u/SuspiciousTry8500

"I plead for mercy for the wrongs committed by my son. Please forgive him and send him back to us."

Speaking through tears, Rasamanickam Yogalakshmi made a desperate plea for the life of her eldest son, Anojan Sivarasa. The 24-year-old migrant worker is facing the death penalty in Saudi Arabia after an appellate court found him guilty of blasphemy against Islam and the Prophet Muhammad over a comment he made on Facebook.

The case has sent shockwaves through Sri Lanka, sparking widespread concern and civil society petitions across the country. Multiple political parties and government bodies have co-ordinated diplomatic efforts seeking clemency.

However, the family has had no updates on his condition since 28 September. The Sri Lankan government has instructed the family to refrain from making further statements while diplomatic efforts take place.

Saudi authorities have not published an official execution timeline, and it remains unclear when the sentence will be carried out. Saudi Arabia has a history of carrying out executions without warning families or foreign embassies, only informing relatives after the sentence has been carried out.

Anojan was prosecuted after a dispute on social media following an incident that took place during a Hindu pilgrimage in Sri Lanka. In late June, footage of a young Muslim man kicking a dog following Hindu pilgrims circulated widely on social media, triggering religious arguments online.

During the exchange, a user posted derogatory remarks about a Hindu deity, leading Anojan to post a response in Tamil insulting the Prophet Muhammad.

Although Anojan promptly deleted his comment and posted an apology video, it was screenshot and brought to the attention of his employer and Saudi officials, leading to his arrest in July.

His personal devices were subsequently seized, and his social media accounts were deleted by Saudi officials.

"People in Saudi Arabia knew nothing about this matter. It was individuals in Sri Lanka who sent emails to the company where my brother worked. I do not even wish to mention who those people are," Anojan's brother, Hamsidan Sivarasa, told BBC Sinhala.

The company employing Anojan notified the authorities in Saudi Arabia who registered a case against him, according to Hamsidan.

Anojan was initially sentenced to five years in prison as well as a fine of 3m Saudi riyals (about $0.8m; £0.6m) by the Al-Ahsa Criminal Court. An appeal submitted on Anojan's behalf seeking to reduce his sentence was rejected, according to Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath.

The case took a drastic turn on 17 September after Saudi prosecutors filed an appeal for Anojan to be prosecuted under Sharia law instead of the country's cybercrime legislation. The appellate court granted the prosecution's request, increasing his sentence to the death penalty.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sri Lanka confirmed it is taking all available steps to assist Anojan.

His family met President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat on 21 September. The president assured them that the government would spare no effort to obtain a general pardon for him, instructing diplomatic channels to engage Saudi authorities.

The case has brought together cross-religious support. Senior Buddhist leaders, the Mahanayake Theros of the Ramanna Nikaya and the Amarapura Maha Nikaya, together with Hindu religious leaders, handed over a memorandum to the Presidential Secretariat calling for urgent state intervention.

In addition, a four-member Sri Lankan legal delegation is travelling to Saudi Arabia this week to meet Anojan's local defence lawyers.

"There are two law firms in Saudi Arabia handling Anojan's case. We are going there to meet the lawyers from these two firms, discuss the case and plan what can be done next," one of the team, Upul Kumarapperuma, President's Counsel, told BBC Sinhala.

Summarised by AI:

This *BBC Panorama* and *BBC Eye* investigation examines the suspected role of **Omar al-Bayoumi** in assisting two of the **9/11 hijackers** after their arrival in the United States. Twenty-five years after the attacks, the documentary utilizes newly released declassified documents and never-before-broadcast footage to explore potential links between individuals within the *Saudi Arabian* government and the 19 attackers.

Key Investigation Highlights:

* **The Facilitator:** The investigation focuses on *Omar al-Bayoumi*, a Saudi national who arrived in San Diego in 1994. While presented as a student, evidence suggests he served as a handler or facilitator for hijackers *Nawaf al-Hazmi* and *Khalid al-Mihdhar*. He helped them secure housing, opened bank accounts for them, and organized social gatherings to introduce them to his network (12:35–16:46). * **The Saudi Connection:** FBI agents and investigators found significant evidence of *al-Bayoumi’s* ties to *Saudi* diplomatic officials, including phone calls to the *Saudi Consulate* and interactions with individuals associated with the *Ministry of Islamic Affairs* (34:39–36:00). Despite this, many of these leads were restricted by political sensitivity regarding the US-Saudi relationship. * **Evidence Suppression:** The film highlights critical pieces of evidence that were seized by British police following *al-Bayoumi’s* arrest in *Birmingham* (17:39–18:29) but were not fully utilized or shared with investigators for years. This includes: * **The Capital Video:** A 1999 surveillance-style video filmed by *al-Bayoumi* casing the *US Capitol* (49:40–51:00). * **The Plane Diagram:** A handwritten document containing mathematical calculations for flight paths and impacts, which experts describe as a "smoking gun" for potential pre-meditated knowledge of the attack plans (52:42–54:10).

Impact on 9/11 Families:

The documentary follows the personal journey of **Terry Strada**, who lost her husband in the North Tower (4:58–6:48). Along with other families of the victims, she led a long-term fight for transparency and legal accountability. This ultimately resulted in US legislation allowing families to sue the *Kingdom of Saudi Arabia* for alleged state support of the terrorists (48:00–49:15).

This video from DW News explores the implications of Egypt’s recently completed military headquarters, known as 'The Octagon' (0:00). Officially named the State Strategic Command Center, this 89-square-kilometer complex is the largest defense installation in the world and a central component of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s vision for a new Egyptian state (0:05-0:31).

Key takeaways from the report include:

• A Fortress for the Elite: Analysts like Timothy Caldas argue that the project is not just for national security, but serves to insulate the ruling regime from the public (0:32-0:43). The complex is part of a larger plan to relocate government ministries to a New Administrative Capital—a massive project estimated to cost approximately $58 billion—effectively distancing the leadership from the population density of Cairo (1:09-1:49).
• Economic Dominance of the Military: The Egyptian military plays a significant role in the national economy, managing infrastructure contracts, owning diverse businesses ranging from hotels and gas stations to pasta production, and controlling the flow of capital (2:44-3:59).
• The Reality for Ordinary Egyptians: While mega-projects are being built, the country faces severe economic challenges, including historic inflation (reaching 70% for food and beverages in 2023), currency collapse, and rising food insecurity (4:12-4:40).
• Political Repression: The video highlights that the new capital is designed for the modern surveillance era, allowing for tighter control. The political climate is described as highly repressive, with reports of tens of thousands of political prisoners and enforced disappearances (5:15-6:30).
• The Paradox of Power: While the government justifies these projects as essential for stability in a volatile region, the state has become increasingly reliant on massive foreign bailouts, such as the $57 billion received in 2024, to maintain its operations (6:35-7:58).

According to Egypt analyst Timothy Caldas, the Egyptian military is a significant economic player that oversees a wide range of industries and businesses, including:

• Infrastructure and Construction: They are involved in the contracting and construction of roads, bridges, and various buildings (02:44 - 02:51).
• Hospitality: The military owns hotels (02:53 - 02:54).
• Food Production: They operate fish farms, poultry farms, and are involved in the production of macaroni and multiple brands of bottled water (02:53 - 03:01).
• Energy: They own and operate gas stations (03:01 - 03:03).

Caldas notes that because the state borrows heavily to finance projects overseen by military-owned companies, these entities maintain significant control over the country's business elite and the distribution of capital (03:24 - 03:59).

This is why India is called a flawed democracy where blatantly a ruling elite is allowed to go scot free only because of their wealth and power.

If this was a case in any developed country,this would be political death of such politician while Siddaramaiah continued to stay as a CM and now though he has stepped down for other reasons,has made sure his son has been alloted a cosy position promoting blatant nepotism.

He had to return 14 sites back to government only because case was water tight and there was blatant corruption. No politician would be "kind" enough to give up their assets .

People please don't keep voting the same politician multiple times irrespective of party to power and expect modern state. We are a country of 150 crore population, there is no dearth of human resources. Repeatedly elected politicians will amass enormous amount of wealth and build a circle of sycophants who only promote further corruption, nepotism, poor administration which makes stay as a feudal state forever where common people stay as peasants serving the ruling elites.

This is why India is called a flawed democracy where blatantly a ruling elite is allowed to go scot free only because of their wealth and power.

If this was a case in any developed country,this would be political death of such politician while Siddaramaiah continued to stay as a CM and now though he has stepped down for other reasons,has made sure his son has been alloted a cosy position promoting blatant nepotism.

He had to return 14 sites back to government only because case was water tight and there was blatant corruption. No politician would be "kind" enough to give up their assets .

People please don't keep voting the same politician multiple times irrespective of party to power and expect modern state. We are a country of 150 crore population, there is no dearth of human resources. Repeatedly elected politicians will amass enormous amount of wealth and build a circle of sycophants who only promote further corruption, nepotism, poor administration which makes stay as a feudal state forever where common people stay as peasants serving the ruling elites.

BSNL 's network is draconian. Even in cities like Bangalore,which happens to be IT hub, I struggle to find robust network. I am still unable to watch any YouTube video on BSNL 4g . Every UPI transaction seems like it holds some surprise.

Whenever I'm traveling in a public transport,I get anxious to buy ticket via UPI since the signal strength drops as the bus moves and sometimes even when the bus is stationary,the transactions take too long to execute.

BSNL being government network ironically is people unfriendly especially in rural areas where there is absolutely zero network. Basically if you are opting BSNL, you will be paying lot higher than on any private network because the quality of service is pathetic.

Also the weaker signal drains the battery too fast.

I have recently ordered Samsung F06 mobile and opted to exchange old phone. I had also ordered cover and tempered glass. The delivery boy just now delivered the Cover for the phone and said to exchange phone I should visit the office. I felt weird hearing that , told him isn't exchange supposed to happen at delivery location? Is this a scam ? How to contact Amazon customer care resolve this?

Country - India

I have been using Samsung A30 since 2019 March. Need to replace it.

My requirements:

• Phone should operate in predictable fashion without suddenly hanging often or getting slower.
• Screen should be visible under sunlight.
• Phones launched long back are fine too but I want to buy only first handle ones.
• Camera quality is not at all important. Letters should be visible if I take picture of page from a book, that's all.
• Good battery life atleast for a day without giving me battery anxiety.
• Fast Charging.
• UPI apps should be able to operate fast. I observed that my current phone takes significantly more time than others while scanning QR codes .
• Good Call quality and background noise cancellation.
• Display quality is not an issue. I don't watch much videos on phone.
• Smaller screen size is preferable.
• Physical build quality should be good so that it can bear the impact from drop as much as possible and withstand minor sprinkles of water .

Please upvote for better reach 🙏

I have been using Samsung A30 since 2019 March. Need to replace it.

My requirements:

Phone should operate in predictable fashion without suddenly hanging often or getting slower.

Camera quality is not at all important. Letters should be visible if I take picture of page from a book, that's all.

Good battery life atleast for a day without giving me battery anxiety.

Fast Charging.

Payment apps should be able to operate fast. I observed that my current phone takes significantly more time than others while scanning QR codes .

Good Call quality and background noise cancellation.

Display quality is not an issue. I don't watch much videos on phone.

Smaller screen size is preferable.

Physical build quality should be good so that it can bear the impact from drop as much as possible and withstand minor sprinkles of water .

I have been using Samsung A30 since 2019 March. Need to replace it.

My requirements:

• Phone should operate in predictable fashion without suddenly hanging often or getting slower.
• Screen should be visible under sunlight.
• Phones launched long back are fine too but I want to buy only first handle ones.
• Camera quality is not at all important. Letters should be visible if I take picture of page from a book, that's all.
• Good battery life atleast for a day without giving me battery anxiety.
• Fast Charging.
• UPI apps should be able to operate fast. I observed that my current phone takes significantly more time than others while scanning QR codes .
• Good Call quality and background noise cancellation.
• Display quality is not an issue. I don't watch much videos on phone.
• Smaller screen size is preferable.
• Physical build quality should be good so that it can bear the impact from drop as much as possible and withstand minor sprinkles of water .