Day: November 14, 2021

KHARTOUM — The Qatar-based satellite news network Al-Jazeera said Sunday its bureau chief in Sudan was detained by security forces, a day after mass protests across the country against last month’s military coup.

The network said on Twitter that Sudanese forces raided the home of El Musalmi El Kabbashi and detained him.

The development comes after security forces fired live ammunition and tear gas Saturday to disperse protesters denouncing the military’s tightening grip on the country.

The Sudan Doctors Committee said a 15-year-old protester died Sunday of gunshot wounds to his stomach and thigh, raising the death toll to six people.

In a later statement, Al-Jazeera said El Kabbashi had been arrested at his home in Khartoum, the Sudanese capital. The broadcaster said it held the Sudanese military responsible for his safety.

“Al-Jazeera condemns in the strongest terms the reprehensible actions of the military and calls on the authorities to release El Kabbashi immediately and to allow its journalists to operate unhindered, free to practice their profession without fear or intimidation,” the channel said.

Sudanese officials could not be immediately reached for comment.

Thousands of pro-democracy protesters took to the streets across Sudan on Saturday to rally against the military coup last month. The takeover has drawn international criticism and massive protests in the streets of the capital of Khartoum and elsewhere in the country.

The killings Saturday took place in Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman. The dead included four people killed by gunshots and one who died from being hit by a tear gas canister. The 15-year-old who died of his wounds Sunday brought to six the number of fatalities, the doctors committee said. Several other protesters were wounded, including from gunshots, it said.

That brought the tally since the Oct. 26 coup to at least 21 protesters dead, according to the medical group.

Saturday’s rallies, called by the pro-democracy movement, came two days after coup leader Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan reappointed himself head of the Sovereign Council, Sudan’s interim governing body. Thursday’s move angered the pro-democracy alliance and frustrated the United States and other countries that have urged the generals to reverse their coup.

The newly appointed body held its first meeting, chaired by Gen. Burhan Sunday in Khartoum, the council said on its Facebook page.

The pro-democracy movement condemned “the excessive use of force” against the protesters Saturday. The Forces for the Declaration of Freedom and Change said their struggle to establish a full civilian government “will not stop” and called for mass demonstrations on Wednesday.

The Sudanese military seized power Oct. 25, dissolving the transitional government and arresting dozens of officials and politicians. The takeover upended a fragile planned transition to democratic rule, more than two years after a popular uprising forced the removal of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir and his Islamist government.

Source: Voice of America

H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, has received Jean Asselborn, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Luxembourg.

During the meeting, which was held in Dubai, the two sides reviewed means to develop relations and cooperation across various sectors.

Sheikh Abdullah and Minister Asselborn also discussed the situation in the region and a number of regional and international issues of common concern.

H.H. Sheikh Abdullah commended the UAE-Luxembourg ties and their continuous keenness to strengthen them.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation

Abu Dhabi, Marking World Falconry Day, Majid Ali Al Mansouri, Secretary-General of the Emirates Falconers Club (EFC) and President of the International Association for Falconry and Conservation of Birds of Prey (IAF), has highlighted the tremendous support accorded to the ancient sport in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Al Mansouri expressed deep gratitude to UAE President HH Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and to Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, founder of the Emirates Falconers Club HH Shaikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and to the ruler’s representative in Al Dhafra region and Chairman of the club HH Shaikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan for the tremendous support they have provided.

He also thanked them for the dedicated endeavors and projects to protect heritages and provide the basis for cooperation between different peoples and cultures.

Such efforts comply with the framework of the strategy to preserve the ancient heritage of the Emirates and they are in line with the UAE’s policy to promote a culture of peace and tolerance, and consolidate the pride of the Emiratis in their heritage established by Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, he said.

Al Mansouri praised the efforts of all authorities and institutions concerned with heritage and culture in the country.

The UAE has been particularly instrumental in promoting falconry across the globe since 2005, assuming a leading role.

Thanks to the UAE, later joined by 11 Arab and foreign countries, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced on November 16, 2010, the registration of falconry as a living human heritage in its representative list of intangible cultural heritage.

The announcement was made during the meetings of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Heritage Committee in the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

Twelve countries, led by the UAE, participated in the registration procedures and preparation of the joint file. They were later joined by Saudi Arabia, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Korea, Morocco, Spain, Syria, Qatar, and Mongolia.

Following the success of the registration procedures in 2010, Austria and Hungary joined in 2012. Portugal, Germany, Italy, Pakistan and Kazakhstan joined in 2016.

In 2019, Poland, Croatia, Netherlands, and Slovakia requested to join the registration process. More countries are expected to join in the coming years.

Thus, the number of countries has doubled to reach 22 today, while the spread of falconry has expanded globally after 11 years of its UNESCO registration.

It is practiced today in 90 countries, thanks to the successful registration process led by the UAE. This also resulted in the inclusion of falconry and many elements of the original UAE cultural heritage with UNESCO.

In appreciation of the important and effective role of the UAE in preserving human heritage and preserving falconry and sustainable hunting, HH Shaikh Mohamed bin Zayed was chosen as the honorary president of the International Association for Falconry and Conservation of birds of prey (IAF) in 2017.

The UAE is one of the first members of the IAF through the membership of the Emirates Falconers Club since 2003.

The IAF is the only global institution representing the sport of falconry and includes 110 falconry clubs and institutions representing 90 countries, with more than 100,000 falconers around the world.

In September 2021, the IAF announced, at the conclusion of its AF general assembly, the unanimous re-election of Al Mansouri as the President of IAF for a new term of three years beginning in early 2022.

The assembly was held on the sidelines of the Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition (ADIHEX 2021).

This reflects the growing global trust in the UAE’s capabilities and the experience and its appreciation of the major role played by Al Mansouri in developing the activities, events, and achievements of the IAF over the past years.

He also succeeded in strengthening the IAF relations with the regional and international organizations concerned with conservation of falconry and human heritage, particularly the UNESCO.

The IAF, during ADIHEX 2021 held a series of specialized seminars and workshops about “The Future of Falconry”, in cooperation with UNESCO and the EFC.

The workshops constituted an important step to enhance the capacities of the countries participating in the falconry registration file at UNESCO, and of all falconry communities around the world alike.

IAF Chief Executive Officer Gary Timbrell and the participants in the meeting attributed the Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition to the growth, development, and expansion of the IAF, which now represents 90 countries, up from 35 in 2004 at the first ADIHEX.

He added that over the years, the exhibition hosted many successful conferences on falconry and ways to preserve it, which directly helped us to contribute to the promotion of the UAE’s pioneering initiatives, foremost of which is the registration of falconry in UNESCO on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

IAF member Willem Vrijenhoek praised the tireless efforts of the UAE in taking care of falcons with official support from the highest levels and noted that there are many challenges for those interested in preserving falcons and their breeds worldwide.

However, the UAE has always been a pioneer in this field, allocating huge capabilities and international institutions and exhibitions at the highest level in order to promote a culture of interest in falconry among people of different cultures and nationalities.

It also continuously supports the efforts of the IAF to achieve its goals in raising awareness about falcons and their issues in the present and the future, especially with regard to preserving their rare breeds found in several countries, as well as their active contribution to research, development, and care of captive-bred falcon farms.

Source: Bahrain News Agency