Elon Musk takes on Panasonic in rare public tweet battle with key Japanese supplier

Abstract: SAN FRANCISCO - Elon Musk has engaged in Twitter spats with a long line of folks, from rival automakers to short-sellers and the Securities and Exchange Commission. He’s at it again, but this time the stakes could be even higher. He’s in a rare public dispute with a critical supplier: Panasonic Corp., the company that makes all of the lithium-ion battery cells that power Tesla Inc.’s electric vehicles. The rift started with reports the companies are tempering expansion plans at their jointly operated battery plant near Reno, Nevada. Musk shot back in tweets that Panasonic is the culprit by operating at a reduced pace, constraining production of Tesla’s Model 3 sedan. Even by Musk’s standards, it’s highly unusual for a company and its largest supplier to duel so openly. And the tiff once again raises questions about Tesla’s ability to sustain profitability amid concerns about demand. Tesla delivered just 63,000 cars globally in the first quarter, compared with almost 91,000 in the previous three months, and its stock is down almost 18 percent this year. Panasonic’s apparent reluctance to boost battery production only adds to the skepticism — and it may portend greater troubles. “Tesla and Panasonic need couples counseling ASAP,” said Craig Irwin of Roth Capital Partners. “This is looking like a much more acrimonious relationship.” Tesla and Panasonic have been joined at the hip since the “gigafactory” agreement was first announced in July 2014, even if on paper they’re a bit of an odd couple. One is a 16-year-old maker of electric vehicles run by an impetuous boss, the other a century-old conservative Japanese manufacturer. Tesla manages the gigafactory but Panasonic is the principal partner, responsible for churning out cylindrical lithium-ion battery cells that Tesla buys and then packages into battery packs for the Model 3 sedan. The goal was to produce 35 gigawatt hours, or GWh, of cells per year by 2020, enough for roughly 400,000 Model 3s. But two weeks ago, Osaka-based Panasonic shocked the investment community when the Nikkei financial newspaper reported that Tesla and Panasonic were freezing plans to expand capacity beyond the initial 35 GWh amid concerns about Tesla’s sales. “Panasonic is a 101-year-old company,” said Chris Redl, senior portfolio manager at Gordian Capital Japan. “It’s extremely rare for a Japanese company to publicly air its grievances about a top customer via a story in the Nikkei.” Musk said that Panasonic’s cell lines have actually constrained Model 3 assembly because they are operating at just two-thirds capacity, or 24 GWh. Panasonic did not directly respond to that assertion. But it said in a statement that as of the end of March the plant does have capacity for 35 GWh. Both companies are in agreement that the gigafactory is far from running at full production. What’s less clear is why and how they will proceed in the future. “Tesla won’t spend money on more capacity until existing lines get closer to 35GWh theoretical,” Musk said in a tweet. Most analysts said they believe slow Tesla sales warrants capping battery-production lines. But another explanation offered up is that Panasonic is unhappy about a third party possibly messing up their marriage. While it is currently Tesla’s only supplier of automotive-grade batteries, Tesla is building another factory — known as Gigafactory Shanghai — and has talked with several Chinese-based suppliers, including CATL. “Tesla is starting to flirt with other battery makers in China, and Panasonic doesn’t like that,” said Sam Jaffe, managing director of battery consulting firm Cairn ERA. Tesla declined to comment beyond Musk’s tweets. It has warned investors that it expects first quarter net income will be “negatively impacted” by lower than projected delivery volumes and multiple price cuts. Tesla hosted an Autonomy Investor Day at its Palo Alto, California, headquarters on Monday and will report earnings Wednesday. This isn’t the first time the two companies have struggled to match production lines. In a November interview, Panasonic President Kazuhiro Tsuga said that in 2017, Panasonic held back while Tesla worked through problems in its automation line. Then in 2018, as car output ramped up, it was Panasonic who lagged. Tsuga said the output on both sides was close to being evenly matched in early November and two additional cell-production lines would be added. The two companies are intertwined to a degree that any permanent split is likely out of the question, said analyst Irwin. Panasonic needs Tesla for the stability it brings to its battery business, he said, while “Tesla has nothing in batteries without Panasonic.” Still, the now-public rift shows how Panasonic may be worried about Tesla’s future, said Kazunori Ito, an analyst at Morningstar Investment Services in Tokyo. “With EV sales not growing as expected, Panasonic is increasingly unwilling to take risks,” Ito said. “Where it used to be two companies sharing a common destiny, it’s clear that Panasonic wants to distance itself from Tesla, and Tsuga is beginning to draw a line. Musk cannot be happy about that.”


Tokyo Century to buy fifth of Yoma Strategic auto leasing unit as it looks to expand in Myanmar

Abstract: SINGAPORE - Tokyo Century Corp. will buy a fifth of Yoma Strategic Holdings Ltd.’s vehicle leasing business in a bid to expand in Myanmar and explore further collaboration with the Southeast Asian conglomerate. The Japanese leasing services firm will buy a 20 percent stake in Yoma Fleet via newly issued shares for $26.6 million, Yoma Group said in a statement. Myanmar’s fast growing automotive market presents high potential for growth, said Yasushi Yoshino, executive officer at Tokyo Century. “We will also explore the possibility of further collaboration in other business areas of Yoma Strategic in coming years.” The funds will help the Yoma Group expand its vehicle leasing business, which is targeting asset under management of $200 million by 2023 versus $40 million as of last month, according to the statement. Low vehicle penetration in a “largely cash-based” economy and limited bank lending outside of key cities has created opportunities in automotive and heavy equipment business and for nonbank lenders, said Melvyn Pun, chief executive officer at the Singapore-listed conglomerate. “The partnership will also explore other nonbank financial opportunities to better serve this huge, underserved market. “In the future, Tokyo Century may want a larger stake and I will be not against that,” Pun said in an interview, adding that the Japanese company owns about 50 percent of some of its ventures in Asia. The group is also working toward pursuing similar partnerships at the subsidiary level in nonbank lending, real estate and mobile payment platforms by the end of 2020, he said.

myanmar
yoma strategic holdings
tokyo century


Tight labor market in Japan forces companies to revamp recruitment

Abstract: Major firms will begin hiring university graduates year-round, Keidanren said Monday, revamping Japan’s long-standing education-to-employment pathway in response to the changing labor market. Keidanren, the country’s most powerful business lobby and also known as the Japan Business Federation, will no longer expect its members to adhere to the custom in which job offers are made to college seniors in October and they go to work the following April. After consulting with universities, the lobby announced the policy in an interim report. The decision to change the hiring system demonstrates the recruiting difficulties facing major Japanese companies. Nonmember companies such as technology startups and foreign companies can hire new employees throughout the year, including those who studied abroad and returned home in summer following their university commencements. Keidanren Chairman Hiroaki Nakanishi told reporters after meeting with the universities that “diversity is very important,” adding that the lobby will “research a system to create various hiring practices.” The panel was set up in January to discuss recruitment practices after the Keidanren chief himself raised questions last year about the federation setting new graduate hiring guidelines for its member firms. The Japanese academic year starts in April. Many Keidanren members have followed the guidelines that allow them to hold job orientation sessions starting in March for college juniors and begin the process of interviewing and screening applicants in June. But universities have expressed concerns that allowing recruitment activities throughout the year will make it hard for students to concentrate on their academic work. The report said that the new practice must be introduced in an orderly manner and that companies and universities must ensure quality education is delivered. Unlike in Western countries, Japanese companies generally don’t hire workers with specific skills to perform particular work when needed, instead taking applications from students before they graduate and trying to select ones with the potential to do any sort of task that the company may require of them.

jobs
keidanren
universities
hiroaki nakanishi


Tokyo prosecutors indict Carlos Ghosn on misappropriation charge in 'most serious allegation' yet

Abstract: The Tokyo District Public Prosecutor’s Office on Monday indicted former Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn for a fourth time, this charge for allegedly misappropriating the company’s money for personal use — an accusation described by legal experts as the most serious brought against him so far. With the latest charge, Ghosn is accused of expropriating a Nissan subsidiary’s payments to Suhail Bahwan Automobiles, a Nissan distributor in Oman. Prosecutors allege that some of the money, about ¥560 million, had been siphoned off by Ghosn and sent to Good Faith Investments (GFI), a Lebanese investment firm he effectively controlled, for his own personal use, such as for the purchase of a luxury yacht. Ghosn’s defense team submitted a request for bail later in the day. He had already been arrested and indicted on charges related to underreporting his remuneration for years and making Nissan cover some of his personal investment losses in 2008. He denies any wrongdoing. “Carlos Ghosn is innocent of the latest charges brought against him by the Tokyo prosecutors, aided and abetted by certain Nissan conspirators,” a spokesperson for Ghosn said in a statement Monday. “Mr. Ghosn will continue to vigorously defend himself against these baseless accusations and fully expects to be vindicated.” In a related development Monday, Nissan filed a criminal complaint against Ghosn over aggravated breach of trust. The carmaker said in a statement it has determined that the payments in question “were in fact directed by Ghosn for his personal enrichment and were not necessary from a business standpoint.” “Such misconduct is completely unacceptable, and Nissan is requesting appropriately strict penalties,” the statement read. Stephen Givens, a Tokyo-based corporate lawyer, said the fourth charge is the most serious accusation prosecutors have made so far against the 65-year-old former auto titan. After Ghosn was arrested in early April his wife, Carole, ramped up her worldwide media blitz defending him and criticizing Japan’s legal system. Kyodo News reported that prosecutors believe some of the money sent to GFI was diverted to Beauty Yachts, Carole Ghosn’s firm registered in the British Virgin Islands. She has not been charged with any wrongdoing. Earlier this month Carole Ghosn left Japan for France soon after his fourth arrest. On Friday, Yasuyuki Takai, an attorney and former prosecutor, said such a move could jeopardize any bail request by Ghosn as he might conspire with his wife and destroy any evidence. But Shin Ushijima, a Tokyo-based corporate lawyer, said the Tokyo District Court will likely grant bail for a second time, adding that his bail request has already been approved and there is no reason for the court to deny another request for release. He also dismissed speculation that Carole Ghosn’s trip to France would unlikely affect the decision to grant bail. Ghosn’s first trial, which was expected to take place some time this autumn, may be pushed back due to the latest charge, Ushijima added. “The focus will be on whether the trial will be held by the end of the year,” Ushijima said. Ghosn was rearrested while out on bail on April 4. He and his lawyers denounced his fourth arrest, blasting it as an “arbitrary” attempt to sabotage his planned April 11 news conference. He has been held since that day at the Tokyo Detention House, where he had been detained for 108 days until he won his release on bail March 6. “Even though it was a separate case, it’s unthinkable to rearrest someone who has been released on bail,” one of his lawyers, Junichiro Hironaka, told an April 4 news conference. Ghosn joined Nissan in 1999 and is credited with saving the automaker from bankruptcy. He was initially arrested at Tokyo’s Haneda airport last Nov. 19 after Nissan said an internal probe found that Ghosn and close associate Greg Kelly had engaged in financial misconduct. Kelly also denies any wrongdoing. In a video filmed April 3, the day before his fourth arrest, Ghosn characterized his ousting from the automaker he led for 20 years as “a conspiracy” by “selfish” Nissan executives who were afraid to forge ahead in its alliance with Mitsubishi Motors Corp. and Renault SA.

nissan
carmakers
carlos ghosn
junichiro hironaka


'Convulsion of hatred': Paris prosecutors probe 'suicide' taunts targeting police at protest

Abstract: PARIS - Paris prosecutors have launched an investigation after French anti-government protesters in the latest of a series of demonstrations shouted slogans mocking police over a spate of recent suicides in the force, judicial sources said Sunday. The “yellow vest” protesters took to the streets of Paris Saturday for the 23rd weekend to protest the policies of President Emmanuel Macron, again clashing with police in a tense standoff. But French politicians and police unions angrily condemned some demonstrators who chanted “commit suicide, commit suicide!” at the police forces on Saturday. France’s national police force has been troubled by a worrying increase in suicides within its numbers this year, with 28 officers taking their lives so far in 2019. In 2018 as a whole, 35 police officers committed suicide nationwide. “Shame on those who have given into such ignominy,” Interior Minister Christophe Castaner wrote on Twitter above a video of protesters chanting the slogan. Paris prosecutors have now opened a probe into “contempt of a person carrying out public authority at a meeting,” a judicial source told AFP, confirming an earlier report by French radio station RTL. “We have reached a convulsion of hatred. These words are intolerable and unacceptable,” said Frederic Lagache, the director of Alliance, the main police union in France. “It is an insult to all the police who have died, to their families and to the institution as a whole,” he told AFP. French police have been in the front line seeking to control the yellow vest protest movement, which erupted late last year in the biggest crisis of the Macron presidency so far. Even before the incident at Saturday’s protest, suicides of police was becoming a major talking point in France. National police chief Eric Morvan raised the issue in a letter to France’s 150,000 police, acknowledging there had been a “dramatic sequence” of suicides among police in recent days. He said suicide was something that “needs to be talked about, without fear of being judged.” Morvan added: “the human responsibility that someone has in taking this terrible decision does not exonerate us from ours.” Police union activists have complained that French officers are being put under huge stress by the pressure of having to work every weekend at the protests. On Thursday alone, two police took their own lives. A policeman shot himself at home with his service weapon in Villejuif outside Paris while a female police captain shot herself in the heart in her office in Montpellier. The death of the police captain, a mother of two children, provoked a wave of grief in Montpellier where hundreds of police held a minute of silence outside police headquarters on Friday.

suicide
protests
paris
emmanuel macron
police
yellow vests


Thousands protest in support of jailed Morocco 'Popular Movement' activists

Abstract: RABAT - Thousands of people demonstrated Sunday in the Moroccan capital Rabat, calling for the release of dozens of activists jailed for up to 20 years over their role in a protest movement. “The people want the release of the detainees” demonstrators shouted as they marched behind a banner supporting activists linked to the Hirak movement. Earlier this month a court upheld the ruling against 42 people linked to the Al-Hirak al-Shaabi — or “Popular Movement” — protests, which took hold of the marginalized Rif region in October 2016. The rally, dubbed the “march of the Moroccan people: stop political injustice,” was organized by detainees’ families along with political and rights groups. AFP reporters saw thousands of people in the streets, some clutching photographs of those serving jail terms ranging from one to 20 years. “We call for an end to political arrests and for the release of all detainees (linked to) social movements and a response to their legitimate demands,” said activist Boubaker al-Jawhari. The sentences first handed down last June were upheld on April 6 by the Casablanca court of appeal, sparking criticism from rights groups. Moroccan authorities insist the judicial process has followed international standards. Social unrest in the Rif region was sparked by the death of a fisherman and escalated into a wave of protests demanding more development, and against corruption and unemployment. The movement’s leader Nasser Zefzafi and three others received prison terms of 20 years for threatening the security of the state. Prison authorities say the activists were moved on April 11 from Casablanca to a facility in northern Morocco to be “close to their families. “They were transferred to the worst prisons in the kingdom” and “started a hunger strike,” said Ahmed Zefzafi, father of Nasser. Addressing a press conference after the Sunday demonstration, he called on “decision-makers to find a way out of this crisis. Prison authorities said Friday the detainees’ health was being very closely monitored. Other family members confirmed that their detained relatives are protesting against the conditions they are being held in. Beyond the 20-year sentences, other prison terms confirmed on appeal ranged from one to 15 years. Eleven others were pardoned last year by King Mohammed VI.

protests
morocco
rabat
popular movement
rif


Climate protesters vow to halt London action if U.K. government discusses their demands

Abstract: LONDON - Climate change protesters who have brought parts of London to a standstill said Sunday they were prepared to call a halt if the U.K. government would discuss their demands. Some 831 arrests have been made and 42 people charged in connection with the ongoing Extinction Rebellion protests. On the seventh day of the demonstrations, which have occupied key spots in the British capital, Swedish teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg addressed the protesters, telling them: “Humanity is standing at a crossroads.” Organizers said they were willing to switch tactics from disruption to dialogue — if the government entered talks. “We are prepared to pause, should the government come to the negotiating table,” Extinction Rebellion spokesman James Fox told AFP. “What the pause looks like is us stopping an escalation,” he added. “We can discuss leaving if they are willing to discuss our demands. At the moment, we haven’t received a response from the government … so we’re waiting on that.” Extinction Rebellion was established last year in the U.K. by academics, and has become one of the world’s fastest-growing environmental movements. Campaigners want governments to declare a climate and ecological emergency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2025, halt biodiversity loss and be led by new citizens’ assemblies on climate and ecological justice. “We’re giving them an opportunity now to come and speak to us,” said Fox. “If they don’t take that opportunity, and if they refuse to come and negotiate with us, then this is going to continue and this is going to escalate in different, diverse and very creative ways.” Thunberg, the 16-year-old activist who has inspired pupils worldwide to boycott classes to join climate protests, addressed cheering crowds at the Marble Arch landmark — the only authorized demonstration site. “For way too long the politicians and people in power have got away with not doing anything at all to fight the climate crisis and ecological crisis,” she said. “But we will make sure that they will not get away with it any longer. How do we want the future living conditions for all living species to be like? “Humanity is now standing at a crossroads,” Thunberg said. “We must now decide which path we want to take. We are waiting for the others to follow our example.” Police said they had managed to clear the protesters from Parliament Square, and the Oxford Circus and Piccadilly Circus junctions. Those charged range in age from 19 to 77. They hail from around England and Wales, with one person from France charged. The charges are for various offenses including breaching public order laws, obstructing a highway and obstructing police. Calling for an end to the protests, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said more than 9,000 police officers had been responding to the demonstrations, which had left the force as a whole overstretched. “This is now taking a real toll on our city — our communities, businesses and police. This is counter-productive to the cause and our city,” he said. “I’m extremely concerned about the impact the protests are having on our ability to tackle issues like violent crime if they continue any longer. It simply isn’t right to put Londoners’ safety at risk. “You must now let London return to business as usual.” In blazing sunshine on Waterloo Bridge, police lifted protesters and carried them off to waiting police vans. “I’m genuinely terrified. I think about it all the time. I’m so scared for the world. I feel like there is going to be calamity in my lifetime,” said student Amber Gray. “I don’t even feel comfortable bringing children into this world knowing that that is coming. And I don’t want people in the future to say to me, ‘why didn’t you do anything?'” Retiree Kathy Hayman said politicians were “ignoring and denying. “I’m amazed really at the lack of consciousness that they have and the lack of responsibility.”

u.k .
protests
climate change
london
extinction rebellion


Landslide in rain-soaked southwestern Colombia kills at least 14

Abstract: BOGOTA - At least 14 people have been killed and five injured in a landslide in the southwestern Colombian province of Cauca, the country’s disaster relief agency said on Sunday. The landslide, which was caused by heavy rain, took place in the early hours of the morning in a rural area of Rosas municipality, the agency said in a statement. Five people have been hospitalized and rescue operations are ongoing, the statement said. At least eight houses have been damaged and a portion of the Pan-American Highway is blocked because of the landslide, it added. Landslides are common in mountainous Colombia, especially during rainy season and in areas where precarious informal housing and narrow roadways are constructed on deforested Andean hillsides.


Stone stackers defy gravity at European championships

Abstract: EDINBURGH - Expertly balancing one rock on top of another at the European Stone Stacking Championships, competitors combine skill and artistic creativity to come up with gravity-defying constructions. Now in its third year, the event takes place in the Scottish coastal town of Dunbar, east of the capital Edinburgh. Saturday’s competition down on the Eye Cave Beach was all about quantity: the most stones balanced vertically in 30 minutes. Sunday’s battle put the emphasis on artistic merit: creating anything from stones or found objects within three hours. The winner receives a trip to the Llano Earth Art Festival in Texas where the 2020 World Rock Stacking Championships will be held. “Stone stacking is one of the most ancient art forms. It may go back to the beginning of mankind,” organizer James Craig Page told AFP. “However, it was brought to the attention of the public over the last 15 years by Bill Dan from California and more recently Michael Grab,” two of the best-known artists. “Events like Llano Earth Art Festival and its World Rock Stacking Championship, and the European Stone Stacking Championships, are helping to promote this ever-growing art form. “The skills required to become an expert balancer artist are patience, focus, a love of nature and an unwillingness to be unhappy any more.” The abstract shapes produced by rocks eroded by the tides over the centuries means sculptures can be produced with impressive, seemingly gravity-defying angles. Stone stacking also requires concentration and forethought to pull off the most dazzling creations. France’s “SP Ranza” was declared the overall winner, as well as winning the quantity category. The winner in the artistic category was Marianne Winter, from the Netherlands, who came second overall.

europe
u.k .
scotland
texas
stone stackers


Malawi to test groundbreaking malaria vaccine

Abstract: LILONGWE, MALAWI - Malawi will on Tuesday spearhead large scale pilot tests for the world’s most advanced experimental malaria vaccine in a bid to prevent the disease that kills hundreds of thousands across Africa every year. After more than three decades in development and almost $1 billion in investment, the cutting-edge trial will be rolled out in Malawi’s capital Lilongwe this week and then in Kenya and Ghana next week. It aims to immunize 120,000 children aged 2 and under to assess the effectiveness of the pilot vaccine and whether the delivery process is feasible. Four successive doses must be administered on a strict timetable for it to work. Trade-named Mosquirix, the drug has been developed by British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline in partnership with the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative. It passed previous scientific testing — including five years of clinical trials on 15,000 people in seven countries — and was approved for the pilot program in 2015. Malaria episodes reduced by 40 percent in the trials. Although the potential vaccine will not give full protection against the mosquito-borne disease, it is the furthest along in development and so far the most effective. Scientists say if it was rolled out on a large scale it could save hundreds of thousands of lives. The World Health Organization believes that the new vaccine brings a key new tool beyond mosquito nets, insecticides and drugs in the battle against the disease. Malaria killed 435,000 people in 2017. The majority of them were children under 5 in Africa. “Malaria can kill a child in less than 24 hours,” said researcher Tisungane Mvalo, a pediatrician at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Project-Malawi in Lilongwe. “And even if the child survives, malaria can impact every organ, causing brain injury or even kidney issues. Prevention is better than treatment.” Malaria is spread to people through the bites of infected female anopheles mosquitoes. The WHO’s latest report on malaria showed that the number of cases climbed to 219 million in 2017, 2 million higher than 2016. “Despite gains over the last decade, we have seen a stagnation in malaria control efforts in recent years,” said researcher Jonathan Juliano from the University of North Carolina. “In certain areas of Africa, we have actually seen rates of malaria infection get worse. New interventions are needed to continue advancing toward elimination.” The fight against malaria has also been complicated by mosquitoes building up resistance to some commonly used insecticides, according to the WHO. Malawi, Ghana and Kenya were selected for the trial because malaria rates are high and they have a long history of use of bed nets and other interventions. The large-scale pilot program is the latest step in decades of work seeking to eradicate malaria. Despite concerns over recent rises in malaria cases, the numbers dying from the disease has fallen nearly two-thirds since the turn of the century.


Islamic State claims attack on Saudi security base that left four dead

Abstract: RIYADH - Four men were killed Sunday in an attack on a Saudi security services base north of the capital Riyadh, official media said, as the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the assault. Quoting a spokesman for the state security services, the Saudi Press Agency said three policemen were also wounded in the morning attack in the Zulfi province north of Riyadh. It said a “group of terrorists” tried to “storm the building” but security authorities repelled them, killing four. An investigation was launched to identify the assailants as well as the type of “explosive material” they had in their possession, SPA said. The London-based Asharq al-Awsat newspaper earlier reported that the attack targeted state security forces in the town of Zulfi, 260 km (160 miles) north of the capital. It said the attackers had rammed a vehicle into a security barrier around the base in an attempt to gain entry. Two gunmen then stepped out of the vehicle and opened fire, sparking a gun battle with police, who killed them, the paper reported. A third was gunned down as he attempted to flee, while a fourth died as he tried to set off an explosive belt, the paper said. The Saudi-owned satellite channel Al-Arabiya also reported four people died during an attack, but gave no details. IS, in a statement carried by its propaganda arm Aamaq, said “the attack on the security services base in the town of Zulfi northwest of Riyadh was carried out by Islamic State group fighters. It gave no further details. The kingdom has seen numerous attacks in recent years by jihadis, including al-Qaida and IS, against security forces. It has also seen clashes between Shiite militants and security forces in the eastern provinces. Islamic State’s elusive supremo, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, had in recent years called for attacks on Saudi Arabia, which is part of a U.S.-led coalition that has been battling the jihadis in Syria and Iraq since 2014. The Sunni extremist group has claimed previous attacks in Saudi Arabia, targeting mostly security forces and members of the Shiite community who they view as heretics. On April 7, two men armed with explosives were killed and two others arrested as they attacked a security checkpoint in a predominantly Shiite region in eastern Saudi Arabia, which has seen years of demonstrations against the Sunni royal family. Sunday’s attack took place in a majority Sunni region. An estimated 10-15 percent of the ultra-conservative kingdom’s 32 million population are Shiite, although no official figures exist.

conflict
terrorism
saudi arabia
islamic state


Gunmen kill British aid worker and local man and kidnap four tourists at north Nigeria resort

Abstract: KANO, NIGERIA - Two people including a British aid worker have been shot dead and four tourists abducted in an attack by armed gunmen on a holiday resort in northwestern Nigeria, police said on Sunday. Police and aid agency Mercy Corps named the dead woman as Faye Mooney. “Faye was a dedicated and passionate communications and learning specialist,” chief executive Neal Keny-Guyer said in a statement posted on social media, adding that colleagues were “utterly heartbroken.” Mooney had “worked with Mercy Corps for almost two years, devoting her time to making a difference in Nigeria,” Keny-Guyer added. Gunmen stormed the Kajuru Castle resort, 60 km (40 miles) southeast of Kaduna City at 11.40 p.m. (2240 GMT) on Friday, Kaduna state police spokesman Yakubu Sabo told reporters. The Briton “was gunned down from the hill by the kidnappers who tried to gain entrance into the castle but failed,” Sabo said. “They took away about five other locals but one person escaped,” he said. A Nigerian man believed by local residents in Kajuru to be Mooney’s partner was also killed in the attack on the resort where a group of 13 tourists had arrived from Lagos, southwest Nigeria, the police spokesman said. In Kaduna and the wider northwest region, kidnapping for ransom has become increasingly rampant, particularly on the road to the capital, Abuja, where armed attacks have thrived. Kidnapping in Nigeria’s oil-rich south has long been a security challenge, where wealthy locals and expatriate workers are often abducted. Yet the problem has escalated in northern areas too, like Kaduna where criminal gangs made up of former cattle rustlers have been pushed into kidnapping after military crackdowns on cattle theft. Kajuru is also flash point in the deadly conflict over increasingly limited land resources in Africa’s most populous country, between herders and farmers, predominantly across central and northern Nigeria. The conflict has increasingly taken on ethnic and religious dimensions in the region, with the Fulani Muslim herders in conflict with Christian Adara farmers in Kajuru. Tourists are rarely affected by the herder-farmer violence and Kajuru Castle resort has attracted many foreign and local visitors. Yet police have struggled to thwart kidnappers in the region. The latest attack comes in a resort in northern Nigeria, particularly popular amongst foreign and well-to-do local tourists. In January four western tourists — two Americans and two Canadians — were also abducted in Kaduna by gunmen in an ambush in which two of their police escorts were killed. Earlier in April, recently re-elected President Muhammadu Buhari, ordered his most senior security chiefs to curb kidnapping in the region.

murder
boko haram
nigeria
kidnappings
islamic state
muhammadu buhari
kaduna
mercy corps
kajuru castle
faye mooney


Trump lawyer Giuliani attacks Mueller report, saying he sees nothing wrong in taking Russian-hacked info

Abstract: WASHINGTON - Donald Trump’s top lawyer on Sunday attacked “calumny, lies and distortions” in the Mueller investigation report, and said there is “nothing wrong” with taking hacked information from Russia. Rudy Giuliani mounted a combative defense of the president in Sunday talk show appearances that took aim at special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigators, the evidence they amassed and the witnesses they cited. The former New York mayor heaped special scorn on Sen. Mitt Romney, a former Republican presidential candidate who said Friday he was “sickened” by the report’s findings and “appalled” that Trump’s election campaign “welcomed help from Russia.” “What a hypocrite. What a hypocrite. Any candidate in the whole world in America would take information,” Giuliani said of Romney on CNN’s “State of the Union.” He was referring to Democratic emails that were hacked by Russian operatives and disseminated by WikiLeaks in 2016 to hurt Trump presidential rival Hillary Clinton. “Who says it’s even illegal?” Giuliani added. “Does the information turn out to be false, by the way? The information that was gleaned and disseminated, every newspaper printed it.” Trump publicly encouraged Russia and WikiLeaks while top campaign officials, including his son and son-in-law, met in Trump Tower with a Russian promising dirt on Clinton. “There is nothing wrong with taking information from the Russians. It depends on where it came from,” Giuliani said, adding that as a lawyer he would have advised against it. “This didn’t become an international scandal because of immorality. It became an international scandal because the president was accused of violating the law falsely,” he said. His comments echoed Trump, who mocked Romney on Twitter Sunday, after lashing out Friday at the “bullshit” Mueller report. The president was in Palm Beach, Florida, where he attended Easter services. The special counsel’s 22-month-long investigation concluded that Trump and his team did not collude with the Russian effort to sway the elections in his favor. But it detailed 10 episodes of potential obstruction by Trump, including his firing of FBI director James Comey and demands that Mueller himself be removed. The special counsel declined to bring charges, however, and Attorney General Bill Barr, a Trump appointee, said that cleared the president. Democrats, who have a majority in the House of Representatives, now are considering whether to move to impeach the president, an effort likely to fail because Republicans control the Senate. “We will have to decide, do we nonetheless go through an impeachment — because to do otherwise would signal that somehow this president’s conduct is okay, that future presidents can engage in this kind of corruption without consequence — or do we decide that we are better off doing oversight … rather than a formal impeachment?” Rep. Adam Schiff, chair of the House Intelligence Committee, said on “Fox News Sunday.” “That’s going to be a very consequential decision” and one that would be made “over the next couple weeks,” he said. Rep. Jerry Nadler, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, equivocated when asked on NBC about impeachment. “We may get to that, we may not,” he said, adding that lawmakers needed first to “go through all the evidence.” So far, only two of the 18 declared Democratic presidential candidates — Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former Obama Cabinet member Julian Castro — have called for impeachment. The White House’s strategy, meanwhile, was on bristling display in Giuliani’s talk show appearances: attack the investigators as biased and the witness testimony as self-serving and untruthful. Speaking on “Fox News Sunday,” Giuliani called the report “a prosecutor’s version of what happened.” “It’s two or three pages of calumny, lies and distortion,” he said. “Half of it is not true.” Some of the most damaging episodes detailed in the report came from former White House counsel Don McGahn, who described to investigators Trump’s escalating demands that Mueller be removed. McGahn refused to do so and threatened to resign but was talked out of it. “I’m telling you he’s confused. He gave three different versions,” Giuliani said on CNN. The White House has prepared a rebuttal of the Mueller report but has yet to release it. “We’re ready to put it out when we have to,” the president’s lawyer said.

u.s .
congress
hillary clinton
wikileaks
mitt romney
robert mueller
donald trump
rudy giuliani
adam schiff
russia probe


King restores citizenship of 551 convicted Bahrainis after global outcry

Abstract: DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - Bahrain’s king Sunday ordered the citizenship of 551 Bahrainis to be restored, after his country was harshly criticized by the U.N. and rights groups for revoking people’s nationalities. “His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has issued an order, reinstating the citizenship of 551 convicts whose nationality had been revoked as per court rulings,” state-run Bahrain News Agency reported. U.S. ally Bahrain has been gripped by bouts of unrest since 2011, when authorities cracked down on Shiite-led protests demanding political reform. Since then, hundreds of protesters have been jailed and those convicted of terrorism offenses have been stripped of their nationality. Bahrain has accused Iran of training and backing demonstrators in order to topple the government, charges Tehran denies. BNA news agency said King Hamad, who can reverse court decisions, requested that the competent authorities take into account “the nature of crimes committed. He has instructed the interior ministry to examine each case and prepare a list of those whose nationalities can be reinstated. Human rights groups estimate that 990 mainly Shiite people have had their citizenship revoked since the start of judicial proceedings in 2012 against those who took part in the protests. Ruled for more than two centuries by the Sunni Al-Khalifa dynasty, Bahrain has a majority Shiite Muslim population, according to unofficial estimates contested by the government. Sunday’s decision comes after a Bahraini court on Tuesday sentenced 138 people to prison terms and revoked their citizenship, at the end of a mass trial denounced by rights group Amnesty International. Those convicted — Shiite Bahraini citizens, according to a judicial source — belonged to a group of 169 people accused of forming a “terror” group with links to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. This was the biggest group of people to have been convicted and to have lost their citizenship as a result of a single trial since 2012, according to the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy. The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights on Thursday expressed alarm about the court’s decision. “Tuesday’s convictions give rise to serious concerns about the application of the law, particularly through a mass trial that reportedly lacked the procedural safeguards necessary to ensure a fair trial,” rights commissioner Michelle Bachelet said in a statement. “Deprevation of nationality must not be arbitrary, especially on discriminatory grounds,” she said, stressing that “arbitrary deprivation of nationality places the individuals concerned and their family members in a situation of increased vulnerability to human rights violations.” Bahraini authorities have repeatedly denied taking discriminatory measures against citizens of the kingdom, and say they are facing violence from Iran-backed groups despite denials from Tehran of any involvement. Since 2011 all opposition groups have been banned and disbanded. In January, Bahrain’s supreme court upheld a life term against Sheikh Ali Salman, the head of the main Shiite opposition group Al-Wefaq, for allegedly spying for rival Qatar. Prominent rights defender Nabeel Rajab in December lost his final appeal against a five-year jail term for writing tweets deemed offensive to the state. And last year King Hamad signed off on a decree allowing military courts to try civilians accused of “terrorism.”

iran
amnesty international
bahrain
shiites
hamad bin isa al khalifa


Iraq condemns to death four Islamic State members repatriated from Syria

Abstract: BAGHDAD - Iraq’s judiciary condemned to death four Islamic State group members on Sunday, the first known sentence for hundreds of Iraqi jihadis repatriated in recent months from neighboring Syria. In early April, Iraq’s specialized terrorism courts began preparing cases against nearly 900 Iraqis accused of joining IS. They had been caught in Syria by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters, and transferred to Iraqi authorities. On Sunday, the judiciary said it had tried four Iraqis “accused of belonging to Daesh (IS) and carrying out crimes against innocent civilians in order to destabilize Iraq and Syria.” They were sentenced to “death by hanging” in accordance with Iraq’s 2005 counterterror law, the statement said. The sentence was the first one of its kind for accused jihadis from Iraq who were caught in Syria. Additional Iraqi suspects are in SDF custody and are awaiting repatriation, a security source told AFP earlier this month. Iraq has already tried thousands of its own nationals arrested on home soil for joining IS — including women — and has sentenced hundreds to death. The country remains in the top five “executioner” nations in the world, according to an Amnesty International report released last week. The number of death sentences issued by Iraqi courts more than quadrupled from 65 in 2017 to at least 271 last year. But fewer were actually carried out, according to Amnesty, with 52 executions in 2018 compared to 125 in 2017. In addition to locals, Iraq has also tried hundreds of foreigners, condemning many to life in prison and others to death, although no foreign IS members have yet been executed. Among those awaiting trial in Baghdad are 12 accused French IS members, who were caught in Syria and transferred to Iraqi custody in February. Rights groups including Human Rights Watch have criticized the trials, which they say often rely on circumstantial evidence or confessions obtained under torture.

conflict
terrorism
syria
death penalty
iraq
amnesty
islamic state
hrw
syrian democratic forces


FBI arrests leader of 'fascist militia' armed group stopping migrants in New Mexico

Abstract: TAOS, NEW MEXICO - The FBI on Saturday said it had arrested Larry Hopkins, the leader of an armed group that is stopping undocumented migrants after they cross the U.S.-Mexico border into New Mexico. The arrest came two days after the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) accused the group of illegally detaining migrants and New Mexico’s Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham ordered an investigation. Hopkins, 69, also known as Johnny Horton, was arrested in Sunland Park, New Mexico, on a federal complaint charging him with being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said in a statement. “We’re not worried about it, he’s going to be cleared,” said Jim Benvie, a spokesman for the United Constitutional Patriots (UCP), blaming his arrest on political pressure from Lujan Grisham. Hopkins is the “national commander” of the UCP, which has had around half a dozen members camped out on a rotating basis near Sunland Park since late February. The UCP describes itself as a “patriot group” helping U.S. Border Patrol cope with record numbers of Central American families crossing the border to seek asylum. Dressed in camouflage and carrying rifles, UCP members have helped U.S. Border Patrol detain over 5,600 migrants in the last two months, Benvie said. Videos posted online by the group show members telling migrants to stop, sit down, and wait for agents to arrive. Critics accuse the UCP of impersonating law enforcement. Crowdfunding sites PayPal and GoFundMe on Friday barred the group, citing policies not to promote hate or violence, after the ACLU called the UCP a “fascist militia.” “Today’s arrest by the FBI indicates clearly that the rule of law should be in the hands of trained law enforcement officials, not armed vigilantes,” New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas said in a statement of Hopkins’s arrest. Hopkins was previously arrested in Oregon in 2006 on suspicion of impersonating a police officer and being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said in a statement it did not support citizens taking law enforcement into their own hands and instead encouraged the public to be its eyes and ears on the border. Benvie said the UCP was doing just that and had the support of local Border Patrol and police. Mostly military veterans, UCP members carry weapons for self defense and at no time pointed guns at migrants, as they have been accused of, Benvie said. Despite having funding sources cut off, Benvie said the group’s online support had swelled since it came under attack this week. Its Facebook followers have more than doubled since Thursday. Asked what the group would do if told to leave by state police, Benvie said they would probably go and, if they felt the order violated their constitutional rights, sue the state of New Mexico. “There’s not going to be any standoffs, this isn’t the Bundy Ranch,” Benvie said, in reference to a 2014 armed confrontation in Nevada.

u.s .
immigration
mexico
new mexico
fbi
aclu
cbp
larry hopkins
united constitutional patriots


Khamenei appoints avowed Israel foe as new chief of Iran's Revolutionary Guard

Abstract: DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - Iran’s top authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has replaced the head of the influential Revolutionary Guard, state TV reported on Sunday, days after the United States designated the elite group a foreign terrorist organization. The TV station did not give a reason for the change when it announced the appointment of Brig. Gen. Hossein Salami to the position. “The Supreme Leader has appointed Salami as the new commander-in-chief of the Guard, who will replace Mohammad Ali Jafari,” it said. Maj. Gen. Jafari had held the post since September 2007. President Donald Trump on April 8 designated the Guard a terrorist organization, in an unprecedented step that drew Iranian condemnation and raised concerns about retaliatory attacks on U.S. forces. The designation took effect on April 15. Tehran retaliated by naming the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) as a terrorist organization and the U.S. government as a sponsor of terrorism. The IRGC, created by late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini during Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, is more than a military force. It is also an industrial empire with political clout and is loyal to the supreme leader. Comprising an estimated 125,000-strong military with army, navy and air units, the Guard also command the Basij, a religious volunteer paramilitary force, and control Iran’s missile programs. The Guard’s overseas Quds forces have fought Iran’s proxy wars in the region. The IRGC is in charge of Iran’s ballistic missile and nuclear programs. Tehran has warned that it has missiles with a range of up to 2,000 km (1,242 miles), putting Israel and U.S. military bases in the region within reach. Salami, born in 1960, said in January that Iran’s strategy was to wipe “the Zionist regime” (Israel) off the political map, Iran’s state TV reported. “We announce that if Israel takes any action to wage a war against us, it will definitely lead to its own elimination,” Salami said after an Israeli attack on Iranian targets in Syria in January, Iranian media reported. Israel sees Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs as a threat to its existence. Iran says its nuclear work is for peaceful purposes only. Israel, which Islamic Iran refuses to recognize, backed Trump’s move in May to quit a 2015 international deal on Iran’s nuclear program and welcomed Washington’s reimposition of sanctions on Tehran.

u.s .
israel
terrorism
iran
revolutionary guard
donald trump
ali khamenei
hossein salami


Sudan protest leaders halt talks with military as push for immediate civilian rule is rebuffed

Abstract: KHARTOUM - Sudanese protest leaders Sunday suspended talks with military rulers, after the army failed to meet their demand for an immediate transfer to civilian rule. The protest leaders had planned to name members of a civilian body to take over from the ruling military council, which took power on April 11 after ousting veteran leader Omar al-Bashir. The momentum had been building all day Sunday as a sea of protesters waited outside army headquarters for the planned unveiling of the civilian council, but by nightfall it was clear it would not happen. “We are suspending our talks with the military council,” Mohamed al-Amin, a spokesman for the protest movement, told the tens of thousands of protesters gathered at the army complex. He said the weekslong sit-in will continue and accused the military council of being little different from al-Bashir’s ousted regime. “We call for escalating and continuing the demonstrations until the demands are met,” said Amin. “We are treating the military council as an extension of the regime.” Wagdi Saleh, a leading figure of the protest movement, blamed the military rulers for the delayed unveiling of a civilian council. He said that during talks on Saturday “the military council had shown its dark side.” “The chief of the council’s political committee told our delegation that they are still considering our demand among 100 other demands from other political parties.” Madani Abbas Madani, a spokesman for Alliance for Freedom and Change, said late Sunday a “sovereign council, a government and a legislative body” would be announced “within days” by protest leaders. The crowds responded by continuing to sing and dance, holding their mobile phones aloft, as the torches on their devices created a sea of light and speakers churned out nationalist songs. “High! High! Sudan is up high,” they chanted. “Our revolution is civilian and protected by the people,” they vowed. Earlier Sunday, new military ruler General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan vowed he was committed to handing power to the people, and pledged to respond to the demonstrators’ demands within a week. The military council has been put in place for a planned two-year transition period. “The council is committed to give power to (the) people,” Burhan insisted, in his first interview on state television since taking power. But he later hit out at protesters for erecting road blocks. “I condemn the blocking of roads and searching people without authority,” he told senior army officers, according to the military council. “It can’t continue like this because security is the responsibility of the state,” Burhan said. Protesters have set up their own make-shift checkpoints to frisk people who come to the protest site where they have been encamped since before al-Bashir’s ouster. Burhan on Sunday also confirmed that cash worth over $113 million had been seized from deposed al-Bashir’s residence. He said a team of police, army and security agents found a cash haul including €7 million ($7.8 million), $350,000 and 5 billion Sudanese pounds ($105 million) during a search at al-Bashir’s home. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates meanwhile offered $3 billion on Sunday in financial aid to the cash-starved country. The northeast African nation is one of the world’s most impoverished countries and faces an acute foreign currency shortage — a key factor which helped trigger nationwide protests against al-Bashir. The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), at the forefront of the protests, had said it would unveil its own civilian council by Sunday night. “All Sudanese people are in favor of the council to be announced by the SPA,” said Romaysaa Omar, one of the protesters at the sit-in area. On Saturday, protest leaders and the military rulers held talks about a power handover and had initially agreed to continue discussions. The two sides have struggled to agree on the shape and form of a civilian leadership. “What we want from them (the military) is a timetable to hand over power, so things don’t drag on,” said Ahmed al-Rabia, a leader of the umbrella group of unions for doctors, engineers and teachers. Protest leaders say the civilian council would form a transitional government to rule Sudan for a four-year term, followed by elections. “All we hope for is to be ruled by civilians and get rid of the military rule,” said protester Ehsan Abdallah. The military council has made some concessions to the protesters by agreeing to demands such as detaining al-Bashir and releasing many political prisoners and demonstrators.

protests
sudan
omar al-bashir
sudanese professionals association


From comic to commander-in-chief: A steep learning curve for Ukraine's new leader

Abstract: KIEV - Ukraine’s election has catapulted Volodymyr Zelenskiy, a 41-year-old stand-up comedian and television star with no political experience, into the nation’s top job. As leader of a country dependent on international aid and battling separatists, Zelenskiy will have to deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin, deep economic problems and possibly rebellious elites. Here is a look at the main challenges facing Ukraine’s sixth president: War with separatists Voters expect the new commander-in-chief to end a five-year war with Moscow-backed separatists in the industrial east. The conflict has claimed some 13,000 lives since 2014 and is a huge burden on the economy and society. Despite numerous attempts to staunch the bloodletting, the conflict regularly claims the lives of soldiers and civilians, and a solution is nowhere in sight. Zelenskiy’s rival Petro Poroshenko accused the comic of lacking the gravitas and stamina to stand up to Putin. But analysts say Zelenskiy could use his outsider status to strike a political deal with the Kremlin, which has said it does not want to deal with Poroshenko. “Zelenskiy will look for diplomatic solutions and try to avoid settling the conflict through military means,” said Ukrainian political expert Mykola Davydyuk. In a major faux pas during Friday’s debate with Poroshenko, Zelenskiy called the separatists “rebels,” sparking the military’s anger. “We do not have ‘rebels,'” wrote Ukraine’s General Staff on Twitter. “We have Russian aggression.” Zelenskiy has said he would not resort to force to take back Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014. Struggling economy After a popular uprising ousted a Kremlin-backed regime in 2014, the new Ukrainian government secured a $17.5 billion deal led by the International Monetary Fund to buttress the struggling economy. But disbursement of the funds has often been delayed as Poroshenko’s government has struggled to push through the reforms required by the IMF, which include anti-corruption measures and raising household gas prices. Zelenskiy has said he will continue cooperating with the IMF, and promises to do whatever is necessary to service the country’s debt. Analysts warn that he is facing a huge challenge as Ukraine’s debt obligations are set to peak in the next few years. “In the next three years Ukraine will have to pay off more than $20 billion in state debt,” said Oleksandr Parashchiy, head of research at Concorde Capital, a Kiev-based investment bank. “It’s not exactly clear where the money would come from.” Economic growth is also slowing down, added Parashchiy. “He’ll have to do something with that, too.” Zelenskiy does not have a firm economic program, though his team does include Poroshenko’s former finance minister, Oleksandr Danylyuk. The young president will also have to rein in oligarchs who wield huge influence, and prove to supporters he is not in the employ of tycoon Igor Kolomoysky — whose channel broadcasts his shows. Hostile establishment Zelenskiy will also have to demonstrate his ability to negotiate with various political forces to push through much-needed reforms. He does not have a proper political party of his own and will likely face huge resistance in parliament, where Poroshenko’s faction has the most seats. “It would be very hard for Zelenskiy to secure parliament’s support,” said Anatoliy Oktysyuk, an analyst with Kiev-based think tank Democracy House. “He will have a hostile parliament on his hands.” Parliamentary elections are set to take place in October. Poroshenko and former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who was knocked out of the presidential race during the first round of voting last month, may be looking for revenge during the legislative polls. Analyst Davydyuk said assembling the right team will be crucial for the neophyte president. “The main challenge for Zelenskiy is neither the army nor the war with Russia,” he said. “It is putting together a team: who will be his chief of staff, his deputies, who will fill the key positions.” Analysts say Ukrainians expect radical change quickly, so Zelenskiy will have to move fast before he faces a possible legitimacy crisis. “Everyone will criticize him,” Oktysyuk said. “I have a feeling Zelenskiy will soon fizzle out and everything might end with impeachment.”

russia
elections
ukraine
volodymyr zelenskiy


EU urges new Ukraine leader to push reforms

Abstract: BRUSSELS - The European Union delivered formal congratulations to Ukraine’s novice president-elect Monday but made clear it expects TV comic Volodymyr Zelenskiy to pursue halting reforms, including fighting corruption. In a joint letter as Zelenskiy’s landslide victory over President Petro Poroshenko was confirmed, European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker praised the conduct of the election even though parts of Ukraine remain under the control of pro-Russian forces. But they stressed that five years after Poroshenko was elected in the wake of a popular revolt against a Moscow-aligned predecessor, Ukraine still has a long way to go to deliver on people’s demands for peace, democracy and prosperity. “Significant progress has been made in the five years since Ukraine’s Revolution of Dignity,” they wrote. “And much remains to be accomplished to fully realize the peaceful, democratic and prosperous Ukraine that its citizens have called for.” They added: “You can count on the EU’s strong support to Ukraine’s reform path, including consolidating the rule of law, fighting corruption, maintaining macrofinancial stability and pursuing the essential reform of the energy sector.” Proposing an early meeting with Zelenskiy, Tusk, a former Polish premier who chairs summits of EU national leaders, and Juncker, a former Luxembourg prime minister who heads the bloc’s executive, said further steps to implement Kiev’s trade and political pact with the union could provide “crucial” help. That agreement, seen by the Kremlin as shifting the biggest of Moscow’s Soviet-era satellites toward the West, was a notable factor in the events that culminated with pro-EU leaders installed in Kiev, Russia’s seizure of the Crimea Peninsula in 2014 and pro-Kremlin separatists taking over Russian-speaking eastern Ukraine. Tusk and Juncker also told Zelenskiy: “You can also count on the EU’s continued and steadfast support of Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.” The European Union has invested heavily, in both economic and political terms, in Ukraine, seeing it as a potential model for other post-communist neighbors and a bulwark against a Russia seen as a growing threat, especially by the EU member states which spent decades under the control of Moscow. While the 28-member bloc has maintained a fragile unity in maintaining sanctions against Russia, it has also grown frustrated with continued corruption and democratic failings in Ukraine.

eu
elections
ukraine
volodymyr zelenskiy


Sudan's army ruler vows to hand 'power to the people' as protesters' deadline looms

Abstract: KHARTOUM - Sudan’s military leader vowed Sunday the army was committed to handing power to the people, as a protesters’ deadline for unveiling a rival civilian council loomed. New army ruler Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan also pledged to respond to demonstrators’ demands within a week. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates meanwhile offered $3 billion in financial aid to cash-starved Sudan. The Northeast African nation is one of the world’s most impoverished countries and faces an acute foreign currency shortage — a key factor which helped trigger nationwide protests against longtime leader Omar al-Bashir. Bashir was ousted on April 11 after three decades of iron-fisted rule, when the military deposed him bowing to weeks of mass protests which began in mid-December. A military council has been put in place for a planned two-year transition period, but despite talks with protesters the two sides have struggled to agree on the shape and form of a civilian leadership. “The council is committed to give power to (the) people,” Burhan insisted, in his first interview on state television since taking power. He also said that a delegation would travel to Washington soon to seek Sudan’s removal from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism. The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), at the forefront of the campaign, has defiantly said it will unveil its own civilian council later Sunday, and thousands have gathered outside the army headquarters in Khartoum ahead of the 1700 GMT announcement. “We are waiting for the announcement today,” Romaysaa Omar, one of the protesters at the sit-in area, told AFP. “All Sudanese people are in favour of the council to be announced by the SPA.” Whistling and waving Sudanese flags, dozens of demonstrators were sitting on a bridge at the site, rhythmically banging stones against metal. On Saturday, protest leaders and the military rulers held talks about a power handover and agreed to continue discussions. “We clarified our main demand, which is the transfer of power to civilian authorities,” Siddiq Yousef, a senior member of the Alliance for Freedom and Change, the umbrella group leading the protest movement, told state television after Saturday’s talks. “We agreed to continue negotiations to reach a solution that satisfies both the sides, so that the transfer of power will happen in a peaceful way.” Since Bashir was ousted by the army, the military rulers have resisted calls to transfer power to a civilian body. “What we want from them is a timetable to hand over power, so things don’t drag on,” said Ahmed al-Rabia, a leader of the umbrella group of unions for doctors, engineers and teachers. He said mounting pressure from the street and from the international community was expected to make the military council cede power in “two to three weeks. “We are done with the easy part. We want to remove the entire regime,” said Rabia. On Sunday, the Alliance for Freedom and Change said it will continue with the sit-in “until all our demands are met.” Protest leaders say the civilian council would form a transitional government to rule Sudan for a four-year term, followed by elections. “All we hope for is to be ruled by civilians and get rid of the military rule,” said protester Ehsan Abdallah. On Sunday Riyadh and Abu Dhabi pledged to inject $500 million into the Sudanese central bank and $2.5 billion to help provide food, medicine and petroleum products, the official Saudi Press Agency said without specifying if the money is a gift or a loan. The Sudanese pound surged on the black market on Sunday, trading at 45 to the dollar against 72 last week. The military council has made some concessions to the protesters by agreeing to demands such as detaining Bashir and releasing many political prisoners and demonstrators. Prominent Sudanese journalist Khalid Tijani said the protest leaders were in a “tough situation” over finalising the civilian council. “If they are not ready with the names, it will send a negative signal, and this will not be to the benefit of the revolution,” said Tijani, editor of economic weekly Elaff.

africa
saudi arabia
aid
sudan
uae
omar bashir


Poroshenko concedes as comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy wins Ukraine presidency in landslide

Abstract: KIEV - A comedian with no political experience won a landslide victory in Ukraine’s presidential election on Sunday, exit polls showed, dealing a stunning rebuke to the country’s political establishment. Volodymyr Zelenskiy, whose only previous political role was playing the president in a TV show, trounced incumbent Petro Poroshenko by taking 73 percent of the vote, according to exit polls. Poroshenko took just 25.5 percent, losing to the 41-year-old comedian and actor across the country. It was an extraordinary outcome to a campaign that started as a joke but struck a chord with voters frustrated by social injustice, corruption and a war with Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine that has claimed some 13,000 lives. The star of the TV series “Servant of the People” will now take the helm of a country of 45 million people beset by challenges and having run on the vaguest of political platforms. “I will never let you down,” Zelenskiy told jubilant supporters at his campaign headquarters where he was showered with glittering confetti. “I can tell all post-Soviet countries: ‘Look at us! Everything is possible!,’ ” he declared. The remark appeared aimed at neighboring Russia, where Vladimir Putin has been in power for 20 years and many followed the Ukrainian election with keen interest. On the streets of the capital Kiev, some Ukrainians expressed guarded optimism about their new leader. “Ukraine has passed the democracy test,” said Mykola, a 66-year-old pensioner. “I hope it will be the people and not the elite who will live better.” Zelenskiy took 87 percent of the vote in eastern Ukraine and defeated Poroshenko even in the west, where the incumbent traditionally enjoyed strong support. Poroshenko, 53, said the results were clear and enough reason to “call my opponent and congratulate him. “I will leave office but I want to firmly stress — I will not quit politics,” Poroshenko said in a speech at his campaign headquarters, where supporters clapped, cried and chanted “thank you” to the outgoing leader. A tycoon who made his fortune in chocolate, he also appealed to the international community to help safeguard Ukraine’s pro-Western course. “We realize that the Kremlin might be enjoying the election result,” he said. The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine congratulated his rival in a tweet, saying: “We look forward to continuing the strong US-Ukraine partnership with president-elect Zelenskiy.” Observers say Ukraine’s new leader may seek to use his outsider status to try to improve ties with Moscow. Zelenskiy said he wanted to “reboot” Western-brokered peace talks that have so far failed to end the conflict. Moscow said the vote result showed Ukrainians wanted “change.” With about four percent of ballots counted, official results showed Zelenskiy taking 72 percent of the vote and Poroshenko on 25.5 percent. From Ukrainian-speaking regions in the west of the country to Russian-speaking territories in the war-torn east, many voters said they feared uncertainty but yearned for change. “We’re tired of all the lies,” said Marta Semenyuk, 26, who cast her ballot for Zelenskiy in Kiev. “I think it just cannot get any worse and I hope he’ll live up to his promises,” said Larisa, an 18-year-old student from the government-held eastern port city of Mariupol. Zelenskiy supporters say only a fresh face can clean up Ukraine’s politics and end the separatist conflict. But others doubt the showman will be able to take on the country’s influential oligarchs, negotiate with the likes of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and stand up to Putin. “People have gone mad,” Viktoriya Olomutska, a 39-year-old Poroshenko supporter, said in Kiev. “Cinema and reality are two different things.” Poroshenko had previously mocked his rival’s lack of political experience, arguing he was unfit to be a wartime commander-in-chief, and the two traded insults during the campaign. But on Sunday the two men were respectful, with Poroshenko offering to coach the political novice and Zelenskiy saying he might seek Poroshenko’s advice. The outgoing leader came to power after a 2014 pro-Western uprising ousted a Kremlin-backed regime, triggering Moscow’s annexation of Crimea. His supporters credited him with rebuilding the army and securing an Orthodox Church independent of Russia. But many feel the country’s ruling elite have forgotten the promises of the revolution. The comic shunned traditional campaign rallies and instead performed comedy gigs and used social media to appeal to voters. The Ukrainian president has strong powers over defense, security and foreign policy but needs backing from parliament to push through reforms. Poroshenko’s faction has the most seats in the current legislature and new parliamentary polls are due in October. The West has closely watched the race amid concern a new government might undo years of economic reforms. Voter turnout stood at 62 percent, according to a preliminary count.

vladimir putin
russia
elections
ukraine
petro poroshenko
volodymyr zelenskiy


Islamic State claims responsibility for Afghan ministry attack that killed seven

Abstract: KABUL - Islamic State has claimed responsibility for an attack at the communications ministry in the Afghan capital Kabul that killed seven people, the militant group’s Aamaq news agency said on Sunday. Saturday’s attack began when a suicide bomber detonated explosives just outside the ministry building and three other assailants then entered the premises. Three attackers were killed by security forces who battled and also evacuated over 2,800 Afghans from the government buildings. Among the dead were four civilians and three police officers, while another eight civilians were wounded. The Afghan affiliate of Islamic State, sometimes known as Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K) after an old name for the region that includes Afghanistan, has been active in the country since 2015, fighting the Taliban as well as Afghan and U.S. forces. It is difficult to say how many Islamic State fighters are in Afghanistan because they frequently switch allegiances, but the U.S. military estimates there are about 2,000.

terrorism
kabul
islamic state
aamaq
state khorasan


Libya strongman Khalifa Hifter's forces press offensive, close in on Tripoli

Abstract: TRIPOLI - Forces backing Libya’s unity government battled to push back an offensive by strongman Khalifa Hifter on Sunday as his troops approached the gates of Tripoli after air raids overnight. Hifter’s self-proclaimed Libyan National Army (LNA), galvanized by victories in its eastern stronghold and in the country’s desert south, announced an offensive early this month to seize the capital from the U.N.-recognized administration of Fayez al-Sarraj. But his forces have faced fierce resistance from armed groups backing the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA), including powerful factions from the western city of Misrata. The bloodshed has derailed efforts to bring peace to a country where jihadis and people smugglers have exploited the chaos unleashed by the NATO-backed overthrow of dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. At least 227 people have been killed since Hifter’s forces launched their offensive, the World Health Organization said Sunday, adding that a further 1,128 have been wounded. Clashes intensified on Saturday when forces loyal to the GNA announced a counter-attack. “We have launched a new phase of attack. Orders were given early this morning to advance and gain ground,” said Mustafa al-Mejii, a spokesman for GNA forces. Sustained rocket and shellfire could be heard in several districts of Tripoli on Saturday, after several days of less intense fighting and stalemate on the ground. Explosions were heard from the city center overnight, and some witnesses reported airstrikes. Pope Francis, delivering his traditional Easter message, called for an end to “conflict and bloodshed” that was killing “defenseless people” in Libya. “I urge the parties involved to choose dialogue over force and to avoid reopening wounds left by a decade of conflicts and political instability,” he said. Tripoli air traffic was suspended overnight to Sunday for “security reasons,” the city’s only operating airport said Sunday. At least two flights were rerouted from Mitiga airport to Misrata, more than 200 km (125 miles) to the east, the airport’s authorities said on their Facebook page. They said flights had resumed early in the morning to Mitiga, east of the capital. The former military air base was hit by an airstrike on April 8, claimed by the LNA, and has since only operated between 5 p.m. and 8 a.m.. The GNA counterattack put pro-government forces back in control of Ain Zara, in the southern suburbs of Tripoli, where a team of journalists confirmed pro-GNA forces had advanced, shifting the front line a few kilometers south. GNA spokesman Mejii on Sunday morning that “after a long day of military success, our forces are consolidating their (new) positions.” Some witnesses spoke of air raids and drones, but Mejii said the blasts were caused by strikes from LNA helicopters aimed at “terrorizing civilians. He said they had not caused any casualties but had taken place away from the front lines, without offering any further details. Military sources say the aging Soviet and Russian fighter jets used by both sides are not equipped to carry out night-time strikes, but Mejii said Hifter’s forces have a helicopter with night vision capabilities. The U.N.’s Libya envoy warned Thursday of “a widening conflagration” in the North African country. Ghassan Salame said that “international divisions” prior to the assault on Tripoli had emboldened Hifter, who is backed by Russia and seen by his allies Egypt and the United Arab Emirates as a bulwark against Islamists. The White House revealed Friday that U.S. President Donald Trump reached out personally to Hifter, as a push at the United Nations to broker a cease-fire hit trouble. A statement said that Trump “recognized Field Marshal Hifter’s significant role in fighting terrorism and securing Libya’s oil resources,” adding that “the two discussed a shared vision for Libya’s transition to a stable, democratic political system.” Observers saw Trump’s words of praise for the strongman as evidence of U.S. support that explains Hifter’s determination to pursue his offensive to seize Tripoli. On Thursday, Russia and the United States opposed a British bid backed by France and Germany at the U.N. Security Council to demand a cease-fire in Libya. Russia insisted on having no criticism of Hifter in the proposed resolution, while the United States said it wanted more time to consider the situation.

conflict
u.s .
russia
u.n .
libya
tripoli
donald trump
khalifa haftar


Extensive flooding in eastern Canada forces evacuations

Abstract: QUEBEC CITY, QUEBEC - Flooding in eastern Canada forced the evacuation of 1,200 people while more than 600 troops have been deployed in response, authorities said Sunday. Warming weather over the Easter weekend has brought spring floods due to heavy rains and snowmelt from Ontario to southern Quebec and New Brunswick. A man was killed Saturday in Pontiac, Quebec, after he failed to see that a bridge had been swept away by the floods and drove his vehicle into the water. Authorities, who initially feared a repeat of catastrophic 2017 floods in Quebec, the worst in half a century, appeared more confident about the situation on Sunday. “We are optimistic about the coming days,” civil security spokesperson Eric Houde told AFP. “There will be significant floods but globally not at the level of 2017, except in certain areas like Lake St. Pierre,” a widening of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec, he said. “The big difference from 2017 is the level of preparation of municipalities and citizens,” he added. Over the past several days, towns have mobilized volunteers and distributed tens of thousands of sandbags to erect barriers or protect houses in threatened areas. The areas most affected Sunday were the region around Ottawa, and Beauce, a region south of Quebec City where nearly 800 people were evacuated. As of midday Sunday, about 1,000 homes had been affected by the flooding in Quebec. The provincial governments of Quebec and New Brunswick asked for reinforcements from the military. About 200 soldiers had deployed in Quebec by Saturday night, and 400 others near Ottawa; in Laval, just north of Montreal; and in Trois-Rivieres between Montreal and Quebec City. About 120 additional soldiers were available to be mobilized in New Brunswick.


Environment emerges as major issue for Australian voters ahead of May election

Abstract: MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - The environment has emerged as a major issue for Australian voters, a poll showed on Sunday, but health care and the cost of living are the top concerns ahead of next month’s election. For 32 percent of Australians, access to affordable health services is the biggest worry, followed by the cost of living at 31 percent and crime at 25 percent, according to the Ipsos Issues Monitor, cited by the Sydney Morning Herald. But the monitor, Australia’s longest running survey of community concerns, found that 23 percent of respondents cited the environment as one of their biggest concerns, making it the No. 4 issue. In the last federal election in 2016, the environment ranked No. 9 at 14 percent. “Now there is a real momentum around it,” the newspaper cited Ipsos social researcher Daniel Evans as saying. According to government agencies and environmental organizations, Australians are paying increasingly more attention to climate change, renewable energy, drought, environmental regulation and protection of natural habitats, such as the Great Barrier Reef, under threat from global warming. Two-thirds of Australians believe their country is already being affected by climate change and 46 percent agree that the change is “entirely or mainly” caused by human action, an annual climate survey issued by Ipsos this month suggested. Australia’s 1.87 trillion Australian dollar ($1.3 trillion) economy is slowing, but the number of voters for whom it is a major worry has fallen since the last election to 23 percent from 30 percent. It ranked as the fifth major concern in this month’s poll. Australians vote on May 18, with opinion polls showing Bill Shorten’s center-left opposition Labor party well ahead and the coalition of Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s Liberals and the rural-focused Nationals heading for a resounding defeat.

australia
elections
climate change
environment
scott morrison
bill shorten


South Korea to mark anniversary of Moon-Kim summit with event — but will the North show up?

Abstract: South Korea will hold a ceremony later this week to mark the one-year anniversary of the historic first summit between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. There’s just one catch: North Korea’s attendance is uncertain. The Unification Ministry in Seoul said in a statement late Sunday that the event — called “The Long Road” — is scheduled to feature artists from South Korea, the U.S., China and Japan and will be held Saturday at the border village of Panmunjom. The ministry said that while it plans to inform Pyongyang of the event, it currently plans to organize the show without its northern counterpart. Moon and Kim held their first of three inter-Korean summits in April last year, helping pave the way for June’s meeting in Singapore between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump, the first-ever meeting between a North Korean leader and a sitting U.S. president. But in the wake of a second Kim-Trump summit in Vietnam at which a nuclear deal failed to materialize despite expectations, ties between the two Koreas have faltered, leaving nuclear talks deadlocked. Any absence of North Korean participation in Saturday’s event would highlight the challenges the rival Koreas face amid the stalled U.S.-North Korean nuclear talks. Moon has attempted to play the role of mediator in bringing the talks back on track, a move that has been roundly criticized by Kim. In an April 12 speech Kim urged South Korea to act independently of its U.S. ally to improve relations and “come back to the original intention they had at the time of the Panmunjom summit and the September Pyongyang summit” and fully implement the declarations agreed to at them. “They should not waver in their attitude as they see the tide nor pose as a meddlesome ‘mediator’ and ‘facilitator’ as they busy themselves with foreign trips, but be a responsible party that defends the interests of the nation speaking what they have to say squarely with the mind of their own as members of the nation,” Kim said. The Moon administration, for its part, has played down these remarks by Kim, saying that it would continue to play a key role in denuclearization talks. While it remains to be seen how much of a role Seoul can play going forward, Moon has said that he is seeking yet another meeting with Kim. This could come in the form of him delivering a message from Trump to the North Korean leader, CNN reported Sunday. That report cited an anonymous source as saying that Trump’s message, which was delivered to Moon during their meeting in Washington earlier this month, includes “things that matter to the current course of action, things that have to lead to something positive for the U.S.-DPRK summit.” DPRK is the acronym for the North’s formal name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. “I believe (Kim) will be very, very curious about what my president (Moon) will have to say after his meeting with the Trump administration,” the apparent South Korean source said. “President Moon has been clear and simple. Small deal, big deal, good or bad, something has to happen; the process has to be sustainable.”

u.s .
north korea
kim jong un
nuclear weapons
south korea
north korea nuclear crisis
donald trump
moon jae-in
kim-trump summit


Cambodia and Thailand reconnected by rail after 45 years

Abstract: POIPET, CAMBODIA - A railway reconnecting Cambodia and Thailand was officially inaugurated Monday in a bid to slash travel times and boost trade between the Southeast Asian neighbors. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and his Thai counterpart, Prayuth Chan-ocha, witnessed a signing ceremony at a Thai border post before riding together to the Cambodian town of Poipet on a train donated by Thailand. The pair — with Prayut dressed in a bright yellow shirt — stepped from the train in Poipet with their clasped hands held high to the cheers of waiting crowds, waving flags of both countries. Hun Sen described their journey as “historic” and thanked Thailand for its efforts “to reconnect the railway between Cambodia and Thailand.” The railway would also better link his country to other Southeast Asian neighbors and boost economy and trade, he added. Bilateral trade between Thailand and Cambodia currently stands at $6 billion. Cambodia last year re-opened the final stretch of a 370-kilometer railway running from the capital, Phnom Penh, to the Thai border. The Asian Development Bank bankrolled the reconstruction of the link to the tune of $13 million. Much of Cambodia’s railways — built by the French in colonial times — were damaged by the years of bitter conflict that engulfed the country during the Cold War era. The 48-kilometer section of track near Poipet was destroyed in 1973 while the rest of the track to Phnom Penh had been suspended for over a decade due to its poor condition. The Southeast Asian country has more than 600 kilometers of track extending from its northern border with Thailand to the southern coast.


Sri Lanka searches for answers after Easter terrorist attacks kill hundreds

Abstract: COLOMBO/NEW, DELHI - Sri Lanka sought to restore stability following one of Asia’s deadliest terrorist attacks in years, detaining 24 suspects and asking the world for help in investigating possible involvement by international terrorist groups. Authorities said 290 people were killed and about 500 wounded by a string of bombings that tore through churches and luxury hotels on Easter Sunday. The government announced a curfew in Colombo from 8 p.m. Monday until 4 a.m. A Sunday night curfew was lifted in the morning. The government believes a local Islamist extremist group called the National Thowheeth Jama’ath was behind the deadly suicide bomb attacks, government spokesman Rajitha Senaratne said Monday. The strikes, which targeted foreign tourists and Christians, marked a shift from the violence that fueled a three-decade civil war on the Indian Ocean island. Senaratne, who is also a Cabinet minister, added that the government was investigating whether the group had “international support.” Not much is known about the NTJ, a radical Muslim group that his been linked to the vandalizing of Buddhist statues. A police source said that all 24 people in custody in connection with the attacks belong to an “extremist” group, but did not specify further. Sri Lanka needs assistance from security officials abroad to “check foreign links of these groups,” Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said in an address to the nation late Sunday, without providing more details. “We have to look deeper into this, but the first task is to make sure that the country is not destabilized.” Wickremesinghe suggested authorities had received warnings but “not enough attention had been paid.” One of his Cabinet ministers, Harin Fernando, tweeted an internal police memo dated April 11 warning that NTJ planned to bomb Catholic churches and the Indian High Commission. The bombings were carried out by seven suicide bombers, a government investigator said Monday. An analysis of the attackers’ body parts made clear that they were suicide bombers, said Ariyananda Welianga, a forensic crime investigator. He said most attacks were by one bomber, with two at Colombo’s Shangri-La Hotel. A government source said President Maithripala Sirisena, who was abroad when the attacks happened, had called a meeting of the National Security Council early on Monday. Wickremesinghe would attend the meeting, the source said. Sri Lankan military who were clearing the route from Colombo airport late on Sunday in preparation for Sirisena’s return found a homemade bomb near the departure gate, an air force spokesman said. They disposed of the device in a controlled explosion, the spokesman said. A sense of unease pervaded the nation Sunday following a period of relative calm in the decade since the end of a brutal conflict between the predominately Buddhist Sinhalese majority and mostly Hindu Tamil minority. So far no one has claimed responsibility for the attacks. U.S. President Donald Trump and other world leaders condemned the attack and offered support. Sri Lanka confirmed that 11 foreigners who died in the attacks had been identified — including citizens of India, Portugal, Turkey, the U.K. and U.S. — and said 25 unidentified bodies believed to be foreigners were in a Colombo morgue. Most were targeted at the Shangri-La, Kingsbury and Cinnamon Grand hotels in the capital. Authorities blocked platforms such as Facebook and Whatsapp. The Colombo Stock Exchange put its Monday opening on hold and schools will remain closed until Wednesday. SriLankan Airlines Ltd. advised travelers to arrive four hours before their flights to undergo additional security checks. The attacks will test a government that is still reeling from a political crisis last year that has weighed on the economy and led to downgrades in Sri Lanka’s credit rating. “What these bombings potentially do is take it from inertia and political infighting and rudderlessness to a real fear of instability and a sense of a return to the bad old days,” said Alan Keenan, a senior Sri Lanka analyst with the International Crisis Group based in London. “It’s striking that in almost three decades of war between the Tamils and government forces, foreign tourists were never targeted.” Catholics, split between the Sinhalese and Tamils, make up 6.5 percent of Sri Lanka’s population, according to the nation’s 2012 census. Buddhists account for 70 percent of the total, while Hindus and Muslims make up the rest. In the early 1980s, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam — known as the Tamil Tigers — began fighting for an independent homeland in the north and east of Sri Lanka. The conflict, marked by the use of child soldiers and human rights violations on both sides, killed more than 100,000 people before former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government won a decisive victory in 2009. Rajapaksa has been a key player in Sri Lanka’s political fighting over the past six months. Last October, he was suddenly appointed prime minister by Sirisena, leading to a constitutional crisis. Wickremesinghe, the deposed prime minister, was reinstated in December after a Supreme Court decision. It remains to be seen whether Sri Lanka’s politicians will unite in the face of the attacks, which threaten to further hurt economic growth. Wickremesinghe warned that tourism will suffer and investors may pull money from the country. Sri Lanka’s economy has struggled in recent years, forcing the government to take out a $1.5 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund. Economic growth in the quarter to December was the slowest in 19 quarters. The rupee dropped to consecutive record lows last year amid the political crisis, before recovering this year. “That is bad news for the country where the memories of the civil war are still very much alive,” said Raffaele Bertoni, head of debt-capital markets at Gulf Investment Corp. in Kuwait City. “Tourism is a very important sector for the economy and one of the major source of external reserves.” Sri Lanka has a history of communal violence between virtually all groups, according to Keenan from Crisis Group. “What’s surprising about this is the particularly brutal and coordinated nature of the attacks and targets, this combination of what appear to be Tamil Catholic churches and high-end hotels,” he said. “These are the first classically terrorist attacks since the end of the war.”

religion
terrorism
sri lanka
ranil wickremesinghe
_asia
sri lanka attacks


Sri Lanka bombings put Christians on front line of religious divides

Abstract: COLOMBO - The Easter Sunday attacks on three churches in Sri Lanka mark a devastating escalation of violence against a Christian minority that has been targeted in the past, but never to such brutal and deadly effect. Ethnic and religious violence has plagued Sri Lanka for decades, with a 37-year conflict with Tamil rebels that claimed 100,000 lives and an upswing in recent years in clashes between the Buddhist majority and Muslims. While there have been attacks on Christians, their community had been left relatively unscathed, with anti-Muslim riots — whipped up in part by hard-line, right-wing Buddhists — grabbing the headlines. But that changed with Sunday’s bombings on St. Anthony’s Shrine in Colombo, St. Sebastian’s in Negombo to the north of the capital and the church in the eastern city of Batticaloa. All three were left in ruins, bodies slumped over pews or lined up in aisles, torn Bibles strewn over the floor. Along with attacks on four hotels, more than 200 people were killed. The U.S. State Department’s most recent report on religious freedom said the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka had documented “97 incidents” of attacks on churches, intimidation and violence in 2017. Only around 6 percent of Sri Lanka’s 20-million-strong population is Catholic. Analysts say the harassment is long-standing and goes on. “There is a long history of attacks on churches,” said Alan Keenan, a Sri Lanka expert with the International Crisis Group, a monitoring body. “There was one on a Methodist church last week, though nothing as massive as this case. It just does not get international attention.” Sunday’s attacks were the worst acts of violence since the Tamil civil war that ended in 2009 and, during its long history, saw numerous bombings and assassinations across the country. Rucki Fernando, a human rights activist, said there have been regular cases of “local villagers or Buddhist monks intimidating a pastor or interrupting a prayer service.” “Sri Lankan governments have overlooked violence against religious minorities — both Christians and Muslims — that has been on the rise in recent years. “But we have never seen anything of this scale or magnitude before.” Sri Lanka’s police chief, Pujuth Jayasundara, issued a nationwide alert 10 days before the attacks saying suicide bombers planned to hit “prominent churches. Although no group has claimed responsibility for the bombings, a radical Muslim group named in the police alert, National Thowheeth Jama’ath, came to prominence last year when its followers were accused of vandalizing Buddhist statues. The group’s secretary, Abdul Razik, was arrested in November on charges of inciting religious disharmony. He was also detained in 2016 for comments about other religions. Galagodaatte Gnanasara, head of a radical Buddhist group, the BSS, warned then of “a blood bath” unless Razik was arrested. Gnanasara has himself since served a jail term for intimidating the wife of a missing journalist. Sri Lanka saw weeks of riots last year when Buddhist-majority Sinhalese mobs attacked Muslim targets in the central district of Kandy. Three people were killed and hundreds of homes destroyed. Sunday’s assault on Christian targets will only widen the sense of fear and uncertainty fueled by the communal tensions. “There is a lot of fear, not just in the Christian community but among everyone,” said the activist Fernando. Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, archbishop of Colombo, said those behind the attacks should be punished “mercilessly. “Only animals can behave like that,” he told reporters.

terrorism
sri lanka
christians
muslims
national thowheeth jama'ath
sri lanka attacks