File Photo: Ayesha Khatun, a Rohingya refugee, holds a family picture that she has sent to her husband and son jailed in Sittwe prison in Myanmar as a reply message, in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, July 5, 2018.
Inside a bamboo shelter on Bangladesh's eastern coast, 58-year-old Sait Banu held a dog-eared note from her husband. "If you find a good match for my daughter Una Jamin, you can arrange her wedding," he urged her in the letter.
"Don't worry, there is no problem in jail."
The message, sent from a prison hundreds of miles away in Myanmar's Rakhine state, was the first Sait Banu had heard from her husband since he was arrested in an army sweep last August that forced more than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims, including Sait Banu and her nine children, to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh.
Three Polish opposition parties boycotted a special session of parliament on Friday to mark the centennial of independence, in protest against changes by the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party they see as undermining democracy.Since taking office in late 2015, PiS has been accused by the European Union, rights groups and the domestic political opposition of undermining the rule of law. The EU has launched an unprecedented punitive procedure against the largest ex-communist state in the bloc.This year marks the 100th anniversary of Poland's independence, regained at the end of World War One from the collapse of the German, Austrian and Russian empires.The government marked the event with a joint session of both houses of parliament. But the centrist opposition Civic Platform (PO) party and smaller opposition Nowoczesna party declined to attend and held a separate ceremony."The parliament became a machine to push through what the government needs," said Kamila Gasiuk-Pihowicz of Nowoczesna.A third opposition group, the Polish People's Party (PSL), attended the beginning of the official event but walked out before the address by President Andrzej Duda, a PiS ally. PSL head Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said the ruling party had turned the parliament into a mere "re-enactment group."Addressing the gathering, Duda defended PiS policies."One cannot deny the parliamentary majority the right to implement its programme," Duda said.The nationalist PiS has put pressure on critical media and non-governmental groups promoting liberal social values, as well as placing the judiciary under more direct government control.PiS, which has 235 seats in the 460-strong lower chamber and 63 in the 100-strong upper chamber, denies accusations that its moves go against democratic standards. It says its measures are needed to improve the efficiency of courts and rid them of a lingering communist legacy.Despite street protests and mounting international pressure, PiS has not budged and enjoys strong public support, in part due to more generous social spending."Judges are today much more independent than they used to be," Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told the European Parliament earlier this month. "Democracy in Poland has never been as vibrant as is now. Citizens can exercise their rights with no obstacles. Media are more diverse."
Poland opposition boycotts parliament independence day centennial
During weeks of violence that the United Nations has called "ethnic cleansing," soldiers killed, raped, and arrested thousands of Rohingya, survivors and human rights groups said. Myanmar denies the allegations.
With entire villages razed and thousands believed dead, Red Cross workers say many of those stuck in Myanmar prisons have been desperate to know if their families made it to the safety of refugee camps in Bangladesh. And those on the other side of the border, unable to go back, told Reuters they are equally keen to know if their loved ones had survived.
At least 38 people were killed and over 80 others injured in two separate blasts targeting election rallies in southwest and northwest Pakistan on Friday, officials and local media reported.A suspected suicide bomber detonated himself in an election rally in remote Mastung district of mineral-rich Balochistan province, killing at least 33 people and injured over 50, state-run Pakistan Television reported.The dead included a candidate from Mastung, Siraj Raisani, a brother of the former Chief Minister Balochistan Nawab Aslam Raisani.Suicide blast at election rally in NW Pakistan kills 4Raisani, who was critically injured in the blast, had been shifted to the hospital in provincial capital Quetta but he could not survive, his brother and a former parliamentarian Haji Lashkari Raisani told reporters.Police were not sure about the nature of the explosion however some local channels quoted eyewitnesses terming the incident as an “act of a suicide bomber”.Earlier in the day, a suspected suicide bomber rammed his explosive-laden motorbike into a vehicle minutes after the end of an election rally in the remote Bannu district, bordering the restive North Waziristan tribal region, killing five people and injuring another 30.All you need to know about Pakistani electionsSenior politician Akram Khan Durrani, a candidate of the five-party religious alliance Muttehida Majlis Amal (MMA), was an apparent target of the attack but escaped unscathed, local broadcaster ARY News reported.Durrani, a former chief minister of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhawa province, is running against Imran Khan, a popular former cricket star, in Bannu.Durrani told ARY News that he was not at the venue when the blast occurred.This was the second attack on MMA candidates in Bannu in the last two weeks.The latest bombings followed a suicide blast at an election rally earlier this week in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhawa’s capital, that killed 21 people, including a candidate.The Pakistani Taliban's mother coalition, Tehrik-e-Taliban-Pakistan, had claimed responsibility for the Peshawar attack.Pakistan’s elections are scheduled for July 25.
Blasts targeting election rallies kill 38 in Pakistan
Scraps of paper carried between prisons in Myanmar and the camps by the International Committee of the Red Cross are a rare source of hope for families torn apart by the largest and fastest refugee influx in the region in the past twenty years, the refugees say.
More than 1,600 notes have been gathered from the Bangladeshi camps since August, the Red Cross says. About 160 have been delivered to jails in Rakhine and the replies sent back to Bangladesh.
Reuters saw copies of seven notes, provided by Red Cross officials and hand-written on forms bearing the letterheads of Red Cross organisations, but could not independently verify their authenticity.
South Korea said on Friday it had scrambled military jets to intercept two Russian military aircraft that entered the South's air defence territory four times through the day.The Russian aircraft were believed to be military bomber jets and spent more than three hours in the Korea Air Defence Identification Zone, the South Korean joint chiefs of staff told Reuters.Both the South Korea joint chiefs and the Defence Ministry declined to give details on the number of South Korean military aircraft that were deployed.Russia's Defence Ministry was not immediately available for comment. 
South Korea says scrambles jets to intercept two Russian aircraft
The letters often serve as the first proof of life of loved ones. They also include snippets of family news.
"I've been imprisoned for three years. Please don't worry for me," one letter from a Myanmar jail reads.
"We're always missing you very much, and I know you're also missing us," reads another one sent from the camps in Bangladesh to a Myanmar jail.
"Please send a picture of everybody. I would be so happy to see you all. Give news of the children," a Rohingya man detained in Myanmar asks in a February letter delivered to his wife in the camps in Bangladesh.
"HOW IS MY FAMILY?"
When Sait Banu's husband was arrested in their village in northern Rakhine one morning last August, she was not told why the police were taking him. "They arrested 50 men from my village that day," she said. It took place only days before Rohingya insurgents struck 30 police posts on Aug. 25.
Turkey's Ambassador-designate to Nigeria Melih Ulueren has urged vigilance about the activities of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), saying mistaking it for a benign organization with no hidden agenda could prove costly.Ulueren’s comments came as Ankara commemorates the second anniversary of the July 15, 2016 failed coup in Turkey, orchestrated by FETÖ and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gülen, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.Ulueren said the FETÖ has global ambitions to model governments after the thoughts of its founder Fetullah Gülen, a fugitive from justice in the U.S., who the envoy said calls himself the "imam of the world."Two key FETÖ terrorists brought from Azerbaijan, Ukraine to Turkey“It would be a huge mischaracterization to think of Gülen as a peaceful Islamic scholar and preacher,” according to the envoy.“These Gülen followers constitute a typical case of radicalization by a cult of personality. They believe that Gülen is the ‘messiah’ and that they are the ‘golden generation.’“Their loyalty is to him alone, making them violate any legal, religious, or ethical code in order to advance the interests of this group. The Fetullah Terrorist Organization is a next-generation terrorist group that is based on hypocrisy, concealment and secrecy.”Executives get jail terms for FETÖ terror linksUlueren said Turkey was right to crack down on the group's networks following the defeated coup, insisting that FETÖ had (in the guise of civic engagement) penetrated every critical sector of society through subterfuge.Under the guise of legitimate social service efforts, Gülen and his followers gained access to vast financial resources, human capital, and political and social influence.Dirty money, abuse of powerSuch vast wealth and influence was not accumulated through legally conducted business, said Ulueren. It involved money laundering, bribing, and operations through shady firms.Over 80 get aggravated life sentences in July 15 Martyrs’ Bridge caseIt also involved destroying rivals through abusing state authority, which they acquired by infiltrating state structures, including the police, judiciary, and finance.“Let me say this loud and clear: FETÖ is a mafia-like cultish organization, with clandestine political aims. The Turkish government rightfully takes necessary and proportional measures to suppress and eventually defeat this imminent threat,” said Ulueren.“We are faced with a global enterprise, with global aspirations of power and dominance. FETÖ is present in more than 160 countries around the world, through schools, NGOs, lobbyists, and companies.US experts raise concern over FETÖ threat in America"Through their educational efforts, they provide scholarships. Later, they specifically target these children whom they provide with scholarships and indoctrinate them."Then they encourage them to join the public service. The aim here is to infiltrate the public sector so as to influence the politics in line with their agenda."He added: “Their actions in Turkey should be considered a wake-up call to other countries ...Turkey understands the needs of Nigerian students and their families. To prevent the closure of these schools, the Turkish Maarif Foundation, a public foundation, was established in 2016.“The aim of the Maarif Foundation is to assume the ownership of the schools but never to close them. Nigerian teachers will keep their jobs, with a probable reasonable increase in salaries. The Maarif Foundation so far took over [FETÖ] schools in a number of countries with a view to providing better education to students.”
FETÖ can't be trusted, says Turkish envoy to Nigeria
Spokesmen for the Myanmar government and police did not respond to calls and e-mails seeking comment on the arrests or on ethnic cleansing and human rights abuses against the Rohingya, which they have denied in the past. They also did not respond to requests for comment on the exchange of letters.
Myanmar has said it has arrested 384 Rohingya on suspicion of links to the Muslim militant group, Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) since last August.
Turkey rescued 34 undocumented migrants stranded on an island in the Turkish Aegean, security sources said on Friday.The migrants trapped on Bogaz Island -- including children -- were saved by Turkish Coast Guard helicopters, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.Bogaz -- an uninhabited island off Cesme, in the Aegean province of Izmir -- is near the Greek island of Chios. The migrants are thought to have gotten stranded while trying to illegally cross to the Greek island.Video: 11 migrants stranded on island in Aegean savedGaleri: Operation launched to rescue irregular migrants in Aegean
Turkey rescues 34 migrants stranded on island in Aegean
More than 2,700 people were detained in prisons in Rakhine state's two main jails - in the state capital Sittwe and Buthidaung in the north - according to the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission, although it does not say how many of them are Rohingya.
Min Tun Soe, a spokesman for Myanmar's prisons department, declined to say how many people had been arrested on accusations of ties to ARSA and said that only those formally charged were kept in the jails.
With no idea where her husband had been taken, Sait Banu was forced to escape without him. "They shot and killed people, so we fled," she said, referring to Myanmar security forces.
Eritrea will reopen its embassy in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, on Sunday, Ethiopia's state-affiliated broadcaster said on Friday, before a visit by Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki.Fana Broadcasting quoted government spokesman Ahmed Shide as saying the Eritrean Embassy would be operational on Sunday. Eritrea's president to visit Ethiopia to cement historic truceEthiopia says re-opening roads to Eritrea's Red Sea ports a priorityTurkey hails Ethiopia-Eritrea peace efforts
Eritrea to reopen embassy in Ethiopia's capital on Sunday
In December, Red Cross volunteers near her shelter called on refugees who wanted to write to their families. She had heard from relatives that most men from her village had been sent to Sittwe prison, so she gave her husband's name and other details. Red Cross staff in Myanmar later traced him to Sittwe prison.
ONLY SON ALIVE
When Yuzana, 30, a field officer for the Myanmar Red Cross, visited the jail in February, she faced anxious questions from Rohingya detainees. "They thought I'd met their families," she said. "They asked me: "How is my family? Do you know where my wife is?"
Turkish embassy in Pakistan on Friday hosted an event in memory of the victims of the July 15, 2016 defeated coup, orchestrated by Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ).The event held at the Turkish embassy in Islamabad was attended by Pakistan’s Caretaker Minister for Human Rights and Kashmir Affairs Roshan Khursheed Bharucha, Air Chief Marshal of Pakistan Air Force Zahid Mehmood; several senators, diplomats, heads of different organizations and civil and military officials.Short videos of defeated coup were showed in the event to highlight the brutality and worst acts of terrorism by FETÖ operatives, who martyred civilians, bombed the presidential palace, parliament and police headquarters.FETÖ can't be trusted, says Turkish envoy to Nigeria"I salute to the brave Turkish nation who bravely fought against the coup attempt and saved democracy in their country," Bharucha said.The participants were shocked while watching the videos."Nobody could bear to watch the videos of 15th July defeated coup attempt in Turkey but I appreciate the Turkish nation who showed the world how they protected the democracy in their country" the minister said.Speaking at the gathering, the Turkish Ambassador to Pakistan Mustafa Yurdakul it was not a simple coup attempt but a "worst act of terrorism" orchestrated by FETÖ terrorists organization."FETÖ had established thousands of education institutions in around 160 countries of the world which were a big security threats for them and July 15 defeated coup attempt was a wakeup call for everyone," Yurdakul told the participants.The envoy noted many countries have shut down the FETÖ-linked schools or handed over their control to Turkey’s Maarif Foundation.FETÖ and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.Ankara accuses FETÖ of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.
‘July 2016 defeated coup was worst act of terrorism’
The Rohingya language does not have a written form, but some of the refugees speak Burmese or English. In Bangladesh, their messages are taken down by Red Cross volunteers in English, often through a translator, while those from the prisons in Rakhine are in Burmese so they can be read by the censors.
Because Myanmar censors all communications in and out of the jails, the letters are limited to family news. Rohingya cannot write about last year's violence or why they were arrested, Red Cross officials say.
Min Tun Soe, a spokesman for the Myanmar Prisons Department, said it was normal practice to censor communications in the prisons.
"We have to check whether the information written in the letter affects the security of the prison or not," he said.
On a recent afternoon, a volunteer for the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society - a Red Cross-funded organisation – at the Zadimura refugee camp read out a list of 16 Rohingya men found alive in Buthidaung jail.
Among the refugees who quietly gathered around him was Oli Mian, 70, hoping to hear the name of his 35-year-old son, Mohammed Rashid, who was arrested in 2016.
When Oli Mian heard his son's name, he couldn't believe it. Only when it was read out again and the family details were confirmed he realised this meant his only son was alive. His eyes welled up with tears and he walked with his wooden stick back to his shelter to tell his wife.
"If my son was here, I wouldn't have to stand in the long relief distribution lines for hours to get food," he said, as tears fell onto the wrinkled hands folded on his lap.
"I'll write to him that I want to hear his voice," his wife Roshan Begum said, also fighting back tears.
"I'll tell him his parents are alive."