Month: January 2019

Rebel Infighting Escalates in Northwest Syria

Posted on by SeeEA

Clashes among rival Syrian rebel factions have spread across northwest Syria, rebels and residents said Thursday, in the latest bout of tit-for-tat fighting between opponents of President Bashar al-Assad’s rule.

Infighting has long plagued Syria’s armed opposition since the uprising against Assad began in 2011. Turf wars have helped the Syrian president, with his Iranian and Russian allies, recover much of the territory previously held by rebels.

Tahrir al Sham, formerly affiliated with al-Qaida, had launched an attack Tuesday against towns in the western countryside of Aleppo held by Nour al Din Zinki, a member of the mainstream National Liberation Front (NLF), the rebels and residents told Reuters by telephone.

The Islamist group, which Wednesday seized the town of Darat Izza, said it was retaliating for an ambush this week that killed five of its fighters. It blamed Nour al Din Zinki.

Ideological differences divide hardline Islamist militants from nationalist groups in the Free Syrian Army that have gathered under the banner of the NLF, which has the backing of Syria’s neighbor Turkey.

A rebel source said capturing the town of Darat Izza would strengthen the Islamist group in secret talks with Turkey, which has a military foothold in the northern region and wants to tighten its grip on the area to secure its border.

The militant Islamists’ goal was to create a contiguous stretch of territory from areas they control north of Idlib near the Turkish border to strongholds in the Aleppo countryside, said a senior Western diplomat closely following Syria who requested anonymity.

In a further bout of tit-for-tat fighting, NLF forces who sent more deployments and announced a call for war, attacked Tahrir al Sham strongholds and checkpoints in Idlib province, residents and rebels said.

“We hold Tahrir al Sham responsible for the dangerous and catastrophic repercussions that result from its escalation and call on its wise men to stop the fighting and preserve what is left of the revolution,” the NLF said in statement.

Residents say the NLF has made little progress in dislodging the Islamists from Saraqeb, one of the main cities they hold in Idlib province.

Fears, however, grew that fighting that has mostly avoided civilian areas could spill over into heavily populated urban areas. Dozens have so far been killed and wounded, rebels said.

Although the Islamists are outnumbered by the mainstream NLF, they are the most powerful group in Idlib and have de facto control over most of the province, the last big rebel enclave.

Scores of civilians in Maarat al Numan, an NLF-controlled town, held a rally against Tahrir al Sham on Wednesday, accusing the group and its leader Sheikh Abu Mohammad al Golani of serving Assad by launching its latest attack.

Clashes between rebel factions have extended to Atma, a town on Idlib province’s northern border with Turkey. The town is now home to tens of thousands of Syrians displaced by the years of conflict and who now live in makeshift tents.

One resident in the camp, Abdul Aziz Younis, told Reuters several civilians were killed when rebels shelled each other as hundreds of families fled to safer places.
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Busiest British Airports Purchase Anti-Drone Systems

Posted on by SeeEU

Two of Britain’s largest international airports are planning to install military-grade anti-drone defense systems to avoid attacks like the one that grounded nearly 1,000 flights at London’s Gatwick Airport over the Christmas holidays.

Last month, British authorities sought help from the military after a number of drone sightings over Gatwick, Britain’s second-busiest airport, forced it to shut down, disrupting travel plans of tens of thousands of people just before Christmas.

British media said the military deployed technology similar to the Israeli-designed Drone Dome system, which can detect and disable a drone by jamming its communication frequencies.

Airport security officials worldwide are studying the issue.

Officials at London’s Heathrow Airport and Gatwick on Thursday confirmed the purchase of the anti-drone systems but would not say if they were the same as the one used by the military. The reports of the purchase first appeared in The Times.

The airport purchases were made despite a comment last month, in which Security Minister Ben Wallace said Britain’s security forces had detection systems that could be deployed throughout the country to combat the threat of drones.
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Somali Diplomat to UN: Don’t Interfere in Our Internal Affairs

Posted on by SeeAF

Somalia’s U.N. envoy Thursday urged the United Nations not to interfere in his country’s internal affairs, two days after the federal government expelled the U.N.’s top official there.

“Our appeal to the Security Council, that the U.N. and its representatives have a duty — even an obligation — to respect their mandate and not interfere in our internal affairs and let the Somalis control their own destiny,” Ambassador Abukar Dahir Osman told a meeting of the council. 

The Somali federal government declared U.N. envoy Nicholas Haysom “persona non grata” on Jan. 1, ordering him to leave the country just four months after he took up his post as the U.N. secretary-general’s special representative.  

Council diplomats said U.N. chief António Guterres was working behind the scenes to try to return Haysom to his post. 

The government is upset over Haysom’s raising of the case of Mukhtar Robow, a former leader of militant group al-Shabab who sought to run for the presidency of South West State. 

The national electoral commission banned Robow from running, while the South West State electoral body said he could be a candidate. Robow was arrested last month and violent protests ensued both for and against the decision. 

Haysom raised Robow’s detention with the Mogadishu authorities. 

“The member states here will agree, the proscribed individuals from Shabab or other terrorist organizations sanctioned by this very institution cannot assume leadership positions without going through a stringent, established rehabilitation program,” Osman said. Osman rejected what he said was an attempt to “rebrand” a terrorist as an “ice cream salesperson.” 

Haysom attends meeting

U.N. envoy Haysom was present at the meeting in New York. 

Haysom did not mention his expulsion during his remarks to the council, but he did allude to the Robow case, albeit without referencing him by name. 

“Allegations of interference by the federal government and the violence which erupted following the arrest of one of the candidates, a former al-Shabab deputy leader, marred the process and does not bode well for upcoming electoral processes in other regions or for the 2020 national elections,” Haysom said.

He expressed concern that this could deter other potential al-Shabab defectors from moving away from violence and toward politics to resolve their grievances.

Waiting for explanation

The U.N. secretary-general’s spokesperson said U.N. officials had not received any formal notification from the Somali federal government regarding Haysom’s expulsion.

“At this stage, we continue to seek further clarification,” Farhan Haq told reporters. 

Haq said Haysom continued to have the full support and confidence of Guterres and “we imagine he will continue to go about his work.”

Haysom, a South African lawyer, is an experienced U.N. diplomat. He was previously the special envoy for Sudan and South Sudan and was head of the U.N. mission in Afghanistan, in addition to other high-level posts in the organization.
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Turkey-US Tensions Threaten to Resurface Over Syria

Posted on by SeeEA

Tensions between the U.S. and Turkey are threatening to resurface following President Donald Trump’s apparent walking back of his commitment to immediately withdraw U.S. troops from Syria and end support for a Syrian Kurdish militia. 

 

Washington’s backing of the YPG Kurdish militia in its war against the Islamic State group pushed U.S.-Turkish relations to a breaking point. Ankara links the militia to the Kurdish rebel group PKK, which has been fighting a decades-long insurgency inside Turkey. 

 

Trump’s declaration of victory over IS and vow to quickly withdraw about 2,000 American forces based mainly with the YPG ushered in hopes of a breakthrough in strained ties with Ankara. Trump on Wednesday, though, said, “I never said fast or slow. Somebody said four months, but I did not say that either.”

Adding to Ankara’s nervousness, Trump said, “We want to protect the Kurds [in Syria].” The U.S. president is facing growing national and international pressure over the decision to leave Syria and abandon the YPG. Turkish military forces continue to mass ahead of an expected strike against the YPG. 

 

“In Ankara, the strategic thinking is a threat to Turkish national security emanating from Syria,” said former senior Turkish diplomat Aydin Selcen. “It’s an extension of PKK controlling the Syrian border, and Ankara has repeatedly said this will not be allowed.” 

​Green light

 

Trump’s initial statements of an unconditional quick pullout from Syria were widely interpreted in Turkey as a green light for a Turkish military operation against the YPG. However, Trump’s latest comments of a more gradual withdrawal and protection of the Kurds are seen as putting Ankara’s plans in question. 

 

“There was euphoria by the [Turkish] government. It was a historic decision for Ankara by Trump to leave Syria immediately,” said international relations professor Huseyin Bagci, of Ankara’s Middle East Technical University. 

 

“But now Trump is also classically acting again, trying not to leave without giving protection to Kurds. And Turkey in this respect cannot do anything about this; Turkey will have to accept Kurds are under American protection,” Bagci added.  

Analysts suggest Ankara also is likely to be alarmed by growing calls for the creation of a buffer zone between Turkish and YPG forces along the Syrian border. South Carolina Sen. Lindsay Graham, speaking to reporters after meeting with Trump, said the president was considering such a move. 

 

Roderich Kiesewetter, chair of the German parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, is backing a similar initiative. “We need a sanctuary, and the United Nations could do that for the Kurds of northern Syria, under U.N. influence,” Kiesewetter said Wednesday to German radio. 

 

“The creation of buffer zone is to protect the Kurds. In this respect, it’s not good for Turkey. Turkey will lose the opportunity to fight the YPG troops there,” said Bagci. “Turkey will oppose, but at the end of the day they will have to accept.”  

Pre-emptive strike

  

Analysts suggest Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan may be tempted to thwart any buffer zone by launching a pre-emptive military operation in Syria, east of the Euphrates River, where most of the YPG forces are based. Key March local elections could also enter into Erdogan’s calculations, given growing voter dissatisfaction over a slowing economy. 

 

“The timing of an operation east of the Euphrates may be an attempt to solidify the voter base,” said analyst Atilla Yesilada of GlobalSource Partners, an investment analysis service. “But these attempts are futile at the end. People care whether they can bring bread home, and if they can’t, a very clear victory in some remote location doesn’t mean much to them.”  

Whether Ankara launches a Syrian operation is likely to depend on Moscow’s cooperation. Russian missiles control much of Syrian airspace. Turkey’s last cross-border operation against the YPG in Syria’s Afrin province relied on the use of air support.  

  

The Turkish defense and foreign ministers, along with the intelligence chief, reportedly failed recently to secure permission to use Syrian airspace during a visit to Moscow. Analysts suggest Moscow is balancing conflicting interests of seeking to court Ankara in a bid to draw it away from its NATO partners, while knowing Damascus will be opposed to Turkish seizure of more Syrian territory. 

 

Ankara also has conflicting interests. A U.S. delegation of judiciary and security officials Thursday began a two-day visit to Ankara to discuss Turkey’s bid to extradite U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen for his alleged role in masterminding the 2016 failed coup. Ankara in the past has accused Washington of foot-dragging over its extradition calls. 

 

Holding Gulen to account and reining in his network of followers remains a strategic priority of Ankara’s. Analysts suggest concessions by Washington to Ankara over Gulen’s extradition could well help to assuage Turkish concerns over Syria.
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Congo Election Results May Be Delayed

Posted on by SeeAF

The United States is demanding the Democratic Republic of Congo release “accurate” election results and warned of sanctions against anyone who tries to undermine Congo’s democracy.

“Those who … threaten the peace, security or stability of the DRC or benefit from corruption may find themselves not welcome in the United States and cut off from the U.S. financial system,” State Department spokesman Robert Palladino warned Thursday.

Election commission head Corneille Nangaa told reporters in Kinshasa that results of the Dec. 30 presidential vote may be delayed because of a slow vote-counting process.

Nangaa said about 20 percent of the ballots have been collected from polling stations across the vast central African country, which lacks a well-developed road network. He also said the system of manually collecting and compiling vote totals is not helping the process.

The electoral commission had planned to use the internet to collect vote totals. But it gave up those plans after the opposition alleged the system was vulnerable to fraud.

Election results are to be published by Sunday, with the new president set to be inaugurated Jan. 15.

Pre-election polls indicated that opposition figure Martin Fayulu was the favorite to replace outgoing President Joseph Kabila. Kabila backed his former interior minister, Emmanuel Shadary.

The Catholic Church in Congo said Thursday it has election results showing one candidate clearly winning, but did not say who. A senior church body called on the government to publish accurate results.

By law, only the electoral commission can announce election results in Congo.

Congo has never seen a peaceful transfer of power since winning independence from Belgium in 1960.

Last week’s election was originally scheduled for 2016 but was delayed as Kabila stayed in office past the end of his mandate, sparking protests that were crushed by security forces, leaving dozens dead. 
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Nigeria Helicopter Crashes While Fighting Extremists; 5 Dead

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A Nigerian Air Force helicopter crashed in combat, killing five crew members, as fighting raged against extremists for control of the strategic town of Baga in the northeast, the military said Thursday.

The crash occurred Wednesday at Damasak in northern Borno state, according to a tweet by air force spokesman Ibikunle Daramola. Officials did not say what caused the crash.

The military has been fighting to regain control of Baga, which the extremists seized last week. The town is a key base for a multinational force fighting the extremists. Many residents have fled to the Borno state capital, Maiduguri.

The fighting for Baga has been intense, the chief of army training and operations, Maj. Gen. Lamidi Adeosun, told reporters. “It’s a ding-dong situation but we are engaging them,” he said last week. “We are not in total control but Boko Haram have not taken control of Baga, either.”

The base in Baga, close to the border with Chad, has weapons, ammunition and other equipment that are a key target for the extremists, who also overran the base in 2015.

The Islamic State West Africa Province, an offshoot of the decade-old Boko Haram extremist group and the largest IS-linked extremist group in Africa, claimed to kill or wound “dozens” of soldiers in the latest attack, according to the SITE Intelligence Group that monitors extremist communiques.

Fifty-three police are missing, according to a senior police officer in Maiduguri, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.

Use of drones

Nigeria’s defense minister, Mannir Dan-Ali, on Wednesday reiterated the military’s commitment to ending Boko Haram’s insurgency. He spoke to the press while on his way to neighboring Chad to discuss extremist activity in border areas.

Nigeria’s government recently confirmed the extremists had begun using drones, calling it a “critical factor” in a rise in attacks against military bases. The military rarely announces death tolls, but the government in November acknowledged dozens of soldier deaths.

President Muhammadu Buhari at the time held an urgent meeting with member countries to “enhance the capacity” of the multinational force.

The nearly decade-old Boko Haram insurgency has been blamed for some 20,000 deaths and thousands of abductions. The unrest and displacement of millions of hungry people have turned northeastern Nigeria into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
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What to Watch for as the New Congress Begins

Posted on by SeeUS

They’ve got the keys to the offices, new paint inside and parties to attend. But on Thursday, the work was beginning when 534 members of the 116th Congress solemnly swear to govern the divided nation.

The new Congress will make history for seating a record number of women and becoming the most racially and ethnically diverse. Republicans will take more seats in the Senate; Democrats will grab control of the House.

“It’s a new day in America,” tweeted incoming Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., one of the first two Muslim women to serve in Congress.

Lawmakers will be confronted by a standoff over money and immigration that has shut much of the government and vexed their predecessors.

What to watch on the first day of divided government under President Donald Trump:

HOW CAN I WATCH?

C-SPAN and various broadcast networks are expected to stream or televise the events. Both the House and Senate convene at noon EST.

THE ORDER OF THINGS

There will be prayers and pledges of allegiance.

In the 435-member House, a roll call will begin on the election of speaker. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is poised to reprise her role in that post, second in line to the presidency. Once the vote is over, Republican Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., is expected to speak, followed by an address by Pelosi.

The longest-serving member of the House and its dean, 24-term Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, will swear in Pelosi. She is then expected administer the oath to House members and delegates at the same time.

In the Senate, Vice President Mike Pence will preside over the oath-taking of the 34 members who stood for election on Nov. 6. Republicans gained two seats in that chamber.

THE OATH

Lawmakers will take this oath: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”

PELOSI

She is, some say, feared. And Pelosi is still giving nothing for the U.S. border wall Trump is demanding in exchange for re-opening the government.

Pelosi, 78, seems to have sewn up her return as House speaker, but her comeback depended on her promise to limit her tenure to a maximum of four years. Doing so quelled a rebellion by a stubborn faction of Democrats demanding a new generation of leaders.

She prevailed, wielding skills she will need to manage the roughly 235 Democrats who will comprise the House majority in the new Congress.

Her ascension sets up a clash with Trump.

But where Trump has Twitter and status among his base as a Washington outsider, Pelosi has a network of allies inside and outside Congress — not to mention three decades in the House.

She’s been speaker before, the only woman to hold the post, from 2007 into January 2011.

WHAT’S DIFFERENT?

Rep.-elect Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., will take the oath on a Quran, and not just anyone’s. She’ll use a 1734 English translation that belonged to Thomas Jefferson.

Tlaib and Omar are the first two Muslim women to serve in Congress. And they’re just a few of the signs of change that spring from the Nov. 6 elections. For the first time, two Native American women are headed to the House. Massachusetts and Connecticut will also send black women to Congress as firsts for their states, while Arizona and Tennessee are getting their first female senators.

In all, 127 women — 106 Democrats 21 Republicans — will serve in the 116th Congress, holding nearly 24 percent of all seats, according to the Center for Women and Politics at Rutgers University. In the Senate, 25 women will serve, with 17 of them Democrats and eight Republicans.

The number of House seats held by Republican women will decline by 10, from 23 to 13.

WHAT’S THE SAME?

Being a freshmen is, well, not as glamorous as winning elections. Governing takes different skills than campaigning. And in Congress, seniority matters, a lot.

“I was kind of the mountain where I was,” recalled veteran Rep. Gerald Connolly, D-Va., a former chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. “You come here and it’s a humbling experience. Get in line. It’s fascinating that you have an opinion about that, get over there.”

Asked in a brief interview about first-term lawmakers having to temper their expectations, Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said, “That’s right. We’ll see.”

CAN’T THE NEW CONGRESS REOPEN THE GOVERNMENT?

Not without Trump’s agreement, and he isn’t budging. He wants billions of dollars for a U.S. border wall. Democrats are refusing. Pelosi said outside the White House that there would be rapid passage Thursday of legislation to re-open the government — without funds for the border wall. But the White House has rejected that package, and it’s going nowhere in the Senate.
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Cameroon’s English-Speaking Areas Becoming Deserted

Posted on by SeeAF

Towns and villages in Cameroon’s restive Anglophone regions are being deserted as battles rage between separatists and the country’s military. The fighting intensified after President Paul Biya’s New Year’s message in which he insisted that his military would neutralize separatists who refuse to lay down their arms.

A senior Cameroon military official, who did not wish to be named, warns in a report that visiting the mostly deserted northwestern town of Kumbo he will need military protection.  

He says separatist fighters have been launching heavy attacks in the area and may be among the few people left on the streets.  

On a ride through the streets of Kumbo, under military protection, it’s clear that most houses, markets and public places are abandoned while some homes and schools have been torched.

But Kumbo resident Mbiybe Tatah says that many locals are fleeing because they are afraid – not of separatists but of the military.  They accuse Cameroon troops of burning their houses and shops in retaliation for failing to inform on separatist fighters hiding in their villages, he says.

“These armed military men just shoot at random and they term (call) people in Kumbo terrorists,” he says.

Tatah says people began fleeing after President Paul Biya’s New Year’s speech.  

Many observers had expected Biya to announce the release of some separatist leaders in a bid for peace.  But, he instead repeated a vow to eliminate all those who refuse to stop fighting and lay down their weapons.  

The governor of the English-speaking northwest region, Deben Tchoffo, refutes claims that the military retaliates against civilians.  

But he says they cannot allow separatists to terrorize people and destroy what Cameroon has built since independence.

“The head of state is still asking those that were misdirected to lay down their weapons.  If not, they will be neutralized.  I am therefore launching an appeal to those of the northwest region to heed to the call of the head of state.  If not, they will be neutralized.”  

Tchoffo says there have been many casualties since fighting intensified after Biya’s speech but he did not give figures.

Abdoul Jinguil Mussa, a crisis management expert with the Lake Chad Basin Commission, says Cameroon needs an independent body to lead peace negotiations with the separatists.

“People have died on both sides of the conflict. A lot of families have been displaced, property has been destroyed. That is why we say the best solution is when both parties have agreed that they are both losing. We need both parties to sit together in good faith, let the mediator be someone neutral, someone who is going to be there for peace to reign,” Mussa said.

Cameroon’s unrest began in November 2016 when English-speaking teachers and lawyers demonstrated against the growing dominance of French in the officially bilingual country.

Separatists took over the movement and started demanding independence for the English-speaking North West and South West regions.

In October 2017, Cameroon’s separatists declared what they called the English-speaking Republic of Ambazonia and vowed no cooperation with the government in Yaounde.

Cameroon says over 1,000 people have been killed in fighting since, including 200 policemen and troops, while hundreds of thousands have fled to French-speaking regions.

 

 
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One Candidate Clearly Won DRC Election, Catholic Church Says

Posted on by SeeAF

Democratic Republic of Congo’s Catholic bishops conference (CENCO) said on Thursday that results from Sunday’s presidential election in its possession show that one candidate has clearly won, but did not say which one.

Donatien Nshole, the CENCO secretary-general, in a press conference also called on the national electoral commission to publish accurate results. The commission says it will publish complete provisional results on Sunday at the earliest.

More than a third of polling stations in the Dec. 30 election were missing voting materials when polls opened, according to a CENCO report on Thursday which outlined various shortfalls in the election’s organization.

 
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New Palestinian Political Body Aims to Rival Abbas, Hamas

Posted on by SeeEA

Five Palestinian factions are forming a new political body in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in an attempt to break the political duopoly of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah movement and the Islamic movement Hamas.

The factions announced the formation of “The Democratic Caucus” at a news conference on Thursday, with the stated aim of challenging the two main Palestinian political parties.

Leaders said they would work toward holding presidential and parliamentary elections, and protecting human rights in the Palestinian territories.

Palestinian elections were last held in 2006 and have been indefinitely postponed due to political discord between Fatah and Hamas.

Hamas wrested control of the Gaza Strip from Abbas’s government in a 2007 armed coup. Efforts to reconcile the two parties have yet to yield results.

 
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Democrats Take Control of US House

Posted on by SeeUS

Divided government returned to the United States Thursday with the swearing-in of a new Congress. After two years during which Republicans controlled the White House, Senate and the House of Representatives, Democrats now hold the majority in the House.
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Judge Blocks NYC Law Demanding Airbnb Disclosures

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A federal judge says a New York City law forcing Airbnb and HomeAway home-sharing platforms to reveal detailed information about its business seems unconstitutional.

Judge Paul Engelmayer on Thursday blocked the law from taking effect on Feb. 2, finding there’s a greater than 50 percent chance the companies would prevail on claims that the law violates the Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures.

The ruling comes at an early stage of the litigation. Lawyers for the city and the companies will gather additional evidence before Engelmayer makes a final ruling.

The city did not immediately comment.

The San Francisco-based Airbnb in a statement called the ruling a “huge win.”

The law was passed last summer.

 
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Depopulation Fears Prompt Some to Question EU’s Freedom of Movement

Posted on by SeeEU

Political pressure is growing on the European Union from some member states to rethink freedom of movement rules and to start introducing restrictions to stem what they see as disruptive migration.

The latest challenge doesn’t lie with the refugee crisis and the irritation with non-EU migrants easily moving across the continent and cherry-picking which European state to try to settle in, but the concern that migration between EU countries is further depopulating economically depressed regions and towns, condemning them to a gloomy future of being “left behind” permanently.

Last month, the pro-EU former British prime minister, Tony Blair, added his voice to the idea that free movement should be re-thought. Blair, who is campaigning for Britain to hold a second referendum on whether to leave the EU, said a rethink could help Britain remain in the Brussels bloc under new membership terms.

“If you take freedom of movement and the question of immigration, this is an issue all over European politics today,” he told the BBC. Many Britons who voted for Brexit cited free movement as their main reason for wanting to quit the EU.

‘Sacred pillar’

Freedom of movement is one of the ‘sacred’ pillars of the EU’s single market and seen by Brussels as crucial for European integration. Many younger Europeans see it as a birthright, allowing them to travel, work and study in any EU member states they want. And millions have embraced the opportunity to relocate.

But central and southern European member states have seen a hollowing out of their populations, thanks to youth emigration, which in turn is putting a brake on their economic growth and leaving behind ghost towns inhabited by pensioners and the less-skilled and resourceful. Left with aging populations, countries that have seen high levels of migration are finding there are fewer young working taxpayers to fund increased health care and pension needs.

In the past 20 years, more than 3.6 million mostly young Romanians have left their native country. And a recent survey suggests that half of all young people still living in Romania have concrete plans to leave. Since Poland joined the EU in 2004, more than 2 million Poles have left.

And Latvia has been especially impacted by migration. Since its accession to the EU, nearly a fifth of the nation has left to work in other more affluent states, mainly Britain, Ireland and Germany. The exodus has prompted fears of Latvia becoming a “disappearing nation.”

Last year, the Latvian government appointed an ambassador with the main task of wooing Latvians back home. Next door, Lithuania has also experienced an exodus, seeing its population shrink by 17.5 percent.

Time to rethink?

Blair isn’t alone among prominent European politicians to question whether it is time for a rethink.

In November, Romania’s finance minister, Eugen Teodorovici, warned that migration of many young skilled Romanians is having deleterious effects on the country by causing a “brain drain” from some industries.

“If someone goes to Germany and keeps getting the right to work, then he will never return to Croatia or Romania, where he left,” he said. “We need to learn at the European level that as one area becomes poorer, another becomes richer,” he added.

Teodorovici argues young Europeans who have migrated should be issued with five-year work permits, after which they would have to leave and possibly return home.

His remarks prompted uproar both in Romania and Brussels. But some other Central European governments are exploring ways to entice back workers, including considering offering financial incentives to encourage youngsters to return.

Advocates of free movement say migration fears are being overblown, arguing money workers send back to their families is crucial for depressed regions. They point out depopulation is being caused as much by low birth rates.

Many youngsters eventually return, they say, often coming back more skilled, affluent and entrepreneurial, which adds to development potential in their home towns. According to the Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia, the number of emigres returning home in 2016 was about 40 percent of those who left.

Efforts to limit freedom of movement are likely to fail, with young Europeans especially critical of the idea that there should be within Europe free circulation of money, goods and services but not of labor.

Atis Sjanits, the Latvian diplomat charged with enticing young Latvians back home, has argued that changing the rules now isn’t possible. He says the focus should be on making it more attractive for emigres to return.
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Russia Reportedly Charged Former US Marine with Espionage

Posted on by SeeEU

Russia has charged former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan with espionage, according to an Interfax news agency report that has not been independently verified.

On Monday, Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) officials said the 48-year-old Whelan had been detained on Dec. 28 “while carrying out an act of espionage,” and a criminal probe has been ordered.

The FSB provided no further details, but Russia’s state-run TASS news agency said Whelan faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

Whelan is employed as director of global security at BorgWarner, an American automotive parts supplier.

Whelan’s family learned of his arrest only after it was reported by Russian state news outlets, prompting the family to contact congressional representatives and U.S. diplomats.

“We are deeply concerned for his safety and well-being,” the family said. “His innocence is undoubted, and we trust that his rights will be respected.”

Whelan’s arrest coincides with several spy scandals that have exacerbated tensions between Russia and the West, including the poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Britain.

News of Whelan’s detention came less than 24 hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a New Year’s greeting to U.S. President Donald Trump in which he said Moscow is amenable to a continuing dialogue with Washington on a range of topics.

In 2016, Izvestia, a Kremlin-aligned news outlet, reported there were 13 U.S. citizens in Russian jails at the time.  The Kremlin has not since published any details on other Americans currently in Russian detention.
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Flying Drones Deployed Against Nests of Asian Hornets

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It has no natural predator. There are no plans to control its plague. Hailing from China by way of France, the Asian hornet (vespa velutina) is now taking over Spain’s Iberian Peninsula and wreaking havoc on honeybees. With modern technology … the Spanish are fighting back. Arash Arabasadi reports.
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Broadway Hits Iran with Unique Take on ‘Les Miserables’

Posted on by SeeEA

Iranian theatre director Hossein Parsaee calls Victor Hugo’s classic a “masterpiece without borders” but his groundbreaking production of “Les Miserables” that has hit the stage in Tehran has a few unique twists.

For a start, none of the actresses are allowed to reveal their own hair, and in case their wigs look too natural, the poster advertising the show carries a bright red notice underscoring that their locks are fake.

Nor do the actors and actresses touch hands, or have any other physical contact throughout the musical.

This is, after all, the capital of the Islamic republic, even if the blockbuster show in the luxurious Espinas Hotel feels a world away from the usual stereotypes about Iran.

The concessions to the government’s view of Islamic rules are often subtle.

There is, for instance, always at least one other voice accompanying an actress when she sings — since female solos are taboo — although spotting the second voice can be tricky.

All the other staples of a big-budget musical are here: a live orchestra, billowing dry ice and dazzling light displays.

With a cast, crew and orchestra of over 450, the production has played to sold-out 2,500-strong crowds for six nights a week since it debuted in November.

‘It was all perfect’

It was a mainly young, well-heeled crowd when AFP visited recently, and they could barely control their excitement at a rare chance to attend a musical in their home city.

“It was so much more than I expected,” gushed Maryam Taheri, a 45-year-old housewife, after the show. “The acting, the music, the lighting — it was all perfect.”

Foreign-made TV, film and cartoon versions of “Les Miserables” — a French 19th-century epic on sociopolitical tumult, crime and punishment — have been frequently shown in Iran, where the book has also been translated.

The classic work even has the stamp of approval from supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has described Victor Hugo’s book as “a miracle among novels… a book of kindness, affection and love.”

The new production is being hailed as the most spectacular play yet staged in Iran, and arrives at a topical moment with the ongoing “yellow vest” protests in France.

“After 200 years you see it happening again in France,” contends businessman Mehdi Hooshyar.

“This is good, it shows whenever their society stagnates, something like this happens to move it forward,” he said. “The revolution is still alive.”

‘No Miserables allowed in’

The lavishness of the production has brought its share of criticism, however.

The play has come at a volatile moment in Iran, when anger at economic inequality and corruption dominates political debate.

Tickets, priced between 500,000 and 1.85 million rials (roughly $5 to $20, 4.4 euros to 17.5 euros), are beyond the means of most Iranians.

“No Miserables allowed in,” said a conservative daily, Javan.

Director Parsaee said connecting with Tehran’s elite was part of the point.

“This story is relevant to all times, and all places, and that includes today’s Tehran. It’s about the class divide, the social breakdown and the poverty that exists today,” he told AFP.

“It’s a reminder to the audience that other classes exist and we need to see them and know about them. It’s a serious warning.”

‘No taboos broken’

Much of the show seems to run against Iranian taboos, not least the mixed dancing and drinking in brothels and inns.

But Parsaee, who used to head the performing arts department at the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, knows the red lines well.

“The review board saw the play in its entirety before we were allowed to begin our run,” he said.  

“They found it completely compatible with the rules and regulations. No taboos were broken.”

The director’s love for musicals started around a decade ago when he saw “Oliver Twist,” based on the Charles Dickens classic, in London.

“I was depressed for days, thinking why can’t we do this? I vowed to myself that I would one day make a musical in Iran.”

He did precisely that, bringing “Oliver Twist” to the stage in Tehran last year.

And now he has established a production company to train a new generation of musical directors.

“I’ve opened the door on musicals in Iran, and now, like a relay race, others must advance it to a point that there won’t be any difference between Iran and Broadway.”
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Experts Warn Gulf Rift Widening as Qatar Quits OPEC

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Qatar’s official withdrawal from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) this week has renewed debate over the rift with its neighbor Saudi Arabia, with some observers saying the move could further complicate the relationship between the two Gulf countries. 

The departure, which was announced earlier in December, took effect Tuesday, ending the peninsular Arab country’s 58 years of membership in the international union. 

The move is seen by many analysts to be shadowed by the political atmosphere in the Gulf region following a Saudi-led blockade on Qatar since mid-2017.

“There is a geopolitical angle, it is about reinforcing the message that Qatar is acting in what it considers to be its own national interest given the blockade imposed on Qatar since 2017 by fellow OPEC members Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates,” Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, a Gulf expert at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, told VOA.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain imposed an abrupt trade-and-travel blockade on their fellow Gulf Cooperation Council member, Qatar, in June 2017. The countries accused Qatar of fueling terrorism by supporting Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood group in Egypt and maintaining relations with Iran. The relations have since remained in a standoff.

Other GCC members 

Ulrichsen said Qatar’s decision is being closely watched by other fellow members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) who have also voiced concerns about the direction Saudi Arabia is moving in terms of its foreign policy decisions under Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. 

Qatar’s officials in the past have denied their decision to quit OPEC was influenced by the divide with Saudi Arabia, saying the move was to turn the focus from oil to other energy resources. 

As a minor OPEC supplier of oil, Qatar had 600,000 barrels a day of crude oil production, constituting less than 2 percent of the group’s total output. It ranks, however, as the world’s No. 3 producer of natural gas and the largest exporter of liquefied natural gas.

“The withdrawal decision reflects Qatar’s desire to focus its efforts on plans to develop and increase its natural gas production,” the country’s Minister of Energy, Saad al-Kaabi, said in a tweet early last month.

Al-Kaabi then said the decision was not going to affect the global oil process given his country’s low oil output. 

Experts warn the decision could potentially also affect the status of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which is at an all-time low in its ability to preserve unity since its establishment in 1981. 

Ali Fathollah-Nejad, a Doha-based scholar with the Brookings Institution, charged that GCC has, since the 2017 Gulf crisis, ceased to function effectively because of its inability to find a solution to several political and economic issues among its members.

Fathollah-Nejad said Qatar’s growing role in the Council had irritated Saudi Arabia, the biggest and richest member.

“Qatar has started in the 2000s to engage in an independent foreign policy and become ambitious to a point that was unacceptable to Riyadh, as the latter has the goal of being the uncontested power in the Arabian Peninsula and within the GCC,” he told VOA. 

The GCC concluded its most recent summit in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Dec. 10, without reaching any decisions regarding the crisis with Qatar. 

Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani received an official invitation from Saudi King Salamn bin Abdulaziz, but only a delegation headed by Qatar Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi attended the meeting.
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Seven Arrested in Killing of 37 in Central Mali

Posted on by SeeAF

Seven people were arrested in central Mali Wednesday, the day after 37 civilians were killed when armed men attacked a village in the region in the latest clash between warring communities, the government said.

Following the New Year’s Day massacre in the village of Koulogon, in the central Mopti region, “Mali army forces were rushed to the scene,” the civil protection ministry said in a statement, adding they “arrested seven suspects” without giving details on those detained.

Tuesday’s attackers were believed to be traditional Dogon hunters who targeted the village of Fulani herders.

The same Mali army mission also went into Bobosso village, near the Burkina Faso border, following arson attacks, killing one suspect and detaining 24 others, the ministry said.

France helped Malian forces stave off a jihadist insurgency that took control of large parts of the troubled north in 2012, but since the death in November of Fulani jihadist figure Amadou Koufa, inter-group conflict has increased.

The violence is fueled by accusations of Fulani grazing cattle on Dogon land and disputes over access to land and water.

The U.N. recorded more than 500 civilian deaths in the area in 2018.

“Large-scale operations” are in preparation with the ministry of defense to deal with the intercommunal violence, the civil defense ministry said in its statement.
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Study Finds Vermont is Top US State for Inbound Moves

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Vermont’s population is among the smallest in the U.S., but tracking statistics from United Van Lines indicate that people are moving to the New England state

Vermont’s population is among the smallest in the U.S., but a study from United Van Lines indicate people are moving to the New England state.

The suburban St. Louis-based moving company on Wednesday released its 42nd annual National Movers Study, which tracks customers’ state-to-state migration patterns.

Vermont has the second-smallest population among states, exceeding only Wyoming. Yet Vermont saw the highest percentage of inbound moves in 2018.

Four Western states filled out the top 5: Oregon, Idaho, Nevada and Arizona.

New Jersey had highest percentage of outbound moves, followed by Illinois, Connecticut, New York and Kansas.

The study showed that Americans continue to move west and south. The Mountain West and South regions saw high percentages of inbound moves. The Northeast and Midwest had high percentages of outbound moves.
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British Lawmakers Seek Access to Women Jailed in Saudi Arabia

Posted on by SeeEU

A group of British lawmakers and international advocates are seeking access to female activists jailed in Saudi Arabia to investigate allegations of torture and sexual assault in prison. 

Saudi Arabia imprisoned more than a dozen women last year, most of whom had campaigned for the right to drive and an end to the kingdom’s male guardianship system. Some have since been freed. Though the ban on driving has been lifted, eight remain in custody.

Human rights groups Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch accused Saudi Arabia of subjecting some of the activists to torture and sexual harassment. Saudi officials have denied the charges.

The lawmakers and advocates, who convened a detention review panel, sent a letter to Prince Mohammed bin Nawwaf bin Abdulaziz, Saudi ambassador to Britain, asking him to arrange a visit to Dhahban prison near Jeddah.

“There are credible concerns that the conditions in which the Saudi women activists are being detained may have fallen significantly short of both international and Saudi Arabia’s own standards,” conservative lawmaker Crispin Blunt, who chairs the panel, said in the letter. “We make this request to the Saudi authorities so that we can assess for ourselves the conditions in which the Saudi women activists have been and are being detained today.”

HRW report

All eight women have been subjected to abuse, including threats of rape, electric shocks and beatings, according to a Human Rights Watch report released in November. 

 

At the time, the Saudi Ministry of Media said the government “categorically and strongly denies the allegations made by them. The wild claims made, quoting anonymous ‘testimonies’ or ‘informed sources,’ are simply wrong.”

The allegations come at a time when Saudi Arabia is facing an international outcry over the killing of exiled Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.  
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US Senate Panel Sets Confirmation Hearing for Attorney General Nominee

Posted on by SeeUS

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee said on Wednesday it would hold confirmation hearings on Jan. 15 and 16 for Attorney General nominee William Barr, who has come under fire from Democrats for his criticism of the special counsel’s Russia probe.

If confirmed by the Republican-controlled Senate, Barr would take over from Matthew Whitaker, who has been serving as acting attorney general since President Donald Trump forced out Jeff Sessions in November.

The committee’s statement did not give details on the planned hearings.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said last month that a memo Barr wrote criticizing Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into possible Russian interference in U.S. elections should disqualify him from serving as attorney general.

Barr wrote in the June 2018 memo to senior Justice Department officials that Mueller “should not be able to demand that the President submit to an interrogation about alleged obstruction,” CNN has reported.

As attorney general, Barr would oversee the Russia investigation.

Trump has called the probe, which is examining any possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, a witch hunt.

Barr previously served as attorney general from 1991 to 1993 under late President George H.W. Bush.

 
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Pompeo: US ‘Deeply Concerned’ About Colombia Coca Cultivation 

Posted on by SeeUS

The United States is deeply concerned about an increase in coca cultivation in Colombia, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday, but will work with the Andean country to cut production of the raw material for cocaine in half by the end of 2023.

Pompeo met with Colombian President Ivan Duque on a brief visit to the coastal city of Cartagena.

“The United States remains deeply concerned about the surge in coca cultivation and cocaine production in Colombia since 2013,” Pompeo told journalists following the meeting.

Colombia has long been ranked as the world’s top producer of cocaine, for which coca is the base ingredient, but figures compiled by the United Nations for 2017 showed the largest potential output since the organization began keeping records, with cocaine production at 1,379 metric tons.

“We will continue to work with you Mr. President side-by-side to achieve our joint objectives to cut coca cultivation and coca production by 50 percent between now and 2023,” Pompeo said.

Colombia’s acreage of coca, the raw material for cocaine, expanded 17 percent to 171,000 hectares (422,550 acres) in 2017, according to the U.N. The uptick was due to increased productivity and growers eager to expand in hopes of getting more aid to switch to legal crops.

The government wants to eradicate 100,000 hectares of coca crops in 2019. Duque said last month that 2018 eradication would total more than 80,000 hectares of illicit crops.

‘Vital’ help from U.S.

The U.S. commitment to helping Colombia dismantle organized crime groups is “vital,” Duque said in his remarks.

Aerial fumigation with the herbicide glyphosate, suspended in 2015 after being linked to cancer, may be reinstated if it can be made to comply with judicial conditions, Duque has said.

Duque and Pompeo also discussed the crisis in Venezuela, where hyperinflation and food and medicine shortages have spurred more than 3 million people to flee over the past several years, including more than a million who now live in Colombia.

Pompeo commended Colombia for its support of Venezuelan migrants and said he and Duque discussed how to collaborate on aid with regional and international bodies.

“All countries that defend democracy, all countries that share the value of democracy should unite to reject the Venezuelan dictatorship,” Duque said.

The United States has placed sanctions on Venezuela’s debt and on some officials in socialist President Nicolas Maduro’s government, which it accuses of corruption and human rights violations.

Maduro blames Venezuela’s economic problems on U.S. sanctions and an “economic war” led by political adversaries.
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Record Number of Migrants Arrive in Spain in 2018

Posted on by SeeEU

A record number of migrants from Africa arrived in Spain via the Mediterranean Sea in 2018. 

According to the International Organization for Migration (OIM), Spain took in 57,250 people from the start of the year until Dec. 26, or an average of 160 per day. 

The number of deaths at sea also reached a record high during the same period, 769, more than three times the figure for 2017.

The increase in arrivals of migrants in Spain comes with port closures by Malta and Italy, coupled with an agreement between the European Union and Turkey to intercept migrant boats.

Amparo González of the state-funded scientific research agency CSIC told Spain’s El Pais that many of the 57,000-plus migrants will not settle in Spain.  

“Between a third and half of them either go elsewhere, or get deported to their home countries,” she said. 
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Dutch Ready to Take In Migrants, Malta Offers Ships ‘Shelter’

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The Netherlands announced Wednesday it was prepared to welcome some of the 32 migrants waiting to disembark from a Dutch-flagged vessel in the Mediterranean, if other countries did the same.  

“The Netherlands has indicated a readiness to possibly take in a proportional number of migrants who are on board Sea-Watch 3, on condition that other European countries do the same,” said security and justice ministry spokesman Lennart Wegewijs.

Boats allowed to ‘take shelter’

And late Wednesday, Malta’s navy announced that authorities would allow two German NGO ships — the Sea-Watch 3 and Sea-Eye — carrying migrants to “take shelter” in Maltese waters due to the deteriorating conditions on board.

The Dutch had at first joined Italy, Malta and Spain in refusing to accept the migrants who were rescued on December 22 by Sea-Watch 3, which is operated by a German charity.

The 32 migrants on the Sea-Watch 3 who were plucked from a makeshift boat in international waters, include three young children, three unaccompanied adolescents and four women from Nigeria, Libya and Ivory Coast.

The Sea-Eye has been stranded in the Mediterranean with 17 migrants on board.

In Berlin, a government spokesman said Saturday that Germany would only accept some of the migrants if other European countries also agreed to do so.

Meanwhile Spanish coast guards reported Wednesday they had rescued 401 migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean over the first two days of the new year.

The news comes just days after a charity rescue vessel carrying 311 mainly African migrants plucked off the coast of Libya docked in Spain, ending a traumatic journey which saw them spend Christmas at sea.

Spain a leading destination

With Italian ports closed to migrants by the Rome government since June, Spain has become a leading destination.

A spokeswoman for Spain’s coastguards told AFP they had rescued 111 migrants on Tuesday. She added 290 more were saved on Wednesday, and coastguards were searching for another boat in distress.

More than 1,300 migrants died trying to reach Italy or Malta via the central Mediterranean last year, according to the International Organization for Migration.
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