative’). This compares with 8.5% for Jewish people, 6.4% for black people, and 8.4% for white people. Only Gypsy and Irish Travellers are viewed more negatively by the British public, with 44.6% of people viewing this group negatively.
2. More than one in four people, and nearly half of Conservative and Leave voters, hold conspiratorial views about Sharia ‘no-go areas’: 26.5% of the British public agree that ‘there are areas in Britain that operate under Sharia law where non-Muslims are not able to enter’. This increases to 43.4% among Conservative voters and Leave voters. In addition, 36.3% of British people, and a majority of Conservative voters (57.3%) and Leave voters (55.5%), also agree that ‘Islam threatens the British way of life’.
3. Support for prohibiting all Muslim migration to the UK is 4-6% higher for Muslims than it is for other ethnic and religious groups: 18.1% of people support banning all Muslim migration to the UK (9.5% ‘strongly support’). Overall support for prohibiting Christian Migration is 13.1%, Sikh migration is 11.8% and Jewish migration is 12%.
4. The British public is almost three times more likely to hold prejudiced views of Islam than they are of other religions: 
5. British people are more confident in making judgements about Islam than other non-Christian religions but are much more likely to make incorrect assumptions about it: British people acknowledge their ignorance of most non-Christian religions, with a majority stating they are ‘not sure’ how Jewish (50.8%) and Sikh (62.7%) scriptures are taught. In the case of Islam, however, people feel more confident making a judgement, with only 40.7% being unsure. This is despite the fact that people are much more likely to make the incorrect assumption that Islam is ‘totally’ literalistic.

Dr Stephen H. Jones from the University of Birmingham and lead author of the survey says: “Prejudice towards Islam and Muslims stands out in the UK, not only because it is much more widespread than most forms of racism, but also because prejudice toward Islam is more common among those who are wealthier and well-educated.”

The survey also has made specific recommendations to scale back the rise of Islamophobia:

• Government and other public figures should publicly acknowledge and address the lack of public criticism that Islamophobic discourses and practices trigger, and how Islamophobia stands out compared with other forms of racism and prejudice.
• Civil society organisations and equality bodies concerned with prejudice and discrimination should acknowledge that systemic miseducation about Islam is common in British society and forms an important element of Islamophobia.
• Educators should provide clear guidance clarifying when tropes about the Islamic tradition move from acceptable criticism to become harmful.
• Civil society organisations should introduce religious literacy as a component part of any large-scale equality and diversity campaign or policy initiative.
• The BBC and other broadcasters should maintain their commitments to religion programming, but with renewed emphasis on combatting intolerance.

Commenting on the recommendations Dr Stephen H. Jones says: “No-one is calling for laws regulating criticism of religion, but we have to recognise that the British public has been systematically miseducated about Islamic tradition and take steps to remedy this.”/ Birmingham 

A Muslim MP from the UK ruling Conservative Party said on Sunday that Prime Minister Boris Johnson told her he "could not get involved" when she claimed she was fired as minister over her "Muslimness".

Johnson's spokesperson said on Sunday morning that the prime minister met with Tory MP Nusrat Ghani in 2020 after her claim.

The spokesperson said: "After being made aware of these extremely serious claims, the prime minister met with Nusrat Ghani to discuss them.

"He then wrote to her expressing his serious concern and inviting her to begin a formal complaint process. She did not subsequently do so. The Conservative Party does not tolerate prejudice or discrimination of any kind."

Ghani made her initial allegations public in an interview with The Sunday Times on Saturday, saying: "It was like being punched in the stomach."

"I felt humiliated and powerless," she continued. "I was told that at the reshuffle meeting in Downing Street that 'Muslimness' was raised as an 'issue', that my 'Muslim women minister' status was making colleagues uncomfortable and that there were concerns that I wasn't loyal to the party as I didn't do enough to defend the party against Islamophobia allegations."

Ghani, who was transport minister before being sacked in a reshuffle in February 2020, said she considered of quitting as an MP due to the allegations.

Following Downing Street's comments on Sunday morning, Ghani released a statement, saying: "When I told the PM in June 2020 what had been said to me in the government Whips' office, I urged him to take it seriously as a government matter and instigate an inquiry.

"He wrote to me that he could not get involved and suggested I use the internal Conservative Party complaint process. This, as I had already pointed out, was very clearly not appropriate for something that happened on government business."

She added: "All I have ever wanted was for his government to take this seriously, investigate properly and ensure no other colleague has to endure this.

"I have many things that I want to achieve in politics, not least my campaigns on human rights and genocide, and I am deeply disappointed that it has come to this."

On Saturday, Chief Whip Mark Spencer publicly identified himself as the whip in question, and vehemently denied the allegations.

He said in a statement: "These accusations are completely false and I consider them to be defamatory. I have never used those words attributed to me."

Reaction

Speaking to Sky News, Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab said: "It is incredibly serious, let me be clear at the outset, we have absolutely zero tolerance for any discrimination, any Islamophobia in the Conservative Party."

Shadow Attorney General Emily Thornberry told Times Radio: "I would like to see an independent inquiry into Islamophobia in the Tory Party in the same way that we quite rightly held an independent inquiry into the poison that is anti-Semitism in the Labour Party."

Zara Mohammed, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, led by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

"Nusrat Ghani's testimony of Islamophobia in the Conservative Party is shocking, but not surprising," Mohammed said.

"That she is experiencing this as a Muslim woman at the top of the party only reinforces the deep-rooted nature of the problem. Institutional Islamophobia in the Conservative Party has gone on with impunity for far too long."

Steve Baker, an influential backbench Conservative MP, tweeted: "That Nus could be treated like this is completely intolerable. I value Nus Ghani as a great colleague and I'm appalled. We must get to the bottom of it."/aa

Turkish scientists have begun the Phase 1 studies of a drug developed for patients with recurrent, metastatic or advanced lung cancer.

The Phase 1a study will involve 16 volunteers in total, and the researchers will determine the maximum tolerable dose for patients, while the Phase 1b study will focus on the medication's efficacy and safety in 10 other patients.

Rana Nomak Sanyal, a chemistry professor at Bogazici University, and her team have developed the medicine.

Fevzi Altuntas, who is in charge of the Phase 1a research at Ankara Oncology Training and Research Hospital, told Anadolu Agency that scientists are working together to ensure that Turkiye has self-sufficiency in health to the level where it can develop its own medicines.

"The drug will be a beacon of hope for people with lung cancer. A new molecule, a targeted agent," he said, adding that patients who tried standard treatments without success could benefit from the cure.

Altuntas added that the hospital's Clinical Research Center has taken on significant responsibilities at both the national and international levels.

He highlighted that the research center has conducted a number of studies, including 114 international Phase 2 and Phase 3 studies, a national VLP vaccine, Car-T-cell therapy, and seven Phase 1 cancer trials./aa

Amid ongoing political tensions in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has said that no one in the region is interested in war.

In an interview with Pink TV on Saturday night, Vucic said neither Bosniaks, Croats, nor Serbs want war.

"We must work together to protect the peace. No one wants to go to war. What matters most is that we accept responsibility for the situation. We have the opportunity to progress and develop as a unit, and we should not miss it," he remarked.

He, however, emphasized his concern about foreigners' unilateral approach to the situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina, saying between the lines that he would like to see them play a helpful part in resolving the current political situation.

Vucic pointed out that the ongoing highway project between Bosnia-Herzegovina's capital Sarajevo and Serbia's capital Belgrade should be on the agenda when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visits Belgrade for a trilateral meeting.

"The highway portion in Serbia was already built, and during my recent meeting with Erdogan, I raised the Bosnia-Herzegovina part of the project," he said, adding, "That's why my visit to Ankara was important for solving the Sarajevo problems."

"This is one of the topics that will be discussed at the trilateral summit that will take place following Serbia's elections," he added.

The Sarajevo-Belgrade Highway project supported by Turkiye is often described as a "historical infrastructure project" by the leaders of the region.

In 2018, Turkish firm Tasyapi signed a contract with the Serbian government to build the landmark highway.

Turkiye sees the project as a way to promote regional peace.

Political dispute

Bosnia-Herzegovina is currently embroiled in a political conflict between Bosniaks and Serbs living in the country.

The dispute erupted after Valentin Inzko, then high representative, amended the criminal code in July to ban the denial of genocide and the glorification of war criminals.

Bosnian Serb lawmakers in response said they would boycott the country's institutions.

Milorad Dodik denounced the amendments and pushed for controversial separatist moves in the Republika Srpska parliament.

The steps have been criticized internationally for violating the 1995 Dayton Accords and undermining the country's Constitution.​​​​​​​/aa

At least 16 people were killed and eight others were seriously injured when a fire broke out early Sunday morning at a nightclub in Yaounde, Cameroon's capital, authorities said.

"On Sunday, January 23, 2022, at about 2:30 am, an accidental fire broke out in the cultural complex Liv's Night Club of Yaouba, located in the district Bastos in Yaounde," the Communications Ministry said in a statement.

It said a tragedy occurred due to the fire caused by fireworks commonly used in these areas. The fire first destroyed the building's ceiling, and it was followed by two high-amplitude explosions that caused panic and stampede within the nightclub.

Earlier, the state-run Cameroun Tribune reported that 14 people died on the spot and two others died later in the city's central hospital from their injuries, citing Joseph Fouda, the health facility's director.

"Unfortunately, the flames quickly spread to the club's basement, especially with walls covered in foam and plastic," the report said, citing a security guard.

"I got out of the nightclub a little early. I was with a group of friends. I lost two of them. They were burnt to death," Stephane Amougou, a local who lives near the club, told Anadolu Agency.

One of his friends was Henri Ateba, an aviation official whose name appears alongside the other Cameroonian figures on the list of the dead people.

"All arrangements are being made for the identification of the deceased and their inhumation in accordance with the customs in force," the government stated.

Several Cameroonian authorities came to the scene of the tragedy, promising free medical care to the injured.

In response to a presidential directive, the city police have launched an investigation./aa

With a strong digital capability and infrastructure, Oman is seeking to place itself as a hub for the use of information and communications technology in the Middle East region.

Last month, Muscat, the capital of Oman, was named the Arab digital capital for 2022 during a virtual meeting of the Council of Arab Ministers of Communications and Information Technology.

Said Hamoud al-Maawali, Omani Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, said the selection reflects Arab confidence in the digital and legal capabilities of Oman.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Rashid al-Alawi of the Omani Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, said the Gulf state is considered a “central station for world data.”

“Oman enjoys a solid digital infrastructure and hosts 20 international submarine cables, 18 of which are licensed to provide various telecommunication services in 3G, 4G, and 5G categories,” he said.

“Oman also hosts the Arab Regional Cyber Security Center (ARCC),” the minister added.

Established in 2012, the ARCC aims to create a safer and cooperative cybersecurity environment in the Arab region and strengthen the role of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in building confidence and security in the use of information and communication technologies in the region.

Al-Alawi said Oman ranked 21st in the Global Cybersecurity Index, 48th in the Network Readiness Index, and 50th in the e-Government Development Index in 2020.

The Gulf state also shares third place with Australia and Malaysia, behind the US, Canada, among countries best prepared for cyberattacks, according to the Global Cybersecurity Index.

Oman also has a strong legislative infrastructure that contributes to the global effort for safe, secure, and equitable internet.

According to al-Alawi, Oman has several laws that help policy-makers and legislators in their fight against cybercrime.

In addition to uncovering and tackling 332 cybersecurity incidents in 2019, Oman thwarted over 14 billion malicious attempts against its government networks, according to Oman Daily Observer newspaper.

Smart transformation

Al-Alawi said Oman seeks to provide business environments with modern technologies to assist the digitization of businesses and support smart government transformation programs.

“Our plan also consists of industrialization and localization of modern technologies, building a digital society, and rehabilitation of the infrastructure of information and communication technology to keep up with the rapid technological changes,” he said.

Oman has planned to launch its maiden space satellite tentatively in 2024, but its selection as the Arab digital capital for 2022 might accelerate the process that is being carried out by the country’s National Space Strategy.

The year 2022 is “likely to witness the launch of Oman’s first national satellite” as the country is “keen to improve its communications infrastructure” and develop the required capabilities to serve the immediate to long-term telecommunications needs of the public and private sectors, al-Alawi said.

In addition to attracting investment into the sector, al-Alawi said, the country’s space strategy aims to enhance its input in international cooperation in the field of space.

Al-Alawi said Oman’s Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology is also participating in projects to improve the digital skills of Arab youth and encourage investment in the digital economy.

He noted that the ministry has introduced many business incubators such as “SAS for Entrepreneurship Center”, which encourages entrepreneurship and development of ICT companies in Oman in collaboration with private and public sectors. It has supported over 70 companies so far.

In 2016, the Gulf country set up the Oman Technology Fund to spark innovation in Oman and the Middle East region.

The $200 million project aims to “make Oman the preferred destination” for the emerging tech companies in the region, and an attractive and stimulating destination for venture capital programs, al-Alawi said./aa