“New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Wednesday announced a new
research initiative under a global project aimed at tackling online hate set up
in the wake of a mass killing by a white supremacist in Christchurch in 2019.
Ardern said in a statement that as part of the Christchurch Call initiative,
New Zealand, the United States, Twitter (TWTR.N) and Microsoft (MSFT.O) will
invest an undisclosed sum in developing new technology aimed at helping
researchers understand how algorithms affect internet users' experiences.
Partners in the initiative will work together to build and test a set of
privacy-enhancing technologies that, once proven, could form the basis for
infrastructure to support independent study of impacts of algorithms, according
to the statement. "This initiative won't tell us all we need to know about the
outcomes algorithms are driving online, it will help us better access data so
researchers can answer these very questions," the statement said.”











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Eye on Extremism


September 21, 2022



Reuters: NZ's Ardern Says Christchurch Call Anti-Online Hate Project Gets New
Tech Investments
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“New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Wednesday announced a new
research initiative under a global project aimed at tackling online hate set up
in the wake of a mass killing by a white supremacist in Christchurch in 2019.
Ardern said in a statement that as part of the Christchurch Call initiative,
New Zealand, the United States, Twitter (TWTR.N) and Microsoft (MSFT.O) will
invest an undisclosed sum in developing new technology aimed at helping
researchers understand how algorithms affect internet users' experiences.
Partners in the initiative will work together to build and test a set of
privacy-enhancing technologies that, once proven, could form the basis for
infrastructure to support independent study of impacts of algorithms, according
to the statement. "This initiative won't tell us all we need to know about the
outcomes algorithms are driving online, it will help us better access data so
researchers can answer these very questions," the statement said.”



Associated Press: Palestinian Forces Clash With Gunmen; Woman Killed In Israel
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“Palestinian security forces exchanged fire with militants in the center of
the West Bank’s second-largest city Tuesday as angry residents pelted an
armored jeep with objects and chased it away. One man was reported dead. In
separate violence, Israeli police said late Tuesday that an 84-year-old woman
was beaten to death in central Israel and that they were searching for a
Palestinian suspect. Prime Minister Yair Lapid called the killing “pure evil.”
The fighting in Nablus, sparked by an arrest raid against local militants,
marked a rare case of deadly internal Palestinian fighting in the occupied West
Bank. It also reflected the deep unpopularity of the internationally recognized
Palestinian Authority, which is widely seen as collaborating with an entrenched
and unbearable system of Israeli military domination. Amateur videos posted to
social media showed local youths pelting a Palestinian military-style jeep with
bricks, stones and metal bars before chasing the vehicle from the central
Martyrs Square. The sound of gunfire echoed through the city, known as the West
Bank’s business capital, for several hours. The violence was reminiscent of how
Palestinians typically protest against Israeli troops. By midafternoon, the
Palestinian forces had withdrawn and the city remained quiet. The northern West
Bank is known as a stronghold of Palestinian militants, and the Palestinian
Authority has frequently had difficulties maintaining control in the area over
the years.”



Iran



Reuters: Iran Unrest Death Toll Rises As Protests Intensify
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“Iranian authorities said on Wednesday three people including a member of the
security forces had been killed during unrest sweeping the country, as anger at
the death of a woman in police custody fuelled protests for a fifth day. Rights
groups reported at least one more person was killed on Tuesday, which would
take the death toll to least seven. The death last week of 22-year-old Mahsa
Amini, who was arrested by morality police in Tehran for "unsuitable attire",
unleashed simmering anger over issues including freedoms in the Islamic
Republic and an economy reeling from sanctions. After beginning on Saturday at
Amini's funeral in Iran's Kurdistan province, protests have engulfed much of
the country, prompting confrontations as security forces have sought to
suppress them. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei did not mention the
protests - some of Iran's worst unrest since street clashes last year over
water shortages - during a speech on Wednesday commemorating the 1980-88
Iran-Iraq war.”



Turkey



Reuters: Israeli, Turkish Leaders Hold First Meeting Since 2008
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“Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan met
on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday for the first
face-to-face talks between leaders of the U.S.-allied nations since 2008,
Lapid's office said. Israel-Turkey relations, long-frosty amid feuding over the
Palestinian cause, have warmed in recent months, with energy emerging of as a
key area of cooperation. They are expected to exchange new ambassadors soon. As
well as discussing energy, Lapid thanked Erdogan for the countries'
intelligence sharing and noted Israel's demand for the return of four of its
citizens - two of them soldiers - missing in the Gaza Strip since a 2014 war,
Lapid's office said. NATO-member Turkey has been hosting members of Hamas, a
Palestinian Islamist movement that rules Gaza and which much of the West
designates as a terrorist group. That relationship has often been a sticking
point in bids to rebuild Israel ties.”



Afghanistan



Reuters: At U.N., Emotional Appeals For World Leaders To Protect Afghan Girls'
Education
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“After pleading with world leaders at the United Nations to protect the
education and rights of women in Afghanistan a year after the Taliban took
over, Somaya Faruqi, former captain of the Afghan girls robotics team, broke
down in tears backstage. "I was in classroom last year, but this year girls are
not in classroom. Classrooms are empty, and they are at their homes. So it was
too hard to control myself, control my feelings," Faruqi, 20, told Reuters.
Faruqi, who now attends the Missouri University of Science and Technology, left
Afghanistan in August last year, when the Islamist Taliban seized power and the
United States and allies withdrew forces after a 20-year war. Speaking at the
United Nations in New York this week as world leaders gather for the high-level
meeting of the U.N. General Assembly, she urged them to unite and demand the
reopening of girls' schools and protection of their rights.”



Yemen



Arab News: Yemeni Troops Take Control Of Abyan’s Omaran Valley From Al-Qaeda
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“Yemeni troops have announced they have taken control of a large valley in
Abyan’s southern province from Al-Qaeda, forcing its fighters to abandon their
hiding spots and training facilities. Mohammed Al-Naqeeb, a spokesperson for
the pro-independence Southern Transitional Council, said forces had retaken
control of the long and steep Omaran valley in the governorate, and were now
working to defuse landmines and explosive devices to allow people to return to
their villages. “We have removed all terrorist elements from the valley,
forcing them to flee to other mountains. We won’t let them surge again,”
Al-Naqeeb said. The announcement came a day after the same military forces
announced the expulsion of Al-Qaeda militants from a major military facility in
the Omaran valley, where they hid hostages, prepared explosive-rigged cars, and
plotted deadly attacks on government targets in liberated areas. Southern
military forces last week crossed into Al-Qaeda strongholds in southern
provinces, in a military offensive aimed at expelling militants from remote
rural areas in Abyan and Shabwa. After the demining mission in the Omaran
valley is complete, Al-Naqeeb said forces will go to highland and valley
regions in the neighboring Mahfad district in Abyan to pursue Al-Qaeda
fighters.”



Saudi Arabia



Asharq Al-Awsat: Saudi Arabia Renews Support To Int’l Efforts To Combat
Extremism
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“The Saudi government reiterated on Tuesday the Kingdom's support to
international efforts aimed at combating extremism. Custodian of the Two Holy
Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz chaired the cabinet meeting that was held in
Jeddah. The ministers underscored Saudi Arabia’s speech at the Seventh Congress
of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions held in Kazakhstan. There, it
expressed its stance on fighting extremism and highlighted its effective
contribution to bolstering communication between civilizations and cultures
through its message of Islam, which is based on peace, justice, tolerance and
moderation. The cabinet was briefed on the messages received by King Salman and
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman from the Emir of Kuwait and president of
Nigeria. It was briefed on the separate meetings held in the Kingdom between
Crown Prince Mohammed and Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Sabah
and President of the European Council, Charles Michel. The cabinet praised the
ties that bind Saudi Arabia with various countries and peoples and its keenness
on developing and bolstering them in various fields. The ministers reviewed
reports on various conferences and international and regional events that were
hosted by the Kingdom over the week.”



Nigeria



BBC News: Nigeria Boko Haram Crisis: The Women Walking Miles To Save Their
Children's Lives <[link removed]>



“Fati Usman's son lies on a hospital bed in north-eastern Nigeria, looking
almost lifeless. He has difficulty breathing and looks extremely emaciated. A
fly perches on his gaunt cheek. From his size, you would think he is about two
years old. But his mother says he is actually five. He is just one of several
million people caught up in a massive humanitarian crisis that an Islamist-led
insurgency has caused in north-east Nigeria, leaving families in desperate need
of food and medical care. Dwindling funds are to blame for people's hunger, say
aid workers, as Nigeria's government relies on support from aid agencies and
the UN who in turn are more focused on crises in Ukraine and elsewhere. Camps
for internally displaced people (IDPs) are a last resort for millions of
vulnerable Nigerians, yet Borno state, one of the worst affected, decided to
close all such camps last year - labelling them slums and paying $200 (£175) to
each family forced to leave. And when it comes to government funding in the
wider north-east, the malnutrition crisis comes second to fighting the region's
insurgents. Aid workers predict that an estimated 1.74 million children under
the age of five could suffer from acute malnutrition in north-east Nigeria in
2022 - a 20% increase from the previous year - and 5,000 could die in the next
two months.”



Daily Post Nigeria: ISWAP Kills 2 Boko Haram Commanders In Borno
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“The Islamic State of the West African Province (ISWAP), has eliminated two
officials of Boko Haram, Abou Hamza (Munzir) and Abou Ibrahim (Nakib), when
they stormed the enclaves of the rival faction at the midnight on September 17,
2022, in Gaizuwa in Bama Local Government. It was gathered that the two
Commanders were executed in silent Operations by the ISWAP, as their remains
were found in their homes in the early morning of September 18. Zagazola
Makama, a Counter Insurgency Expert and Security Analyst in Lake Chad said
before the latest attack, Boko Haram had vowed to revenge the killing of 29
terrorists including a top Commander ambushed by the ISWAP terrorists.
Competent sources disclosed that Boko Haram later invited more than 70 fighters
from the axis of Mafa, Karkut, Shiwai, lawe Kanuriye, Kirwa and Amtifur to help
them to carry out the reprisal against the ISWAP. The source said ‘They divided
themselves into two groups before taking off from Gaizuwa. “But before arriving
at the ISWAP enclave, they came under another heavy fire by the ISWAP who
already knew about their plans, killing unspecified numbers of them. “The Boko
Haram fighters scampered in different directions with many killed and injured
while some were captured Alive and their weapons seized,” he said.”



Africa



All Africa: Tanzania: Dar Ratifies Counter-Terrorism Protocol
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“Tanzania joins other African Union member states to implement the Protocol
to the OAU Convention on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism, after
parliament on Monday unanimously endorsed the resolution for ratification of
the protocol. By endorsing the protocol, Tanzania stands a greater chance to
gain several benefits, the Minister for Home Affairs, Eng Hamad Yusuph Masauni
said when moving the protocol in the august House. Some of the benefits include
intensifying defence and security of the people and their properties and
simplifying the exchange of intelligence information on terrorism through close
collaboration from member states, said the minister. “We will also improve
systems for extradition of terrorism suspects as well as intensifying capacity
building as well as exchanging skills and training for experts,” he said. Mr
Masauni further noted that Tanzania will now be able to use the database centre
for terrorism located in Algeria, adding that the new move would help in
strengthening socio-economic activities because of the prevailing peace and
security. The OAU Convention on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism was
adopted by the 35th OAU Summit in Algiers, Algeria, in July 1999, while the
Plan of Action for the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism was adopted by the
Intergovernmental High Level meeting of Member States of the African Union,
held in Algiers, Algeria, September 2002.”



Reuters: Tunisian Police Question Opposition Leader Through Night
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“Tunisian police questioned main opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi for more
than 12 hours overnight, his lawyer said, over terrorism accusations that
Ghannouchi, who was also speaker of the dissolved parliament, says are
politically motivated. The 81-year-old head of the Islamist Ennahda party was
summoned to meet the terrorism police on Tuesday and questioned from 5:00 p.m.
until 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday, his lawyer Samir Dilou said. Ghannouchi and
another senior Ennahda figure, former prime minister Ali Laareyedh, were both
initially summoned on Monday. Laareyedh was questioned through Monday evening
and night and detained. Ghannouchi waited for 12 hours before being questioned.
Both men, and Ennahda, deny the accusations the police are investigating, that
they helped Tunisian jihadists travel to Syria during the Islamic State crisis
a decade ago. They will face a judge later on Wednesday, Dilou said.”



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