December 2017 - Page 2 of 24

Zimbabwe’s Capital City Mayor Faces Calls to Resign Over Bad Tap Water

Posted on 12/29/2017 by SeeAF

In Zimbabwe, some residents in the capital, Harare, want the mayor to step down because of chronic bad tap water. He had urged citizens to use “caution” as water in Zimbabwe’s capital was not safe to drink.

Residents directed their anger at Mayor Benard Manyenyeni during a public meeting, where they complained about muddy, colored and smelly drinking water. Some parts of the capital city have gone for weeks or months with dry taps, despite above normal rain in Zimbabwe last season.

“Water is a basic fundamental right. Water is life. When we have no water, people die and people are dying,” said Linda Masarira, a resident who attended the meeting, which lasted close to two hours, said

“Our health department is in shambles,” she continued. “A lot of people are suffering from diseases that they do not understand because of consuming this dirt water. Everyone should get clean, safe water coming out of their taps.”

Masarira added that from here on, residents will “make an appointment with the local government minister since the mayor said his hands are tied.”

If that effort is unsuccessful, she said they will go “to the president’s office. We will go all the way until clean water is coming out of Harare taps.”

Most parts of Zimbabwe do not have access to clean water, forcing residents to rely on open sources that expose them to waterborne disease.

A cholera outbreak in 2008 and 2009 claimed close to 5,000 lives, according to U.N. statistics. The situation could have been worse had international organizations such as USAID not helped, providing water treatment chemicals, among other interventions to ensure proper sanitation in Zimbabwe.

Sharon Mumbula fears the situation in Harare might escalate to 2008 and 2009 levels unless Mayor Manyenyeni steps down.

“I am wondering why he is even sitting there; why he was hired,” she said. “Clearly he can’t execute his duties. Some of the answers he gave us are not even relevant to the problem. Clearly he can’t say he does not know where the unclean water is coming from. Yet it is the whole of Harare which is affected. So it is time for him to go.”

At the meeting Friday, the mayor said he would not step down but would not seek re-election in 2018. After the meeting, Manyenyeni told VOA he was hopeful Harare’s water problems would end one day.

“We think we are providing you with water that is good for you and your family to drink,” he said. “We have seen experiences of water that does not look good, water that looks greenish and brownish, water that froths or foams. Let’s share the responsibility. While we assume and claim that our water is clean and safe to drink; we ask you to exercise caution wherever you are and make your own personal decisions about what you see, what you smell. Is it good enough for you to drink?

The mayor added that if residents are not satisfied while authorities fix the problem, then “please avoid drinking water which you consider suspect.”

He said the time frame to fix the problem depends on the availability of funds. That, he noted, “is not a council problem. It is a national problem.”

Zimbabwe’s critical shortage of foreign currency is forcing businesses to source it on the black market. This has led to price increases on most commodities. The mayor ruled out getting foreign currency on the black market so that Harare can import water treatment chemicals.
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Kenyan Opposition: If No Dialogue, We’ll Inaugurate Odinga

Posted on 12/29/2017 by SeeAF

Kenya’s opposition says it will proceed with its planned inauguration of opposition leader Raila Odinga as president if Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta does not convene a national dialogue. Kenyatta won October’s election after Odinga boycotted the vote, and experts warn that an opposition inauguration could create even more division in the country.

Deputy opposition leader Kalonzo Musyoka, who has been out of the country for three months caring for his sick wife, said the only thing that can stop the opposition inauguration is dialogue.

“I am telling my brother Uhuru Kenyatta if he is going to abdicate the responsibility of uniting this nation, he should not blame Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka when we will be sworn in,” Musyoka said.

The opposition boycotted the repeat October poll after the electoral commission failed to meet demands for reform. The Odinga and Musyoka team insists they won the earlier election in August, in which Kenyatta was declared the winner. That vote was nullified and the Supreme Court said the electoral commission did not follow the constitution and the law.

Kenyatta won the October election with 98 percent of the vote.

Political commentator Martin Andati says the opposition is trying to pressure the government to enter a dialogue.

“If they are sworn in, that’s bound to create a bigger crisis than they are in,” Andati said. “Basically, they are trying to up the pressure, and they are hoping Uhuru and his team will be able to sit down so that, ultimately, they go sit on the table and address some of the issues that they are trying to raise.”

Kenyatta has repeatedly said the elections are over and he is willing to discuss the development agenda of the country, but nothing else.

Andati says elections may be over, but the issues that divide the country have not gone away.

“The rest of Kenyans who feel excluded from governance, from the position of power, from the allocation of business opportunities and jobs — they are out there, and they are quite a number — those are some of the issues they need to look at,” Andati said. “Uhuru has been the president of [the ruling Jubilee party], not the president of Kenya. Now he must reach to the rest of the people.”

The Attorney General Githu Muigai warned opposition leaders against swearing themselves in, saying that will amount to treason.

A showdown looms between the Kenyatta administration and the opposition. Many fear the political confrontation will further divide the east African nation.
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Ex-soccer Star Weah Elected Liberia President by Wide Margin

Posted on 12/29/2017 by SeeAF

Former FIFA World Player of the Year George Weah has been elected Liberia’s new president by a wide margin as the West African nation faces its first democratic transfer of power in more than 70 years.

Vice President Joseph Boakai conceded on Friday, congratulating the ex-soccer star. With more than 98 percent of votes counted, Weah received 61.5 percent of the ballots while Boakai received 38.5 percent.

Africa’s first female president, Nobel Peace Prize winner Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, is stepping aside after two terms at the head of the nation founded by freed American slaves. She led the country from back-to-back civil wars and saw it through a deadly Ebola outbreak that killed nearly 5,000 Liberians, but she was criticized for not better tackling corruption.

The 51-year-old Weah, a senator who entered politics after retirement from soccer more than a decade ago, led the first-round vote in October but didn’t receive enough ballots to win outright over the 73-year-old Boakai, who has been vice president for 12 years. Sirleaf didn’t publicly support either candidate.

Weah is expected to take office in January.

Though voter turnout for Tuesday’s runoff was low, he drew support from the younger generation, which makes up a majority of Liberia’s population of 4.6 million people.

“We are young people and have suffered in this country for so long,” said one supporter, Love Norrision.

The commission said 56 percent of the country’s 2.2 million registered voters cast ballots in the runoff, which was contested twice in court amid claims of irregularities, with its original Nov. 7 date delayed.

Weah led the ticket for a coalition party, the Congress for Democratic Change, with Jewel Howard-Taylor as his vice-presidential running mate. She is a senator and the ex-wife of imprisoned former warlord and President Charles Taylor, which raised concerns among some Liberians.

The Washington-based National Democratic Institute, which observed Tuesday’s runoff, called it peaceful and commended the elections commission for “notable improvements since the Oct. 10 polls.”

This was Liberia’s first independently run election since the end of its civil wars. The United Nations has helped to oversee past votes.
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Reports: Turkey, Russia Sign Deal on Supply of S-400 Missiles

Posted on 12/29/2017 by SeeEU

Turkey and Russia have signed an accord for Moscow to supply Ankara with S-400 surface-to-air missiles, CNN Turk and other media reported on Friday, finalizing a deal the two countries have been working on for more than a year.

The S-400 deal, reportedly worth about $2.5 billion, has caused concern in the West because Turkey is a member of NATO and the system cannot be integrated into NATO’s military architecture.

It is the latest in a series of moves by Ankara to boost its defense capabilities as it faces threats from Kurdish and Islamist militants at home and conflicts across its borders in Syria and Iraq.

No details of the accord were available and officials were not immediately available to comment. But Sergei Chemezov, head of the Russian state conglomerate Rostec, told the Kommersant daily on Wednesday Russia would supply Turkey with four batteries of S-400s under the deal.

He said Moscow was expected to begin the first deliveries in March 2020 and that Turkey was the first NATO member state to acquire the advanced S-400 missile system.

Borrowing ‘in rubles’

Earlier on Friday, Turkish newspapers cited President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as saying Turkey would borrow in the Russian currency in a loan deal under the accord.

“We will not borrow in dollars in this loan, we will borrow in rubles,” Hurriyet newspaper quoted Erdogan as telling reporters on his plane, returning from a trip to Africa.

According to Chemezov, Turkey would pay 45 percent of the cost of the agreement up front, with Russia providing loans to cover the remaining 55 percent.

The Russian Finance Ministry will finance a deal from the state treasury, while Russian banks will take part solely in the transfer of funds in the deal, a Russian banking source said.

Relations between Moscow and Ankara deteriorated sharply in 2015 after Turkey shot down a Russian air force jet that it said had crossed into Turkish airspace, but they have since repaired ties despite having backed different sides in the Syrian war. They are now cooperating on Syrian peace efforts as well as projects in the defense industry and energy sectors.

While pushing ahead with the S-400 project, Ankara has sought to secure defense deals with other countries as well.

In November, Turkey signed a letter of intent with France and Italy to strengthen cooperation on joint defense projects.

As a first step, the Franco-Italian EUROSAM consortium and Turkish companies will look into a system based on the SAMP-T missile systems.

Turkey has also invested heavily in the development of its domestic defense industry, with projects encompassing areas including combat helicopters, tanks, drones and warships.

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Unknown Assailants Brutally Beat Russian Environmentalist

Posted on 12/29/2017 by SeeEU

Members of a Russian environmental group say masked men attacked their leader in the southern Russian city of Krasnodar late Thursday.

Andrei Rudomakha, head of Environmental Watch of the North Caucasus, was hospitalized with multiple injuries including a fractured skull and broken nose.

Rudomakha and several other activists were returning from a trip to Russia’s Black Sea region, where they had documented the illegal construction of a luxury mansion.

Local authorities said they are investigating the incident.

For more than 20 years, Environmental Watch has exposed illegal landfills, the destruction of landscapes and the contamination of waterways in Russia’s south – the Krasnodar, Stavropol, Rostov, Adygea, Karachayevo-Cherkesia, and Kabardino-Balkaria.

Some of the group’s investigations have exposed land grabs by Russian local officials.
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At Least 9 Killed in Egyptian Church Attack

Posted on 12/29/2017 by SeeAF

A gunman opened fire Friday outside a church south of Cairo and at a nearby Christian-owned store, killing at least nine people, including a policeman.

Egyptian authorities said the attacker was shot in an exchange of fire at the Mary Mina Church, a Coptic church in the Helwan district.

Five other people were wounded, including another police officer, Health Ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed said.

The Health Ministry said the shooter had died in the gunfire, while the Interior Ministry said the shooter had been wounded and arrested.

Islamic State militants claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement carried by the group’s Amaq news agency.

Investigators said they had identified the gunman and that he had carried out several attacks in the past year. Earlier, Egyptian officials said they were searching for a possible second gunman.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi offered his condolences to the families of the victims and ordered security forces to increase safety measures around the country.

Police had already increased security around churches ahead of the Coptic Orthodox Christmas on January 7.

In Washington, the White House said U.S. President Donald Trump spoke by phone Friday with Sissi and condemned the attack. It said Trump “reiterated that the United States will continue to stand with Egypt in the face of terrorism.”

Past attacks

IS has killed dozens of Christians in church shootings and bombings in the past year.

In May, 28 people were killed when militants opened fire on a bus that carried Coptic Christians who were making their way to the Monastery of Saint Samuel the Confessor in the southern town of Maghagha.

In April, two churches were hit by suicide bombers in Alexandria and Tanta. The attack, during Palm Sunday services, killed at least 43 people, and dozens were wounded.

A bombing at a chapel next to Egypt’s main Coptic Christian cathedral in Cairo killed 30 people in December 2016.
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At Least Four Killed in Egyptian Church Attack

Posted on 12/29/2017 by SeeAF

A gunman who opened fire outside a church south of Cairo has killed at least four people and wounded five more. At least one of the dead was a policeman.

Egyptian authorities say the attacker was shot dead Friday at the Mary Mina Church, a Coptic church, in the Helwan district.

Officials say they are searching for a possible second gunman.

Details about the attack are still coming in, and there has been no immediate claim of responsibility.

The Islamic State group, however, has killed dozens of Christians in church shootings and bombings in the past year.

Twenty-eight people were killed in May 2017, when militants opened fired on a bus that carried Coptic Christians who were making their way to St. Samuel the Confessor monastery in the southern town of Maghagha.

In April 2017, two churches were hit by suicide bombers in Alexandria, a coastal city, and the Nile Delta city of Tanta. The attack, during Palm Sunday services, killed at least 43 people and dozens were wounded.

A bombing at a chapel next to Egypt’s main Coptic Christian cathedral in Cairo killed 30 people in December 2016.
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S. Korea Seizes HK-flagged Vessel Suspected of Shipping Oil to N. Korea

Posted on 12/29/2017 by SeeUS

South Korea’s foreign ministry says the country has seized a Hong Kong-flagged ship that transferred oil to a North Korean vessel in international waters despite United Nations Security Council sanctions.

Yonhap, the South Korean news agency, reports South Korean custom officials say the Lighthouse Winmore vessel transferred “600 tons of refined petroleum” to a North Korean ship October 19. South Korea seized the Lighthouse Winmore on November 24 when it sailed into South Korea’s Yeosu Port, the news agency says.

Yonhap reports the Lighthouse Winmore was chartered by the Billions Bunker Group, a Taiwanese company. The news agency said the ship’s “claimed destination” was in Taiwan, but instead the ship “transferred oil to a North Korean ship, Sam Jong 2, and three other non-North Korean vessels in international waters in the East China Sea.”

The Lighthouse Winmore is reportedly on the list of ships the U.S. has proposed blacklisting for their prohibited trade with North Korea.

Yonhap reported that South Korea informed the U.S. about its “detection of the illegal transaction.”

Trump accusations

U.S. President Donald Trump accused China Thursday of facilitating oil shipments into North Korea, despite China’s insistence it has not violated United Nations sanctions limiting oil shipments to the rogue nation.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman, Hua Chunying, on Friday again denied any Chinese involvement in smuggling goods into or out of North Korea.

A South Korean newspaper reported earlier Thursday that Chinese and North Korean ships had illicitly connected at sea to get oil into North Korea.

Latest UN sanctions

The U.N. Security Council last week imposed new sanctions designed to limit North Korea access to oil in response to the country’s recent long-range missile test. In November, it test-launched its latest intercontinental ballistic missile, which many U.S. experts have warned would be capable of striking anywhere on U.S. soil.

The sanctions seek to bar 90 percent of refined oil exports to North Korea by capping them at 500,000 barrels a year and limit crude oil exports at 4 million barrels annually.

China has repeatedly said it is enforcing all resolutions against Pyongyang, despite doubts in the U.S., South Korea and Japan that loopholes continue to exist.

When asked at a recent media briefing whether Chinese ships were illegally loading oil on North Korean vessels, Defense Ministry spokesman Ren Guoqiang repeated that China and its military are strictly enforcing U.N. resolutions on North Korea.

“The situation you have mentioned absolutely does not exist,” Ren said.
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South African Court: Parliament Must Begin Process That Could Remove Zuma

Posted on 12/29/2017 by SeeAF

South Africa’s Constitutional Court ruled Friday that parliament had failed to hold President Jacob Zuma to account for state-funded upgrades to his home and must launch proceedings that could remove him from office.

“We conclude that the Assembly did not hold the president to account. … The assembly must put in place a mechanism that could be used for the removal of the president from office,” Judge Chris Jafta said, handing down the televised judgment, which was supported by the majority of the court.

The Economic Freedom Fighters and other small opposition parties brought the constitutional issue to the court.

Zuma, 75, is in a weakened position after Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa was narrowly elected leader of Zuma’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) last week. However, Zuma’s faction still retains key positions in the party, and he has survived no-confidence votes.

In March 2016, the Constitutional Court ruled that Zuma must pay back some of the roughly $15 million in state money spent upgrading his private home.

The unanimous ruling by the 11-judge court said Zuma had failed to “uphold, defend and respect” the constitution by ignoring the findings of former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela, whose office is an anti-graft watchdog with a strong constitutional mandate.

Zuma has since repaid 7.8 million rand ($631,000), the sum determined by the Treasury as the “reasonable cost” he should bear, while also surviving a no-confidence motion in parliament where members of own his party voted to oust him.

But opposition parties have argued that parliament has not done enough, given the gravity of the court’s findings.

Zuma has denied wrongdoing over many of the corruption allegations that have swirled around his presidency. Last week he sought leave to appeal a court ruling ordering him to set up a judicial inquiry into influence-peddling in his government.
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US Airstrikes in Somalia Increasing Pressure on al-Shabab

Posted on 12/29/2017 by SeeUS

The United States military says its support for the Federal Government of Somalia is making an impact in a year in which the Trump administration increased attacks against al-Shabab militants.

In 2017, the U.S. conducted at least 34 strike operations against al-Shabab and a militant splinter group supporting the Islamic State, according observers of U.S. military activities against al-Shabab. Last year there were 14 strikes. Thirty-one of the strikes targeted al-Shabab while the other three targeted pro-Islamic State militants in northeastern Puntland region.

Since U.S. President Donald Trump eased combat rules in March and declared parts of Somalia a “war zone,” strike operations conducted by the U.S. have killed more than 155 militants, according to a press statement given by the Africa command.

Striking at al-Shabab

At least 100 of those were killed November 21 in a single attack on a training camp near Leb-Adde Mountains in Bay region. In addition, in at least three strikes the U.S. said “several” militants were killed but didn’t follow up with specific figures.

In a news briefing by the Africa Command, Commander of U.S. Africa Command General Thomas D. Waldhauser said attacks on al-Shabab and ISIS militants “provide time and space for the gradual development of the Somali National Army, police force and government.”

“The threat from al-Shabab continues to be a serious one, as shown by their deadly attacks killing more than 500 in Mogadishu back in October,” Waldhauser said. “While we are not increasing our presence or assets there, or intentionally escalating strikes, our pressure on the network and information sharing efforts are paying off with an increasing awareness of what the enemy is doing, making our targeting efforts more successful.”

Drones not enough

Former Somali Defense Minister Abdihakim Haji Mohamud Fiqi says U.S. drone strikes help but will not be enough.

“I believe this will help but this will not eliminate al-Shabab totally,” he told VOA Somali. “In order to finish al-Shabab and eliminate them from the areas they still rule, is to help and rebuild the Somali national army, arm them and provide them with the logistical support they need and military equipment they need.”

Unlike previous years, U.S. strikes this year have targeted al-Shabab foot soldiers more often.

Of the 34 strikes, two have killed senior al-Shabab commanders — a July 30 strike killed Ali Jabal, al-Shabab’s shadow governor for Mogadishu, and a September 7 strike killed the head of Al-Shabab’s preachers, Abdirahman Hudeyfi; two others killed junior commanders.

A November 3 strike intended for the leader of the pro-Islamic State militants, Abdulkadir Mumin, missed its target, according to Somali regional leaders.

Fiqi says the reason more strikes are targeting al-Shabab foot soldiers lies with the Trump administration.

“The reason is change of policy in the U.S. with President Trump, and the Pentagon requested be given flexibility and authority to take action against al-Shabab to help AMISOM and Somali National Army,” Fiqi says. “They empowered American commanders in the field to take action against al-Shabab.”

IEDs targeted

U.S. strikes in 2017 also appear to be targeting vehicles suspected of carrying explosives toward populated cities like Mogadishu.

This month alone, the drone strikes destroyed two vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices in Lower Shabelle, a region where almost all of al-Shabab’s major vehicle bombings are prepared, including the October 14 truck explosion that killed more than 500 civilians. On December 27, the U.S. destroyed one of those vehicles near Mogadishu, killing four militants.

The number of U.S. personnel in Somalia has also increased this year to about 500, according to U.S. media. U.S. military members have been accused of involvement in the deaths of 10 civilians August 25 at a farm near the town of Barire.

The Africa Command’s last statement said the incident resulted in the death of “armed enemy combatants.” Somali military officials and regional leaders disagree.

Nonetheless, Africa command says protection of civilians is a vital component of their efforts.
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Teen from Ghana Becomes First Black Woman on US Olympic Speedskating Team

Posted on 12/29/2017 by SeeUS

Maame Biney, a 17-year-old from Ghana, will be the first African-American woman to represent the U.S. on the speedskating short track team at the 2018 Winter Olympics Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, in February. VOA’s Salem Solomon visited her where she first started skating in a local ice rink in Reston, Virginia, and has this story.
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Minnesota Prosecutor: Shooting Investigation Needs Time

Posted on 12/29/2017 by SeeUS

Minneapolis’ top prosecutor on Thursday said more investigation is needed before he decides whether to charge a police officer in the fatal shooting of an Australian woman in July that led to the police chief’s resignation.

Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said in a statement that he would not decide before the end of 2017 as he had hoped in the death of Sydney native Justine Damond, 40, who was shot once by Somali-born Minneapolis Police Officer Mohamed Noor from his patrol car.

“The investigation and review of the case will not be rushed. It is more important to get it right than to get it done quickly,” Freeman said.

Noor has been on paid leave and has declined to be interviewed by Minnesota state investigators.

Damond, who was living in Minneapolis and engaged to be married, had called police about a possible sexual assault near her house and approached the police after their arrival, authorities previously said.

The shooting drew condemnation in Minnesota and Australia, where Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull called it “shocking” and “inexplicable.” Then-Minneapolis police chief Jamee Harteau resigned after city officials said procedures had been violated and that Damond “didn’t have to die.”

Noor’s attorney, Thomas Plunkett, said in a statement Thursday that Noor extended his “thoughts and wishes” to Damond’s family and raised concerns about the objectivity of Freeman.

Neither Noor, who came to the United States from Somalia as a child, nor Matthew Harrity, another officer in the patrol car, had their body cameras activated, police have said.

Harrity told investigators he was startled by a loud sound near the patrol car shortly before Noor fired through the open driver’s-side window, striking Damond. Court documents said a woman slapped the back of the car before the shooting.

Damond’s father, John Ruszczyk, last week in Sydney said he was concerned the investigation into her death may have been mishandled after prosecutor Freeman criticized investigators.

Freeman has said Harrity did not provide insightful information. Freeman also said he did not yet have enough evidence to charge Noor.

“I have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt, the moment he shot the gun he feared for his life,” Freeman said in video comments posted by the Star-Tribune newspaper. “But he won’t answer my questions.”

The attorney for Damond’s family, Bob Bennett, on Thursday said that Damond’s family supported the delay.

“We support Mr. Freeman’s decision to take additional time to ensure the investigation is rigorous and complete,” Bennett said in a statement. “We want justice and appreciate the support from all those who want the same.”
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Oregon Baker Refused to Make Wedding Cake; Court Rejects Religious Argument

Posted on 12/29/2017 by SeeUS

An Oregon state appeals court Thursday let stand $135,000 in damages levied against the owners of a Portland-area bakery for discrimination after they refused on religious grounds to prepare a wedding cake for a local lesbian couple.

A three-judge panel of the Oregon Court of Appeals rejected a petition by Melissa and Aaron Klein, former owners of Sweet Cakes by Melissa, to overturn the ruling by the state’s labor commissioner as a violation of their rights under the U.S. Constitution to freedom of religion and expression.

An attorney for the Kleins, who closed their bakery not long after being ordered to pay the heavy fine, could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday.

“Today’s ruling sends a strong signal that Oregon remains open to all,” Brad Avakian, the state’s labor commissioner, said in a written statement.

“Within Oregon’s public accommodations law is the basic principle of human decency that every person, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, has the freedom to fully participate in society,” Avakian said.

The case stems from Aaron Klein’s refusal to bake a wedding cake for Rachel Bowman-Cryer in January 2013 because she was planning a same-sex wedding with her partner Laurel, which he said violated his religious convictions.

Rachel and Laurel Bowman-Cryer filed a formal complaint with the state labor bureau, which found the bakery had violated anti-discrimination laws and awarded the damages.

The Bowman-Cryers were married in 2014 after a federal judge struck down Oregon’s same-sex marriage ban.

The bakery case is one of many disputes nationwide since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in June 2015 to legalize same-sex marriage in all 50 states.
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Facebook: Kadyrov’s Accounts Blocked Because of US Sanctions

Posted on 12/29/2017 by SeeEU

Facebook says it blocked the social-media accounts of Ramzan Kadyrov because the Kremlin-backed Chechen leader had become subject to financial and travel sanctions imposed by the U.S. government.

The company said in a statement Thursday it had the “legal obligation” to disable Kadyrov’s accounts on Facebook and Instagram, which it also owns, after the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on December 20 hit the Chechen leader with sanctions.

“We became aware and have now confirmed that the accounts appear to be maintained by or on behalf of parties who appear on the U.S. Specially Designated Nationals List and, thus, subject to U.S. trade sanctions,” the statement said.

“For this reason, Facebook has a legal obligation to disable these accounts,” it added.

It was not immediately clear if the social-media network was in the process of disabling accounts of others on the sanction lists.

Facebook declined requests from RFE/RL for further information.

The Treasury’s announcement of the sanctions against Kadyrov are part of ongoing U.S. efforts to punish alleged human rights abusers in connection with the Magnitsky Act. In the announcement, the Treasury Department accused the former rebel fighter who later joined forces with Moscow of “gross violations of internationally recognized human rights,” torture, and “extrajudicial killings.”

Kadyrov, who has denied the allegations, is one of the most prominent Russian officials to be added to the sanctions list under the Magnitsky Act.

The law enraged Russian officials, who retaliated in 2013 with a sweeping ban on U.S. citizens adopting Russian children.

Reaction by Kadyrov

Kadyrov reacted with anger to Facebook’s move, accusing the U.S.-headquartered social-media network of bowing to pressure from Washington by blocking his pages, a move he said he discovered on December 23.

He said he received no response from Instagram after sending a request for service support because his Russian-language accounts stopped working. His English-language Instagram account was unaffected at first, but later it was also unavailable.

Russia’s telecommunications supervisory authority, Roskomnadzor, demanded an explanation from Facebook and Instagram for the disabling of Kadyrov’s accounts.

“On December 26, Roskomnadzor sent a request to Facebook management, asking to clarify reasons for blocking Ramzan Kadyrov’s Facebook and Instagram accounts,” Roskomnadzor’s press service said in a statement.

Kadyrov had more than 3 million followers on his Russian-language Instagram account and more than 750,000 on Facebook.

One of his last Instagram postings before the page went down was a video recording in which he responded to the fresh U.S. sanctions by saying he had no current reason to travel to the United States.

“I can be proud that I’m out of favor with the special services of the USA,” he wrote. “In fact, the USA cannot forgive me for dedicating my whole life to the fight against foreign terrorists among which there are bastards of America’s special services.”

Alleged abuses

Human rights groups say Kadyrov has used threats and abuses to maintain control over Chechnya, the site of two post-Soviet separatist wars and years of insurgent violence stemming from the conflicts since Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed him to head the region in 2007.

The U.S. sanctions law is named after Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian lawyer who was arrested after blowing the whistle on what he said was the theft of $230 million from Russian state coffers through tax fraud.

He died in jail in December 2009, reportedly after physical abuse and denial of medical care. A Council of Europe investigation concluded the conditions leading up to his death amounted to torture.

Facebook and other social-media networks have come under pressure from U.S. lawmakers over what they have called a failure to prevent alleged abuses of their networks by Russian operatives during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign.

U.S. lawmakers in November released a batch of Facebook ads they said were purchased by the company in a surreptitious effort to stir up emotions on sensitive social issues like gun control, race relations, immigration and religion.

Facebook responded saying it is creating a portal enabling users to learn whether they liked or followed pages or accounts linked to a shadowy Russian company that U.S. officials accuse of trying to influence the election with the socially divisive posts.
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AP: Wheelchair-bound Palestinian Protester Shot in the Head

Posted on 12/28/2017 by SeeEA

Palestinian medical records show a well-known, wheelchair-bound protester was killed by a bullet to the head during an anti-Israel demonstration in Gaza two weeks ago.

However, the hospital and ambulance reports seen by The Associated Press did not say who fired the shot that killed Ibrahim Abu Thraya.

Witnesses say he was killed by an Israeli sniper. The Israeli army report says live fire was used against protest organizers, but Abu Thraya was not targeted. It concluded that it is impossible to know what killed him.

Many Palestinians regarded Abu Thraya as a symbol of Israeli repression. He was confined to a wheelchair after losing his legs in 2008. His family says he was wounded by an Israeli airstrike while rescuing others who were wounded. The AP says he was hurt during a clash with Israeli forces in a refugee camp.

His death is adding to Palestinian anger over U.S. President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and Trump’s plans to move the embassy there from Tel Aviv. Violent protests against the move have killed 12 Palestinians.

The Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state. Israel regards all of Jerusalem as its eternal capital.

Girl’s detention

Also Thursday, an Israeli military court extended the detention of a 16-year-old Palestinian girl who has become a hero after she was videotaped kicking and slapping Israeli soldiers.

Troops arrested Ahed Tamimi last week. She faces charges of attacking soldiers. She is set to be released Monday.

Her mother and cousin were also arrested.

Ahed was videotaped hitting and kicking the soldiers outside her home near Ramallah. The soldiers did not resist and were criticized by some more militant Israelis, who say they let themselves be humiliated by a little girl.
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US Charges 2 Romanians With Hacking of DC Police Surveillance Cameras

Posted on 12/28/2017 by SeeEU

The Justice Department on Thursday unsealed details of its case against two Romanians who allegedly hacked computers tied to Washington, D.C., police surveillance cameras.

Police in Bucharest arrested Mihai Alexandru Isvanca and Eveline Cismaru on December 15. U.S. attorneys have charged them with conspiracy to commit computer and wire fraud.

They allegedly hacked into more than 120 computers tied to Washington police surveillance cameras last January. It was part of an alleged scheme to infect personal computers with ransomware.

Ransomware restricts users from accessing their own computers and demands a payment to the ramsomware operator to unlock it.

The Justice Department said the investigation was of the highest priority because the alleged hacking of the surveillance camera computers came just weeks before the presidential inauguration of Donald Trump.

However, it says there is no evidence anyone’s personal security was threatened or harmed.

If tried in the U.S. and convicted, the Romanian defendants could face up to 20 years in prison.
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Turkey’s Erdogan Seeks to Mend Strained Ties with Europe

Posted on 12/28/2017 by SeeEU

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has signaled he wants to mend fences with the governments of several European nations he’s quarreled with this year, saying Turkey must “decrease the number of enemies and increase friends.”

In comments published Thursday in Turkey’s Hurriyet newspaper, Erdogan described the leaders of Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium as “old friends,” called recent contacts with them “quite good” and noted that they, like Turkey, oppose a controversial U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

“We have no problems with Germany, or with the Netherlands or Belgium,” Erdogan told journalists on his return from a trip to Africa. “On the contrary, those in power there are my old friends. They have wronged me, but that’s another matter.”

Ties between Ankara and some European nations frayed after authorities in several countries prevented Turkish government ministers from holding political rallies to court expat votes ahead of a referendum in Turkey earlier this year over giving Erdogan expanded powers.

Erdogan aimed a series of insults at his allies accusing European officials of racism, harboring terrorists and behaving like “Nazis.”

European nations also have balked at the deteriorating state of human rights and democratic institutions in Turkey, especially in the wake of last year’s failed military coup. Erdogan’s government embarked on an unprecedented crackdown on opponents, arresting around 50,000 people and purging more than 110,000 public sector workers.

A state of emergency declared after the coup attempt allows Erdogan to rule by decree, often bypassing parliament.

Several German or German-Turkish nationals, including a prominent journalist, have been jailed on terror-related charges as part of the crackdown, further damaging ties with Berlin.

Turkey blames the coup attempt on followers of U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen. The cleric has denied masterminding it.

Erdogan also said he hopes to visit France and the Vatican in the new year.
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Protesters Arrested in Iran After Rally Against Price Hikes

Posted on 12/28/2017 by SeeEA

Iranians angry over rising food prices and inflation protested in the country’s second-largest city and other areas Thursday, putting new pressure on President Hassan Rouhani as his signature nuclear deal with world powers remains in peril.

The protests in Mashhad saw police make an unspecified number of arrests, local authorities said, though the country’s powerful Revolutionary Guard and its affiliates did not intervene as they have in other unauthorized demonstrations since Iran’s disputed 2009 election.

It wasn’t immediately clear how many people took part in Thursday’s protests, though social media posts suggest several thousand likely demonstrated at rallies across at least three other cities.

Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency quoted the governor of the northeastern city of Mashhad, Mohammad Rahim Norouzian, as saying there was an illegal “No to high prices” gathering in the city.

“Police gave them the necessary notifications and treated them with great tolerance,” he said.

Norouzian said police arrested a number of people who intended to destroy public property, without elaborating.

The prices of several staples, including eggs, have risen by up to 40 percent in recent days, with farmers blaming the hikes on higher prices for imported feed. Poultry is an important part of the diet of many of Iran’s 80 million people, and previous price increases have caused political problems for its leaders in the years since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

So has inflation, which Iran’s Central Bank says has returned to 10 percent. Youth unemployment remains high.

Tempers rose further after Rouhani submitted his 2018 budget to parliament, which raises departure taxes for those flying out of the country.

Tehran-based analyst Saeed Leilaz told The Associated Press that Rouhani’s political rivals may have played a role in organizing the protests, saying “the hands of political groups could be seen in today’s gathering in Mashhad.”

But he said the administration still faces a major challenge.

“There are more than 3 million jobless in Iran, and more than 35 percent of Iranians are under the poverty line. These are Rouhani’s problems, and could kill any government. I won’t be shocked if inflation hits 12 percent.”

All this comes as the U.S. Congress weighs President Donald Trump’s refusal to re-certify the nuclear deal. Many Iranians now say they agree with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s repeated warnings the U.S. can’t be trusted.

Khamenei also has kept up his criticism of how Rouhani’s administration has handled the economy, which includes the supreme leader’s opposition to allowing foreign firms to fully enter Iran. The Revolutionary Guard, a hard-line paramilitary organization, has vast economic interests in the country.

The Guard did not mobilize its Basij volunteer forces to counter any of the protests Thursday. However, some protests saw criticism of Iran’s support for Syrian President Bashar Assad in his country’s civil war, in which the Guard has played a major role.

Associated Press writer Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.
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After Bloody Year, North Africa Braces for More Conflict in 2018

Posted on 12/28/2017 by SeeEA

Egypt and its North African neighbors are facing terror threats, economic pressures and political uncertainty as a year of regional turmoil draws to a close and a rocky future looms on the horizon.

Egypt suffered a series of major terror attacks against civilian and military targets in 2017, causing significant loss of life and economic damage.

As the so-called Islamic State group crumbles, analysts predict more violence to come.

“Because the so-called Islamic caliphate is collapsing in Syria and Iraq, we will then see a massive return of some of these jihadis, who would be able to penetrate within the communities of North Africa,” said David Otto of Global Risk Management.

Both Tunisian and Egyptian security forces have battled Islamic militants infiltrating from neighboring Libya, a cauldron of political chaos and terrorism.

Rival Libyan governments have complicated the already thorny security situation across vast swathes of the country and its porous border. Analysts say a political solution is key.

“Libya, which is very strategic with that region that acts kind of like a bridge between that region of North Africa and central Africa, part of areas like Mali, Chad and Niger and then towards the Mediterranean in Europe. If we still have this kind of instability within Libya, then it would be difficult for most of these North African countries to be able to deal effectively with a situation.”

With 95 million people, Egypt is the Arab world’s most populous country and its security and economic situation affects both the Middle East and North Africa. A troubled economy represents a huge risk.”The GDP is not rising, no sources of revenue have been created and tourism has not picked up,” said Egyptian journalist Hisham Kassem.

A big hurdle for Egypt in 2018 will be the presidential elections happening amid a bitter divide between Islamists and liberals who are not necessarily on the side of incumbent President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi.

“On the political front, clearly there is no reconciliation happening in the country. The division is becoming very clear,” said Kassem.

Algeria, the Arab world’s second largest country, also faces political and security challenges in 2018 as many expect incumbent President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to run for a fifth term.

Like Egypt, Algeria has a large population of young people who feel they have no say in their future. Providing jobs for them, analysts say, is the most serious challenge facing regional leaders in 2018.

“You have North Africa, which has a growing population of young people who are disenfranchised, young people who are unemployed, so we have to be looking at building capacity, towards looking at a prevent program within communities…,” Otto of Global Risk Management.

Analysts say if regional governments do not find solutions to the increasing droves of unemployed young people, the ongoing tragedy of refugees trying to flee by sea to Europe is likely to get worse, threatening the stability of Europe and the likelihood of more lives lost at sea.
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Top UN Official Fears Damascus Using Children as ‘Bargaining Chips’

Posted on 12/28/2017 by SeeEA

A top U.N. official says he fears Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is “using children as bargaining chips” in a deal to evacuate critically ill patients, mainly children, from a besieged opposition-held town on the outskirts of the capital, Damascus.

Jan Egeland, the special adviser to the U.N.’s special envoy to Syria, expressed frustration about the emergence of a reciprocal deal that is seeing Assad officials agreeing to the evacuation of ill children in exchange for the release of Syrian government workers being detained by rebels.

“Let’s hope that the agreements are good when they come,” Egeland told the BBC.

“There can also be bad agreements,” he added. “It is not a good agreement if they exchange sick children for detainees; that means children become bargaining chips in some tug of war. That shouldn’t happen. They have a right to the evacuation and we have an obligation to evacuate them.”

Urgent cases

Since Tuesday, 32 patients have been evacuated from the Damascus area, half of them coming from the Eastern Ghouta suburb. The International Red Cross said the other half were urgent cases.

Eastern Ghouta, one of the last rebel strongholds, has been besieged by Syrian regime forces and Shi’ite allies for more than five years and targeted daily by government warplanes as well as artillery. The enclave is a mixture of towns and farming villages. The government has refused to lift a near-total blockade of the area for the past eight months.

Eastern Ghouta was targeted in an alleged sarin gas attack by Assad’s forces in 2013.

Aid convoys have been allowed into the battered enclave only rarely. Its estimated population of 400,000 suffers severe shortages of food, fuel and medicines. The suburb has been designated one of the “de-escalation zones.”

Russia and Iran, both allies of the Syrian government, along with Turkey, agreed on them earlier this year, but in recent weeks hostilities have broken out between regime forces and rebels.

The dominant rebel group in Eastern Ghouta, Jaish al-Islam, confirmed Wednesday that the Assad regime had agreed to evacuations in exchange for the release of 29 detained workers.

“We have agreed to the release of a number of prisoners … in exchange for the evacuation of the most urgent humanitarian cases,” the rebel faction said in a statement.

Priority list

In November, the U.N. submitted a priority list that contained the names of nearly 500 critically ill people, urging that they be allowed to be evacuated. The U.N. has tried to convince world powers to help arrange the medical evacuation.

Many on that list have already died, according to U.N. officials; but, with little in the way of medical facilities, others are becoming seriously ill. As in other parts of rebel-held territory, aid workers and rebels say the government purposely targets clinics and hospitals.

“The Syrian war has been a war against the medical profession in many ways,” Egeland said. “Too many hospitals have been bombed, have been hit on both sides; hundreds of doctors and nurses have been killed or wounded, so what is left in Eastern Ghouta for the 400,000 civilians is not that much.”

Valerie Petitpierre of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said the organization is hoping more evacuees will be allowed out of the besieged town. She said the ICRC continues to insist that humanitarian action should not be used as a bargaining chip.

Syria’s state-run Ikhbariya television reported Thursday that 35 medical cases had been evacuated by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC), while the insurgents had freed 34 detainees. But those numbers were disputed by aid workers.

Yasser Delwan, a Jaish al-Islam political official in Ghouta, told reporters Wednesday SARC had mediated between Damascus and the rebels for swaps, but that the fate of hundreds of others with life-threatening conditions remains unresolved and several of the most urgent cases slated for evacuation had died.

Those evacuated this week include 18 children and four women. The patients suffered from a variety of illnesses, including heart disease, cancer, kidney failure and blood disorders.

Fayez Arabi, a spokesman for the opposition-held Rural Damascus Health Directorate, said, “The number of people awaiting evacuation due to inadequate medicine and medical supplies has now surpassed 600.”
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Russia to Investigate Putin Foe’s Call for Election Boycott

Posted on 12/28/2017 by SeeEU

Russian authorities will investigate whether opposition leader Alexei Navalny is breaking the law with his campaign for boycotting next year’s presidential election, the Kremlin said Thursday.

President Vladimir Putin, whose approval ratings have topped 80 percent, is set to win a fourth term in the March 18 election. A victory would put Putin, 65, on track to become Russia’s longest-serving leader since Josef Stalin.

Navalny, 41, has campaigned for the presidency all year despite an implicit ban on his candidacy from a fraud conviction seen by many as political retribution. He was formally barred from the ballot earlier this week.

On Wednesday, Navalny announced that a slew of rallies would be held across Russia on Jan. 28 to promote an “electoral strike” to protest the Central Election Commission’s decision to bar him from the race.

Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters Thursday he had “no doubts” that authorities would review Navalny’s appeals to determine if they are illegal.

While Russian law doesn’t explicitly prohibit calls for election boycotts, Russian authorities have used anti-extremism legislation to cut access to websites carrying such calls.

A YouTube video in which Navalny encourages the Jan. 28 electoral strike protests was not available in Russia for several hours Thursday, but reappeared.

Navalny has appealed the election commission’s decision to keep him off the presidential ballot. Russia’s highest court is set to consider the issue Saturday.
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Pakistan Warns US Against Unilateral Military Action on Its Soil

Posted on 12/28/2017 by SeeUS

Pakistan has warned the United States against undertaking any “unilateral” military action on its soil and rejected as baseless accusations of “inaction” against the Haqqani Network plotting deadly attacks in neighboring Afghanistan.

Chief military spokesman Major-General Asif Ghafoor reiterated Thursday that Pakistani forces have undertaken “indiscriminate operations” against terrorists, including Haqqanis,” rendering U.S. charges of “inaction” as irrelevant and baseless.

He went on to say the impact of Pakistan’s counterterrorism actions “will be seen in subsequent years and months.”

“Unfortunately, in this context, we are getting signals of a unilateral action from America,” Gafoor said while addressing a news conference at the army headquarters in Rawalpindi.

U.S. officials have long accused Islamabad of turning a blind eye or covertly helping the Afghan Taliban and Haqqanis to stage cross-border attacks against Afghan and U.S.-led forces.

The Pentagon recently told Congress it will work to expand cooperation with Pakistan “in areas where our interests converge and to take unilateral steps in areas of divergence.”

Earlier this month, CIA Director Mike Pompeo warned Islamabad that if it does not eliminate the alleged safe havens inside its territory, the U.S. will do “everything we can” to destroy them.

General Ghafoor questioned and criticized the U.S. threats, saying they ignore a “huge price both in blood and treasure” Pakistan has paid in fighting terrorism in support of coalition efforts in Afghanistan.

“The armed forces of Pakistan are working with friends and want to continue doing so,” he said. “But there can be no compromise on our sovereignty. We do not want a conflict with our friends but would ensure security of Pakistan.”

He noted Islamabad has been cooperating and contributing to peace inside Afghanistan. He said Pakistan will continue to do so.

“No amount of coercion can work. It is only the engagement and trust based cooperation which can take us forward towards enduring peace in the region,” said Ghafoor. “If there are any facilitators and abetters inside Pakistan that can only be addressed if the 2.7 million Afghan refugees are sent back to Afghanistan.”

Ghafoor added that Pakistan is securing its long porous frontier with Afghanistan by building a fence, security posts and forts to control cross-border movement. The fencing project will be completed by December of 2018, he added.

“We have done enough and we cannot do anymore for anyone,” he said. “… Actually, this is [the] turn and time for Afghanistan and the United States to do more rather than asking Pakistan.”

U.S. officials have not elaborated on what kind of military action they intend to take. In 2011, U.S. special forces conducted a unilateral operation in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad and killed al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden.

CIA-run drones have also been targeting suspected militant hideouts in border regions of Pakistan and some anticipate expansion of such strikes deep inside the country.
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Trump Accuses China of Allowing Oil Into North Korea

Posted on 12/28/2017 by SeeUS

A South Korean newspaper reported earlier Thursday that Chinese and North Korean ships had illicitly connected at sea to get oil into North Korea.

The sanctions seek to bar 90-percent of refined oil exports to North Korea by capping them at 500,000 barrels a year and limit crude oil exports at 4 million barrels annually.

China has repeatedly said it is enforcing all resolutions against Pyongyang, despite doubts in the U.S., South Korea and Japan that loopholes continue to exist.

“The situation you have mentioned absolutely does not exist,” said Ren.
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Push for More Women MPs Stymied in Malawi

Posted on 12/28/2017 by SeeAF

In Malawi, the push for more women members of parliament was dealt a blow when the government said it would not consider a proposal to create 28 automatic seats for women. Malawi ranks among the countries within the South African Development Community and world where women are underrepresented in government.

Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Samuel Tembenu said the government removed the provision because it would be a disadvantage to women candidates in some constituencies.

He said the provision would also involve a laborious and complicated legal process, including amending constitutional provisions and other electoral laws.

Activists appeal

Proponents of the provision say its removal is unfortunate.

Esmie Kainja, a member of the Special Law Commission that came up with the proposal, told reporters the 28-seat idea was the best option among many that were intended to increase the number of women in parliament.

“There were many options [which were rejected],” she said. “There was an issue of taking quotas at [the] party level; there was another option of just taking one constituent per district to be attached to women that also did not work.”

She said although the proposed 28 seats might sound irrational, it gave an assurance that Malawi would achieve at least 30 percent female representation in parliament as required by the SADC Protocol, which the bloc adopted in 2008 with the goal of ensuring equal rights for women and an end to discrimination.

Out of 193 members in Malawi’s parliament, only 32 are women.

’50-50 campaign’

Emma Kaliya is the national coordinator for the NGO Gender Coordination Network, which has long headed Malawi’s “50-50 campaign” for equal gender representation.

“For the executive to remove that recommendation, now I am beginning to doubt if Malawi is really serious about achieving gender equality and women empowerment in the area of politics,” she said. “And it is very sad that it is happening to us in this way.”

Kaliya said Malawi should have learned from countries like South Africa, Mozambique and Uganda, where similar provisions have helped increase the number of women in decision-making positions.

“We need to impress on government that they have an obligation to make things work for everybody in Malawi on politics and outside politics,” she said. “And this is about gender equality.”

Gender activists say they are attempting to have the provision reconsidered.
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