Politics
Mourn him properly or else
- Republicans warn against mocking Kirk’s death, threaten dire consequences.
- At least 15 people fired or suspended for allegedly disrespecting Kirk’s memory.
- Online campaigns directed by Republicans continue to target Kirk’s critics online.
After the fatal shooting of right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk, US Republicans have a warning for Americans: Mourn him respectfully or suffer the consequences.
Over the past several days, Democratic and Republican leaders have widely condemned the murder of Kirk, a 31-year-old activist and Trump world celebrity known for his hard-right views and pugnacious debating style.
A smattering of commentators — including ordinary people joking about and sometimes celebrating Kirk’s death to lawmakers and pundits dwelling on his history of bigoted rhetoric — has also surfaced, only to be targeted in organised campaigns.
At least 15 people have been fired or suspended from their jobs after discussing the killing online, according to a Reuters tally based on interviews, public statements and local press reports. The total includes journalists, academic workers and teachers. On Friday, a junior Nasdaq employee was fired over her posts related to Kirk.
Others have been subjected to torrents of online abuse or seen their offices flooded with calls demanding they be fired, part of a surge in right-wing rage that has followed the killing.
Some Republicans want to go further still and have proposed deporting Kirk’s critics from the United States, suing them into penury or banning them from social media for life.
“Prepare to have your whole future professional aspirations ruined if you are sick enough to celebrate his death,” said conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer, a prominent ally of President Donald Trump and one of several far-right figures who are organising digital campaigns on X, the social media site, to ferret out and publicly shame Kirk’s critics.
US lawmaker Clay Higgins said in a post on X that anyone who “ran their mouth with their smartass hatred celebrating the heinous murder of that beautiful young man” needed to be “banned from ALL PLATFORMS FOREVER.” The US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said on the same site that he had been disgusted to “see some on social media praising, rationalising, or making light of the event, and have directed our consular officials to undertake appropriate action.”
Republicans’ anger at those disrespecting Kirk’s legacy contrasts with the mockery some of the same figures – including Kirk – directed at past victims of political violence.
For example, when former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband Paul was clubbed over the head by a hammer-wielding conspiracy theorist during a break-in at their San Francisco home shortly before the 2022 midterm elections, Higgins posted a photo making fun of the attack. He later deleted the post.
Loomer falsely suggested that Paul Pelosi and his assailant were lovers, calling the brutal assault on the octogenarian a “booty call gone wrong.” Speaking to a television audience a few days after the attack, a grinning Kirk called for the intruder to be sprung from jail.
“If some amazing patriot out there in San Francisco or the Bay Area wants to really be a midterm hero, someone should go and bail this guy out,” he said.
Loomer and Higgins did not return messages seeking comment.
Website “Expose Charlie’s Murderers” registered
The campaign to fire Kirk’s critics has not slowed. Calls to run people out of jobs have flooded across X.
A newly registered site, “Expose Charlie’s Murderers,” has 41 names of people it alleged were “supporting political violence online” and claims to be working on a backlog of more than 20,000 submissions.
A Reuters review of the screenshots and comments posted to the site shows that some of those featured joked about or celebrated Kirk’s death. One was quoted as saying, “He got what he deserved” and others were quoted providing variations on “karma’s a bitch.” Others, however, were critical of the far-right figure while explicitly denouncing violence.
Still others appear to have done little more than point out that a longtime gun control foe had been shot to death. At least three accurately quoted Kirk’s 2023 comments in which he told a crowd that some gun deaths were “worth it,” saying that the annual drumbeat of firearms-related killings in the United States was “a prudent deal” in exchange for the Constitution’s Second Amendment.
One person who was featured on the site said their employer had been bombarded by phone calls, with callers threatening not to let up until they were fired or disciplined. The person said they plan to avoid the office in the coming days.
“To be very, very clear, I don’t condone the murder of Charlie Kirk,” the person told Reuters in a phone call, speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid further harassment. “But I do, at the same time, have to appreciate the irony of this situation,” they said, referring to Kirk being shot through the neck with a rifle following years of vociferous opposition to gun control.
Reuters could not establish who is running the website. The site did not respond to questions about its ownership, methodology, or why quoting Kirk accurately could be seen as “supporting political violence.” Squarespace, the site’s host, did not return messages seeking comment.
Jay Childers, an associate professor of communications at the University of Kansas, said there was a long history of government officials and political elites attempting to control rhetoric and suppress dissent.
“I do not think this moment is really new in that sense,” he said, although he noted that “the ability for anyone to post their thoughts on the internet certainly makes far more people potential targets of any attempts to control political speech.”
AUSTIN: Texas Governor Greg Abbott has officially signed the House Bill 4211, a new law aimed at preventing religiously exclusive residential developments, such as the controversial EPIC City project in Collin County.
The bill bans the creation of so-called Sharia compounds and protects Texans from discrimination and fraudulent housing practices.
The ceremonial signing took place Friday afternoon in McKinney, where state and local leaders joined Governor Abbott, including Congressman Keith Self, Senator Angela Paxton, Representative Jeff Leach, Representative Candy Noble, Representative Katrina Pierson, Representative Keresa Richardson, and Representative Matt Shaheen.
Speaking at the event, Governor Abbott said the legislation addresses two key issues: religious freedom and the right to contract.
“Religious freedom is a cornerstone of the Texas Constitution,” he said.
Abbott further explained that EPIC City organisers sought to create a Muslim-only community, impose Sharia law on residents, and restrict landowners from selling property outside of the community.
“This law protects religious freedom while ensuring that no one can forcibly impose Sharia law or create segregated ‘no-go zones’ in Texas,” Abbott added.
According to a press release issued by the State of Texas, House Bill 4211 regulates business schemes that develop residential communities to ensure they do not engage in discriminatory housing practices or unfair investment tactics that harm Texans.
It requires that all disputes related to these developments be resolved in state or federal courts, not through any other religious or alternative systems.
At county meetings, residents claimed EPIC City would be an “Islamic compound” where “Sharia law” would be enforced.
EPIC City’s attorney, Dan Cogdell, strongly denied these allegations, calling them false and politically motivated.
“We never intended to impose Sharia law or create a Muslim-only zone,” Cogdell said. “Our buyers are doctors, lawyers, and engineers — law-abiding citizens who just want to live peacefully. This has become nothing but propaganda”.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-DFW) also condemned Governor Abbott’s statements, calling them “hurtful and dangerous” for Texas’ nearly one million Muslims.
CAIR-DFW leader Mustafaa Carroll said: “There are no so-called Sharia compounds. This rhetoric spreads fear and paints Muslims as outsiders. It’s harmful and completely baseless”.
The EPIC City project, announced in 2024 by members of the East Plano Islamic Centre through a company called Community Capital Partners, was planned as a 402-acre “Muslim-friendly” community near Josephine in rural Collin County. Plans included more than 1,000 homes, a mosque, a K-12 faith-based school, apartments, a senior living centre, and retail shops.
LONDON: Married Pakistani Doctor Dr Suhail Anjum had intercourse with a nurse in an operating theatre while a patient was under anaesthetic, a medical tribunal has heard.
Dr Anjum, 44, and the unnamed nurse were caught in a “compromising position” by a “shocked” colleague at Tameside Hospital who walked in on the pair.
The consultant anaesthetist had asked another nursing colleague to monitor the male patient halfway through the procedure for him to take a comfort break.
Instead, Dr Anjum went to another operating theatre at the hospital in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, where he had sex with “nurse C”.
Andrew Molloy, representing the General Medical Council (GMC) said Dr Anjum was the anaesthetist for five cases in theatre five on September 16, 2013 and left the room during the third case.
He said, shortly after, “nurse NT” entered theatre eight and “encountered Dr Anjum and nurse C in a compromising position”.
Mr Molloy said: “She described seeing nurse C with her trousers around her knee area with her underwear on display and Dr Anjum was in the process of tying up the cord of his trousers.
“Nurse NT was shocked and quickly walked through the theatre to the exit doors. Dr Anjum returned to theatre five and was gone for about eight minutes before his return.
“It is right to say that no harm came to the patient when Dr Anjum was absent from the theatre and the procedure went on without further incident.”
He said nurse NT went on to report the matter to her line manager.
Before the case was opened by the GMC, Dr Anjum said he did not dispute the facts of the case and admitted engaging in sexual activity with nurse C and that he knew she was “likely to be nearby” when he left his patient.
He also admitted his actions had the potential to put his patient at risk.
Dr Anjum told the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) hearing he left Tameside hospital in February 2024 and had since moved back to his native Pakistan.
But he said he wanted to resume his career in the UK and promised there would never be a repeat of a “one-off error of judgment”.
Giving evidence, Dr Anjum said: “It was quite shameful, to say the least. I only have myself to blame. I let down everybody, not just my patient and myself but the trust and how it would look.”
The doctor said: “I let down my colleagues who gave me a lot of respect.”
He said it was “unfair” to ask the anaesthetic nurse to cover for him and he had also put nurse NT in an “awkward position”.
He went on: “But, most importantly the patient. If my doctor had gone away without telling me… this breaks me to pieces every day when I think about it.
“I have always set very high standards for myself because the job is my passion. I don’t know how and why it happened but I wish I could reverse it. I offer my sincere apologies to everyone involved and I want the opportunity to put this right,” he added.
Dr Anjum said the incident took place during a “stressful time” for his family following the birth of his youngest child in January 2023.
He said: “Our daughter was born premature, with a very, very low birth weight.
“My wife had a very traumatic delivery, it was quite a stressful experience. We failed to connect as a couple during that time.
“It took a toll on my personal life, my mental health and wellbeing, and my work at the hospital.”
The hearing in Manchester continued on Friday when the panel heard submissions on whether Dr Anjum’s fitness to practise is impaired because of misconduct. A decision will be made in few weeks.
- Trump says ready to impose fresh energy sanctions on Russia.
- Russia has twice passed Trump’s deadline to de-escalate in Ukraine.
- Officials warn curbs on Russian crude risk global oil price hike.
President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the United States is prepared to impose fresh energy sanctions on Russia, but only if all Nato nations cease purchasing Russian oil and implement similar measures.
“I am ready to do major sanctions on Russia when all Nato nations have agreed, and started, to do the same thing, and when all Nato nations stop buying oil from Russia,” Trump said in a social media post.
In recent weeks, the United States has stepped up pressure on Nato countries to tighten energy sanctions on Russia in a bid to help end its war with Ukraine — a conflict Trump has struggled to bring to a close despite repeated threats of harsher penalties on Moscow and its partners.
Trump has also faced criticism at home for repeatedly setting two-week deadlines for Russia to de-escalate and allowing them to pass without concrete action.
An August Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 54% of Americans, including one in five of Trump’s Republicans, believe the president is too closely aligned with Russia.
The Group of Seven nations’ finance ministers in a Friday call discussed further sanctions on Russia and possible tariffs on countries they consider “enabling” its war in Ukraine.
Energy revenues remain the Kremlin’s single most important source of cash to finance the war effort, making oil and gas exports a central target of Western sanctions. But officials and analysts warn that aggressive curbs on Russian crude also carry risks of driving up global oil prices, a prospect that could strain Western economies and weaken public support for the measures.
Since 2023, Nato member Turkiye has been the third-largest buyer of Russian oil, after China and India, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. Other members of the 32-state alliance involved in purchasing Russian oil include Hungary and Slovakia.
Trump, who is spending the weekend at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club, said Nato, acting as a bloc, should impose tariffs of 50% to 100% on Chinese imports, a move he argued would weaken Beijing’s economic grip on Moscow.
Trump has imposed an extra 25% tariff on imports from India to pressure New Delhi to halt its purchases of discounted Russian crude oil, bringing total punitive duties on Indian goods to 50% and souring trade negotiations between the two democracies.
But Trump has refrained from imposing additional tariffs on Chinese imports over China’s purchases of Russian oil, as his administration navigates a delicate trade truce with Beijing.
Veteran sports journalist Syed Muhammad Sufi passes away in Karachi
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