​Trump says US hit ISIS targets in Nigeria

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Washington, Dec 26 (IANS) President Donald Trump said the United States carried out a military strike against ISIS targets in northwest Nigeria, describing the action as a direct response to escalating attacks on civilians.

“Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria,” Trump said in a statement posted late Thursday. He said the group had been “targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!”

Trump said he had issued warnings in advance. “I have previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was,” he said.

According to the president, US forces carried out multiple operations during the mission. “The Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing,” he said, without providing operational details. “Under my leadership, our Country will not allow Radical Islamic Terrorism to prosper,” he said.

The Amercian strike comes amid heightened congressional focus on Nigeria’s security situation. The US had recently designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern.

House Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Mario Díaz-Balart recently led a bipartisan Congressional delegation to Nigeria to examine what lawmakers described as alarming anti-Christian violence and religious persecution.

Members of the delegation said they heard directly from victims, local officials, and faith groups, and held briefings with the U.S. Embassy on escalating religious violence, particularly in the Middle Belt. Lawmakers discussed threats to Christian communities, mass casualty attacks, and large-scale displacement, as well as the need to improve policing, counterterrorism operations, and accountability.

During visits to Benue State, delegation members met state leaders and religious figures who said Christians face record levels of violence, kidnappings, and forced displacement, a media release said.

Nigeria faith leaders told lawmakers that entire communities had been destroyed and thousands driven from their homes, while humanitarian organizations warned that more than 500,000 people have been displaced since 2024.

–IANS

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SC to frame guidelines over summoning advocates by probe agencies

New Delhi, July 21 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Monday mulled formation of guidelines for probe agencies on issuing summons to legal professionals for providing legal opinions to clients or for representing them before judicial forums.

A Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran was hearing the suo moto case, initiated on its own motion, titled “In Re: Summoning Advocates Who Give Legal Opinion Or Represent Parties During Investigation Of Cases And Related Issues”.

During the hearing, the CJI Gavai-led Bench expressed shock over the summoning of advocates, noting that communications with their clients is privileged and protected from disclosure. “How can lawyers be summoned like this? This is privileged communication,” remarked the apex court.

Attorney General of India R. Venkataramani, the highest law officer of the Centre, submitted that after summons were issued to senior advocate Arvind Datar, he immediately told the Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials that it was wrong. Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta also weighed in that lawyers cannot be summoned for professional advice.

SG Mehta quoted an incident from Gujarat in which a lawyer allegedly guided a murder accused on how to destroy evidence. At this, the apex court remarked that a judgment already covered such exceptional cases.

The CJI Gavai-led Bench eventually listed the matter for further hearing on July 29 for framing guidelines and said that it will appoint amicus curie on the next date of listing.

In the meantime, it asked the parties assisting the court to file a comprehensive note.

Previously, a 2-judge Bench of Justices K.V. Viswanathan and N.K. Singh concurred with the contention that permitting the investigating agencies to summon advocates who are engaged in a case or who have advised parties not only impinged upon the rights of the advocates but also seriously threatened the autonomy of the legal profession.

The Justice Viswanathan-led Bench was dealing with a plea of an advocate challenging the summons issued to him by the Gujarat Police, though he was neither an accused nor a material witness to the facts of the FIR or the agreement in dispute.

Granting interim relief to the petitioner-advocate, the apex court had ordered that no coercive action would be taken against him in furtherance of the summons issued by the Assistant Police Commissioner. It also framed two questions for a detailed consideration and directed that the matter be placed for further directions before the Chief Justice of India (CJI).

First, when an individual has an association with a case only as a lawyer advising the party, could the prosecuting agency directly summon the lawyer for questioning? And second, assuming that the police have a case that the role of the individual is not merely as a lawyer but something more, even then, should they be directly permitted to summon or should judicial oversight be prescribed for those exceptional criterion of cases. Stressing that the issue required redressal on a comprehensive basis, it had called for the assistance of the Attorney General of India, the Solicitor General, the Bar Council of India, Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and Supreme Court Advocate-on-Record Association in the matter.

After the ED issued summons to senior advocates Arvind Datar and Pratap Venugopal, the SCAORA (Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association) had urged the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognisance of the matter and examine the legality and propriety of such summons issued to legal professionals for opinions rendered in good faith.

In a letter, SCAORA President Vipin Nair requested the apex court to safeguard the constitutional and professional protections afforded to advocates and lay down appropriate guidelines to prevent any further erosion of the lawyer-client privilege.

–IANS

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South Korean Presidential office welcomes court’s decision to release Yoon from detention

Seoul, March 7 (IANS) The South Korean presidential office on Friday welcomed a court’s decision to release impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol from detention, expressing hope that Yoon would soon return to office.

In a statement, the presidential office said it “welcomes the decision to revoke the president’s arrest.”

“The unlawful and performative investigation of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, which has no investigative authority, has been rightfully corrected belatedly,” the presidential office said in a statement.

“The presidential office, as well as the people, hopes for the president’s swift return to office,” he said.

Shortly after the court’s decision, presidential chief of staff Chung Jin-suk presided over a meeting with senior aides.

Kwon Young-se, interim leader of the ruling People Power Party, held a press conference at the National Assembly and hailed the court’s decision as a “crucial moment that reaffirms the rule of law and justice in South Korea.”

“We, along with the people, welcome the court’s wise ruling made in accordance with legal principles and conscience,” he said. “I hope the Constitutional Court will also make a fair and just ruling based solely on constitutional values.”

Meanwhile, Opposition lawmakers strongly protested against Yoon’s release and urged the prosecution to immediately file for an appeal, Yonhap news agency reported.

Yoon has been held at a detention centre since investigators detained him and brought him there on January 15 on charges of inciting an insurrection through his failed bid to impose martial law in December last year.

The Seoul Central District Court said it approved Yoon’s request in February to cancel his arrest and release him after determining that his January 26 indictment on insurrection charges, which allowed his detention to be extended, had come hours after the initial detention period had already expired.

The 10-day initial detention period excludes the time documents were sent to a court for a review of whether to issue an arrest warrant, pushing back the deadline of Yoon’s detention to around 9 a.m. January 26, whereas the prosecution indicted him shortly before 7 p.m. that day, according to the court.

–IANS

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2006 Mumbai blasts Owaisi slams Centre, Maharashtra for filing appeal against Bombay HC order

New Delhi, July 24 (IANS) AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday found fault with the Centre and Maharashtra government for filing an appeal in the Supreme Court against the Bombay High Court judgement acquitting all 12 convicts in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts case.

The Hyderabad MP was reacting to the stay given by the Supreme Court on the Bombay High Court’s order.

“The court has not given any relief; it has stayed that judgment and stated that those who were released from jail after 18 years, the accused, will not be re-arrested. I want to ask the Central government and the Maharashtra government, why are you filing this appeal… when these people are not just legally innocent, but completely innocent,” Owaisi told media persons outside Parliament.

He asked the Centre and Maharashtra if they would file a similar appeal in the Malegaon blast case if the accused were acquitted by the court.

He wanted to know why the Centre did not file an appeal in the case in Mecca Masjid blast case.

“They won’t appeal in the Ajmer blast case. Terrorism should be eradicated. But, if the government will appeal based on the accused’s religion, then your fight against terrorism is compromised,” he said.

Nineteen years after the 2006 Mumbai train blasts claimed 189 lives and left over 800 people injured, the Bombay High Court on July 21 acquitted all 12 people convicted by a lower court in the serial bombing case. In 2015, a trial court had convicted these 12 accused, sentencing five of them to death and the others to life imprisonment.

Setting aside the trial court order, the high court bench of Justice Anil Kilor and Justice Shyam Chandak said the prosecution had “utterly failed” to prove the case against the accused.

Reacting to the High Court order, Owaisi had stated that 12 men were in jail for 18 years for a crime they didn’t commit, their prime life is gone, while there is no closure for 180 families who lost their loved ones and several who were injured. “Will the government take action against officers of Maharashtra ATS who investigated this case ?” he asked.

“Innocent people are sent to jail and then years later when they are released from jail there is no possibility for reconstruction of their lives. From last 17 years these accused are in jail. They haven’t stepped out even for a day. The majority of their prime life is gone,” Owaisi had posted on X.

–IANS

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