Qatari officials have come under fire after a man named on a list of wanted terrorists finished second in a government-sponsored triathlon. Mubarak al-Ajji was photographed on the podium receiving a silver medal and prize money just a week after Qatari officials promised the US they would crack down on terrorists.

‘Empty’ coffin found to contain mummy

Researchers at the University of Sydney have discovered that a 2,500-year-old sarcophagus they believed to be empty actually contains the partial remains of a mummy. The sarcophagus had been on display in a university museum for the past 150 years, and was only opened for the first time by researchers last year.

Animal lover kills heron to save duckling

A Welsh man was arrested after he cut open a heron in order to save a duckling it had just eaten. The heron was killed during the incident, while the duckling reportedly survived. The man, described by police as “vulnerable and elderly”, was issued with a caution. </s> Dubai: Qatar’s Ministry of the Interior has issued a terror list comprising 19 individuals and eight entities.

The list included 10 persons who had been previously listed in the three lists issued by Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, the Quartet that has boycotted Qatar since June 5 for supporting extremists and funding terrorism.

While the Arab Quartet welcomed the issuance of the list, it pointed out that Qatar has procrastinated in submitting it, which has been a demand of the Quartet since the crisis broke out.

“Qatar confirms the evidence against it and that its support for extremism and terrorism is the core of its crisis,” UAE State Minister of Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash posted on his Twitter account.

Observers believe Qatar is finally buckling under US pressure to resolve the crisis where it had been previously dragging its feet and avoiding responsibility.

The list reportedly includes 11 Qataris, four Egyptians, two Saudis and two Jordanians as well as six entities from Qatar, Daesh Sinai branch and Al Ihsan Charitable Society from Yemen.

Among the most prominent names on the list is Abdul Rahman Al Nuaimi who was designated as terrorist by the US government in December 2013 and the UN in September 2014 for providing financial support to terrorist organisations.

The US Department of the Treasury described Al Nuaimi, 64, as providing millions of dollars to Al Qaida in Iraq.

He also provided hundreds of thousands of dollars to Al Qaida members in Syria, Al Shabaab members from Somalia, and to Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula via a charity in Yemen.

In December 2016, Al Nuaimi issued a public call for support in the form of weapons, men, and money for Islamist militants in Syria, Iraq and Yemen.

Al Nuaimi formerly served as the head of the Qatar Football Association, was a founder and board member of Eid Charity in Qatar (also placed on the terror list), and served as a top advisor to the government of Qatar on charitable donations.

During his activities in support of Al Qaida, Al Nuaimi co-founded and led the Geneva-based front organisation Al Karama Foundation, which served to pressure Gulf governments to release detained Al Qaida members, including several Qatari accomplices also sanctioned as terrorists.

Al Nuami was on the list of terror-linked individuals, entities issued by the Quartet in July.

In Geneva, prominent jurists have called on the international community to condemn Qatar and stop its support for terrorist organisations.

They have also called on international human rights organisations to end their policy of ignoring Qatar’s practices and its human rights record.

During a seminar organised by the Arab Federation for Human Rights, on the sidelines of the 37th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, the jurists expressed their dissatisfaction at Qatar’s continuing and unrepentant support for terrorists and extremist organisations.

The participants at the seminar agreed that justice cannot be guaranteed and terrorism cannot be stopped completely unless those responsible are held accountable.

When the International Criminal Court was established, its main role was to not let criminals escape justice, they added.

They warned that the silence on Qatar’s practices sends a wrong message to those aggrieved by terrorism and threatens the right to life, which is a key human right, as well as the right to liberty and personal security, the UAE news agency (WAM) reported.

They affirmed that Qatar’s role in acts of terrorism in Bahrain and Yemen, as well as in Egypt and Libya, is no longer secret, and there are no doubts about the connection between Qatari authorities and terrorism. They also revealed key evidence that confirms Doha’s financial, media and operational support for terrorist organisations in these countries.

The jurists expressed their surprise that human rights organisations have overlooked Qatar’s human rights record. “Qatar is depicted in the international community as a supporter of human rights, but many human rights organisations have not noticed its internal human rights record,” they said in conclusion.

List of the individuals designated as terrorists by Qatar

1. Abdul Rahman Umair Al Nuaimi (Qatari)

2. Saad Saeed Mohammad Sharyan Al Kaabi (Qatari)

3. Abdul Lateef Abdullah Saleh Mohammad Al Kawari (Qatari)

4. Ebrahim Eisa Hajji Mohammad Al Baker (Qatari)

5. Mubarak Mohammad Misaad Ali Al Ajji (Qatari)

6. Khalid Saeed Fadhl Rashid Al Buainain (Qatari)

7. Rashed Salem Rashed Mohammad Abu Qaba (Qatari)

8. Mohammad Faysal Hamad Al Jabr Al Suwaidi (Qatari)

9. Mohammad Jaber Salem Mishaab (Qatari)

10. Abdullah Sulaiman Saad Abdullah Thamer (Qatari)

11. Abdullah Mohammad Shaker Shamseddeen Al Shibani (Qatari)

12. Ebrahim Mohammad Abdul Rahman Al Bawardi (Saudi)

13. Abdullah Mohammad Salman Al Muhaisni (Saudi)

14. Dhahi Mohammad Mustafa Mustafa Sinjar (Egyptian)

15. Ahmad Sameer Mohammad Al Habib Al Tunaijir (Egyptian)

16. Ahmad Eid Salem Al Hajawi (Egyptian)

17. Hassan Saad Shetiwi (Egyptian)

18. Abdul Malik Mohammad Yousef Othman Abdul Salma (Jordanian)

19. Ashraf Mohammad Yousef Othman Abdul Salam (Egyptian)

List of the entities designated as terrorists by Qatar

1. Al Ansar for Mobiles, Car Rental and Real Estate (Qatari)

2. Tiftinaz for Trade and Contracting (Qatari)

3. Jebel Omar for Trade and Contracting (Qatari)

4. Khairat for Trade and Contracting (Qatari)

5. Al Dhahaibya for Umbrellas and Tents (Qatari)

6. Al Ihitida for Furniture and Décor (Qatari)

7. Al Ihsan Charitable Society (Yemeni)

8. Daesh Sinai Branch (Egyptian) </s> CAIRO (REUTERS) - Egyptian photojournalist Mahmoud Abu Zeid won the 2018 Press Freedom Prize awarded by the United Nations cultural agency Unesco on Monday (April 23), a choice that drew criticism from the Egyptian authorities.

The government arrested Abu Zeid, also known as Shawkan, in 2013 as he photographed security forces dispersing an anti-government sit-in, during which hundreds of protesters and several security forces members were killed.

Shawkan, who is still in detention, and more than 700 other people face many charges, which include belonging to the banned Muslim Brotherhood, possessing firearms and murder.

If convicted, he could face the death penalty.

He will have a hearing on Tuesday, but no verdict is expected.

He denies all charges, his lawyer Karim Abd el-Rady said.

International rights organisations, including Amnesty International and The Committee to Protect Journalists, have repeatedly denounced Shawkan's imprisonment and urged the Egyptian authorities to drop charges against him.

Amnesty says he was imprisoned merely for doing his job as a photojournalist.

Rights groups say a crackdown by the government of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has muzzled freedom of expression after the overthrow of Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood in mid-2013.

"The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions has qualified his arrest and detention as arbitrary and contrary to the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights," Unesco said on Monday.

Egypt's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday that the "nomination of the accused was driven by a number of non-governmental organisations, including organisations dominated by the state of Qatar, which is known for its support and continuous defence of the Brotherhood terrorist group".

"Perhaps you have been following Unesco, which intends to award a person who is accused of a felony, and which is supported by suspicious organisations and countries known for their support of terrorism," Parliament speaker Ali Abdelaal told the state news agency MENA on Monday.

The prize, the Guillermo Cano Press Freedom Prize, will be awarded on May 2 to mark World Press Freedom Day, Unesco said.

"The choice of Mahmoud Abu Zeid pays tribute to his courage, resistance and commitment to freedom of expression," Unesco jury president Maria Ressa said in the statement.
Mubarak al-Ajji, named on a Qatari official list of wanted terrorists, wins second place at a government-sponsored triathlon and is photographed at the medal ceremony.