Latest news with #Darwish
India Gazette
6 hours ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
Working hand-in-hand in combating terrorism: Egypt's Foreign Affairs Committee head after meeting Supriya Sule-led all-party delegation
Cairo [Egypt], June 2 (ANI): The head of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of Egypt, Karim Darwish, on Monday expressed his support for India while highlighting how both countries are working 'hand-in-hand' to combat terrorism. He also condemned the killing of 26 people in the Pahalgam terror attack. Darwish met with the all-party delegation led by NCP leader Supriya Sule earlier today, and highlighted the close relationship between India and Egypt while talking with ANI. 'We are pleased to have Indian delegation come to the Egyptian House of Representatives. India is a very close country to Egypt, and we have a lot of ties in different dimensions. We all work together to combat terrorism. We extended our condolences to the Indian people over the loss of 26 civilians,' Darwish said. Highlighting how Egypt has suffered due to terrorism, he underlined the importance of working together to combat it, 'Egypt has been very active in combating are a country that has suffered lots of acts of terrorism, so we understand how important it is to work globally together.' The Sule-led delegation met with other Egyptian political leaders, including meeting with leader of government in Egypt's Senate, Hassan Al Khouly; chairman Of Foreign, Arab and African Affairs Committee Hazem Omar. The delegation also met with other members of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs at the House of Representatives in Cairo. The Sule-led delegation completed their visit to Ethiopia on June 1 and reached Cairo earlier today, where they were welcomed by Suresh K Reddy, the Indian envoy to Egypt. Reddy also briefed the delegation before their meeting with various political leaders in the country. Talking about their previous visits, Supriya Sule said that their visits to Qatar, South Africa, and Ethiopia had been 'very successful,' while expressing optimism about further strengthening India's bilateral ties through the Egypt leg of the journey. She added that all three countries have been very supportive of India's message from the Prime Minister's Operation Sindoor to reach the next level of 'zero tolerance against terrorism.' Speaking to ANI, Supriya Sule said, 'We first went to Qatar. From Qatar, we went to South Africa. From South Africa, we have come to Ethiopia. It has been an outstandingly successful trip. All three countries have been very supportive, and the message that we have brought from India, the Prime Minister's Operation Sindoor, to take it to the next level of 'zero tolerance against terror'.' The delegation also includes Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Vikramjeet Singh Sahney, Manish Tewari, Anurag Singh Thakur, Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu, Anand Sharma, former Minister of Commerce & Industry, V Muraleedharan, Former Minister of State for External Affairs, and Syed Akbaruddin, Former Permanent Representative of India to the UN. The multi-party delegation, consisting of seven groups led by one MP each, has been initiated to counter global misinformation and highlight India's zero-tolerance policy on terrorism. (ANI)
CairoScene
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
Sayed Darwish's Alexandria Birthplace to Be Converted Into Museum
Darwish's family says it is not involved in the project and has not authorised any associated fundraising. Jun 01, 2025 Plans are underway to transform the birthplace of Egyptian composer Sayed Darwish in Alexandria's Kom El-Dikka neighbourhood into a museum dedicated to his legacy. The initiative is being led by 'Sira Alexandria', a local cultural organisation that has signed an agreement with the current owner of the property. The house, originally sold by Darwish's heirs in the 1960s, includes the room where Darwish is believed to have composed some of his most influential works. The planned museum aims to preserve and exhibit Darwish's musical contributions by displaying his belongings and archival material. The organisers state that the space will serve as a cultural site to connect the public with a man they describe as 'the people's artist'. In a statement, Darwish's family clarified that they are not involved in the initiative and have not authorised any fundraising activities associated with it. They called for official oversight from relevant state bodies including the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Tourism, stating their willingness to support an officially sanctioned museum.
Euronews
20-05-2025
- Climate
- Euronews
Damascus suffers severe water crisis after lowest rainfall in decades
The Syrian capital Damascus is experiencing a severe water crisis after the driest winter for almost 70 years, an official has said. Ahmad Darwish, head of the Damascus City Water Supply Authority, said 2025 had seen the lowest level of rainfall since 1956. A total of 1.1 million homes get their water from the Ein al-Fijeh spring, which Darwish described as "working now at its lowest level." The spring is largely replenished by rainwater and melting snow from the mountains along the border with Lebanon. The spring and the Barada River, which it feeds, supply 70% of the water used by the five million people living in and around Damascus. In order to cope for the rest of the year, people will have to reduce their consumption, Darwish warned. Although the city is already contending with its worst water shortages for years, officials have warned the situation could get worse during the summer. They have encouraged residents to use water sparingly when showering, cleaning or washing dishes and many people are now having to buy water from private tanker trucks. Above the Syrian capital, Hassan Bashi, who works as a guard at the Ein al-Fijeh spring, walked through tunnels that used to be filled with water. "I have been working at the Ein al-Fijeh spring for 33 years and this is the first year it is that dry," he said. In the east of Damascus, Bassam Jbara said his neighbourhood was only receiving 90 minutes of water a day. It used to run all the time, he added. Jbara said regular electricity cuts are worsening the problem, as even if there is water, it often cannot be pumped up to tankers on the roofs. "The people of Damascus are used to having water every day and to drinking tap water coming from the Ein al-Fijeh spring, but unfortunately the spring is now weak," Jbara said. "From what we are seeing, we are heading toward difficult conditions regarding water," he added, before expressing his fear that supplies could drop further over the summer. Since the ousting of the long-time dictator Bashar al-Assad in December, Syria's new rulers have attempted to start rebuilding a country devastated by almost 14 years of civil war. Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, the ex-leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebel group, met with US President Donald Trump last week in Saudi Arabia as part of such diplomatic efforts. The US and the EU have recently indicated that they will lift economic sanctions on Syria to enable its economy to recover.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
To achieve peace, Syria must punish all crimes: rights lawyer
Lasting peace in Syria depends on the country building a strong judicial system giving justice to the victims of all crimes committed during the Assad era, a prominent Syrian human rights lawyer told AFP. "We believe that the Syrians who paid the heavy cost to reach this moment will not accept changing one dictatorship into another," Mazen Darwish said in an interview. Darwish, who was in Stockholm with his wife Yara Bader to receive an award for their work running the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM), is one of the most high-profile rights advocates for Syria. While acknowledging that progress "will take time", Darwish said: "We don't think that we will be able to reach sustainable peace in Syria if we don't solve all of these crimes." Syria's international ties have started to reboot under its new transitional rulers, an Islamist coalition led by Ahmed al-Sharaa who commanded a rebel offensive which in December ended five decades of rule by the Assad family. But Western powers in particular have urged the new leadership to respect freedoms and protect minorities -- and wariness lingers over the future directions the coalition might take. President Donald Trump this week announced the lifting of US sanctions on Syria, which the Syrian foreign ministry hailed as a "pivotal turning point". But Darwish, who was born in Nablus in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, said there are "a lot of challenges, a lot of worries regarding the new authorities". Sharaa's administration has vowed to prosecute those responsible for the torture of tens of thousands of detainees held in Syrian prisons under toppled leader Bashar al-Assad, and under his father Hafez al-Assad. Bashar al-Assad, who fled to Russia, is also accused of using chemical weapons against Syria's population. "We hope we will have transitional justice roadmap in Syria," Darwish said. He stressed that the new legal system should examine crimes from all parties and groups in the country. But the goal of bringing in transitional justice to Syria has had a setback. In late February, Syrian rights groups denounced the banning of a conference on transitional justice in the country to be attended by international NGOs and representatives of foreign governments. That conference, aiming to establish rule of law with an eye to national reconciliation, was to examine the fate of those who disappeared and violations committed during the civil war. - French case - With Syria's own justice system still deficient and lacking trust, the SCM has turned to outside countries that have adopted universal jurisdiction over war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity, among them France, Germany, Canada and the United States. On Thursday, Darwish was due to testify in Paris as a civil party in a trial of former Syrian rebel, Majdi Nema, accused of complicity in war crimes in Syria. The former member of Jaysh al-Islam, whose trial started in late April, denies the allegations. "For us, this is one of the most important cases. This is also a case where the victims are our colleagues," Darwish explained. Human rights advocates Razan Zaitouneh, Wael Hamada, Samira Khalil, and Nazem Hammadi went missing after being abducted on December 9, 2013, in their offices in Douma. The region was under the control of rebel groups at the time, including Jaysh al-Islam. Stemming from the work done by SCM and other organisations, French judges have also issued two arrest warrants targeting Bashar al-Assad. The work carried out by Darwish and his wife Bader has come at a cost: the lawyer was himself arrested in 2012 and tortured in Syrian prisons. nzg/ef/rmb
Int'l Business Times
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
To Achieve Peace, Syria Must Punish All Crimes: Rights Lawyer
Lasting peace in Syria depends on the country building a strong judicial system giving justice to the victims of all crimes committed during the Assad era, a prominent Syrian human rights lawyer told AFP. "We believe that the Syrians who paid the heavy cost to reach this moment will not accept changing one dictatorship into another," Mazen Darwish said in an interview. Darwish, who was in Stockholm with his wife Yara Bader to receive an award for their work running the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM), is one of the most high-profile rights advocates for Syria. While acknowledging that progress "will take time", Darwish said: "We don't think that we will be able to reach sustainable peace in Syria if we don't solve all of these crimes." Syria's international ties have started to reboot under its new transitional rulers, an Islamist coalition led by Ahmed al-Sharaa who commanded a rebel offensive which in December ended five decades of rule by the Assad family. But Western powers in particular have urged the new leadership to respect freedoms and protect minorities -- and wariness lingers over the future directions the coalition might take. President Donald Trump this week announced the lifting of US sanctions on Syria, which the Syrian foreign ministry hailed as a "pivotal turning point". But Darwish, who was born in Nablus in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, said there are "a lot of challenges, a lot of worries regarding the new authorities". Sharaa's administration has vowed to prosecute those responsible for the torture of tens of thousands of detainees held in Syrian prisons under toppled leader Bashar al-Assad, and under his father Hafez al-Assad. Bashar al-Assad, who fled to Russia, is also accused of using chemical weapons against Syria's population. "We hope we will have transitional justice roadmap in Syria," Darwish said. He stressed that the new legal system should examine crimes from all parties and groups in the country. But the goal of bringing in transitional justice to Syria has had a setback. In late February, Syrian rights groups denounced the banning of a conference on transitional justice in the country to be attended by international NGOs and representatives of foreign governments. That conference, aiming to establish rule of law with an eye to national reconciliation, was to examine the fate of those who disappeared and violations committed during the civil war. With Syria's own justice system still deficient and lacking trust, the SCM has turned to outside countries that have adopted universal jurisdiction over war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity, among them France, Germany, Canada and the United States. On Thursday, Darwish was due to testify in Paris as a civil party in a trial of former Syrian rebel, Majdi Nema, accused of complicity in war crimes in Syria. The former member of Jaysh al-Islam, whose trial started in late April, denies the allegations. "For us, this is one of the most important cases. This is also a case where the victims are our colleagues," Darwish explained. Human rights advocates Razan Zaitouneh, Wael Hamada, Samira Khalil, and Nazem Hammadi went missing after being abducted on December 9, 2013, in their offices in Douma. The region was under the control of rebel groups at the time, including Jaysh al-Islam. Stemming from the work done by SCM and other organisations, French judges have also issued two arrest warrants targeting Bashar al-Assad. The work carried out by Darwish and his wife Bader has come at a cost: the lawyer was himself arrested in 2012 and tortured in Syrian prisons. A prison complex in the Syrian city of Palmyra that had been run by the ousted Assad regime AFP Darwish and other Syrian rights advocates have turned to outside countries' courts for justice AFP
