Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said Thursday that China had sailed its newest aircraft carrier through the Taiwan Strait for a second time.The move comes as Taiwan prepares to hold a presidential election January 11.The Chinese carrier first went through the strait November 17 for what China said was “routine training” in the “relevant waters of the South China Sea.”Taiwan’s foreign minister, Joseph Wu, responded to that transit with a Twitter post accusing China of attempting to interfere with Taiwan’s elections and said voters would not be intimidated.The Foreign Ministry had a similar message Thursday, saying in its own post, “Military threats like this only toughen Taiwan’s determination to defend itself and preserve regional peace and stability.”China has claimed sovereignty over self-ruled Taiwan since the Chinese civil war of the 1940s and threatened to take it by force if needed.
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Month: December 2019
China’s November Soybean Imports Jump After US Trade Deal
AP Photo transref:BKWS301, transref:BKWS302 China’s imports of soybeans surged in November following the announcement of an interim trade deal with the United States. Imports rose 53.7% over a year earlier to 5.4 million tons, according to customs data.Imports of U.S. soybeans more than doubled from the previous month to 2.6 million tons, according to AWeb.com, a news website that serves the Chinese farming industry. China cut off purchases of American soybeans, the country’s biggest import from the United States, after President Donald Trump raised import duties on Chinese goods in a dispute over Beijing’s technology ambitions and trade surplus. The two governments announced an interim “Phase 1” agreement in October but have yet to release details. U.S. officials say it might be signed as early as January.U.S. officials said as part of that deal, Beijing will buy more American farm exports. Chinese officials have yet to confirm the possible scale of purchases.Chinese government spokespeople said in September importers were placing orders for American soybeans but no details of purchases have been announced.Chinese buyers use soybeans as animal feed and to crush for cooking oil.Beijing bought more Brazilian soybeans, but no other supplier could fully replace the large scale of American supplies. That added to the strain on Chinese pig farmers who are struggling with an outbreak of African swine fever that has devastated herds.
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Australia Firefighters Brace for Heatwave This Weekend
Firefighters battling wildfires in Australia’s most populous state attempted to make headway Thursday amid favorable conditions, before a heatwave hits this weekend.Thousands of firefighters in New South Wales took advantage of cooler weather and continued to strengthen containment lines. More than 70 fires, however, were still burning across the state with areas in the south coast at the “watch and act” level issued by fire services. About 5 million hectares (12.35 million acres) of land have burned nationwide over the past few months, with nine people killed and more than 950 homes destroyed. New South Wales has received the brunt of the damage, with around 850 homes razed in the state.Authorities are bracing for conditions to deteriorate as high temperatures return. Sydney is forecast to hit 31 degrees Celsius (88 Fahrenheit) Sunday before reaching 35 C (95 F) on Tuesday. The city’s western suburbs could reach 41 C (106 F) Sunday.Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Rose Barr said a heatwave is building in southern parts of New South Wales before worsening on the weekend.“Some areas are forecast to reach extreme heatwave conditions,” she said. “With the increasing heat and winds, the fire danger will worsen into the new week, with Monday and Tuesday most likely to be the most significant fire weather days.”Fire danger ratings remained very high in northwestern New South Wales, and high in Sydney.Meanwhile, South Australian firefighters Thursday were battling wildfires in Adelaide Hills, which has been downgraded to the “advice” level. South Australia state last week reported 86 homes destroyed after wildfires flared in catastrophic conditions. A return of extreme temperatures, however, are expected with Adelaide, the state capital, set to reach a sizzling 40 C (104 F) Friday to start a four-day heatwave, its second such hot spell in just over a week.
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Typhoon Leaves at Least 16 Dead Across Central Philippines
Tourists on the popular Philippine holiday island of Boracay were stranded Thursday after a typhoon swept through Christmas Day, killing at least 16 people in other parts of the county.Typhoon Phanfone, with wind gusts reaching 200 kilometres (125 miles) an hour, tore roofs off houses and toppled electric posts as it ripped through the central Philippines Wednesday. At least 16 people were killed in villages and towns in the Visayas, the central third of the Philippines, according to disaster agency officials.Phanfone also hit Boracay, Coron and other holiday destinations that are famed for their white-sand beaches and popular with foreign tourists.Mobile phone and internet access on Boracay was cut during the storm Wednesday and the networks remained down Thursday, making assessment of the damage there difficult.“Still, communication lines are down. Electricity is still down,” Jonathan Pablito, police chief of Malay town in Aklan province, which is on a neighboring island to Boracay, told AFP. Pablito said ferry services between Boracay and Aklan, the main way to travel to and from the holiday island, were not operating Thursday.“We have no news from coast guard if ships were allowed to sail. Since the 24th… all those going to the island and coming from the island weren’t able to cross,” he said.General view of storm debris in Biliran, Philippines, Dec. 26, 2019, in this picture obtained from social media. (Vermalyn Maloloy-on Navarrete/Reuters)The airport at Kalibo town in Aklan, which services Boracay, was badly damaged, according to a Korean tourist who was stranded there and provided images to AFP.“Roads remain blocked, but some efforts have been made to clear away the damage. It’s pretty bad,” Jung Byung Joon said via Instagram messenger. “Everything within 100 meters of the airport looks broken. There are a lot of frustrated people at the airport as flights have been cancelled.”Though much weaker, Phanfone tracked a similar path as Super Typhoon Haiyan, the country’s deadliest storm on record, which left more than 7,300 people dead or missing in 2013.
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Election Officials Learn Military Mindset Ahead of 2020 Vote
Inside a hotel ballroom near the nation’s capital, a U.S. Army officer with battlefield experience told 120 state and local election officials that they may have more in common with the military strategists than they might think.These government officials are on the front lines of a different kind of high-stakes battlefield — one in which they are helping to defend American democracy by ensuring free and fair elections.“Everyone in this room is part of a bigger effort, and it’s only together are we going to get through this,” the officer said.That officer and other past and present national security leaders had a critical message to convey to officials from 24 states gathered for a recent training held by a Harvard-affiliated democracy project: They are the linchpins in efforts to defend U.S. elections from an attack by Russia, China or other foreign threats, and developing a military mindset will help them protect the integrity of the vote.A booklet held by military and national security officials during an exercise for state and local election officials to simulate different scenarios for the 2020 elections, in Springfield, Va., Dec. 16, 2019.Election security worriesThe need for such training reflects how elections security worries have heightened in the aftermath of the 2016 election, when Russian military agents targeted voting systems across the country as part of a multipronged effort to influence the presidential election. Until then, the job of local election officials could had been described as something akin to a wedding planner who keeps track of who will be showing up on Election Day and ensures all the equipment and supplies are in place and ready to go.Now, these officials are on the front lines. The federal government will be on high alert, gathering intelligence and scanning systems for suspicious cyber activity as they look to defend the nation’s elections. Meanwhile, it will be the state and county officials who will be on the ground charged with identifying and dealing with any hostile acts.“It’s another level of war,” said Jesse Salinas, the chief elections official in Yolo County, California, who attended the training. “You only attack things that you feel are a threat to you, and our democracy is a threat to a lot of these nation-states that are getting involved trying to undermine it. We have to fight back, and we have to prepare.”Karen Brenson Bell, from North Carolina, listens during an exercise run by military and national security officials, for state and local election officials to simulate different scenarios for the 2020 elections, Dec. 16, 2019.Defending Digital DemocracySalinas brought four of his employees with him to the training, which was part of the Defending Digital Democracy project based at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School. The group has been working actively with former and current military, national security, political and communications experts — many of whom dedicate their time after work and on weekends — to develop training and manuals for state and local election officials. Those involved with leading the training asked for anonymity because of their sensitive positions.The project’s latest playbook focuses on bringing military best practices to running Election Day operations, encouraging state and local election officials to adopt a “battle staff” command structure with clear roles and responsibilities and standard operating procedures for dealing with minor issues. The project is also providing officials with a free state-of-the-art incident tracking system.Eric Rosenbach, co-director of the Belfer Center and a former U.S. Army intelligence officer who served as chief of staff to Defense Secretary Ash Carter in the Obama administration, told the group gathered for the training that it “shouldn’t be lost on you that this is a very military-like model.”“Let’s be honest about it,” Rosenbach said. “If democracy is under attack and you guys are the ones at the pointy end of the spear, why shouldn’t we train that way? Why shouldn’t we try to give you the help that comes with that model and try to build you up and do all we can?”Beyond just putting out firesInstructors stressed the need for election officials to be on the lookout for efforts to disrupt the vote and ensure that communications are flowing up from counties to the state, down from states to the counties, as well as up and down to the federal government and across states.Piecing together seemingly disparate actions happening in real-time across geographical locations will allow the nation to defend itself, said Robby Mook, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager in 2016. Mook co-founded the Defending Digital Democracy project with Matt Rhoades, Republican nominee Mitt Romney’s 2012 campaign manager.“Find a way to input data in a consistent, efficient and reliable way to ensure you know what is going on and prevents things from falling through the cracks,” Mook told the election officials. “You got to rise above just putting out fires.”At the training were officials from California, Colorado, Georgia, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, West Virginia and other states. In one exercise, election officials were paired up as either a state or county under an Election Day scenario, charged with logging incidents and trying to piece together what turned out to be four different coordinated campaigns to disrupt voting.“One of the big takeaways was just how the lack of one piece of information moving up from the counties to the state or moving from the states to counties, if either of those things don’t happen, it can have a significant impact,” said Stephen Trout, elections director for Oregon.Trout said he would move quickly to acquire, customize and implement the incident tracking system, which would be an upgrade from the paper process currently in use. Dave Tackett, chief information officer for the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office, said he will recommend some structuring changes at his state operations center, including bringing key personnel into the room and incorporating elements of the incident tracking system like mapping and the ability to assign individuals to specific incidents.“Events like today are helping us zero in on how to structure ourselves better, how to really think in a different mindset so that we can carry out all the different tasks that have to be done with elections,” said Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the North Carolina Board of Elections. “(It’s) the importance of communications, the importance of having standard operating procedures in place so all the i’s are dotted and the t’s crossed ahead of time and you are prepared for the unknown.”
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Botswana’s Ex-President Worries About Decline in Democracy, Rebuffs Corruption Claims
Botswana’s former President Ian Khama is strongly denying allegations of corruption and voicing his concerns about the direction of the country.In an interview with VOA’s Nightline Africa radio program, Khama said claims made by the administration of current President Mokgweetsi Masisi that he misappropriated billions in the local currency are “laughable.” He said he plans to take the matter to court.Khama said the false accusation is payback by members of the ruling party for his decision to campaign against them in the recent presidential election. The party, the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), was founded by Khama’s father.“The only reason that this was done was because a few months ago I resigned from the ruling party. Because they had abandoned our democratic credentials that we have had such a good reputation with up to this point in time,” he told VOA.Botswana had an election in October where Khama campaigned against the ruling party.“They swore that they would ‘get at me and fix me’ in their own words for having done that,” he said.Earlier this month, Jako Hubona, of Botswana’s Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime, accused Khama and two other former high-ranking officials of transferring state funds to personal bank accounts in South Africa and Hong Kong. Only one official, senior intelligence officer Weleminah Maswabi, has been formally charged so far.Botswana’s president Mokgweetsi Masisi attends the World Economic Forum Africa meeting at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, Sept. 4, 2019, in Cape Town.Trophy hunting licensesKhama claims the current president, who previously served as his vice president, has become “drunk on power.” One policy difference between the two men is a decision by Masisi earlier this year to reverse a ban on trophy hunting of elephants. Conservation had been a major part of Khama’s administration.But Khama said that although he disagrees with the decision, he did not seek to interfere.“A new administration is at liberty to introduce its own policies. So when he did it I just said, ‘Well that’s fine,’” he said. “He’s the president today. If he wants to bring about those policy changes, he’s quite entitled to do so. I did the same thing. So who am I to try and challenge them?”Decline in democracyBut Khama is gravely concerned about the state of democracy in his country and the ethics of the party he led for 10 years. He pointed to the fact that the BDP postponed primary elections three times this year and has incurred accusations of cheating. In recent history, Botswana has won accolades from organizations such as Transparency International for being among the least corrupt on the continent. Khama says that reputation is now in jeopardy.“I would say it’s definitely in decline. If you’ve been following how our elections went, you would see that a number of petitions before the courts about allegations of rigging of the elections. Something certainly went wrong there that we’ve never, ever seen before,” he said.
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Singapore Police Probe Indian for Alleged Modi Citizenship Law Protest
Singapore police are investigating an Indian national for allegedly being involved in a public protest against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s controversial citizenship law. Unauthorized public assemblies and protests over political situations in other countries are banned in Singapore. Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to Indian streets to protest the citizenship law enacted by Modi’s Hindu nationalist government that provides non-Muslim minorities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who moved there before 2015 a pathway to Indian citizenship. Singapore police said following a report on December 24 they were investigating a 32-year-old male Indian national for participating in “a public assembly without a police permit” at the Marina Bay waterfront financial and tourist district. “He allegedly carried out the activity in Marina Bay, to show his opposition to India’s Citizenship Amendment Bill,” police said in a statement late Wednesday. The statement did not give any more details of the assembly. Local media reported the man posted a picture of himself on social media with a placard “to express his unhappiness.” The police said organizing or participating in a public assembly without a police permit in Singapore is illegal and that they would not grant any permit for assemblies that advocate political causes of other countries.
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Rakhine Rebels Say Myanmar Official Killed in Fighting
Rebels in Myanmar’s Rakhine region said a captured official from Aung San Suu Kyi’s ruling party has died, two weeks after being taken for organizing protests against genocide accusations faced by Myanmar at the World Court. The Arakan Army rebels said Buthidaung National League for Democracy (NLD) Chairman Ye Thein, the most senior civilian official to die in the growing insurgency, was killed Monday in an attack on the rebels by Myanmar’s army. There was no independent confirmation. The incident underscored the increasing loss of government control in a region that came to world attention when 700,000 Rohingya Muslims fled to Bangladesh to escape an army crackdown on a different rebel group in 2017. The Arakan Army said its positions had come under attack from Myanmar’s army. “Due to big explosions, some detainees died and some were wounded. The NLD chairman from Buthidaung, Ye Thein, died on scene,” the Arakan Army said in the statement. It said he had been taken prisoner on December 11. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced in Rakhine since clashes between the Arakan Army and the army began around a year ago. The insurgents, whose forces are from the largely Buddhist Rakhine people, are fighting for greater autonomy. The say they have no links to the Rohingya rebel group whose attacks sparked the 2017 army crackdown that led to the accusations of genocide brought against Myanmar at the International Court of Justice by The Gambia. The Arakan Army is among several ethnic armed factions that have said they support the case against Myanmar. Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s de facto ruler, personally led Myanmar’s defense against the accusations at hearings in The Hague earlier this month. The army made no comment on the report of the NLD official’s death. NLD party spokesman Myo Nyunt said it was the responsibility of the Arakan Army.
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Italy Education Minister Resigns Over Lack of Funds
Italian Education Minister Lorenzo Fioramonti told Reuters on Wednesday that he had resigned after failing to obtain from the government billions of euros he said were needed to improve the country’s schools and universities. The resignation was a blow to the embattled government, whose ruling parties are at odds on issues ranging from eurozone reform to migrant rights. It also underscores the problems of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement, Fioramonti’s party, which is trying to reorganize amid widespread internal dissatisfaction with its leader, Luigi Di Maio. This month three 5-Star senators jumped ship to join the right-wing League in opposition. Fioramonti told Reuters he had tendered his “irrevocable resignation” to Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte in a letter on Monday. Pledge to quitFioramonti said shortly after the government of 5-Star and the center-left Democratic Party was formed in September that he would quit unless education spending was raised by 3 billion euros ($3.3 billion) in the 2020 budget. Few believed him, even as the budget continued its passage through parliament and it became clear the government had little intention of hiking taxes or cutting spending to find the funds he demanded. The budget was approved on Monday ahead of a December 31 deadline. “It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that a minister keeps his word,” Fioramonti told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday. Fioramonti said he would still support the government in parliament, where he is a lower-house deputy. Italy spends 3.6% of gross domestic product on primary to university education, compared with an average of 5% among 32 countries in a report by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development.Fioramonti, a former economics professor at South Africa’s Pretoria University, has been one of Italy’s most outspoken ministers during his three months in office. His proposals for new taxes on airline tickets, plastic and sugary foods to raise funds for education were attacked by critics who said Italians were already overtaxed. Green policiesA vocal supporter of green policies, Fioramonti made headlines when he announced Italy would next year become the first country to make it compulsory for schoolchildren to study climate change and sustainable development. Earlier this month, he said Italian energy giant ENI should halt oil exploration and focus on renewable energy. “I have sometimes felt I could have had more support from my own party over my proposals on the environment,” Fioramonti said. “5-Star was born 10 years ago with a strongly green platform, but it seems to have got lost along the way.”
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Trump Campaign Urges Supporters to Debate With Relatives During Holidays
As American families of all political stripes gather for the holidays, U.S. President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign is offering ready-made arguments supporters can deploy at the family dinner table.On Christmas Eve, the campaign unveiled a website to help Trump supporters win arguments with any liberal family members who criticize the president or his job performance.Psychologists typically advise avoiding politics to reduce stress over the holidays. By contrast, the president’s campaign suggests supporters should welcome debate on Trump and his policies.Arranged by topics and accompanied by descriptive narrative and video clips, the arguments tout what the campaign sees as the president’s achievements on economic and domestic matters, as well as trade and international affairs.Similar resources also are being offered to Democrats and liberals.A contributing author to The Atlantic magazine recently offered liberals tips for debating with conservatives, urging them to steer clear of personal attacks and focus on facts, asserting, “Truth won’t stop being truth. Trump won’t stop being Trump.”Researchers say political debate has a direct effect on family celebrations.According to a recent study released last year by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, during periods of heightened political discord, Americans tend to avoid or cut short family holiday meals to prevent uncomfortable political confrontations with relatives.For many, avoiding politics at the holiday table is sound advice. But adhering to it may be easier said than done.
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Russia: UN Chief Turns Blind Eye over US Visa Delays
Russia’s Foreign Ministry accused the U.N. secretary general of turning a blind eye to what Moscow says is U.S. delays in issuing visas for Russian officials seeking to travel to the U.N. headquarters in New York.Moscow says Washington has deliberately delayed issuing visas to Russian officials traveling to the U.N. headquarters, a move Russia has said could further damage strained relations.Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement that some Defense Ministry officials who were due to travel to the U.N. secretariat had to wait “months” for visa clearance.”It is noticeable, that all that is happening with the sheer connivance from the U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who effectively ignores United States’ breaches into the U.N. Charter,” she said.Russia summoned a senior U.S. diplomat in September to protest over what it said was Washington’s unacceptable refusal to issue visas to members of a Russian delegation traveling to the U.N. General Assembly.
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International Students Forge New ‘Home’ for the Holidays
For many international students studying in the United States, returning to their home country for the winter holidays is not an option.Students cite the cost of flights, and worries about renewing visas as the main reasons for not traveling. And some who live very far say it wouldn’t be worth the trip to go back just for a week or two.Calvina Hoff poses with the Christmas tree at her aunt’s house in Georgia. (Courtesy photo Calvina Hoff)”Right now I’m with my aunt in Georgia — Atlanta — this is my first time with her for the holidays,” said Calvina Hoff, a student at Livingstone College in North Carolina.Calvina has spent three Christmas seasons in the United States with different family members from Liberia — aunts and uncles with whom she hadn’t celebrated back home.Other students like Miriam Komuhendo, originally from Uganda but a first-year grad student at American University, have family visiting them from overseas.”My sister came over to visit so we’re probably going to cook together have something to eat, maybe find the tree to decorate and put presents under it,” Miriam said.”So we’re just going to see how it goes.”But many international students don’t have family in the United States and will not have family from overseas coming to visit them.Especially in a city like Washington, international students have found a large diaspora community that helps them feel at home.”I’m staying with a family — they’re also from Brazil, but they’ve been living here for a really long time,” said Rebeca Oliveira Esteves, a student at American University originally from Brazil.”They have a tradition of hosting a Christmas celebration with people who do not have their family here. Everyone can bring something to eat or to drink,” she noted.Augustine Achu traveled to Massachusetts from Washington DC to spend Christmas with a group of fellow Nigerian friends. (Courtesy photo Augustine Achu)”We kind of like built this family together … we all see ourselves as one family,” Nigerian student Augustine Achu explained, describing the community in Massachusetts where he’ll celebrate his holidays.”They’re from the same tribe as me. We all come from the same state. That’s what I meant by relatives, not like they’re like family members, but here in the U.S. we kind of built this family together,” said Achu.All of the students say the holidays are a time of nostalgia, when it’s comforting to be around people from the same cultural backgrounds as them. And although these students have found at least a slice of home in the United States, they all say they miss the celebrations back home, and their mothers’ cooking.
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Clashes Mar Christmas Celebrations in Hong Kong
Christmas festivities turned tense in Hong Kong late Wednesday when police fired tear gas and used pepper spray on anti-government protesters and made arrests amid a second day of hostile confrontations.The latest clash came as the semi-autonomous city’s Beijing-appointed leader, Carrie Lam, condemned what she called “reckless and selfish rioters” for ruining the celebrations. The Hong Kong CEO said the government would “make sure those who break the law suffer the consequences.”Plain clothed police officers arrest protesters in a mall during Christmas Eve in Hong Kong, Dec. 24, 2019.The clashes occurred as activists held flash mob protests in malls and shopping districts across Hong Kong on Christmas Day. Police also stopped and searched many young people dressed in black — the signature dress code of activists who have been involved in the anti-government movement since it started in June.In Mongkok, a bustling downtown shopping district, riot police armed with shields exchanged insults with protesters, shoppers and passersby before firing multiple rounds of tear gas at them and making arrests. Officers were heard calling protesters “trash.” It was not clear if police were provoked.Scores of people had gathered on the streets in the area, some waving U.S. and Hong Kong independence flags.One man was pepper-sprayed after arguing with police. He was wrestled to the ground and arrested on suspicion of assaulting an officer, reported public broadcaster RTHK. Police used pepper spray again later as a crowd of onlookers heckled officers, it said.An outdoor food stall was engulfed in the noxious gas as staff threw away fish balls, tofu and snacks that had been contaminated.Debris burns on a street during a rally in Hong Kong, Dec. 25, 2019.Hundreds of riot police officers and police vehicles remained in the area as of late evening, as protesters continued to shout slogans to condemn the police. Journalists and passersby were stopped and searched.There were also arrests and tense confrontations between police and protesters in upmarket shopping malls in the out-of-town Shatin and Kowloon Bay districts, after activists marched, some singing the protest’s unofficial anthem, “Glory to Hong Kong.” Many shops closed early.Police were hostile to journalists, shoving some with shields and shooing them away. A number of journalists became drenched in pepper spray when police shot the irritant at them, reported RTHK.Large numbers of riot police were standing guard in Tsim Sha Tsui, an area with luxury hotels and shops popular with tourists, stopping and searching mostly young people. On Christmas Eve, police shot multiple rounds of tear gas in the area, engulfing the tourist spot adorned with decorations.Residents dressed for Christmas festivities react to tear gas as police confront protesters on Christmas Eve in Hong Kong, Dec. 24, 2019.At an upscale shopping mall, Times Square in Causeway Bay, some protesters dressed as snowmen, reindeer and Santa Claus, amusing passersby.Large crowds had gathered in shopping malls since Christmas Eve in response to online calls to “go shopping” to voice their discontent with the government and to demand greater democracy. Wednesday’s scenes of chaos were already less intense than those on Christmas Eve, when tear gas and rubber bullets were fired in several locations and police severely beat activists in confrontations. Protesters blocked roads, vandalized businesses seen as pro-government and threw sporadic fuel bombs.The anti-government movement in Hong Kong, sparked by a controversial extradition law, shows no signs of abating. Protesters say they will not give up unless the government meets their political demands, which include universal suffrage and an independent investigation into police brutality.
The Christmas unrest broke out after a few weeks of relative calm in a city that has been roiled by the civil unrest that had seen more than 6,000 people arrested, some as young as 12. The brief period of calm came after violent clashes at two universities and after the pro-democracy camp last month won a landslide victory in local district elections, which yielded no direct political power.Police said 105 people were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly taking part in an illegal assembly. They said the crowd, including teenagers as young as 13, shouted slogans, occupied pedestrian walkways and caused inconvenience to the public. A protester who gave his surname as Chan said police were overreacting to what were meant to be peaceful Christmas protests and their actions intimidated members of the public and instigated conflicts.“The presence of so many riot police officers is itself a provocative gesture. Nothing would have happened if they weren’t there, and now they’re putting all the blame on protesters,” he said.
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Somalia Hopes Security Cameras Deter Mogadishu Terrorist Attacks
Authorities in Somalia have installed security cameras on major roads in the capital, Mogadishu, in an effort to deter ongoing attacks by the Islamist militant group Al-Shabab. Residents and business owners have welcomed the stepped-up security. But, as Mohamed Sheik Nor reports from Mogadishu, some analysts doubt the cameras will be enough to stop the attacks. This month, Somali authorities began installing security cameras on some of Mogadishu’s major roads, like the Maka al-Mukarama, which leads to the presidential palace.
Abdullahi Farah, director of policy and legal affairs at the Ministry of Security says the closed-circuit television cameras, mounted at key intersections, are meant to deter frequent attacks by the al-Shabab terrorist group.Farah says the security cameras will reduce criminal activities and prevent al-Shabab from carrying out attacks.He says these surveillance cameras will reduce the terrorist attacks. They will deter them from carrying out attacks because the cameras are tracking them. Therefore, he says, our people are quite happy about the move and deem it a step forward.Mogadishu residents and business owners have welcomed the cameras in the city’s business center, which the Islamist militants often target.
Business owner Deqa Salad is one of those who think the cameras will make a difference.She says these cameras deter anyone from committing a crime. Even ordinary thieves avoid cameras like these, she says, because they afraid to be caught on camera.But political analyst Hassan Barise says the cameras will only deter terrorists who fear getting caught — not suicide bombers who were told that if they kill, they will be rewarded in the afterlife.“But the others who have been seriously brainwashed, or heavily indoctrinated ones, will not be avoiding anything,” said Barise. “Because, in the end of the day, they think that they will go to heaven.”Barise adds the cameras themselves will need security, as al-Shabab is likely to target them for destruction.
The terrorist group in May ordered Mogadishu businesses with cameras to remove them or else they would attack.
Ibrahim Hajji, director of communications at the Ministry of Defense, says authorities will closely monitor the new security cameras.
A special team is manning this system, which the government established, he says. He says he does not want to go into details, as it is a sensitive matter.To further deter the Islamist militants, Somali authorities say they are also training and deploying more police and intelligence officers in the capital.
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Anti-Putin Activist ‘Forcibly Drafted’ and Sent to Arctic Base
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny said Wednesday that one of his allies had been forcibly conscripted and sent to serve at a remote Arctic base in a move his supporters said amounted to kidnapping.Ruslan Shaveddinov, a project manager at Navalny’s anti-corruption foundation, went missing on Monday after authorities broke into his Moscow flat and his phone’s SIM card was disabled.On Tuesday, he resurfaced at a secret air defence base on the remote Novaya Zemlya archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, Navalny said.”He has been unlawfully deprived of freedom,” President Vladimir Putin’s top opponent said in a blog post, calling the 23-year-old a “political prisoner.”The Russian military insisted that Shaveddinov had been dodging the draft for a long time.Russian men are eligible for conscription between the ages of 18 and 27 and serve one year’s military service. However, many find ways to avoid this in a highly corrupt, flawed system.Navalny said Shaveddinov has a medical condition that disqualifies him for military service but he was forcibly drafted and sent to the Arctic base without basic training.Vyacheslav Gimadi, a lawyer for Navalny’s foundation, said Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and commander-in-chief Putin were directly responsible for what he claimed was an act of “kidnapping.”Navalny’s spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh, who is Shaveddinov’s partner, said the project manager had recently acted as a contact person for opposition lawmakers in Moscow city parliament.”Perhaps this is the reason this has happened,” Yarmysh told AFP.She said Shaveddinov had managed to call her from Novaya Zemlya using other people’s phones.Navalny said Shaveddinov was not allowed to communicate with the outside world or use a phone, unlike other servicemen.The military also assigned a man to follow Shaveddinov all the time, he added.”The armed forces themselves don’t know what the hell they should do with him,” Navalny said.Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters he did not know whether Shaveddinov had been dodging the draft, but said “If he had and was drafted in this manner then everything was done in strict accordance with the law.”Authorities have been steadily ramping up pressure on Navalny and his allies in recent years.The 43-year-old helped organize major protests against the government this summer when tens of thousands took to the streets of Moscow to demand fair elections.
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Ukraine Opens Probe Over Russia’s Railway Bridge to Crimea
Ukrainian officials opened a criminal probe Wednesday after a passenger train from Russia arrived in Crimea via a new Russian-built bridge, arguing that the train illegally carried people across the Ukrainian border.
Earlier this week Russian President Vladimir Putin inaugurated the railway bridge to Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. He said 14 million passengers and about 13 million tons of cargo are expected to move across the bridge next year. The train arrived in Sevastopol from St. Petersburg, Russia’s second largest city.
Russia annexed Crimea on the grounds that residents of the peninsula voted to join up with Russia. The annexation elicited widespread international censure including U.S. and European Union sanctions on Russia. Ukraine has blocked shipment of supplies via its territory to Crimea.
The Ukrainian government has repeatedly said the new bridge was built in violation of international laws. In October 2018, prosecutors opened a criminal case against the companies involved in its construction.
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Time and Cost of Relocation of US Base in Okinawa to Double
The relocation of a U.S. Marine Corps base to a less-crowded area of the southern Japanese island of Okinawa will take more than twice as much money and time as previously estimated because of the need to stabilize the reclaimed land it will be built on, Japan’s government said Wednesday.The Defense Ministry said the relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma from densely populated Ginowanto Henoko on Okinawa’s eastern coast will cost 930 billion yen ($8.5 billion) and take 12 years, pushing its completion into the 2030s. That adds more than a decade to the plan, which has already been delayed by more than 20 years because of local opposition and other reasons.Under an earlier plan agreed to by Tokyo and Washington in 2013, construction was to cost about 350 billion yen ($3.2 billion) and take five years, with completion expected in about 2022.Most of the additional cost and time is required to stabilize and strengthen reclaimed land off the coast of Henoko that will be used for runways, the ministry said. It presented its new estimate to a panel of Japanese experts discussing the relocation plans.Experts have found parts of the sea bottom at the planned reclamation site to be “as soft as mayonnaise” and needing to be reinforced.Many Okinawans oppose the relocation, saying the base should be entirely removed from Okinawa. The heavy U.S. military presence on Okinawa has been a source of a long-running conflict between the island and Washington and Tokyo.Opponents also say the relocation plan should be scrapped for environmental reasons because the site is a habitat for dugongs and corals.
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Wildfire-ravaged Areas of Australia get Holiday Relief
Areas of Australia that have been ravaged by deadly wildfires experienced temporary relief on Wednesday, but oppressive conditions are expected to return this weekend.About 5 million hectares (12.35 million acres) of land have burned nationwide over the past few months, with nine people killed and more than 950 homes destroyed. New South Wales, the country’s most populous state, has received the brunt of the damage, with around 850 homes razed in the state.Parts of New South Wales, including Sydney, experienced cool and damp conditions on Christmas Day, but more than 70 fires continued to burn across the state. New South Wales has been in a seven-day state of emergency, which was to expire on Wednesday night.About 2,000 firefighters and 400 firetrucks battled the blazes in more favorable conditions, but high temperatures are set to return. Sydney is forecast to hit 31 degrees Celsius (88 Fahrenheit) on Sunday, while the city’s western suburbs could reach 41 C (106 F).Fire danger ratings remained very high in northwestern New South Wales, and were between high and moderate for the rest of the state.In his annual Christmas message, Prime Minister Scott Morrison paid tribute to the families of the two firefighters — Geoffrey Keaton, 32, and Andrew O’Dwyer, 36 — who died last week battling blazes southwest of Sydney.The wildfire crisis forced Morrison to cut short his much-criticized family vacation in Hawaii. He returned to Australia on Saturday night.“To Andrew and Geoffrey’s parents, we know this is going to be a tough Christmas for you, first one without both those two amazing men,” he said.“I want to thank all those who serve our nation, serving as volunteers fighting those fires as we speak,” Morrison added.Meanwhile, about 200 firefighters continued to battle a wildfire Wednesday in the Adelaide Hills, which is currently at the “watch and act” level issued by the South Australian Country Fire Service.South Australia state, which last week had 86 homes destroyed after wildfires flared in catastrophic conditions, is bracing for a return of extreme temperatures, with Adelaide, the state capital, expected to reach 41 C (106 F) on Saturday.
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Mongolian Youth Seek to Preserve Reindeer-Based Tradition
Mongolia was once solely a land of nomadic communities moving from location to location, depending on the season. One tribe that has lived in the isolated mountains in the north of the country for generations is the Tsaatan. As the country urbanizes and cities continue to grow, the government has rezoned land on which they were previously free to roam. As Libby Hogan reports from northern Mongolia, young Tsaatan people now face the choice of moving to the city or staying and continuing a traditional nomadic life.
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Pope Sends Special Christmas Message to South Sudanese Leaders
In his Christmas message to the city and to the world, Pope Francis had special thoughts for people forced to migrate due to injustices and for children who are abandoned and suffer violence. The pope also sent a special Christmas message to the leaders of South Sudan.
In his traditional “Urbi et Orbi” Christmas blessing and message from the central balcony of Saint Peter’s Basilica, the pope said his thoughts went to the many areas of the world where there is “darkness due to economic, geopolitical and ecological conflicts but said the light of Christ is greater.
Pope Francis spoke of the many children suffering from war and conflicts in the Middle East and mentioned Syria, Lebanon and Iraq. He spoke of the people of Africa, “where persistent social and political situations often force individuals to migrate, depriving them of a home and family.
He said: “It is injustice that makes them cross deserts and seas that become cemeteries. It is injustice that forces them to ensure unspeakable forms of abuse, enslavement of every kind and torture in inhumane detention camps.” And the pope added “it is injustice that turns them away from places where they might have hope for a dignified life, but instead find themselves before walls of indifference.”Wednesday the pope also sent special wishes for peace and prosperity to the leaders of South Sudan. The joint Christmas message with Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby and the Reverend John Chalmers, former moderator of the Church of Scotland, assured South Sudanese leaders of their spiritual closeness as they strive for a swift implementation of the peace agreements reached for their country.
FILE – Pope Francis meets the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby at the end of a two-day spiritual retreat with South Sudan leaders at the Vatican, April 11, 2019.Today the pope also sent special wishes for peace and prosperity to the leaders of South Sudan. The joint Christmas message with Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby and the Reverend John Chalmers, former moderator of the Church of Scotland, assured South Sudanese leaders of their spiritual closeness as they strive for a swift implementation of the peace agreements reached for their country.
In his Christmas message, Pope Francis also had thoughts for the Venezuelan people, long beleaguered by their political and social tensions, and Ukraine, which yearns for concrete solutions for an enduring peace.
Last night at the start of Christmas Eve mass, the birth of Jesus Christ was announced to the congregation.
Pope Francis said: “The grace of God, bringing salvation to all, has shone on our world tonight.” He also had a message of unconditional love: “Christmas reminds us that God continues to love us all, even the worst of us.”
“You may have mistaken ideas, you may have made a complete mess of things, but the Lord continues to love you,” the pope said.
Pope Francis will again be appearing for the crowds in Saint Peter’s Square on Thursday and Sunday and then will celebrate Vespers and the Te Deum in Saint Peter’s Basilica in thanksgiving for the past year on December 31.
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Pope Appeals for Peace, Reconciliation in South Sudan
The heads of the Catholic and Anglican churches sent a special message Wednesday to the people of South Sudan expressing hopes for peace, prosperity and implementation of a peace deal as Christians around the world celebrate the Christmas holiday.In a joint letter, Pope Francis and Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby sent prayers for “a renewed commitment to the path of reconciliation and fraternity” among South Sudan’s political leaders.FILE – Pope Francis meets the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby at the end of a two-day spiritual retreat with South Sudan leaders at the Vatican, April 11, 2019.Earlier this month, President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar agreed to form a transitional unity government by a February deadline after they failed to meet two earlier target dates for implementing a 2018 peace deal.Pope Francis is also to give his traditional Christmas address from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.In the United States, President Donald Trump is spending the holiday at his Florida resort where on Tuesday he spoke to members of the U.S. military stationed at various places around the world and attended a Christmas Eve dinner along with his wife, Melania.The U.S. first lady also answered calls from children as part of the annual program run by the North American Aerospace Defense Command’s Operation that tracks Santa Claus on his trip around the globe.While the holiday is rooted in Christianity, many people in the United States and other parts of the world celebrate in a non-religious fashion, gathering with family and friends to share a meal and exchange gifts. The Christmas season is a key time for many retailers to earn a large portion of their annual revenue.
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Nigeria Releases Activist, Former National Security Adviser
Nigerian activist Omoyele Sowore and former national security adviser Sambo Dasuki left prison Tuesday evening after the attorney general ordered their release on bail, in recognition of court orders.The release followed growing internal and international pressure on the Nigerian government to abide by court orders.State security had ignored several court orders that former adviser Dasuki, who has been held since 2015, be released. It also sparked protests earlier this month when it re-arrested activist and former presidential candidate Sowore hours after his release on bail.Dasuki left prison around 9 p.m. (2000 GMT) Tuesday and joined his family at his home in the Asokoro district of Abuja. Sowore was released earlier in the evening, greeting jubilant supporters.“The two defendants are enjoined to observe the terms of their bail and refrain from engaging in any act that is inimical to public peace and national security as well as their ongoing trial which will run its course in accordance with the laws of the land,” Attorney General and Justice Minister Abubakar Malami said in a statement.FILE – Former National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki, right, arrives with one of his counsels Ahmed Raji at the Federal High Court in Abuja, Nigeria, Sept. 1, 2015.The government has accused Dasuki, who served under former President Goodluck Jonathan, of fraud involving $68 million of defense spending. He has pleaded not guilty.Dasuki has been granted bail several times but the government had refused to release him. In 2016, a judge at the court of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) ordered his release, saying his detention was unlawful and arbitrary.
Sowore, who also founded news website Sahara Reporters, was first arrested in August. He has pleaded not guilty to charges of treason, money laundering and harassing the president.Video of Sowore screaming and shouting as he was wrestled to the ground by security officials in court, only hours after his initial release on bail, circulated widely on social media in Nigeria and internationally.“While I am grateful for reports on Yele’s long overdue release on bail, my number one concern is for his safety,” Sowore’s wife, Opeyemi Sowore, said in an emailed statement. “We remain resolute on Yele being cleared of all baseless charges.”On Monday, the government’s own National Human Rights Commission called on the administration to respect court rulings.Six U.S. members of Congress, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, also wrote to Malami on Dec. 20 that they were “deeply concerned that established legal procedure and the rule of law” were not being followed in Sowore’s case. Nigerian advocacy group SERAP also hailed the move, but called on the government to release others it described as unfairly detained, including journalist Agba Jalingo.“The government cannot continue to pick and choose which court orders to obey,” it said.
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Australian Firefighters Spend Christmas Containing Blazes
Australian firefighters used cooler conditions Christmas Day to try and contain bushfires ahead of hot, dry weather later in the week, as leaders and communities thanked them for sacrificing time with their families over the holidays.In the state of New South Wales (NSW), which saw entire towns devastated by fires over the weekend, state premier Gladys Berejiklian and the head of the NSW rural fire service, Shane Fitzsimmons, attended a breakfast organized by volunteers in the small town of Colo, 90km (55 miles) northwest of Sydney.“Community volunteers provided food, company, conversation, wrapped presents & hampers to share for crews heading into the field,” Fitzsimmons tweeted. “It was just lovely & spirits were high.”Christmas Day offered cooler conditions in many parts of the country as firefighters, many of them volunteers, spent the day trying to contain blazes.An aerial scene shows firefighters extinguishing wildfires in the Adelaide Hills, Australia, Dec. 24, 2019, in this image made from video.Intense heat is forecast to return again by the weekend, especially in Australia’s south, where temperatures are expected to exceed 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).The last few months have seen more than 900 homes lost across the dry continent, according to authorities, even though the southern hemisphere summer has not yet reached its midpoint.The fires have destroyed more than 3.7 million hectares (9.1 million acres) across five states and at least six people have died in NSW and two in South Australia during the bushfire emergency.Prime Minister Scott Morrison used a Christmas message to thank volunteers for their willingness to spend the day away from their families.“As we look forward to next year and as we celebrate this Christmas I want to thank all of those who serve our nation,” Morrison said in a video shared on social media Wednesday morning.Morrison has faced sustained political pressure as the bushfires have raged, following his decision to take a family holiday to Hawaii last week and his conservative Liberal-National coalition government’s climate policies.
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Sudan’s Protesters Mark Anniversary of Uprising with Calls for Justice
Sudan this month marks one year since protests over prices turned into a monthslong demonstration that led the military to oust former president Omar al-Bashir after three decades in power. The coup was followed by a deadly crackdown on protesters before a deal was made on a transitional government. But, as Naba Mohiedeen reports from Khartoum, protesters are still demanding justice for those killed.
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