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The Aga Khan, imam of the Ismaili Muslims and head of a major development aid network, has died in Lisbon at the age of 88, his foundation announced on Wednesday.He was the founder and president of the Aga Khan Development Network, which employs 96,000 people and finances development programmes particularly in Asia and Africa.”His Highness Prince Karim Al-Hussaini, Aga Khan IV, 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims and direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), passed away peacefully in Lisbon on 4 February 2025, aged 88, surrounded by his family,” the foundation said in a statement.”The announcement of his designated successor will follow,” the statement added, regarding who could become the fifth person to hold the post since the 19th century.Present in multiple countries, notably in central and southern Asia, Africa and the Middle East, the Ismaili community numbers 12 to 15 million, according to its website.United Nations chief Antonio Guterres described the Aga Khan as “a symbol of peace, tolerance and compassion in our troubled world” following the religious leader’s death.Malala Yousafzai, Nobel Peace laureate and education campaigner, said his legacy would “live on through the incredible work he led for education, health and development around the world”.Born in Geneva, the Aga Khan spent his childhood in Kenya and was appointed in Tanzania to succeed his grandfather in 1957. His father was passed over in the line of succession after a tumultuous marriage to American actor Rita Hayworth.A billionaire owner of yachts and jets, the Aga Khan was a regular on the racetrack and continued the family tradition of breeding thoroughbreds.He also ploughed a large amount of his inherited wealth into philanthropic projects.- ‘Extraordinary man of vision’ -The apolitical and secular development foundation he created in 1967 is credited with raising literacy levels in 18 countries across South and Central Asia, Africa and the Middle East.Its work in Pakistan earned the Aga Khan the wrath of Sunni Taliban militants who accused the foundation’s schools of “brainwashing” men and women to stay away from Islam.During his lifetime, the Aga Khan was awarded honorary Canadian citizenship for his work on development and “tolerance around the world”.He also held British and Portuguese citizenship. The Ismaili leadership is based in Lisbon, where there is a significant community.Britain’s King Charles was “deeply saddened” by the death of the Aga Khan, who was “a personal friend of many years”, an unnamed royal source was quoted in the British press as saying.Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described the Aga Khan as an “extraordinary man of vision, faith, and generosity” who “devoted his life to peace and prosperity for all”.The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, praised “his exemplary commitment to culture, philanthropy and humanitarian causes”.Despite his role as the spiritual head of the Ismaili Muslims, he was reluctant to discuss Middle East conflicts, religious fundamentalism or Sunni-Shiite tensions.Islam is not a faith “of conflict or social disorder, it’s a religion of peace,” he told AFP in 2017.It is used in situations which are “essentially political, but which are presented, for various reasons, in a theological context. This is simply not correct,” he said.burs-ah/as/rlp

Beijing accused the United States Wednesday of “suppression” after its postal service said it was suspending parcels from China and Hong Kong, a move that could hit e-commerce giants Temu and Shein.Tensions between the US and China have soared in recent days as the world’s two largest economies slapped a volley of tariffs on each …

China slams US ‘suppression’ as trade war deepens Read More »

The leaning minaret of Mosul in northern Iraq has been restored using its original brickwork, years after it was reduced to rubble under Islamic State group rule.The Al-Hadba or “hunchback” minaret is part of the historic Al-Nuri Mosque from where former IS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in July 2014 declared his “caliphate” that committed atrocities across swathes of both Syria and Iraq.The mosque and minaret were destroyed in June 2017 during the battle to oust IS from Mosul, and Iraq’s authorities accused the jihadists of planting explosives before their withdrawal.The minaret and mosque are the latest landmarks in Mosul to be restored by United Nations heritage body UNESCO, whose teams have worked for five years to revive several sites there.The Al-Hadba minaret of today is an exact replica of the old one, “built with the same bricks”, said Abdullah Mahmoud of the Iraqi department of antiquities.”Al-Hadba is our identity, and by restoring it, the identity of the city has been reclaimed.”The restored minaret’s tilt has been retained at 160 centimetres (63 inches), just as it was in the 1960s.However, engineers have reinforced the foundations so it no longer leans quite so precariously, as it began to do gradually after being built in the 12th century.”The minaret’s body from the inside needed 96,000 new bricks,” Mahmoud said.”But for the exterior we used 26,000 old bricks” to preserve its historical legacy.- ‘Massive change’ -Days before work was completed, hundreds of workers put the finishing touches to Al-Nuri’s columns, dome and yard.Mahmoud said the mihrab, a niche indicating the direction of Mecca, has been largely repaired using its original stones. But the minbar, from where sermons are delivered, has lost most of its original pieces.Across the street, Imad Zaki, a former muezzin at the mosque, said: “Every day I stand here for an hour to watch as they are restored to their original state.””Today one can feel the spirituality. It’s as if our souls have finally found peace,” added the 52-year-old, wearing a long traditional Iraqi abaya, or robe.Eighty percent of Mosul’s old city was destroyed in the fight against IS, and more than 12,000 tons of rubble was removed for the UNESCO restoration project, which also included Al-Tahira and Our Lady of the Hour churches and 124 heritage houses.The Al-Tahira Church, dating from 1862, has been rebuilt with its arcades, embellished pillars and stained-glass windows.During restoration, workers discovered an underground cellar and large jars once used for wine. It now has a glass ceiling so visitors can look inside.Maria Acetoso, senior project manager at UNESCO Iraq, said the project aimed “to work in parallel on meaningful monuments for the city and also to bring life back” to Mosul.”When I arrived here in 2019 it looked like a ghost city,” Acetoso said. “In five years plus, there has been a massive change.”In Mosul on Wednesday, UNESCO chief Audrey Azoulay hailed her team’s efforts and said on that the renovation had allowed “the identity of the city” to return.- Scars of battle -After IS was defeated, life returned to the city’s streets, where the chatter of patrons in small cafes blended with the clatter of construction work at the mosque.In the coming weeks, Iraqi authorities will inaugurate the restored landmarks.But Mosul still bears scars from the ferocious fight against IS.Tucked away in narrow old city alleyways are ruined houses. Some bear the word “safe” scrawled in red on walls, signalling that they that have been cleared of explosives.The crumbling walls and shattered windows tell tales of displacement. Their original owners, mostly Christian, have yet to return.Mohammed Kassem, 59, came back to the old city a few years ago, to a new house as his former home was just debris.Mosul still “needs a great deal” of work before it is back to normal, he said.”It needs its former residents… the Christians to come back. This is their place,” Kassem added.Across the street from Al-Nuri Mosque, Saad Mohammed, 65, said he hoped the restoration efforts will attract visitors to Mosul, although he still feels sad because of what it has lost.But he couldn’t help but smile when he looked up at the minaret from his little shop.”We opened the window once and saw the black IS flag on top of the minaret. Then we opened it again and the minaret was gone,” said Mohammed, who never left Mosul, even at the height of the fighting.”Today the minaret has risen again, alongside the mosque and the churches. Now we feel safe,” he said.

Palestinian militant group Hamas lashed out Wednesday at President Donald Trump’s shock proposal for the United States to take over the Gaza Strip and resettle its people in other countries, seemingly whether they want to leave or not.Trump made his announcement to audible gasps during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom he was hosting at the White House for talks.In a proposal that lacked details on how he would move out more than two million Palestinians or control Gaza, Trump said he would make the war-battered enclave “unbelievable” by removing unexploded bombs and rubble, and economically redeveloping it.”The US will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it, too. We’ll own it,” Trump said.He said there was support from the “highest leadership” in the Middle East and upped pressure on Egypt and Jordan to take the Gazans — despite both governments flatly rejecting the idea.Suggesting “long-term ownership” by the United States, Trump said his idea would make it “the Riviera of the Middle East. This could be something that could be so magnificent.”Hamas, which seized sole control of Gaza in 2007, rejected the proposal, branding it a” racist” idea.”The American racist stance aligns with the Israeli extreme right’s position in displacing our people and eliminating our cause,” Hamas spokesman Abdel Latif al-Qanou said in a statement.Much of Gaza was levelled in a 15-month war triggered by Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel, and Trump has repeatedly claimed credit for sealing a ceasefire agreement that took effect last month.Netanyahu, who has vowed to bring home hostages taken by Hamas and to crush its capabilities, said Trump’s plan could “change history” and was worth “paying attention to”.Netanyahu was making the first visit by a foreign leader to the White House since Trump’s return to power, for what were billed as talks on securing a second phase of the truce.- ‘Miserable existence’ -But it quickly turned into the shock revelation of a proposal that would, if implemented, completely transform the face of the Middle East.Trump, who also floated travelling to Gaza, appeared to suggest it would not be rebuilt for Palestinians.”It should not go through a process of rebuilding and occupation by the same people that have… lived there and died there and lived a miserable existence there,” he said.Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas also rejected the proposal.”President Mahmud Abbas and the Palestinian leadership expressed their strong rejection of calls to seize the Gaza Strip and displace Palestinians outside their homeland,” Abbas’s office said in a statement, adding that “legitimate Palestinian rights are not negotiable”.Palestinians in Gaza have also denounced Trump’s resettlement idea.”Trump thinks Gaza is a pile of garbage — absolutely not,” said 34-year-old Hatem Azzam, a resident of the southern city of Rafah.For Palestinians, any attempts to force them out of Gaza would evoke dark memories of what the Arab world calls the “Nakba”, or catastrophe — the mass displacement of Palestinians during Israel’s creation in 1948.Trump was vague on the details of how he would execute a takeover, but hinted that it could require US boots on the ground in one of the most volatile places on earth “if necessary.”Standing at a podium beside Trump, Netanyahu hailed Trump as Israel’s “greatest friend” and praised his “willingness to think outside the box”.The two have had tense relations in the past, but Netanyahu has seized on the Republican’s return to power after his ties with former president Joe Biden became strained over the death toll in Gaza.- ‘Winning the war’ -The Israeli premier would not rule out a return to hostilities with Hamas, or with its other foes in the region including Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Iran.”We will end the war by winning the war,” Netanyahu said, while vowing to secure the return of all hostages held by Hamas.He did voice confidence that a deal with regional rival Saudi Arabia to normalise relations was “going to happen”.But after Trump aired his proposal, Saudi Arabia said it would not formalise ties with Israel unless a Palestinian state is established. Trump’s Gaza proposal is set to face harsh opposition.Egypt, Jordan and ceasefire mediator Qatar have all rejected Trump’s suggestion of moving Palestinians from Gaza.Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said relocating Palestinians was something “neither we nor the region can accept”.China too hit out at the proposal, with its foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian saying: “China has always maintained that Palestinian rule over Palestinians is the basic principle of the post-war governance of Gaza, and we are opposed to the forced transfer of the residents of Gaza.”The Gaza war began when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in the deaths of 1,210 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.Israel’s retaliatory response has killed at least 47,518 people in Gaza, the majority civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry. The United Nations considers the figures reliable.burs-ser/kir