News in Brief(2023-08-29)

Climate activists target jets, yachts and golf in
string of global protests against luxury
BARCELONA, Aug 28: Climate activists have spraypainted a superyacht, blocked private jets from taking off and plugged holes in golf courses this summer as part of an intensifying campaign against the emissions-spewing lifestyles of the ultrawealthy. Climate activism has intensified in the past few years as the planet warms to dangerous levels, igniting more extreme heat, floods, storms and wildfires around the world. — AP
Saudi critic sentenced to death
DUBAI, Aug 28: Saudi Arabia has sentenced to death a government critic who denounced alleged corruption and human rights abuses on social media, his brother and others familiar with the case told AFP on Monday. The judgement was handed down against Mohammed al-Ghamdi in July by the Specialised Criminal Court, which was established in 2008 to try terrorism cases. The charges include conspiracy against the Saudi leadership, undermining state institutions and supporting terrorist ideology, sources briefed on the details said. Saudi officials did not respond to a request for comment. — AFP
France to ban Islamic abayas in schools
PARIS, Aug 28: French authorities are to ban the wearing in school of abaya dresses worn by some Muslim women, the education minister said Sunday, arguing the garment violated France's strict secular laws in education. "It will no longer be possible to wear an abaya at school," Education Minister Gabriel Attal told TF1 television, saying he would give "clear rules at the national level" to school heads ahead of the return to classes nationwide from September 4. — AFP
Mudslides kill 13 in Tajikistan after rains
Mudslides triggered by heavy rains killed 13 people in Tajikistan on Sunday, the Central Asian nation's government said on Monday, warning that many of its mountainous areas remained dangerous. Unverified photos and footage posted on social media from sites in the town of Vakhdat and the Rudaki district, both just outside the capital Dushanbe, showed cars on flooded mountain roads badly damaged by mudslides and large rocks. — Reuters
Ukraine liberates strategic SE settlement
KYIV, Aug 28: Ukraine said on Monday its troops had liberated the southeastern settlement of Robotyne and were trying to push further south in their counteroffensive against Russian forces. The Ukrainian military said last week that its forces had raised the national flag in the strategic settlement, but were still carrying out mopping-up operations. —Reuters