Bits and Bites From Around the World > Duterte Retires? Judge Hammers DoJ on Capitol Riots; Russia Bans Scientology; Couple Keep Man's Dead Parents for Months

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Philippines' Duterte says he is retiring from politics,

but not everyone is convinced

By Karen Lema

MANILA, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte said on Saturday he was retiring from politics, a surprise move that fuelled speculation he was clearing the way for a presidential run by his daughter.

Sara Duterte-Carpio is currently mayor of Davao, the Philippines' third-largest city, and filed on Saturday to contest the role again. She has previously said she would not run for national office next year.

"Today, I announce my retirement from politics," Duterte said as he accompanied his ally Senator Christopher "Bong" Go of the ruling PDP-Laban party to register Go's candidacy for vice president in next year's election.

But political analysts were sceptical, noting that last-minute changes were still possible, as in 2015 when Duterte entered the presidential election race at the eleventh hour and won by a huge margin.

Duterte, 76, had been expected to run for the No. 2 job, a plan most Filipinos oppose as violating the spirit of the constitution, which sets a one-term limit for the president to stop power being abused.

"In obedience to the will of the people, who after all placed me in the presidency many years ago, I now say to my countrymen, I will follow your wish," Duterte said as he urged the public to back his longtime aide.

Analysts say it is crucial for Duterte to have a loyal successor to insulate him from potential legal action - at home or by the International Criminal Court - over the thousands of state killings in his war on drugs since 2016.

"I would take his announcement with a lot of salt," Carlos Conde, Philippines researcher for New York-based Human Rights Watch, told Reuters. "But assuming that he's really going to retire, that doesn't mean he won't get the protection from the ICC that he craves."

Duterte, a maverick leader famous for his embrace of China and disdain for the United States, traditionally a close ally of the Philippines, remains popular even though his opponents accuse him of being authoritarian and intolerant of dissent.

Activist and human rights lawyer Neri Colmenares also viewed Duterte's announcement sceptically, saying "he will still dictate (to) his political machinery".

"Unfortunately for him, he will not be spared from accountability. Retirement from politics will not save him from a prison sentence," said Colmenares, who is also providing legal assistance to drug war victims.

Authorities have killed more than 6,100 suspected drug dealers and users since Duterte took office in June 2016. Rights groups say the police summarily executed suspects, which the police deny, saying they acted in self-defence during sting operations.

'ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN'

More than 60 million Filipinos will vote in May for a new president, vice president and more than 18,000 lawmakers and local government officials.

Political observers had long suspected Duterte could spring a surprise, such as a presidential bid by his daughter next year. Duterte-Carpio's re-election filing, shortly after her father announced his retirement, did little to douse speculation she has her eye on the presidency.

Mar Masanguid, who backed Duterte's 2016 run and has now founded a group to back Duterte-Carpio, said the signs still pointed to a run, which would mirror her father's last minute bid in 2016.

"In politics, anything can happen," he said.

Duterte-Carpio has topped opinion surveys on prospective candidates, but said last month she was not a candidate for higher office next year because she and her father had agreed only one of them would run for a national role in 2022.

The older Duterte's decision not to join the race next year would clear her way.

"This allows Sara Duterte to run," said Antonio La Vina, professor of law and politics at the Ateneo de Manila University. "She sees through the father's scheme or it is a drama to confuse everyone."

But La Vina said he could not rule out the possibility the firebrand leader might have a change of heart and be Go's substitute.

Candidates have until Friday to register, but withdrawals and substitutions are allowed until Nov. 15.

Judge grants probation in US Capitol case, questions prosecutors’

‘credibility’ compared to lenient treatment of BLM rioters

2 Oct, 2021 02:25

FILE PHOTO: A riot police officer stands guard during a rally in support of defendants prosecuted over the January 6 riot at the Capitol, in Washington, DC, September 18, 2021. ©  Reuters / Elizabeth Frantz

An Oklahoma woman who participated in the US Capitol riot has been granted probation – against the recommendation of prosecutors – and the judge in her case implied the government has been inordinately harsh on such defendants.

Danielle Doyle, 37, was given two months of probation on Friday in the US District Court in Washington, rather than being sentenced to home confinement as prosecutors sought. She pleaded guilty in July to illegally demonstrating inside the Capitol, which she entered through a broken window. She spent a total of 24 minutes in the building and wasn’t accused of committing any acts of violence or property damage.

Judge Trevor McFadden questioned the prosecution's “credibility,” wondering why the Department of Justice hasn’t indicted more of those who rioted in Washington during Black Lives Matter-inspired protests last year, citing figures on cases that haven’t been prosecuted. In contrast, more than 600 people have been charged in connection with the Capitol riot, including some who have been held without bail while awaiting trial.

“I think the US Attorney would have more credibility if it was even-handed in its concern about riots and mobs in this city,” the Associated Press quoted McFadden as saying. The BLM riots caused up to $2 billion in insured property damage nationwide and resulted in over two dozen deaths.

Doyle told the judge she regretted that a peaceful election-fraud protest escalated into a riot when people breached the Capitol. “So many people came here to represent things that were important to us, but in the blink of an eye, all of those things were overshadowed,” she said, per the AP. “For that, I’m sorry, because it overshadowed the things that were good.”

McFadden, who was appointed to the bench by former President Donald Trump, said Doyle’s behavior was inexcusable and that she was “acting like all those looters and rioters who attacked our city last year. That’s because looters and rioters decided the law didn’t apply to them.” He added that the January 6 riot made Americans feel “less safe,” just as the violent BLM protests did.

Doyle worked in ticket sales for the Oklahoma City Thunder NBA team until December 2020. Two former co-workers reported her to the FBI after recognizing her in video footage of the riot circulating online and in media. She also was ordered to pay a $3,000 fine and $500 in restitution. The misdemeanor charge, to which Doyle agreed to plead guilty in a deal with prosecutors, carries a maximum sentence of six months in jail.

Russia bans Scientology: Justice ministry puts key 

Scientologist groups on list of ‘undesirable’ organizations

2 Oct, 2021 01:59

FILE PHOTO. The Church of Scientology of Los Angeles building. © Reuters / Mario Anzuoni

Russia’s Justice Ministry has blacklisted two Church of Scientology entities, banning them from operating in the country. Moscow has taken numerous measures against the group, arguing that it's a business masquerading as religion.

An updated list of “undesirable” organizations was released by the country's Justice Ministry on Friday, just over a week after the Russian Prosecutor General’s office advised a ban for several Church of Scientology affiliates. 

Two California-based holdings, the World Institute of Scientology Enterprises International (WISE) and the Church of Spiritual Technology (CST), also known as the “L. Ron Hubbard Library,” were officially blacklisted.

Both were deemed a threat to Russia’s national security, according to a previous statement from the prosecutor’s office. The inclusion of Scientology on Russia’s list of “undesirable” organizations, which currently number at 49, means the outfit is now prohibited from conducting any activities in Russia, with its local chapters to be forcibly closed and assets frozen.

The decision follows a decades-long campaign to ban Scientology from illegally profiting on Russian territory, with the first major effort to restrict the group dating back to 1996, back in the Boris Yeltsin-era and some twelve years after the organization gained a foothold in what was then the Soviet Union. However, it was not until the 2010s when authorities really cracked down on Scientology groups, investigating major branches in Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as their leaders, on charges of illegal business activities and extremism.

Some of the group’s literature has been outlawed as extremist material, while its Moscow chapter was ordered closed by the Supreme Court in 2016.

The Church of Scientology, which was founded by American science fiction novelist L. Ron Hubbard in the 1950s, describes itself as a new religious movement, while its critics believe the group to be either a dangerous cult, a business trying to dodge taxes using religious exemptions, or some combination of both.

While the group has rarely achieved full-blown recognition from state authorities around the world, it has managed to obtain a tax exemption status in a number of countries. At the same time, Russia is far from being the only nation actively obstructing the group’s activities and influence.

A drawn-out case in Belgian against the ‘church’ involved charges of bribery, extortion, fraud, and the unlicensed practice of medicine, but its leaders were acquitted of all charges. Meanwhile in France, Scientology has been classified as a dangerous cult and seven of its members were convicted on various charges, including contribution to suicide. 

Ironically, it was the Strasbourg, France-based European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) that came to the defense of Scientology in its case in Russia, accusing authorities of religious discrimination. In fact, the group appears so confident about the ECHR’s support that an American representative once said of the situation in France, “if it has to go to the court of human rights we’re confident we will win there.”

The US has consistently criticised any country attempting to take the group and its leaders to court as discriminating on religious grounds, despite a long history of lawsuits and other legal issues with the group within the United States. In the 1970s, the ‘church’ carried out what it dubbed ‘Operation Snow White,’ which reportedly saw up to 5,000 Scientologists infiltrate scores of US government agencies – namely the IRS – where they stole documents, wiretapped phones of government agents and carried out other surveillance.

Several high-ranking Scientologists, among them Hubbard’s then-wife Mary Sue, pleaded guilty to charges linked to the massive infiltration op, including obstruction of justice, burglary of government offices, and theft of documents and government property.

Russian couple detained after trying to dispose of mummified

bodies of husband’s parents they kept in apartment for months 

3 Oct, 2021 06:14

A Russian couple has been detained after they tried to dispose of the mummified remains of the husband’s parents. The bodies had apparently been kept in their apartment for months, with the foul smell blamed on a “pet goose.”

The blood-chilling story unfolded in the city of Odintsovo, located just outside Moscow. On Thursday, local police were alerted after two mummified bodies were found in a multistory building, packed into wooden longboxes.

CCTV footage circulating online showed a man and woman loading one of the boxes into a van before fleeing the scene. The box contained the body of an elderly woman, while another one, containing the remains of an elderly man, was found leaning against the wall on the staircase of the building.

The horrifying discovery prompted the launch of a murder case. The two suspects, who turned out to be a married couple, were detained on Saturday, Russia’s Investigative Committee confirmed. The dead bodies that were stuffed into the boxes turned out to be the husband’s parents.

“So far, experts have not established the cause of death of the elderly couple,” the Investigative Committee said.

The suspects have been identified by Russian media as Anatoliy and Tatiana Tkachenko, who had lived in the building for some six years. They rented their apartment from its owner, who permanently resided in another city.

At some point, Anatoliy’s parents moved in with the couple, and ultimately met their end at the apartment. The corpses had reportedly been kept in the apartment at least since March, when the couple’s neighbors noticed a foul smell coming from inside.

They notified the police over the smell, but law enforcement reportedly found nothing suspicious. Anatoliy is understood to have blamed the smell on a “decorative goose” he kept in the apartment.

He was also reportedly confronted by neighbors when he brought a haul of lumber into the flat, which was apparently used to construct the longboxes. The suspicious activity was blamed on the elusive goose again, with Anatoliy claiming his pet needed a pen. It remains unclear whether the suspect actually owned such a bird or merely sent his neighbors on a wild-goose chase.

The botched attempt to dispose of the bodies reportedly came after the apartment’s owner decided to check up on his property after the couple failed to pay rent for several months in a row. He ran into his tenants just as they were loading the grim cargo into the van, sending them on a two-day flight from the police.

Islam - This Day in History > India's Only Female Sultan

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Sultan Razia never gave up her rightful place as heir. 

One Friday, dressed in red, the color of protest, she visited Quwwat-ul-Islam

mosque to appeal to her people for justice. 

Source: kharchenkoirina / Adobe Stock

UPDATED 23 AUGUST, 2020 - 14:02 KHADIJA TAUSEEF

Sultan Razia: The First and Only Female Royal of Delhi

On the eve of October 1240, two armies faced one another ready for battle. This was a last-ditch effort by Sultan Razia to recapture her throne which had been usurped by her brother. Razia was the first and only female monarch of the Delhi Sultanate. It’s easy to see parallels between the ancient Egyptian Pharaoh, Hatshepsut, and the Indian Sultan. Though their lives were separated by centuries, their struggle against a patriarchal society was very similar. While Razia reigned for only four years, Hatshepsut ruled for more than twenty. Despite Razia’s short reign, she was able to leave a significant impact upon Indian history.

Forging the Future Female Sultan

Razia was the only daughter born to the third and greatest Delhi sultan, Iltutmish, and his favorite wife, Terken Khatun. Iltutmish celebrated her birth with great pomp and ceremony, going so far as to hold grand festivals. Women of the era were taught to be submissive to men. A contemporary 13 th century Persian historian, Minhaj-i-Siraj, sums up the atmosphere when he said: “A queen’s rule went against the ideal social order created by God, in which women were supposed to be subordinate to men”. 

From childhood, Razia was trained in the art of warfare, horsemanship, diplomacy and administration. Her training was supervised by her father Iltutmish and Malik Yaqut, an Abyssinian slave. Initially, Iltutmish was training his daughter to be a queen, who would be able to stand proudly by her husband. That meant Razia spent most of her time in the company of her father, maintaining very little contact with the women of the harem, meaning that she had little opportunity to learn the customary behavior befitting a woman at that time and place. Razia never inculcated the timid and reserved manner of women around her.

Razia’s training was supervised by her father Sultan Iltutmish. (Avani Kamal / Google Arts & Culture)

In 1229, Iltutmish’s eldest son, Nasir-ud-din Mahmud, died while fighting against the Mongols. This caused a dilemma for Iltutmish, who didn’t believe his other sons were worthy of being Sultan, while he saw more potential in Razia. So, he decided to test them. Before leaving on his Gwalior campaign, he left Razia and his son, Rukn-ud-din Firoz, in charge of the administration of Delhi. Upon his return he was impressed with how his daughter had managed the affairs of state in his absence. His son, on the other hand, had spent most of his time seeking pleasure. It was at this moment that Iltutmish decided to break with tradition and named Razia as his heir apparent, much to the dismay of the nobility.

The ancient Egyptian Hatshepsut had also been very close to her father, who had valued her highly for her bright mind. She possessed more capabilities than his son, but she could not inherit the throne. Power was supposed to pass to the male heir, to maintain Maat (universal order). Thus, despite her potential, she only got power after she was married off to the future Pharaoh, her half-brother, Thutmose II. Razia’s father broke tradition and did what Hatshepsut’s could not; he named his daughter as his heir, capable of ruling independently of any man.

Razia’s Ascension to the Throne

Razia’s ascension to the throne was not smooth. When Sultan Iltutmish passed away on 29 th April 1236, the nobility were not enamored with the idea of a female ruler. They therefore elevated her brother, Rukn-ud-din Firoz, as the new Sultan, much to Razia’s disappointment. However, Firoz’s reign was short-lived, as he abandoned his duties in the pursuit of personal pleasure and debauchery, causing considerable outrage among the people.

Razia had not given up her right to the throne. One Friday, dressed in red clothes (the color of protest), she stood before the congregation that had gathered in Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque for the Friday prayers. Standing in front of her people she appealed for justice, reminding them of her father’s prosperous reign and that he had named her as his heir. The people and army rallied behind her and thus, on the 19 th of November 1236, Razia deposed her brother and seized the throne. Rukn-ud-din Firoz and his mother were both executed as a result. She was crowned in November 1236 and was given the title Jalalat-al-din Razia Sultan .

The story of Razia was the subject of the 1983 movie starring Hema Malini and Dharmendra. (Live History India)

Dressing for Success: Unveiling Delhi’s Only Female Monarch

When she took the throne, Razia still wore a veil and kept out of public sight. This caused many problems, as the 13th century poet Amir Khusro wrote:

“For several months, her face was veiled/ her sword’s ray flashed, lightening-like, from behind the screen/ Since the sword remained in the sheath/ Many rebellions were left unchecked/ With a royal blow, she tore away the veil/ She showed her face’s sun from behind the screen/ The [lioness] showed so much force/ that brave men bent low before her…”

One feature that is similar in the reigns of both Razia and Hatshepsut, was their willingness to give up female attire and adopt the clothing of their male counterparts. When they gained power, neither of them wished for others to think that they were second to anyone. Razia knew that ruling an empire while hidden behind a veil was impossible and she would have been unable to address the issues of her kingdom head on. It may have been more a need than a personal choice, but it opened her up to criticism from the nobility.

Minhaj-i-Siraj was a noted authority on the history of the Delhi Sultanate or Slave dynasty. In his work, Tabaquat-i-Nasiri, he wrote about Razia’s rule. Before delving into his writing, it is necessary to remember that a person is a product of his time and he lived in a patriarchal society where men were taught that they were superior to women. Even though he acknowledges Razia’s ability, it is hard for him to accept a female ruler:

“She was a great monarch, wise, just, generous, benefactor to her realm, dispenser of justice, protector of her people and leader of her armies; and endowed with all the admirable attributes and qualifications necessary for a king. Her only tragic flaw was that she was born a woman .”

Although her four years as Sultan have not been well documented, we do know that her reign was prosperous and peaceful. Razia ordered the construction of roads linking villages and cities. She even abolished the Jazia Tax, which was collected from the Hindus. She even had coins struck in her name. Razia established schools, academies, public libraries and research centers.

Beginning of the End: Shaking Things Up

Razia was an independent woman, never afraid to speak her mind or do as she saw fit. The one threat that she wanted to extinguish was the growing power of the nobility and a way of doing it was to promote non-Turks to important positions. Of all the things she did, nothing caused more problems than the appointment of Malik Yakut as Amir-e-Akhur (Commander of the horses), a position only given to Mamluk nobility.

It is around this time that rumors of romance between Razia and Yakut start to spread. There is no mention of such a relationship in the writings of Minhaj-i-Siraj, however their relationship is mentioned by later historians. Whether or not the rumors were true, they were enough to fuel the flame of rebellion against Razia. Sultan Razia may have been in a powerful position, but she lacked the freedom that most male rulers had. Any decision she made, would have been subject to great scrutiny. Hatshepsut suffered the same fate; particularly when she favored her architect Senenmut above other nobility. Powerful women have always been seen as a threat, whether they ruled a thousand years ago, a hundred, or even today. Rana Safvi says “ Independent women carving their own destinies have always been suspect.”

While the 14th century traveler Ibn Batuta mentions that the tomb of Sultan Razia in Old Delhi attracted

pilgrims who sought blessings from it, today it is largely neglected. (Kaiser Tufail / CC BY 3.0)

The leader of the revolt was Malik Ikhtiar-ud-din Altunia, governor of Bathinda, one of Razia’s closest childhood friends. He planned to help her brother, Muiz-ud-din Bahram, take possession of the Delhi throne. Razia faced the threat head on, fighting valiantly. Unfortunately, it was all in vain. She was defeated and imprisoned at the Qila Mubarak in Bhatinda, while Yaqut was killed in battle. During her imprisonment she was treated royally. Altunia was in love with her, claiming that the rumors of her relationship with Yakut triggered his rebellion.

Razia’s confinement did not last long. She married Altunia and rallied him to her cause. Therefore, in October 1240, they marched on Delhi trying to reclaim Razia’s lost kingdom, but once more she was defeated and forced to flee. Exactly how Razia met her end is unclear, as there are many different stories regarding her death. One claims that Razia and her husband were captured by Hindu Jats, who robbed and killed them. While the more widely believed theory is that her brother Bahram had them executed. Razia was only 35 years old at the time of her death.

Sultan Razia may have been a woman ahead of her time, but her achievements cannot be forgotten. She made a lasting impression in the minds of the people and her legacy continues to this day, inspiring others to follow in her footsteps.

Old Delhi, India

Islam - Current Day > Terrorism Laws Strengthened in N.Z.; Ethiopia Kicks UN Out as Tigray Starves; Saudi-Canadian IS Media Star Charged in US

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New Zealand beefs up counter-terrorism law after ‘ISIS-inspired’

knife assailant injured 7 despite weeks of police surveillance   

30 Sep, 2021 06:13

Police at the scene of an attack at a shopping mall in Auckland, New Zealand, September 3, 2021.

© Reuters / Stuff Limited/Ricky Wilson

New Zealand has voted to strengthen a counter-terrorism bill, now criminalizing the planning of attacks after a knifeman inspired by Islamic State recently left several injured, despite being trailed by police for weeks.

Parliament passed the bill on its third reading on Thursday, voting to amend two previous pieces of legislation that took effect in 2002 and 2012 in order to empower authorities to go after suspected terrorists. 

Should the law receive final royal approval, anyone determined to be “planning” or making “other preparations” for an attack will be subject to a number of warrantless police powers, including those pertaining to entry, search, seizure, and surveillance.

The legislative push is long in the making, with calls to strengthen the country’s counter-terrorism laws growing louder following the infamous Christchurch shooting in 2019, in which a gunman massacred 51 people and injured another 40 in a shooting rampage at two different mosques. 

However, a knife attack in Auckland earlier this month – said to have been inspired by Islamic State  – provided more direct impetus for the terrorism bill. Though the attacker, identified as Ahamed Aathil Mohamed Samsudeen, had been under law enforcement surveillance for 53 consecutive days and police strongly suspected he was planning violence, they had no legal pretext to detain him before the attack. The new bill aims to remedy such issues going forward, empowering police to take more aggressive action ahead of a planned incident. 

Last year, prosecutors attempted to charge Samsudeen with a terrorism offense, saying he had recently bought a large hunting knife and was found with IS propaganda material in his possession. However, the case was later thrown out, as a judge determined the knife and videos alone were not enough to proceed with criminal charges. The judge also noted that New Zealand law at the time made few provisions for terrorist plots, focusing instead on attacks themselves, saying this “could be an Achilles’ heel” in the justice system. 

This is a good step forward although I wonder how long such convicted terrorists would end up spending in jail?

Personally, I agree with Syrian Psychiatrist Dr. Wafa Sultan, who once wrote: “I came to the absolute conviction that it is impossible…impossible…for any human being to read the biography of Mohammed and believe in it, and then emerge a psychologically and mentally healthy person.”

Consequently, radical Muslims should be segregated from society because of their madness. And, they should be locked away until they abandon their radical faith.

Ethiopia expels 7 U.N. officials over 'meddling' in Tigray conflict

By Darryl Coote

The United Nations has said more than 5.2 million people across Tigray are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, including 400,000 people currently facing famine conditions. The Photo courtesy of World Food Program Ethiopia/Twitter

Sept. 30 (UPI) -- Ethiopia has ordered the expulsion of seven senior United Nations officials on accusations of "meddling in the internal affairs of the country," the ministry of foreign affairs said following criticism that the country has established a humanitarian blockade over the crisis-hit Tigray region.

The ministry sent the officials from the U.N.'s Children Fund and the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs letters informing them that they have been designated "persona non grata" and have 72 hours to leave the country.

Among those expelled include Grant Leaity, acting humanitarian coordinator for Ethiopia with the OCHA, who early this month warned that the war-torn Tigray region was under "a de facto humanitarian aid blockade."

Tigray, in northeastern Ethiopia, is at the center of fighting between the militaries of Ethiopia and Eritrea and the ethnic nationalist Tigray People's Liberation Front that erupted in November.

Most media coverage of this tragedy does not include the fact that Tigray is mostly Christian while the rest of Ethiopia is mostly Muslim. 

A 'humanitarian aid' is meant to save lives, therefore, a blockade of such aid is meant to end lives. This is genocide!

The United Nations has repeatedly said more than 5.2 million people across the state, equaling 90% of Tigray's population, are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, including 400,000 people currently facing famine conditions with more than 100,000 children posed to suffer from life-threatening acute malnutrition in the next 12 months.

In his letter dated Sept. 2, Leaity said there is only one road into Tigray that humanitarian partners can use but long delays and clearance "render passage extremely difficult."

"Stocks of relief aid, cash and fuel are running very low or are completely depleted. Food stocks already ran out on 20 August. A minimum of 100 trucks of food, non-food items and fuel must enter Tigray every day to sustain an adequate response," he said, adding that between July 12 and Sept. 2, only 355 trucks had entered the region.

In the past three weeks, 171 trucks have entered Tigray, carrying a combined 6,150 metric tons of food for 360,000 people for one month, the WFP said via Twitter.

"It is vital we have a free flow of aid into northern Ethiopia to reach all in need," it said.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement Thursday that he was "shocked" that Ethiopia had designated his officials as persona non grata as they are delivering lifesaving aid to people in need in the country.

"I have full confidence in the U.N. staff who are in Ethiopia during this week," he said. "We are now engaging with the government of Ethiopia in the expectation that the concerned U.N. staff will be allowed to continue their important work."

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also issued a statement condemning the expulsion, calling on Ethiopia to immediately revise its decision or face consequences.

"The expulsion is counterproductive to international efforts to keep civilians safe and deliver lifesaving humanitarian assistance to the millions in dire need," he said.

Of course, that's the plan!

On Sept. 17, President Joe Biden signed an executive order permitting sanctions against leaders in Ethiopia over the fighting in Tigray.

"We will not hesitate to use this authority or other tools to respond to those who obstruct humanitarian assistance to the people of Ethiopia," he said.

Tigray, Ethiopia

Saudi-Canadian Islamic State narrator, ‘voice behind violence’

in terror group’s gruesome videos, hit with terror charges in US

2 Oct, 2021 17:33

A militant waves the flag of the Islamic State terror group in Raqqa, Syria, June 29, 2014 © Reuters / Stringer

A Saudi-born Canadian citizen has been charged with supporting terrorism, after he fought for IS in Syria and provided English narration for the jihadi group’s brutal execution videos.

Mohammed Khalifa was charged with conspiring to provide material support to IS resulting in death, the US Department of Justice announced on Saturday.

Khalifa was captured in 2019 by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-supported and predominantly Kurdish faction in Syria’s multi-front civil war. According to a Justice Department statement, he was “recently” handed over to the FBI, and has been held in Virginia awaiting charges since.

Born in Saudi Arabia, Khalifa was a citizen of Canada, and “had a normal life” there, according to a 2019 interview he gave to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Nevertheless, he abandoned this life in 2013 and traveled to Syria to take up arms alongside IS, which, at that point, was rapidly expanding in the region.

Khalifa swore an oath of allegiance to the group’s now-deceased leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and, the following year, began work in the terror group’s media bureau. According to the Justice Department, Khalifa translated and narrated approximately 15 videos for the group, including two “exceedingly violent ISIS propaganda videos” featuring the execution of prisoners.

He is also accused of narrating several other propaganda videos, in which he allegedly encouraged would-be recruits unable to leave their home countries to carry out attacks in the West. 

Immediately before his capture by SDF fighters in 2019, Khalifa allegedly took up arms beside his comrades, “throwing grenades against opposing combatants,” according to the Justice Department.

“As alleged, Mohammed Khalifa not only fought for ISIS on the battlefield in Syria, but he was also the voice behind the violence,” said Raj Parekh, Acting US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Through his alleged leading role in translating, narrating, and advancing ISIS’s online propaganda, Khalifa promoted the terrorist group, furthered its worldwide recruitment efforts, and expanded the reach of videos that glorified the horrific murders and indiscriminate cruelty of ISIS.”

If found guilty, he faces a maximum sentence of life behind bars in a federal prison.

Khalifa is not the only English-speaking recruit who lent his voice to IS’ shockingly brutal videos. Many of the group’s most infamous execution videos were narrated by Mohammed Emwazi, a Kuwaiti-British militant best known as ‘Jihadi John’. Emwazi is believed to have been the masked figure responsible for a string of beheadings in 2014 and 2015, including the murders of American journalist James Foley and British aid worker Alan Henning. Emwazi was killed in a drone strike in late 2015, with IS confirming his death early the following year.

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European Politics > Serbia - Kosovo Ink Deal; Europe's Record Gas Prices; Emigration Doubles in Lebanon; Eurozone Inflation Highest Since 2008

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Serbia inks deal with breakaway Kosovo region to end spat

that featured jet flyovers and tanks at border

30 Sep, 2021 13:54

Kosovo special police with armoured vehicles are pictured as hundreds of Kosovo Serbs protest against a government ban on entry of vehicles with Serbian registration plates in Jarinje, Kosovo, September 20, 2021. © Reuters / Laura Hasani

Chief negotiators for Serbia and Kosovo have formally reached agreement to conclude the latest round of escalation. “We have a deal,” tweeted EU special representative Miroslav Lajcak after two days of “intense negotiations.”

The recent disagreement had seen Kosovo order its police to force any cars attempting to cross the border to remove Serbian license plates, arguing that a 10-year-old deal between the nations had expired. Serbia had responded by sending military planes to fly near the border, while footage from the area showed tanks and military vehicles deployed to the area.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen had previously urged the two sides to work to “de-escalate” and “return to the negotiation table to find a sustainable solution.” The European bloc has been trying to facilitate talks between Serbia and its breakaway region for the past decade, as Kosovo unilaterally proclaimed independence in 2008.

The deal comes after the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt, called on the European Union to “convey a clear message that Europe has an interest in a European Balkans” after the bloc warned it can’t guarantee “six countries” (as most of the EU recognize Kosovo’s independence) future membership, as had once been promised.

Speaking ahead of a summit next week, Schmidt urged the EU to work to bolster “closer cooperation” between the bloc and Balkan nations, working on improving economic and infrastructure ties. The countries had all previously been promised they would be ultimately admitted to the EU bloc, with officials promising 18 years ago to give their “unequivocal support for the European perspective of the Western Balkans.”

The High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina is a role that was established in the wake of the Dayton Agreement, signed at the end of the Bosnian War, to oversee the peace process in the region. Schmidt ascended to the role after his predecessor resigned despite some international opposition to his appointment, with Russia arguing he should have been approved by the UN Security Council.

Gas price keeps climbing in Europe as Brussels delays

Russian supplies via Nord Stream 2

30 Sep, 2021 08:20

© AP / Joerg Sarbach

The price of natural gas in Europe exceeded an all-time high of $1,100 per 1,000 cubic meters on Thursday, trading data from the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) shows.

The cost of November futures on the TTF hub in the Netherlands reached $1101 per 1,000 cubic meters in morning trading. This is nearly $106 per megawatt-hour in household terms. The overall rise in gas prices was about 5% by 8am GMT.

European gas prices exceeded $1,000 per 1,000 cubic meters for the first time in history on Monday. Analysts attribute rising costs to inadequate supplies held in Europe’s gas storage facilities to meet the post-pandemic increase in demand. The current energy crunch has already resulted in higher costs for consumers, while still far from the peak winter season, and forced some industries to curb production, threatening to stall the continent’s economic recovery. 

Russian experts recently warned that gas prices could surge further due to a number of factors, including demand in Asia, the weather in Europe with winter on the way, as well as the timing of the launch of Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

Some view Nord Stream 2 as a means to stabilize the situation on the European energy market, with the pipeline capable of delivering the extra gas the continent needs. However, the project is still awaiting EU certification, which could take months due to bureaucratic setbacks and pressure from Washington and some Eastern European countries, which are opposed to increasing energy imports from Russia.

So, it appears some would rather freeze in the dark than buy gas from Russia.

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Emigration on the rise in crisis-ridden Lebanon

By Dalal Saoud

Activists and families of the victims of the port blast in Beirut, Lebanon, protest in front of the Justice Palace on Wednesday. The aftermath of the explosion is one of many crises driving a mass exodus from the country. Photo Nabil Mounzer/EPA-EFE

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Mounting economic hardships are pushing a growing number of Lebanon's population to seek a better life abroad in another mass exodus.

"We are planning to leave... We are working on an exit plan," Mira Mabsout, a landscape architect who is married with one daughter, told UPI.

It's a common refrain.

Mabsout and her husband are "lucky and blessed." They have good jobs and are well paid, mostly in U.S. "fresh dollars," worth 17,000 Lebanese pounds at the market trade, compared to 1,500 LL at the official exchange rate and 3,900 LL at the banks.

"But financial reasons are not everything... We don't feel safe," Mabsout said. She mostly fears for her 3-year-old daughter and the inability to secure proper medical care with the collapse of the health system.

Besides the dramatic economic and financial deterioration, the massive explosion at the Beirut port in August 2020 was a turning point. The blast killed more than 200, wounded 6,000 and damaged the homes of more than 300,000.

"We are looking anywhere outside [Lebanon]. We tried to go to Athens ... but it didn't work," Mabsout said. "We are not leaving just to leave ... without securing jobs outside."

However, she is longing to "live a normal life," and not to worry every day about electricity and gasoline. Lebanon has been facing crippling fuel and electricity shortages that increased power blackouts and led to hours-long queues at the gas stations.

"My daughter knows that there is a fuel crisis and that gasoline is a big problem to us... and this is something that kills me. Even if I want to hide it, she is living that," Mabsout said. "Also, I want to grow my family and have other children, but I cannot because I cannot find diapers, baby milk or basic needs."

"I don't feel like to be resilient, and I don't want to adapt.. I simply want normal things," she added.

Passport applications increase

Last month, Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim, head of Lebanon's General Security Directorate, disclosed that his agency, which usually handles 3,000 passport applications per day, has been receiving 7,000 and 8,000 every day.

"But this does not mean that all [applicants] are actually leaving the country," said Dal Hitti, president of Moubadarat Wa Kararat (Initiatives and Decisions) Association, who has a doctorate in human resources.

Although no official statistics are available, Hitti estimated the number of those who left the country since the economic crisis broke out in 2019 to range between 400,000 and 500,000, including students, doctors and other highly skilled workers. They are now being followed by families heading mainly to Canada.

The 1975-90 civil war witnessed the largest exodus, with the emigration of nearly 980,000 people. Between 1990 and 2019, some 750,000 people have left, Hitti said.

"We have been living in a bubble since the 1990s, and we lost the feeling of belonging, contrary to the time of the civil war, when people remained steadfast and stayed in the country more than now, despite the difficult situation then," he said.

Dubai, an attractive but expensive spot, is hosting 70,000-75,000 Lebanese who left. But 50,000 of them haven't found jobs, and "some are accepting meager salaries barely reaching $1,000 a month just to help their parents or hoping to get a better job, while the minimum wage there is $4,000."

"This is no more about desperation. This is suicide," Hitti said.

The Crisis Observatory at the American University of Beirut recently warned that Lebanon is entering a third wave of mass emigration, citing three alarming indicators: the high percentage of Lebanese youth who want to leave (77% based on a survey last year, the highest percentage among Arab countries), the mass migration of medical and education staff and the expected chronicity of the current crisis.

"The last wave of emigration was not a reaction to a conflict, a war. It was genuinely because of the conditions that deteriorated so much," said Dr. Jasmin Diab, assistant professor of Migration Studies at the Lebanese American University.

'Intersection crisis'

Lebanon, Diab explained, always had "intersection crisis," and the current one was not just about the COVID-19 pandemic, constraints about the politics and economy but also the Beirut port blast, and people having lost their homes and not having access to their money frozen at the banks.

Moreover, the recent fuel crisis has "so much humiliated" the population to the point that "getting bread or gasoline becomes an achievement."

"There are so many intersections why people want to migrate in this period," Diab told UPI, adding that COVID-19 exasperated the situation further. Then came the port explosion, which "was definitely a major push factor ...that put the Lebanese on a high level of emergency."

Many countries, like Canada and across Europe, became more lenient in their emigration policies, facilitating migration of the Lebanese for a short time as a reaction to the explosion, Diab said.

"Our country is not in a state of conflict or violence. So, the Lebanese could not seek asylum like the Syrians, although interestingly, things are very similar on both ends," she said. "Lebanese want to leave, but the international community does not consider Lebanon in a state of emergency."

Eurozone inflation highest in 13 years, surging to 3.4% in September

By Zarrin Ahmed

Euro sign at European Central Bank headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany.

File Photo by canadastock/UPI

Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Eurozone inflation surged to 3.4% in the month of September, hitting its highest level in 13 years.

German consumer prices hit their highest levels in 30 years, rising to 4.1% in that month and prompting protests from workers demanding higher pay.

Rising energy prices have driven the increase, which isn't expected to end until 2021 before easing next year. Economists are debating whether the central bank needs to change its monetary policy.

Of the 19 countries affected by rising energy prices, France is the latest to increase measures to mitigate costs. Prime Minister Jean Castex said Thursday that the government will block natural gas price increases and rises in electricity taxes. Italy, Greece, and Spain have also announced measures to counteract inflation.

Energy prices may continue to increase with the transition from fossil fuels to other sources of energy.

"Things have picked up faster and that is true for growth, that is true for inflation, and that is true for employment," European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde told CNBC last month. "So, in a way, it is a package of good news because it means that our economies are responding."

Gas prices have reached record highs (see story above) while Russia's Nordstream II pipeline has just been completed. The EU is resisting buying Russian gas even as they run out of it. Go figure!

Corruption is Everywhere > EPA Corruption; Georgia's Saakashvili Arrested; Russia's Gorgeous Bank VP Heads for the Hills; NSW Premier Steps Down

..

EPA officials outed scientists who blew whistle on alleged corruption

& altered chemical hazard assessments at agency – reports

1 Oct, 2021 17:36

© Getty Images / Adam Gault

US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials reportedly exposed whistleblowers who raised corruption allegations after apparently uncovering proof that senior agency staffers had tampered with risk assessments for chemicals.

In June, four EPA scientists reportedly brought allegations of corruption against the agency’s New Chemicals Division and shared detailed evidence that high-level figures had deleted hazard alerts and altered conclusions in several chemical assessments to make them appear safer.

Minutes after receiving one such complaint on June 28, Michal Freedhoff, assistant administrator of the EPA’s Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT), shared the file with six senior colleagues – at least one of whom was named in the complaint, according to records obtained by The Intercept through Freedom of Information requests.

The four whistleblowers are represented by environmental group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), which also submitted the complaint to the EPA inspector general’s office and sought an audit to identify the altered risk assessments. A copy was also sent to Representative Ro Khanna (D-California), who chairs the House Oversight Committee’s environment subcommittee.

The scientists also called for a review of cases in which they alleged comments in documents had been erased – and urged the agency to conduct an evaluation of the process “that allowed these improper changes to be made and remain uncorrected.” Among the six people Freedhoff forwarded the document to was OPPT deputy director for programs Tala Henry, who is reportedly described in the complaint as being involved in approving several chemicals that were not properly assessed.

According to The Intercept, the records – which include more than 1,000 pages of internal emails – show that within a day EPA officials had shared the complaint with other employees who had been named in it. Two days later, the named staffers apparently held a Zoom meeting to discuss how to respond – something legal experts told the outlet could compromise the investigation.

“That’s just not the way it’s done. How do we know they weren’t using that meeting to get their stories straight?” Kyla Bennett, PEER’s director of science policy, told The Intercept.

An analogy would be if there’s a murder investigation. You don’t go to all of the people who you think might have done it and give them all the evidence you’ve collected and say, ‘This is what we’re thinking.’

Although PEER and the whistleblowers decided against publicly naming the EPA staff members because “we are not judge and jury,” Bennett had earlier told the outlet that the agency had “released” the whistleblowers’ names – putting them in an “incredibly uncomfortable situation” and giving superiors the “chance to circle the wagons trying to go after them.”

In addition to potential threats of legal action against them by the companies whose chemicals were being assessed, the whistleblowers were reportedly subjected to various forms of harassment – including incidents involving shouting, name-calling, and disparagement of their work in front of colleagues. All four scientists were also reportedly reprimanded for not reviewing new chemicals quickly enough.

In a statement response to The Intercept, which has carried out a months-long investigation into the allegations, the EPA expressed its commitment to “protecting employee rights, including the important right of all employees to be free from retaliation for whistleblowing.”

What you say doesn't seem to be what you do!

The agency is apparently conducting a “workplace climate assessment” within the NCD, which has reportedly approved dozens of new chemicals for market release since the first whistleblower complaint was filed. 

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Georgia detains controversial ex-President Saakashvili, who fled

homeland in 2013 & was sentenced in absentia on criminal charges

1 Oct, 2021 17:25

FILE PHOTO. Mikhail Saakashvili at a court hearing in Kiev, Ukraine on December 11, 2017.

© Reuters / Valentyn Ogirenko

Former Georgian president Mikhail Saakashvili has been detained upon his return home, the country’s prime minister has said. The controversial figure now faces a total of nine years behind bars, having been sentenced in absentia.

Saakashvili was arrested by law enforcement and incarcerated, Irakly Garibalishvili told the media, on Friday evening. “I want to inform our society that the third president of Georgia, the wanted Mikhail Saakashvili, has been detained,” the prime minister explained.

Based in Ukraine in recent years, Saakashvili unexpectedly announced plans to fly to the capital Tblisi earlier this week, publishing his flight manifesto online. He promised his supporters he’d lead a fight to “save” Georgia. It was not the first time Saakashvili pledged to return, but this time, he kept his word.

“I have bought a ticket for the evening of October 2 to be in Tbilisi with you and defend your will and take part in saving Georgia,” he stated. On Friday morning, he posted a video claiming to be in the coastal city of Batumi, some 300 kilometers to the West of the capital.

His return coincides with local elections, in which his UNM party is challenging the ruling Georgian Dream. Saakashvili stepped down as the UNM’s chairman, from exile, two years ago. He was replaced by his own chosen candidate, Grigol Vashadze.

Saakashvili fled his homeland back in 2013, shortly after his political rival Giorgi Margvelashvili trounced his favored successor Davit Bakradze in a presidential election. The colourful politician has been targeted by multiple criminal cases since then, which he claims are politically motivated.

In January 2018, he was handed a three-year sentence for abusing power in pardoning former Interior Ministry officials convicted in a 2006 murder case. Later that year, Saakashvili received a separate six-year jail term for abusing his authority by trying to cover up evidence related to the 2005 beating of an opposition politician.

The ex-president has consistently maintained his innocence, however his rule was authoritarian in nature and the likes of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights publicly condemned him after images emerged showing prisoners being sodomized and beaten in a Tblisi prison, under his watch.

Earlier on Friday, Saakashvili released two video addresses, the first claiming he was in Batumi. The claim was dismissed by Georgia’s interior ministry, which said the ex-president had not crossed the country’s borders. So far, no official information on where exactly Saakashvili was apprehended has been released.

After his departure from Tblisi, in 2013, Saakashvili first moved to New York. After spending around two years in the US, hiding from Georgia’s prosecutors, he relocated to Ukraine to become the governor of Odessa region on the invitation of then-president Petro Poroshenko. The latter granted the fugitive politician Ukrainian citizenship, which led to Saakashvili losing his Georgian nationality.

The Saakashvili-Poroshenko honeymoon ended some two years later, with the Ukrainian leader taking away the politician’s Ukrainian passport. Saakashvili, now rendered effectively stateless, spent some time in the Netherlands, before returning to Ukraine after the election of President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Friday’s events mark the latest drama of a controversial career. Earlier in the day, the Kremlin commented that everything around the Georgian-turned-Ukrainian was a “circus.” In 2008, Saakashvili led his country into a short, disastrous war with Russia. The European Union’s investigation blamed his Tbilisi government for starting the conflict.

Seriously, they didn't blame Russia?

Vice president of Russia’s leading bank placed on federal wanted list

after she absconds following major financial fraud charge

1 Oct, 2021 10:45

FILE PHOTO. Marina Rakova, the Vice President of Sberbank. 

Marina Rakova, the vice president of Sberbank, has been placed on the federal wanted list by Russian law enforcement after being charged in absentia with embezzlement. She is suspected to have gone abroad, fearing prosecution.

According to a source cited by news agency TASS, the investigation also plans to put Rakova on the international wanted list.

Prior to her work at Sberbank, Rakova was deputy education minister. She allegedly took taxpayers’ money, initially intended for state contracts for a federal education program, and sent it to the Fund for New Forms of Education Development, where she was the CEO.

Rakova is suspected of embezzling more than 50 million rubles ($685,000) and faces up to 10 years in prison. According to REN TV, the Fund for New Forms of Education Development was allocated as much as 2.837 billion rubles ($39 million) during her time in the ministry, meaning the current charges may just be the tip of the iceberg.

On Wednesday, her office and home were searched by law enforcement. One day later, she failed to turn up for questioning and turned off her mobile phone, it was reported.

On Thursday, a Moscow court also detained three of Rakova’s former colleagues, Maxim Inkin, Evgeny Zak, and Kristina Kryuchkova, who are also suspected of taking part in the fraud.

Sberbank is a Russian state-owned financial institution and is the country’s most popular bank. Earlier this year, Forbes declared it to be the “most reliable” of all banks operating in the country.

It will certainly drop down that list next year.

Australian NSW premier Berejiklian resigns amid corruption probe,

says only regret is not seeing end to her own draconian lockdown

1 Oct, 2021 05:20

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian announces her resignation at a news conference in Sydney, Australia, October 1, 2021 ©  AAP Image / Bianca De Marchi via Reuters

The head of the Australian state of New South Wales, Gladys Berejiklian, has abruptly resigned just before a corruption watchdog launched a probe into potential misconduct, stating that she had “no option” but to quit.

“My only regret will be not to be able to finish the job to ensure the people of New South Wales transition to living freely with Covid,” Berejiklian – among the country’s most vocal advocates of draconian lockdown measures – said on Friday, as she announced her resignation, soon after the state’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) declared an upcoming probe.

My resignation as premier could not happen at a worse time, but the timing is completely outside of my control as the ICAC has chosen to take this action during the most challenging weeks of the most challenging times in the history of NSW.

Despite her resignation, Berejiklian stated “categorically” that she had “always acted with the highest level of integrity” while in office, lamenting that the move came during the “darkest days” in NSW’s history – presumably referring to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, which has kept NSW in a near-perpetual state of lockdown for months on end.

The ICAC said it will investigate potential conflicts of interest linked to public grants awarded to certain organizations between 2012 and 2018, some of which occurred prior to Berejiklian’s premiership, when she served in a lower office in the state government. The corruption watchdog will hold public hearings later this month to probe the matter further. 

The investigation initially centered on former NSW legislator Daryl Maguire, alleging that, while Berejiklian had been in a “secret” personal relationship with him, she may have “engaged in conduct that constituted ... a breach of public trust” by helping to funnel government grant dollars into organizations in Maguire’s district. 

Maguire, who previously served alongside Berejiklian in the state’s Liberal Party, resigned in 2018 over a separate series of corruption allegations linked to property deals with an overseas developer.