A woman accused of trying to help al-Qaida has pleaded guilty in Alabama to a charge of concealing terrorism financing.Federal prosecutors say Alaa Mohd Abusaad entered the plea Friday during a hearing in federal court in Tuscaloosa.Authorities arrested the one-time University of Alabama student last year. Court documents show Abusaad communicated over messaging programs with a person she didn’t know was an undercover FBI employee.A statement from prosecutors shows she gave instructions on how to send money to the mujahedeen and included the comment: “You can’t have war without weapons.” Authorities say she also put the FBI in touch with someone who could get money to al-Qaida.A criminal information against the woman was filed Wednesday, the 18th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.
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Month: September 2019
PG&E Reaches $11B Deal With California Wildfire Insurers
Pacific Gas & Electric and a group of insurers announced Friday they reached an $11 billion settlement to cover most of the claims from wildfires in California in 2017 and 2018.
The utility said in a statement the tentative agreement covers 85% of the insurance claims from fires that included the one that decimated the town of Paradise and killed 86 people.A group of insurers said in a separate statement the settlement is well below the $20 billion the insurance companies had sought in bankruptcy court.FILE – A Pacific Gas & Electric truck enters their customer center in Hayward, Calif., Jan. 23, 2019.”While this proposed settlement does not fully satisfy the approximately $20 billion in group members’ unsecured claims, we hope that this compromise will pave the way for a plan of reorganization that allows PG&E to fairly compensate all victims,” the insurers said.The settlement still must be approved by a bankruptcy court.”Today’s settlement is another step in doing what’s right for the communities, businesses, and individuals affected by the devastating wildfires,” PG&E CEO Bill Johnson said in a statement.PG&E Corp. on Monday released a plan to offer nearly $18 billion to wildfire victims, insurance companies, and cities and public entities in California that battled wildfires sparked by its electrical equipment.
PG&E sought bankruptcy protection in January because it said it could not afford an estimated $30 billion in damages.The San Francisco-based company is under deadline pressure to emerge from bankruptcy by June 2020 in order to participate in a state wildfire fund to help California’s major utilities pay out future claims as climate change makes wildfires across the U.S. West more frequent and more destructive.
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US Imposes Sanctions on North Korean Hacking Groups Blamed for Global Attacks
The U.S. Treasury on Friday announced sanctions on three North Korean hacking groups it said were involved in the WannaCry ransomware attacks and hacking of international banks and customer accounts.It named the groups as Lazarus Group, Bluenoroff, and Andariel and said they were controlled by the RGB, North Korea’s primary intelligence bureau, which is already subject to U.S. and United Nations sanctions.The action blocks any U.S.-related assets of the groups and prohibits dealings with them. The Treasury statement said any foreign financial institution that knowingly facilitated significant transactions or services for them could also be subject to sanctions.”Treasury is taking action against North Korean hacking groups that have been perpetrating cyberattacks to support illicit weapon and missile programs,” said Sigal Mandelker, Treasury undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.”We will continue to enforce existing U.S. and U.N. sanctions against North Korea and work with the international community to improve cybersecurity of financial networks.”The United States has been attempting to restart talks with North Korea, aimed at pressing the country to give up its nuclear weapons. The talks have been stalled over North Korean
demands for concessions, including sanctions relief.Earlier this month, North Korea denied U.N. allegations it had obtained $2 billion through cyberattacks on banks and cryptocurrency exchanges, and accused the United States of spreading rumors.Lazarus Group The Treasury statement said Lazarus Group was involved in the WannaCry ransomware attack that the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom publicly
attributed to North Korea in December 2017.It said WannaCry affected at least 150 countries and shut down about 300,000 computers, including many in Britain’s National Health Service (NHS). The NHS attack led to the cancellation of more than 19,000 appointments and ultimately cost the service over $112 million, the biggest known ransomware attack in history.The Treasury said Lazarus Group was also directly responsible for 2014 cyberattacks on Sony Pictures Entertainment.Bluenoroff The statement cited industry and press reporting as saying that by 2018, Bluenoroff had attempted to steal over $1.1 billion from financial institutions and successfully carried out operations against banks in Bangladesh, India, Mexico, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Turkey, Chile, and Vietnam.It said Bluenoroff worked with the Lazarus Group to steal approximately $80 million from the Central Bank of Bangladesh’s New York Federal Reserve account.AndarielAndariel, meanwhile, was observed by cybersecurity firms attempting to steal bank card information by hacking into ATMs to withdraw cash or steal customer information to later sell on the black market, the statement said.Andariel was also responsible for developing and creating unique malware to hack into online poker and gambling sites and, according to industry and press reporting, targeted the South Korea government military in an effort to gather intelligence, it said.
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Turkey’s President Wants Europe to Share Refugee Burden From Syria
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is warning Europe to share the refugee burden or face a new wave of migrants, as Turkey fears a new influx of Syrian refugees. Erdogan’s threat coincides with a surge of migrants entering Greece from Turkey.”People are pouring in,” said professor of political science Cengiz Aktar of the University of Athens. “On three of the biggest (Greek) islands, the refugee population has surged dramatically compared to the numbers of local people living there.”According to the U.N. high commissioner for refugees, 8,100 migrants arrived at the Greek islands in August. “We don’t know if the Turkish authorities are encouraging the refugees to go to Greece, but the potential is there,” Aktar said. “Turkey is hosting around 4 million refugees. Add to that the pressure from (the Syrian province of) Idlib, it makes for an explosive cocktail for everybody.”Syria’s Idlib province is the last rebel enclave in that country’s civil war and is under siege from Damascus’ forces. Earlier this month, the Turkish Red Crescent said half a million refugees fled toward the Turkish border to escape the fighting.”We will be forced to open the gates (to Europe),” said Erdogan last week. “We cannot be forced to handle the burden alone.””Turkey is declaring all over the world the Idlib crisis must not only be the problem for Turkey,” said international relations professor Mesut Casin of Istanbul’s Yeditepe University.”It’s the security problem for the European Union. Why? We know a lot of people pass from the Turkey border to Greece and then to Germany and France. For Europe, a new mass migration will go to Europe.”FILE – Syrians walk at Turkey’s Oncupinar border crossing on the Turkish-Syrian border in the southeastern city of Kilis, Turkey, February 9, 2016.In 2015, nearly 800,000 migrants made the short sea crossing from Turkey to the Greek Islands. Many then moved on to the rest of Europe, in particular, Germany.The humanitarian crisis was only brought under control when Turkey and the European Union signed a refugee deal in 2016.The deal dramatically curtailed migrants and refugees entering Greece from Turkey; however, Erdogan’s warnings of opening Turkey’s border gates, coupled with a surge in people arriving in the Greek Islands, caught Berlin’s attention.”I have discussed these issues in a phone call with my Turkish counterpart, [Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut] Cavusoglu, this week,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Thursday.”I once again highlighted that the EU would honor its commitments under the EU-Turkey refugee agreement,” adding he expected Ankara also to honor the agreement.The Turkish president is voicing growing frustration with Brussels over the deal. This month, Erdogan said only $2 billion of the $3 billion agreed to, had been paid by the EU. The Turkish president also emphasized the amount is insignificant given the more than $30 billion Turkey has paid in supporting the Syrian refugees.Erdogan’s primary concern is the growing discontent within Turkey over the refugees.”Syrian refugees are becoming an explosive social problem, which forces Erdogan to act sternly in Syria,” said analyst Atilla Yesilada of Global Source Partners.The Turkish president is trying to build international support for the creation of a buffer zone in northeastern Syria, which is currently controlled by the YPG Syrian Kurdish militia. Ankara considers the YPG terrorists linked to a Kurdish insurgency inside Turkey.FILE – In this May 1, 2019, photo, a woman and child sit on a hill overlooking the Euphrates River in Derik, Syria. Turkey wants to establish a safe zone east of the Euphrates River in Syria.The buffer zone is intended to not only protect Turkey’s border but also to relocate Syrians living in Turkey. “We are saying we should form such a safe zone so that we, as Turkey, can build towns instead of the tent cities here. Let’s carry them (Syrians) to the safe zones there,” Erdogan said last week in Ankara.”Either you (European Union) will provide (financial) support, or excuse us, but we are not going to carry this weight alone. We have not been able to get help from the international community, namely the European Union,” Erdogan added.A source within the Turkish presidency said Erdogan will press his case next week at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Erdogan is expected to have sideline meetings with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron.”The European leaders will not support Erdogan’s plan. It has zero chance,” said Aktar. “This is going back to the Middle Ages. You just can’t take territory to place refugees there under military occupation. This is not feasible or sustainable.””But European leaders are sensitive to Turkey’s situation, and there is a chance of renegotiating the refugee deal,” he added. “The refugee deal is important. All sides need to talk but not by threats.”Experts say Erdogan’s priority is preventing the fall enclave of Idlib to Syrian forces, which is predicted to trigger a surge of refugees into Turkey.”It’s (Idlib) a kind of new civilian disaster,” said professor Casin. “President Erdogan will talk to the international community in New York at the U.N. General Assembly, to the European leaders and U.S. President (Donald) Trump.””The international community and also the media, they do not want to see what is happening in Idlib, he added. “There are already a lot of refugees living in Turkey. If one million more people come to Turkey from Idlib, Turkey cannot accept this situation. Mr. Erdogan says we can open the border and they can go to Europe.”
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Sudan, South Sudan Leaders Agree to Reopen Borders
The leaders of South Sudan and Sudan have agreed to reopen border areas between their countries in a bid to boost trade and the free movement of people.The agreement between new Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir, reached late Thursday, is significant because several border areas remain closed, including Heglig in South Sudan’s former Unity State, Kafiakinji in Raja in South Sudan, and El-Khurasana in Sudan’s Western Kordofan state.South Sudan’s deputy minister of foreign affairs, Deng Dau Deng, said he and Sudan’s foreign minister, Asma Mohamed Abdalla, touched on the disputed, oil-producing region of Abyei during their talks. “Of course the issue of Abyei is a fundamental issue because we want a final status on the resolution on the conflict of Abyei. The current government in Khartoum and the sovereign council and the Cabinet are very open in addressing the issues that are outstanding between South Sudan and the Republic of Sudan,” said Dau.Dau said Hamdok also met with the leaders of various Sudanese rebel groups during a two-day visit to Juba that ended Friday and reaffirmed his government’s commitment to ending hostilities with the rebel groups.A Sudanese government delegation and the rebel groups signed a declaration of principles in Juba and agreed to hold peace talks next month. Dau said part of the reason for Hamdok’s visit to Juba was to cement that process.South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir (C-R) and Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok (C-L) are seen flanked by aides during their meeting in Juba, South Sudan, Sept. 12, 2019.“To show the commitment of the Sovereign Council and the Cabinet itself, so there was no new position from him. It’s only to reaffirm both the sovereign Council and the Cabinet [are in support of the peace process],” Dau told VOA.Despite Sudan’s 21-year civil war, which led to South Sudan’s independence, Sudanese Foreign Minister Abdalla said Sudanese and South Sudanese are still “brothers and sisters.”“We have been one country and now we are two countries but we are still one nation and we hope to develop our relations. We would like also to take the opportunity of the positive atmosphere between the two countries to further our cooperation and make sure that all the issues between our two countries will be solved,” Abdalla told VOA.Abdalla said the post-Comprehensive Peace Agreement issues that remain unresolved since South Sudan became independent in 2011 will be dealt with in the atmosphere of political cooperation that exists between the two countries. South Sudan’s foreign affairs minister, Awut Deng Acuil, said both countries must focus on ensuring peace and stability for their people.“I think time has come for us in the two countries to silence the guns. The war is no more option for our people. We need to have peace and sustainable peace in the two countries,” said Deng.Hamdok told reporters upon his arrival in Juba on Thursday he was looking forward to a strategic partnership with South Sudan, adding “the sky is the limit” for that relationship.“We hope to have very prosperous relationship that will address issues of trade, border issue, oil, free movement of our people between the two countries and all these agendas,” said Hamdok.South Sudan Vice President James Wani Igga sounded equally optimistic about the South Sudan/Sudan relationship now that former longtime Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir is out of power.“I believe he [Hamdok] is going to come up with very strong effective policies and especially our border relations and especially the trade between the two countries and especially the issue of the oil and we are really one people, two countries,” said Igga.This was Hamdok’s first visit to South Sudan since being sworn in as Sudan’s prime minister on August 21.
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Bulgarian Journalists Protest Over Freedom of Speech
Dozens of journalists at the state-run Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) staged a protest Friday in support of media freedom after a colleague known for her coverage of the country’s graft-prone judicial system was briefly suspended from her job.The case drew criticism from human rights groups and the Bulgarian branch of the Association of European Journalists, which spoke of a “coup against journalistic professionalism” in a country that has the lowest ranking among the 28 European Union member states for press freedom.The new head of BNR news, Nikolay Krastev, on Thursday suspended Silvia Velikova, a respected radio anchor and reporter, saying she had violated her contract by urging listeners while on air to join a protest over the appointment of Bulgaria’s next chief prosecutor.But many journalists and others saw the move as politically motivated. Facing a strong backlash, Krastev then resigned and Velikova was reinstated.Amid the turmoil, BNR took its Horizont news channel off the air for five hours and the communications regulation commission said it would investigate the case.’Ugly, scandalous'”I’m outraged,” said Velichka Paunova, 67, one of dozens of ordinary citizens who also joined the journalists’ protest, accusing Bulgaria’s political establishment of trying to muzzle journalists.”It’s ugly, it’s scandalous. What are they afraid of? People are not stupid and they understand what this is about.”The issue has crystallized the frustration of many Bulgarians with what they see as a corrupt and opaque political elite and an ineffective judiciary, which have often been criticized by the European Commission.Bulgaria ranked 111th out of 180 countries in the Reporters Without Borders world press freedom index this year — even below countries in the Western Balkans that are not yet EU members.
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Nigerian MPs Face Backlash, Lawsuit Over Luxury Car Budget
It’s unprecedented.Thousands of Nigerians have joined a lawsuit seeking to block members of the Senate from using public money to buy luxury cars. The suit was initiated by rights groups that became tired of government corruption.More than 6,700 Nigerians have joined suit that aims to prevent parliament from releasing 5.5 billion naira — equal to about $15 million — that would enable leaders of the Senate to purchase luxury vehicles.Three domestic rights groups originated the suit, which was filed with the Nigerian Federal High Court.One of the NGOs leading the lawsuit is civic organization BudgIT. It tracks government spending in an effort to fight corruption. Shakir Akorede, the group’s communications associate, spoke on the class action suit.”This is living the luxury life by the so-called representatives of the people. How in any way does this plan show the seriousness, the commitment on the part of the government to solve our socioeconomic crisis?” Akorede asked.The activists are calling the luxury car allocation unjust, unfair and unconstitutional, a waste of taxpayers’ money. News of the allocation spread across social media, creating widespread anger.The Nigerian Senate’s spokesman, Dayo Adeyeye, told local media that the news is a rumor and that he hadn’t heard about the allocation. He added, however, that government officials are entitled to purchase cars and that he cannot imagine himself in a car used by a former senator.Senators have become accustomed to purchasing new cars with every new term. But political scientist Auwul Musa says this wouldn’t happen if former senators did what they were supposed to do and return the cars they purchased while in office.”They’re supposed to return it. They claim that they bought these cars for them to facilitate and ease their work so after you’re done with your office, you’re supposed to return and retire these vehicles and other facilities including laptops, printers,” Musa said.Musa, who is the director the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Center (CISLAC), headquartered in Abuja, said he does not think the lawsuit will effect any change and that Nigerian lawmakers have long abused public money.CISLAC reported that the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has done little to curb government excesses, although Buhari campaigned on the pledge to do something about it.Some analysts say the government should allocate such money to the police. The undermanned and underfunded police force is tasked with tackling the rise in armed banditry and kidnapping along roadways around the country.Another factor behind the public outcry is rising poverty.Data show the majority of Nigeria’s population lives on less than $2.00 a day.Meanwhile, Nigerian lawmakers are among the highest paid in the world. Last year, a Nigerian senator revealed that the legislators receive a monthly package of 14.25 million naira. That’s more than $40,000 a month.
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Europeans Say Mounting Iran Tensions Show Need for Dialogue
European countries backing the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran say rising tensions underline “the need for diplomatic efforts toward de-escalation and resumption of dialogue.”A joint statement Friday from Germany, France, Britain and European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini voiced “deep concern” over Iran’s latest actions. This week, the United Nations’ atomic watchdog confirmed that Iran is preparing to use more advanced centrifuges, another breach of the limits in the nuclear deal that is slowly unraveling after President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from it last year.The Europeans said they “are concerned by the risk that the [accord] further unravels under the strain of sanctions imposed by the United States since May 2018 and following Iran’s decisions to no longer implement several of the central provisions of the agreement.”
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Lawmakers Asking 4 Big Tech Companies for Documents in Probe
House lawmakers investigating the market dominance of Big Tech are asking Google, Facebook, Amazon and Apple for a broad range of documents including internal communications.Letters went out to the four companies on Friday from the leaders of the House Judiciary Committee and its subcommittee on antitrust, which has been conducting a sweeping antitrust investigation of the companies and their impact on competition and consumers.The companies have said they’ll cooperate fully with the congressional investigation.The lawmakers set an Oct. 14 deadline for the companies to provide the documents.Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jerrold Nadler says the documents will help the committee understand “whether they are using their market power in ways that have harmed consumers and competition.”The Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission are conducting competition investigations of the companies.
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Tennis, Musical Are Latest Events Postponed in Hong Kong
A tennis tournament and a London musical are the latest events postponed in Hong Kong out of concerns over safety and disruptions from pro-democracy protests.K-pop concerts, Chanel fashion shows and international conferences have been canceled, postponed or moved out of the semi-autonomous Chinese territory during more than three months of demonstrations. More rallies are expected this weekend.On Friday, organizers said the Hong Kong Open women’s tennis tournament scheduled for Oct. 5-13 was being postponed indefinitely. The event was to be held at Victoria Park, a gathering point for many previous protests.Earlier this week, protesters in the stands at a World Cup soccer qualifier match between Hong Kong and Iran booed the Chinese national anthem and chanted pro-democracy slogans. Iran’s request for a venue change had been rejected.Lunchbox Theatrical Productions called off a monthlong run of the London West End musical “Matilda” at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Acts that was to open Sept. 20.“Sadly the 14 weeks of civil unrest in Hong Kong have decimated ticket sales, and more importantly we cannot guarantee the safety and wellbeing of our international company, which comprises a large number of young children,” CEO James Cundall said in a statement. He said he hopes the show can be staged next year.The protests began in June over an extradition bill that would have allowed some Hong Kong suspects to be sent to mainland China for trial. Many saw the bill as an example of Hong Kong’s autonomy eroding since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997.The government promised last week to withdraw the bill, but the protesters’ demands have widened to include direct elections for the city’s leaders and police accountability.More than 1,300 people have been arrested in the protests, which have further battered Hong Kong’s economy, which was already reeling from the U.S.-China trade war. Tourist numbers have plunged, and businesses have been hit by the protests that show no signs of abating.The city’s richest man, Li Ka Shing, said Friday he regretted that his comments over the weekend calling for a way out for the mostly young protesters had been misrepresented after he was berated by Beijing.In a video broadcast on local TV, the billionaire described the summer of unrest as the worst catastrophe since World War II and urged the government to temper justice with mercy. Chang’an Jian, a social media account belonging to the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, said in a post late Thursday that Li’s remarks shielded those who committed crimes, and that he is not thinking about what is good for Hong Kong.A spokesman for Li said in a statement that Li does not condone violence and illegal acts, and hopes all parties will create space and initiate a dialogue to resolve the deadlock.Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s government dismissed a warning from Canadian think tank Fraser Institute that Chinese interference and the police crackdown on protesters were threatening the city’s position as one of the world’s freest economies.“Such comments are entirely ungrounded and not borne out by objective facts,” it said in a statement Thursday. It defended police actions, saying they used reasonable force to halt increasing violence by protesters.At a human rights conference in Taipei on Friday, Hong Kong singer and activist Denise Ho called for international support against mainland Chinese intrusions and government tyranny.She accused China of pressuring celebrities in Hong Kong, Taiwan and China to take sides. Last month, Australia’s National Gallery of Victoria denied a request by a Chinese artist to host an event that would feature a talk about democracy and Hong Kong, while Hong Kong activists were banned from a gay parade in Montreal after threats of sabotage by pro-China supporters, she said.“We want a total political reform of the Hong Kong government,” she told the Oslo Freedom Forum. “When government institutions and corporates have their hands tied, it is up to the people to get back that authority … we can find solutions as a global community.”China has denied meddling in Hong Kong affairs, and accused foreign powers of fomenting the unrest.More than 200 pro-Beijing supporters held a rally Friday to counter nights of mass singing by thousands of pro-democracy supporters at multiple shopping malls across the city. The mostly older crowd waved Chinese flags and sang the Chinese anthem in a mall in the densely packed Kowloon district.“I hope the Hong Kong crisis will end soon. The victims are the Hong Kong people,” said a woman who wanted to be identified only as Mrs. Wong.Protest-related activities were expected to continue Friday, when Chinese celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with lanterns and mooncakes. Police banned a planned major march in central Hong Kong on Sunday, but many protesters have said they will turn up anyway.
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US Supreme Court Ruling Erodes Protections for Asylum Seekers, UN Says
The U.N. refugee agency is expressing concern about the negative impact of Wednesday’s ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court on people seeking asylum in the United States. The ruling affirms the Trump Administration’s policy that denies asylum to anyone who does not seek protection in countries through which they pass before reaching the U.S. border.The ruling allows the Trump Administration to impose restrictions on asylum seekers while several lower court cases continue against the policy. Until then, the U.N. refugee agency is reluctant to weigh in on the question of its legality.UNHCR spokesman Andrej Mahecic says his agency has taken note of the Supreme Court decision, which does not address the substance of the policy, but was issued with reference to proceedings going forward in the lower courts.He says the UNHCR regrets the impact, however, that implementation will have on people seeking asylum.“We reiterate that any person fleeing violence or persecution must be able to access full and effective asylum procedures and international protection. Our concern is with the people, families, unaccompanied children and other individuals moving through Mexico today from Central America and elsewhere who are in urgent need of safe haven,” Mahecic said. Mahecic says it is imperative to quickly identify these people and provide them with the safety and assistance they deserve and need. He says the UNHCR trusts the U.S. courts to make a final decision based on the merits of the case and one that reflects the protection risks involved.Under the Trump Administration policy, people must stay in Mexico until they have a court date in the United States to make their case for asylum. The International Organization for Migration reports more than 36,500 people currently are on the Mexican side of the border. It says it does not know how many of them, though, are formal asylum seekers.
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Former Journalists of Turkey Opposition Daily Freed From Prison
Five former journalists of the opposition Cumhuriyet daily, including prominent cartoonist Musa Kart, walked free out of a Turkish prison late Thursday after the country’s top appeal court ordered their release.The five had been serving sentences of less than five years for “aiding and abetting terror groups without being a member”.Lawyer Tora Pekin earlier confirmed the court ruling, speaking to AFP.The five were among 14 former Cumhuriyet staff, including journalists and executives, sentenced in 2018. Their appeals were rejected by a lower court earlier this year.They were accused of supporting, through their coverage, three organizations that Turkey views as terrorist groups — the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, the ultra-left Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party-Front, and the Gulen movement blamed for the 2016 failed coup.Behind bars for 142 days, the released journalists were greeted by their supporters and families as outside the prison in Kandira — in the northwestern city of Kocaeli nearly 150 kilometers (90 miles) from Istanbul– hours after the top appeals court ordered their release.The case has sparked criticism over the state of press freedom in Turkey.Cumhuriyet, the country’s oldest daily founded in 1924, is a rare Turkish paper that is not in the hands of a business tycoon, but by an independent foundation.The daily has often had troubles with government authorities, with its former editor-in-chief Can Dundar fleeing to Germany after being convicted in 2016 over an article alleging that Turkey had supplied weapons to Islamist groups in Syria.
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EU Competition Chief Hints at New Data Rules for Tech Firms
The European Union’s powerful competition chief has indicated she’s looking at expanding regulations on personal data, dropping an initial hint about how she plans to use new powers against tech companies.
Margrethe Vestager said Friday that while Europeans have control over their own data through the EU’s existing data privacy rules, they don’t address problems stemming from the way companies use other people’s data, “to draw conclusions about me or to undermine democracy.”She said, “we may also need broader rules to make sure that the way companies collect and use data doesn’t harm the fundamental values of our society.”Vestager spoke days after she was appointed to a second term as the EU’s competition commissioner. She was also given new powers to shape the bloc’s digital policies.
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Ousted Tunisian President Hospitalized Ahead оf Election
A lawyer for the former Tunisian president ousted in the 2011 Arab Spring says Zine El Abidine Ben Ali has been hospitalized in Saudi Arabia.Mounir Ben Salha told Mosaique radio Thursday night that Ben Ali’s daughter called him to say the 83-year-old ex-president is “very sick” after years of treatment for prostate cancer. The lawyer said Ben Ali is in a hospital in Jeddah.The lawyer’s announcement came as Tunisians prepare for a presidential election Sunday. It is Tunisia’s second democratic presidential election since the 2011 uprising over corruption, unemployment and repression pushed Ben Ali to flee.Ben Ali has been convicted in absentia to several prison terms for corruption-related violations.Given Tunisia’s economic troubles since Ben Ali’s ouster, some have called for his return. But he remains detested by others.
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Mugabe Will Have Private Burial at National Heroes’ Acre
Former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe will be buried at the national Heroes’ Acre site but the date has not yet been set, a family spokesman said Friday, as mourners gathered to view the body for a second day in the capital, Harare.The decision to inter Mugabe at the state burial site is the latest turn in the tussle between his family and President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Mugabe’s once-trusted deputy who helped to oust him from power in late 2017.The Mugabe family’s decision on Heroes’ Acre as the burial site for the ex-leader, who died at age 95 in Singapore a week ago, came after consultations with influential traditional chiefs, nephew Leo Mugabe told reporters at the family’s Blue Roof house.The Heroes’ Acre monument is reserved for top officials of Zimbabwe’s ruling ZANU-PF party who contributed to ending white colonial rule. Mugabe oversaw its construction atop a prominent hill, featuring a towering sculpture of guerrilla fighters.
His body was on view at Rufaro Stadium for a second day Friday. A stampede on Thursday injured several people trying to view it.
On Saturday, several African heads of state and other dignitaries are expected to attend a state ceremony at the National Sports Stadium.
Government officials earlier had said that Mugabe would be given a state burial Sunday at Heroes’ Acre, but his nephew said that was not correct. On Sunday there will be a state ceremony with a 21-gun salute but the actual burial will occur several days later, he said.“The private burial will be post-Sunday. There are certain preparations that need to be done at Heroes’ Acre and those developments will take time. These developments are the specifications from the chiefs themselves,” Leo Mugabe said, adding that the family was happy with their decision.Mugabe was a former guerrilla leader who fought to end white minority rule and led Zimbabwe for 37 years, from independence in 1980 until he was deposed.The tussle over the burial highlighted the lasting acrimony between Mnangagwa and Mugabe’s widow, Grace, and other family members. Mnangagwa met with them to try to resolve the burial dispute and on Thursday said his government would respect the family’s wishes, adding they have “the full support of the government.”
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Trump Says Fourth Kim Meeting Possible
U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have already met three times since last June. Trump says round four could soon happen. But Korea watchers are more focused on long-delayed working-level talks, as VOA’s William Gallo reports from Seoul.
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Climate Activists Thwarted in Planned Protest at Heathrow
London’s Heathrow Airport remained open Friday despite plans by climate-change activists to disrupt flights by flying drones close to the travel hub.The activists, a group called Heathrow Pause, had planned to halt flights by flying drones within 5 kilometers of the airport. The point was to push the government to move more aggressively to cut carbon emissions, but Reuters reported Friday that the effort was stymied when the drones did not fly and the airport carried on normally.The airport said on its website that its runways and taxiways “remain open and fully operational despite attempts to disrupt the airport through the illegal use of drones in protest nearby.”Heathrow Pause said the airport was using signal jamming to frustrate early flights; the airport said it would “continue to work with the authorities to carry out dynamic risk assessment programs and keep our passengers flying safely on their journeys today.”Two men were arrested Friday in connection with the protest, following arrests of five others Thursday.Airport officials have called the drone protests “reckless,” saying they “could endanger the lives of the traveling public and our colleagues,” and the airport’s statement Friday said, “We agree with the need for climate change action but illegal protest activity designed with the intention of disrupting thousands of people, is not the answer.”A British law enacted last year prohibits the flying of drones within 5 kilometers of any airport. It was the result of drone protests in December 2018 and January 2019 that grounded or diverted more than 1,000 flights at London’s Heathrow and Gatwick airports, affecting tens of thousands of travelers.
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Pope Francis to Visit Thailand, Japan in November
Pope Francis will visit Thailand and Japan in November in a visit expected to highlight his call for complete nuclear disarmament and honor the small Catholic communities in each country.The Vatican confirmed the Nov. 19-26 trip, and its diplomatic representative in Thailand, Archbishop Paul Tschang In-Nam, announced the Thai stop on Friday. Francis will be in Thailand on Nov. 20-23 before heading to Japan, where government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said he would meet with the emperor.It will be Francis’ fourth trip to Asia, where he has already visited South Korea, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Myanmar and Bangladesh.Saint Pope John Paul IIThe last pope to visit Japan was the late Saint Pope John Paul II in 1981. He was also the last pope to visit Thailand, in 1984.During his official visit to Thailand, Francis will preside at religious ceremonies and pay pastoral visits to Catholic communities.Francis’s Japan visit includes Tokyo as well as Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which were hit by U.S. atomic bombs at the end of World War II.Francis has frequently spoken out about the risk of nuclear war, most emphatically during a 2017 disarmament conference at the Vatican where he signaled a shift in church teaching about nuclear deterrence. In that speech to Nobel laureates, NATO officials and diplomats, he warned that the Cold War-era strategy of deterrence was no longer viable and urged instead complete nuclear disarmament. “If we … take into account the risk of an accidental detonation as a result of error of any kind, the threat of (nuclear weapons’) use, as well as their very possession, is to be firmly condemned,” he said.His comments marked a shift, given previous popes including St. John Paul II, had called for the abolition of nuclear weapons but had said the stockpiling of them could be morally acceptable as a form of deterrence.Family reunion?The pontiff’s arrival will lead to a reinvigoration of belief among the nearly 400,000 faithful here. But for Sister Ana Rosa Sivori, it also means the pleasure of a family reunion.At St. Mary’s girls’ school in Udon Thani, about 570 kilometers (355 miles) northeast of Bangkok, the pupils have only recently realized their unassuming vice principal’s connection to the pope.Sister Ana Rosa, originally from Buenos Aires in Argentina, came to Thailand in 1966 and has worked as a missionary in several parts of the country. She shares a great-grandfather with Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who, six years ago, became Pope Francis. So, she and the pontiff are second cousins.
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Trump: Fourth Kim Meeting Possible
U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have met three times since June 2018. Trump says round four could soon happen. But Korea watchers are more focused on long-delayed working-level talks.Donald Trump says he may hold a fourth meeting with Kim Jong Un by the end of the year.“They want to meet. They’d like to meet. I think it’s something that will happen,” he said.FILE – National Security Adviser John Bolton listens during a press briefing at the White House, Jan. 28, 2019, in Washington.North Korea has already offered working-level talks by the end of the month, raising hopes of a more substantive phase of negotiations. The departure of Trump’s hawkish National Security Adviser John Bolton may help, says former U.S. official Dennis Wilder.“I think the North Koreans will be happy to see John Bolton no longer as part of the president’s team. … John Bolton clearly never was on board with the president’s policies on Korea,” Wilder said.Bolton famously referred to the “Libya model” for North Korea’s denuclearization. An unnerving image for Pyongyang, as Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi was killed by U.S.-backed rebels after giving up his nuclear program.“You just take a look at what happened with Gadhafi,” Trump said. “That was not a good statement to make and it set us back.”Despite Bolton’s departure, North Korea isn’t likely to make the talks easy. This week the North conducted its 10th round of short-range missile launches since May.If talks do eventually restart, the format they take will be crucial. That’s because if the U.S. and North Korea are to make actual progress on a nuclear agreement, it will take nuclear experts — a meeting much more substantive than Kim and Trump shaking hands.
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The Fate of Syria’s Idlib to Top Turkey, Russia, Iran Talks
Turkish, Iranian and Russian presidents will meet in Ankara Monday under the Astana process, where the three countries regularly meet to try and resolve the Syrian conflict. The fate of the last rebel enclave in Idlib is expected top the agenda. With Syrian regime forces threatening to overrun Idlib, Ankara is warning of a humanitarian disaster. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul.
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US Civil Rights Advocate Juanita Abernathy Dies at 88
Juanita Abernathy, who wrote the business plan for the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and took other influential steps in helping to build the American civil rights movement, died Thursday. She was 88.Family spokesman James Peterson confirmed Abernathy died at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta following complications from a stroke. In a statement, Peterson said Abernathy died surrounded by her three children and four grandchildren.The widow of the Rev. Dr. Ralph Abernathy, Juanita Abernathy worked alongside him and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and others for the right to vote. She also taught voter education classes, housed Freedom Riders and marched on Washington in 1963 seeking passage of what became the Civil Rights Act. Abernathy also was a national sales director for Mary Kay Cosmetics.Abernathy, of Uniontown, Alabama, was the youngest of eight children. She was educated at Selma University Prep School, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business education from Tennessee State University.For 16 years, Abernathy served on the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority. She also served on the board of the Fulton County Development Authority and on the Board of Directors for Introducing Youth to American Infrastructure.Abernathy was the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the Martin Luther King Jr. Civil and Human Rights Award from the National Education Association.Survivors include her children, Juandalynn Abernathy, Donzaleigh Abernathy and Kwame Abernathy and grandchildren, Ralph Abernathy IV, Christiana Abernathy, Micah Abernathy and Soeren-Niklas Haderup.Funeral arrangements are pending.
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Mnuchin Says 100-Year Treasury Bond Possible
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Thursday said the United States would issue 50-year bonds if there was “proper demand,” a moved aimed at “de-risking” the government’s $22 trillion of debt and locking in low interest rates.
“We are going to start with 50 years, and if the answer is 50 years is successful, we’ll consider 100-year bonds,” Mnuchin said in an interview with The New York Times’ DealBook and streamed online live, adding that he began looking into the possibility of ultra-long U.S. bonds two years ago.
The longest-dated U.S. Treasury currently is 30 years.
U.S. President Donald Trump has proposed a different fix for the rising cost of the record U.S. debt, calling Wednesday on the “boneheads” at the Federal Reserve to reduce interest rates to below zero so as to reduce interest rate payments.
The Fed is widely expected to cut interest rates by a modest quarter of a percentage point next week when U.S. rate-setters meet. Powell’s viewFed Chair Jerome Powell and other policymakers see U.S. economic conditions as still generally favorable despite a global slowdown and a still-unresolved U.S.-China trade war, and they have consistently pushed back against the notion of negative rates or of setting rates to cater to political pressure.
On Thursday, the European Central Bank pushed its target rates further into negative territory to try to boost growth, prompting a complaint from Trump that Europeans are “paid” to borrow money, while the Fed “just sits, and sits, and sits.”
Asked about negative interest rates, Mnuchin indicated that he was not the fan that his boss was.
“Low interest rates are good for economic growth,” Mnuchin said. “I think negative interest rates — unclear whether they are good for economic growth. I think that negative interest rates are bad for banking business. It’s hard to grow an economy without having a healthy banking business.”
Mnuchin did predict that the ECB’s easing policy could push more global capital into U.S. Treasurys, whose yields, though historically low, are much higher than those on German government bonds.
“My expectation is you are going to see a big flow of funds” into 10-year Treasurys, Mnuchin said. That would push U.S. bond prices higher, and yields lower, giving a potential added boost to the case for issuing ultra-long U.S. bonds to lock in low borrowing costs.
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Climate-Change Activists Plan to Disrupt Heathrow With Drones on Friday
Climate-change activists plan to disrupt Heathrow Airport with drones on Friday morning, despite the arrest of five of their members in a pre-emptive strike by London police. The Heathrow Pause group aims to ground flights by illegally
flying drones within five kilometers (three miles) of an airport, to put pressure on the government to take tougher steps to reduce carbon emissions. Police arrested three men and two women from the group on Thursday on suspicion of conspiracy to commit a public nuisance in relation to operations at the airport. But Heathrow Pause said it would go ahead anyway. “The action will carry on exactly as planned, peacefully and nonviolently, regardless of today’s events — we have contingency measures in place,” it said in a statement on Thursday. Earlier this week, police said they were confident the action would not lead to a repeat of the chaos seen at Gatwick last December, when drone sightings grounded planes in the run-up to Christmas. But they warned that attempted disruption of the airport and flying drones without permission in the exclusion zone were serious crimes. The activists say they are not looking to endanger life, and aim to conduct the action and alert authorities before the airport opens. Heathrow has said the demonstration is counterproductive
and criminal, adding that despite talks between the two sides, the campaigners disagree with the airport’s belief that aviation can and should be decarbonized.
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UN Eases Arms Embargo on Central African Republic
The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Thursday to ease the arms embargo on the Central African Republic, where the government signed a peace deal with 14 armed groups.The French-drafted resolution said there is an “urgent need for the CAR authorities to train and equip their defense and security forces to be able to respond proportionately to threats to the security of all citizens.”Conditions for easing the embargo include limits on the caliber of the weapons security forces can have and banning the sale or transfer of the weapons.In her first appearance before the Security Council, new U.S. Ambassador Kelly Craft spoke out against arms trafficking in the region.“The irresponsible flooding of arms into a desperately poor and divided country would only increase the likelihood of a return to widespread bloodshed and violence. This is not what anyone wants,” she said.The U.N. imposed an arms embargo on the CAR in 2013 after Seleka rebels toppled President Francois Bozize.This led to fighting among numerous tribes and religious groups. The CAR signed a peace agreement with 14 of those groups in February, who joined in the formation of a new government.
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