GENEVA: When his mother phoned, the Iraqi man was stopped at a checkpoint, on his way to visit a cousin, and said he would call back right away.
He never did, according to the mother’s testimony reported Tuesday by a UN committee which urged Baghdad to establish a legal framework for tackling the “heinous crime” of disappearances.
The man, who disappeared from the checkpoint set up by “men in uniform,” is among up to one million Iraqis estimated to have gone missing over the past five decades scarred by dictatorship and war.

LONDON: UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan on Tuesday discussed ways to enhance relations with Israel during a phone call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Emirates News Agency reported.

Sheikh Mohamed “affirmed the UAE’s ongoing commitment to bilateral relations with Israel,” according to the WAM report.

BEIRUT: Lebanon is investigating alleged embezzlement of over $300,000 at its Ukraine embassy, a judicial official told AFP on Monday, as sources say cash-strapped Beirut is trying to cut costs at diplomatic missions.
The probe was launched after financial irregularities came to light in September, the official said, requesting anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Preliminary investigations showed “an estimated $318,000” had been embezzled from funds including for consular services such as “passport renewal fees,” the official said.

GENEVA: The UN rights chief called Monday for Libyan authorities and the international community to step up accountability efforts in the conflict-ravaged country, as a probe into war crimes wrapped up.
“Libyan authorities, armed groups, smugglers and human traffickers should not assume that the eyes of the international community have now left Libya,” Volker Turk said.
“It is crucial that we redouble efforts to secure accountability for past violations and continue to monitor the reality on the ground to prevent future violations.”

IRBIL, Iraqi Kurdistan: Russia may be hoping it can replicate China’s success in brokering the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between Middle East heavyweights Saudi Arabia and Iran by overseeing a restoration of bilateral ties between Syria and Turkiye. But analysts caution that fundamental differences between the two normalization efforts militate against a quick breakthrough.