Saturday, January 04, 2020

Residents curse, insult Australian PM on his visit to wildfire-hit area

More than 200 fires are burning in Australia's two most-populous states

AP | PTI  |  Perth 
fire
The sky glows red as bushfires continue to rage in Mallacoota, Victoria, Australia, December 31, 2019, in this photo obtained from social media | Photo: Reuters

Prime Minister Scott Morrison was confronted by angry residents who cursed and insulted him Thursday as he visited a wildfire-ravaged corner of the country.

Locals in Cobargo, in New South Wales, yelled at him, made obscene gestures and called him an "idiot" and worse, criticizing him for the lack of equipment to deal with the fires in town. They jeered as his motorcade drove off. In the New South Wales town of Quaama, a firefighter refused to shake hands with him.

"Every single time this area has a flood or a fire, we get nothing. If we were Sydney, if we were north coast, we would be flooded with donations with urgent emergency relief," a resident said in Cobargo.
The outpouring of anger came as authorities said 381 homes had been destroyed on the New South Wales southern coast this week. At least eight people have died this week in New South Wales and the neighbouring state of Victoria.
More than 200 fires are burning in Australia's two most-populous states. Blazes have also been burning in Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania.
"I'm not surprised people are feeling very raw at the moment. And that's why I came today, to be here, to see it for myself, to offer what comfort I could," Morrison said, adding, "There is still, you know, some very dangerous days ahead. And we understand that, and that's why we're going to do everything we can to ensure they have every support they will need."

Morrison, who has also been criticised over his climate change policies and accused of putting the economy ahead of the environment, insisted that Australia is "meeting the challenge better than most countries" and "exceeding the targets we set out."

Cooler weather since Tuesday has aided firefighting and allowed people to replenish supplies, with long lines of cars forming at gas stations and supermarkets. But high temperatures and strong winds are forecast to return on Saturday, and thousands of tourists fled the country's eastern coast Thursday ahead of worsening conditions.
New South Wales authorities ordered tourists to leave a 250-kilometre (155-mile) zone. State Transport Minister Andrew Constance called it the "largest mass relocation of people out of the region that we've ever seen".
New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian declared a seven-day state of emergency starting Friday, which grants fire officials more authority. It's the third state of emergency for New South Wales in the past two months.
"We don't take these decisions lightly, but we also want to make sure we're taking every single precaution to be prepared for what could be a horrible day on Saturday," Berejiklian said.
The early and devastating start to Australia's summer wildfires has led authorities to rate this season the worst on record. About 5 million hectares (12.35 million acres) of land have burned, at least 17 people have been killed, and more than 1,400 homes have been destroyed.
The crisis "will continue to go on until we can get some decent rain that can deal with some of the fires that have been burning for many, many months," the prime minister said.
In Victoria, where 83 homes have burned this week, the military helped thousands of people who fled to the shoreline as a wildfire threatened their homes in the coastal town of Mallacoota. Food, water, fuel and medical expertise were being delivered, and about 500 people were going to be evacuated from the town by a naval ship.
"We think around 3,000 tourists and 1,000 locals are there. Not all of those will want to leave, not all can get on the vessel at one time," Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Smoke from the wildfires made the air quality in the capital, Canberra, the worst in the world, according to a ranking Thursday.

Bushfires burn dangerously out of control across southeast Australia

By late evening, Victoria had 14 fires rated at emergency or evacuate warning levels, and New South Wales had 11 rated emergency, with more than 150 others burning across the states

Reuters | John Mair Will Ziebell 
Source: Twitter
Source: Twitter



Bushfires burned dangerously out of control on Australia’s east coast on Saturday, fanned by high temperatures and strong winds that had firefighters battling to save lives and property, as a change in wind conditions merged several large fire fronts.

By late evening, Victoria had 14 fires rated at emergency or evacuate warning levels, and New South Wales had 11 rated emergency, with more than 150 others burning across the states. New fires had started, and others had broken containment lines.
“There are a number of fires that are coming together - very strong, very large, intense fires that are creating some of these fire-generated thunderstorms,” New South Wales Rural Fire Service (RFS) Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said at an evening briefing.
“And unfortunately we’ve still got many hours to go of these elevated and dangerous conditions.”
The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said conditions were deteriorating rapidly as a gusty southerly wind change pushed up the coast and smoke plumes from the fires triggered storms.
Authorities are worried the fires could turn out to be worse than New Year’s Eve, when they burnt massive tracts of bushland and forced thousands of residents and summer holidaymakers to seek refuge on beaches.
In Victoria, Premier Daniel Andrews said while conditions were difficult, the job of firefighters had been made easier by tens of thousands of people following advice to evacuate.
It may be Sunday or later before damage assessments can be made. Prime Minister Scott Morrison put the national death toll from the current fire season, which began in September, at 23. Twelve of those are from this week’s fires alone.
In updates, the NSW RFS repeatedly delivered the same blunt advice to those who had not evacuated at-risk areas: “It is too late to leave. Seek shelter as the fire approaches.”
Residents used social media to post photos of the sky turning black and red from the smoke and glare of the fires, including in the Victorian town of Mallacoota, where around 1,000 people were evacuated by sea on Friday.
The first of those evacuees arrived near Melbourne on Saturday morning after a 20-hour journey by boat and a second ship with about 1,000 people landed in the afternoon.
The federal government announced an unprecedented call up of army reservists to support firefighters as well other resources including a third navy ship equipped for disaster and humanitarian relief.
Andy Gillham, the incident controller in the Victorian town of Bairnsdale, said the area had avoided the worst of the fires on Saturday but stressed this was an exceptional fire season.
“In a normal year, we would start to see the fire season kick off in a big way around early January and we’re already up towards a million hectares of burnt country. This is a marathon event and we expect to be busy managing these fires for at least the next eight weeks,” he said.
Following are highlights of what is happening across Australia:
* Temperatures topped 113 degrees in much of the Sydney metropolitan area, with Penrith recording a high of 120 according to the BOM. Canberra, the national capital, recorded a temperature of 111.2 just after 4 p.m., which the chief minister said was a record for the territory.
*As the fires have flared, many towns have been isolated as major and minor roads are closed. Some fires are generating their own storm systems, which create the risk of lightning strikes generating new fires.
* A late southerly wind change on Saturday dramatically lowered temperatures, but also brought wind gusts of 43-50 miles per hour that caused some major fires near the border of Victoria and New South Wales states to merge and strengthen.
* In South Australia, two people died on Kangaroo Island, a popular holiday spot not far off the coast. South Australian Premier Steven Marshall said more than 247,000 acres have burned there, about one-quarter of the total area.
* Six people remain unaccounted for in Victoria, Premier Andrews said on Saturday, down from 28 reported on Friday.
* The focus on Saturday is preventing more loss of life, authorities said. National parks have been closed and people urged earlier this week to evacuate large parts of NSW’s south coast and Victoria’s north eastern regions, magnets for holidaymakers at the peak of Australia’s summer school holidays.
* Morrison confirmed that his visit to India and Japan scheduled for mid-January had been postponed due to the fires.
* More than 13 million acres of land has been burnt this fire season.


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United States (US) President Donald Trump ordered the killing of a top Iranian general on Thursday, and in his characteristic style, the president made sure the world knew who was responsible.


Trump's claim of Iran link to Delhi terror plot puts India in a bind


Though Trump did not give any specifics on Friday about the IRGC terror plots in Delhi, many in official circles here believe that he was alluding to 2012 attack on Israeli defence attache's wife

IANS  |  New Delhi/Washington 

US President Donald Trump's claim that the slain Iranian military commander and intelligence chief Major General Qassem Soleimani was responsible for terror plots in New Delhi has cornered India that shares a delicate relationship with Iran.
The US on Thursday killed the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Soleimani and other top military leaders in an airstrike in Baghdad.
Though President Trump did not give any specifics on Friday about the IRGC terror plots in Delhi, many in official circles here believe that he was alluding to the 2012 bombing of the car of the wife of the Israeli defence attache in New Delhi.
Israel had blamed Iran for the attack, which was seen as retaliation for the killing of Iranian nuclear scientist Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan by the Mossad in a similarly executed attack.
An Indian journalist Syed Mohammad Ahmad Kazmi, who was arrested and later released on bail, was accused of having carried out the reconnaissance for the Quds Force, Iran's external intelligence agency headed by Soleimani.
While the US is India's most important ally and Israel remains a strategic partner on many core issues, Iran enjoys significance given its geographical location, religious demographics and its overall sympathetic view of India.
New Delhi hopes that the Chabahar Port in Iran, which it is helping develop to access oil and gas resources in Iran and Central Asian countries, will offset the competition that Beijing poses with its Gwadar Port built in Pakistan's Balochistan province.
Iran, affected badly by the US sanctions over its refusal to pursue nuclear programme, seeks to recover its economy with the help of accessing Asian markets using the Chabahar Port.
Similarly, the North-South Transport Corridor (NSTC), the sea, rail and road route to move freight between India, Russia, Iran, Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia, is another major dream project aimed to benefit both India and Iran economically.
Around five million Indians live in the Iran which holds huge religious and cultural influence over the Shia population (16 to 25 million) in India.
"The attack by the US on IRGC commander can destablize the entire Middle East and it will hurt India's relations with Iran. It is not good for us because we will need to evacuate our citizens. Oil prices will go up and remittances will go down. We stand to lose a lot," a senior Indian diplomat who didn't want to be quoted told IANS.
Even as the US has exempted New Delhi from the conditions of the sanctions it has imposed on Iran, Tehran's oil supplies to India has shrunk while American oil imports have risen significantly. India is also relying on imports from Iraq.
Given the grave provocation, Iran has been threatening to retaliate against the US strike, which it called "state terrorism" in its official statement at the UN.
"Republic of Iran reserves all of its rights under international law to take necessary measures in this regard in particular in exercising its inherent right to self defence," Iranian Permanent Representative Ambassador Majid Takht Ravanchi at the UN said.
It is "self evident that the US shall bear full responsibility for all consequences", Iran has threatened.
As the situation escalates in the Middle East, both the US and Iran are likely to pressurize their respective allies to abandon transactional approach to international relations.
"India may have to pick a side this time. But not standing by Iran will cause it more harm than good," an official in the Indian embassy at Tehran said.
Donald Trump rattles Middle East, US politics with risky Iran strike
As reports filtered out from Iraq that Qassem Soleimani had been killed in a US airstrike, some administration officials quietly acknowledged American involvementAgencies Last Updated at January 4, 2020 03:17 IST

A boy carries a portrait of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Gen Qassem Soleimani, prior to the Friday prayers in Tehran on Friday. Photo: AP/PTI

United States (US) President Donald Trump ordered the killing of a top Iranian general on Thursday, and in his characteristic style, the president made sure the world knew who was responsible.

As reports filtered out from Iraq that Qassem Soleimani had been killed in a US airstrike, some administration officials quietly acknowledged American involvement.

Then, a tweet from the president: an image of the American flag, absent any commentary. And finally, a statement from the Defense Department: Trump ordered a strike on Soleimani, leader of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ Quds force, to prevent attacks on US personnel.

Trump’s decision to kill a man regarded as the second most powerful person in Iran was hailed by his allies as one of his boldest strokes in foreign policy and lambasted by his critics as likely his most reckless.

Trump defended the move Friday morning in a series of tweets saying Soleimani was planning to attack Americans.

That the attack came two days into Trump’s re-election year, and while he faces an impeachment trial in the Senate, raised immediate suspicion among his opponents that his decision was politically motivated. And the repercussions, extending to the possibility of war, are unknown.

As a private citizen in 2011, Trump publicly accused then president Barack Obama of planning war against Iran in order to secure his re-election because “he’s weak and he’s ineffective.”

But as president, Trump has shown - first by his withdrawal of US forces from Syria in September and now with the strike on Soleimani - that he will act in what he believes are the best interests of the country even in the face of potential consequences he and his advisers can in no way confidently predict.

Bracing for retaliation
In Syria, there was little planning for the aftermath. The White House was braced for potential Iranian retaliation within US borders, two officials said. One said that the government was on heightened alert, but the details of the administration’s preparations weren’t immediately clear. Soleimani planned to attack Americans: Pentagon
The Pentagon said Soleimani was actively developing plans to attack Americans in Iraq and the Middle East. “This strike was aimed at deterring future Iranian attack plans,” it said, adding that the United States would continue to take necessary action to protect Americans and interests around the world.
The Pentagon said that Soleimani had “orchestrated” attacks on coalition bases in Iraq over the past few months and approved the “attacks” on the US embassy in Baghdad this week.

Pompeo calls for de-escalation
The US State Department issued a directive to American citizens to depart Iraq immediately because of the heightened tensions in the region as Secretary of State Michael Pompeo called for de-escalation with Iran.

Pompeo said in a round of interviews that the US urged Iran to “de-escalate” but is prepared for a response. “We don’t seek war with Iran,” Pompeo told CNN Friday morning. “But we, at the same time, are not going to stand by and watch the Iranians escalate and continue to put American lives at risk without responding in a way that disrupts, defends, deters and creates an opportunity to de-escalate the situation.”

Breach of US troop mandate: Iraq

Iraq’s military condemned on Friday the killing of militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis by US forces in an air strike on Baghdad airport and said it was a clear breach of their mandate in Iraq.

“The Joint Operations Command mourns the hero martyr ... who was martyred last night in a cowardly and treacherous attack carried out by American aircraft near Baghdad international airport,” it said in a statement.

“We affirm that what happened is a flagrant violation of Iraqi sovereignty and a clear breach by the American forces of their mandate which is exclusively to fight Islamic State and provide advice and assistance to Iraqi security forces.”

Dozens of workers leaving Iraq

Dozens of US citizens working for foreign oil companies in the southern Iraqi oil city of Basra were leaving the country on Friday, the Oil Ministry said.

Iraqi officials said the evacuation would not affect operations, production or exports.

Company sources told Reuters earlier the workers were expected to fly out of the country.

Oil production in Iraq, the second-biggest producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, was about 4.62 million barrels per day (bpd), according to a Reuters survey of OPEC output.

Right to self-defence: Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that the US had the right to defend itself by killing Soleimani.

“Just as Israel has the right of self-defence, the United States has exactly the same right,” Netanyahu said in a statement issued by his office. “Soleimani is responsible for the death of American citizens and many other innocent people. He was planning more such attacks.” Netanyahu spoke on the airport tarmac in Greece after cutting short a trip abroad to fly back to Israel.

France, Netherlands issue warnings to citizens France urged its citizens in Iran on Friday to stay away from public gatherings and the Netherlands told Dutch nationals to leave Baghdad.

“Three days of mourning have been declared after the death of General Soleimani. In this context, we recommend French citizens to stay away from any gatherings and to behave with prudence and discretion and abstain from taking pictures in public spaces,” France’s embassy in Tehran said on Twitter.

Esmail Ghaani to succeed Soleimani

Iran’s supreme leader appointed the deputy commander of the Quds Force, Brigadier General Esmail Ghaani (pictured), as the replacement for Soleimani, state media reported.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a statement that programme of the Quds Force, the military unit responsible for projecting Iran’s influence via proxies across the Middle East, “will be unchanged from the time of his predecessor.” Ghaani became deputy commander of the Quds Force, the overseas arm of Iran”s Revolutionary Guards, in 1997 when Soleimani became the Force’s chief commander.
First Published: Sat, January 04 2020. 03:11 IST

How Donald Trump planned the drone strike with a tight circle of aides

The Trump administration had recently asked France and other allies to warn Tehran against killing Americans, according to one of the people. For the president, a red line had been crossed

Jennifer Jacobs & Jordan Fabian | Bloomberg  |  Washington 
Donald Trump, trump
US President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Battle Creek, Michigan. Photo: Reuters

Iranian general Qassem Soleimani haunted the US for more than two decades, a lethal adversary blamed for the deaths of hundreds of American troops in the Middle East.
Yet his stature as the second most powerful person in Iran made him almost untouchable in the eyes of Donald Trump’s predecessors.
That longstanding U.S. restraint ended in dramatic fashion Thursday with Trump’s order to launch a nighttime airstrike in Baghdad that killed Soleimani and drove tensions with Iran to the boiling point.
The president’s decision to target the powerful head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force came together swiftly, following the death of an American contractor in a Dec. 27 rocket attack by an Iranian-backed militia against a U.S. base in Iraq. Soon after the attack, Trump ordered a handful of his most senior aides to begin planning a strike on the Iranian general, according to three people familiar with the matter.
The Trump administration had recently asked France and other allies to warn Tehran against killing Americans, according to one of the people. For the president, a red line had been crossed.
Trump’s close circle of national security advisers was scattered across the country for the holidays -- Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney was in Key West; National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien was in California; and Secretary of State Michael Pompeo was in Washington, after cancelling planned travel to Ukraine and other countries on Jan. 1.
Vice President Mike Pence was in Annapolis, Maryland, for his daughter Charlotte’s wedding on Saturday, then at Sanibel Island in Florida.
The team used secure communications lines to repeatedly discuss the strike. On Thursday, a plane from the White House fleet was sent to California to ferry O’Brien to Palm Beach to be with Trump as the attack unfolded.
A small number of lawyers on the National Security Council were involved. Secrecy was paramount, as aides worried that one of Trump’s most fraught and consequential decisions wasn’t leaked ahead of the strike.
Risky attack

While Soleimani’s death has been cheered by many of Trump’s supporters and congressional allies, Democrats say the president’s decision risks endangering American diplomats and troops in the Middle East and beyond. Within the Trump administration, there is even concern about Iranian reprisals inside U.S. borders.
As his administration planned the strike, Trump engaged in what looked outwardly like his normal vacation activities. He traveled to his golf course near Mar-a-Lago every day since Christmas. Though on Tuesday, the day protesters the U.S. says were instigated by Iran stormed the American embassy in Baghdad, he was there only about 50 minutes.
After leaving the course early, he assailed the media for what he said were reports he was playing golf during the embassy siege, writing on Twitter that he had meetings “in various locations, while closely monitoring the U.S. Embassy situation in Iraq.”

Senator Lindsey Graham played golf with Trump on Monday and was briefed on the Soleimani strike the following day, Graham said in an interview Friday on Fox News. It’s not clear if the administration notified any other lawmaker in advance.
David Popp, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, declined to say whether the Kentucky Republican got a heads-up from the White House. No congressional Democrats were forewarned.
Over the weekend or earlier this week, Trump ordered elements of the 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East. About 750 paratroopers were notified Tuesday that they would be deployed. Security was enhanced at Mar-a-Lago, according to two people familiar with the matter.
No foreign governments were notified of the attack ahead of time.
U.S. officials say that Soleimani was coming to Baghdad to prepare for further attacks on American forces. The U.S. and several other countries track his movements, and he was believed to have arrived in the Iraqi capital from a third country in the region -- either Lebanon or Syria.
A U.S. official said the military wasn’t directly monitoring Soleimani over the past week but launched a strike when intelligence indicated he’d be at the Baghdad airport -- in military lexicon a “target of opportunity.”

The U.S. would have known as soon as he landed in Baghdad, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Soleimani was the primary target of the strike, just outside the Baghdad airport, which also killed the leader of Kataib Hezbollah militia that attacked the American military base.
The White House opted against notifying Congress ahead of the attack out of concern for security, a person familiar with the matter said. The Department of Homeland Security, which is partially responsible for deterring potential Iranian retaliation on U.S. soil, was only notified of the Soleimani strike after the fact. White House communications officials were excluded from the planning.
‘Plotting to kill’

The president offered a partial explanation of his decision on Twitter on Friday, writing that Soleimani “killed or badly wounded thousands of Americans” and “was plotting to kill many more.”

He did not elaborate or provide any substantiation for the claim. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo later said in a CNN interview that Soleimani’s killing thwarted an “imminent attack,” again without providing further details.
Only on Friday, the day after the strike, did the State Department order American citizens to depart Iraq. Key members of Congress still hadn’t been briefed as of Friday morning, and the White House instead forwarded the Defense Department’s public statement to the offices of lawmakers who asked, according to three lawmakers.
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Year in Review: From CCA stir to Hong Kong demonstrations, protests in 2010

Business Standard lists some of the protests that drew attention around the world in 2019


Surbhi Gloria Singh | New Delhi Last Updated at December 31, 2019


Though the triggers and demands of the protesters across the world were different, all of those, perhaps, emanated from the one idea that a change could be brought about if things were done differently.

ALSO READYear in Review: How democracies around the world were redefined in 2019In pictures: Protests against Citizenship Amendment Act across nationLIVE: Give Citizenship Act a chance, Amit Shah appeals to studentsYear in Review: Amazon fire to Baghdadi killing, top global events of 2019Year in Review: Meet the 10 game changers of 2019

Be it India's struggle for independence, or the outrage over the Vietnam war, or the American Civil Rights movement, protests have left an indelible mark upon the world. Historically, protests have served as a means for marginalised groups to articulate their discontent and make their demands known. The year 2019 has seen many protests across the globe. Though the triggers and demands were different, all of those, perhaps, emanated from the one idea that a change could be brought about if things were done differently.

Business Standard lists some of the protests that drew attention around the world in 2019:

Outrage over CAA (India)
Protests broke out across India following the passage of the Citizen Amendment Act on December 11. The Act allows Indian citizenship for Hindus, Buddhists, Parsis, Sikhs and Christians who came to India from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh before 2015. But it excludes Muslim immigrants. While started initially as a students’ protest against an allegedly discriminatory legislation, demonstrations became more widespread with several sections of the citizenry joining in. There were mass arrests — more than 1,500 people were held in the first 10 days of the agitation, and another 4,000 were detained and released later. Historian Ramchandra Guha and Swaraj Abhiyan founder and activist Yogendra Yadav were among those detained. The government also blocked internet services in some parts of Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Assam to curb the spread of misinformation.

Protests broke out across India following the passage of
the Citizen Amendment Act on December 11. Photo: Reuters
ALSO READ: How a leaderless anti-CAA stir is mobilising volunteers, doctors & lawyers
Assam protests against NRC (India)
Assam saw rumblings of discontent and violent protests in 2019 over the National Register of Indian Citizens (NRC) exercise. Of the 33 million people of Assam, more than 1.9 million people had been excluded from the final NRC list published on August 31. The protests, spearheaded by the All Assam Students Union (AASU), Left parties and indigenous organisations, intensified when Parliament passed the Citizenship Amendment Act.
ALSO READ: Walk the talk on NR  
Of the 33 million people of Assam, more than 1.9 million people had been excluded from the final NRC list published on August 31. Photo: Reuters
Anti-extradition protests (Hong Kong)
A protest against the Extradition Bill, started initially by students in Hong Kong, has seen thousands joining in since June. The Bill allowed criminal suspects in Hong Kong to be extradited to mainland China and tried in Communist Party courts. Critics feared this Bill could undermine Hong Kong's judicial independence. The protestors demanded the withdrawal of the Bill and the resignation of chief executive Carrie Lam. The stir turned violent with intense standoffs between protesters and the police. While the agitators attacked officers with petrol bombs, the police resorted to firing live bullets. Over 4,500 people were detained.
ALSO READ: Hong Kong riot police crackdown on protesters rallying for China's Uighurs
Hong Kong protests turned violent with intense standoffs
 between protesters and the police. Photo: Reuters

Climate strike (Global)Around six million people took to the streets between September 20 and 27 demanding immediate action against a rising “climate emergency”. Inspired by Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, who gained worldwide fame after skipping school to protest against climate change, demonstrations took place across 4,500 locations in 150 countries. Thunberg confronted world leaders at the UN Climate Change Summit with her now-famous "how dare you?" speech. She condemned them for failing to act against climate change.
ALSO READ: Climate change activist Greta Thunberg is TIME's 2019 Person of the Year


Inspired by Greta Thunberg, demonstrations took place
 across 4,500 locations in 150 countries against 
climate change. Photo: Reuters
Protests after rape and murder of a Hyderabad vet (India)

Outraged by the gang-rape and murder of a 27-year-old veterinarian in Hyderabad, people held demonstrations across India — mainly in Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Lucknow, and Hyderabad — in November. MPs spoke out in Parliament after reports of the woman’s burned body being discovered in Hyderabad. Protesters demanded a fast-track investigation in this case, and other cases of crime against women. A few days into the protests, the four accused in the case were shot dead by the Hyderabad police. The accused, they said, were killed in “retaliatory action” after they tried to snatch people weapons and flee.
ALSO READ: Hyderabad rape-murder: NHRC begins on-the-spot probe into encounter killing

Protests against Hyderabad rape case. Photo: Reuters
Showdown against taxes, corruption (Lebanon)
On October 17, around 20 per cent of the Lebanese population took to the streets against taxes on gasoline and tobacco, and endemic corruption. The trigger was a government proposal to impose a $6 monthly tax on WhatsApp users. Pushed to the wall, the government withdrew the proposal but people did not leave the streets. They called for the formation of a competent government and resignation of politicians. On October 29, Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri announced his resignation.
ALSO READ: Bowing down to protests, Lebanon PM Saad Hariri to submit resignation

Lebanon protests. Photo: Reuters
Protest against fuel price hike (Iran)
Trouble brewed in Iran over a surprise increase in gasoline prices on November 15. Despite an internet blackout, protests raged on in hundreds of Iranian cities. Petrol pumps and banks were attacked. More than 300 demonstrators were killed across the country, dozens of others were injured, and thousands arrested, according to international human rights activists.
ALSO READ: 304 killed during 3-day Iran protest crackdown in Nov: New Amnesty toll


People protest against increased gas price, on a highway
 in Tehran, Iran November 16, 2019. Photo: Reuters

















Chile protest. Photo: Reuters
Protests against unequal living costs (Chile)
In October, Chile was gripped by protests against high living costs and inequality. Angry over President Sebastian Pinera's response to the stir, demonstrators called for his resignation. The police used rubber bullets, tear gas, water cannon and pellets, which led to further clashes between cops and protesters. According to officials, at least 20 civilians were killed. It was the worst violence in the country since the 17-year-long military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet ended in 1990.
ALSO READ: From Chile to India, a global anarchy revival could outdo the 1960s

Agitation against pension overhaul, other reforms (France)
The ongoing movement against President Emmanuel Macron's reforms has been called France's biggest strike in decades. Over 800,000 workers representing millions from a wide range of professions are dissatisfied with Macron's plan to overhaul the country's pension system. They have been holding demonstrations in more than 100 cities across France for over a month now. There were numerous reports of vandalism in Paris and 71 people were arrested.
ALSO READ: Protests continue in France over pension reforms, govt refuses to back down

French protest: Over 800,000 workers representing millions
 from a wide range of professions are dissatisfied with 
Macron's plan to overhaul the country's pension system. 
Photo: Reuters

Protest against fee hike at universities (India)As Jawaharlal Nehru University students and staff, and members of civil society protested against the 300 per cent fee hike, the JNU Students' Union (JNUSU) urged scholars across India to join them in their fight for affordable and accessible education. A few miles from the JNU campus, resident doctors at AIIMS strongly opposed the proposal to review tuition fees and user charges for various diagnostic procedures. IIT Bombay and IIT-BHU protested against a 900-per cent fee hike, while IIT Madras students went up against socio-cultural biases in the institute. A group of students also protested against the appointment of a Muslim applicant as an assistant professor in the Sahitya department of the Sanskrit Vidya Dharm Vigyan (SVDV) and made headlines with an allegedly “communal” bias.
ALSO READ: JNU fee hike should be for rich students, not poor: Super 30's Anand Kumar


JNU protests. Photo: Reuters
Doctors' demand for better security (India)
Thousands of doctors across India went on a strike on June 14 to demand better security at hospitals. The protests were sparked by an attack at NRS Medical College in Kolkata that left three junior doctors seriously injured after a dispute with a family whose relative had died. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's remarks, including a warning to junior doctors that they would be evicted from their college hostels if they did not get back to work, triggered a nationwide reaction. Nearly 30,000 doctors went on a day-long strike, most of them in West Bengal, New Delhi and Maharashtra. The crisis deepened with over 500 senior doctors across state-run hospitals resigning en masse.
ALSO READ: Doctors protest continue in Delhi; some relief for patients as emergency services resume


Doctors' protest in West Bengal. Photo: Reuters
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HONG KONG PROTEST UPDATES 2020


Alfons López Tena verified_user
alfonslopeztena
US photography professor who covered ongoing protests barred from Hong Kong — @MatthewConnors_ , a professor in photography at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design @MassArt, was detained by immigration officials and expelled https://t.co/8yag9eZoLQ
Twitter3:53 a.m.

Maria Ressa verified_user
mariaressa
LVMH to shut store amid Hong Kong protests – report https://t.co/LR9KzpqvKF via @rapplerdotcom
Twitter2:28 a.m.
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t
South China Morning Post
HSBC to suspend ATMs in protest-hit areas on weekend nights, holidays
HSBC said it would suspend *service* at 19 locations from 8pm to 6am on weekends and public holidays at protest hotspots on Hong Kong Island and in ...
Yesterday
The Australian
HSBC’s famed lions targeted by protesters
HSBC is being drawn into Hong Kongs political turmoil, with protesters attacking its branches and graffiti daubed on the famous pair of lions that guard its ...


AsiaNews
HONG KONG - CHINA 400 people arrested at the start of the year. Hong Kong police apologies and denials
Over a million people attended the march. For the police, there were only 60000. After some clashes, the order came to evacuate the demonstration in half an ...

Coconuts
Police defend decision to pepper spray lawmaker at close range after grabbing goggles off his face
Police have defended the decision to pepper spray a pro-democracy lawmaker at close range during yesterday's New Year's Day rally on Hong Kong Island, ...


Hong Kong Cops Aren’t Sorry For Pepper Spraying A Politician Right In the Face
A police officer tore off a politician's goggles and sprayed him at close range — twice.

Yahoo Singapore News
Iconic HSBC lions in Hong Kong facing long period of restoration after being set on fire by protesters
Two iconic lion sculptures that have guarded the entrance to HSBC headquarters in Central for decades will disappear from public view for only the third time in ...


PICS: Iconic HSBC bronze lions vandalized in Hong Kong protests
The iconic bronze lions that have "guarded" the HSBC head office in Hong Kong since the 1930s were vandalized and set alight ...

The Business Times
HSBC kicks off new year with HK branches closed, vandalised amid protests
Hong Kong. HSBC is being drawn into Hong Kong's political turmoil with protesters attacking some of its branches and graffiti daubed on the famous pair of lions ...

THIS IS FROM CHINA  HOW CAN YOU TELL  WHO ELSE USES 'MISCREANTS'

Protests erupted against government in Hong Kong, police arrested 400 miscreants
Hong Kong: Hong Kong police have arrested around 400 people for 'unlawfully joining and possessing weapons' in an anti-government march on New Year.


Hong Kong protest fallout hits HSBC and the London Stock Exchange
Two of the United Kingdom's leading financial institutions are being caught up in the political fallout from months of pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.

The Independent
Police arrest hundreds following 'chaotic' New Year's Day protest in Hong Kong
Trouble started brewing when radical protesters vandalized five HSBC branches in Wan Chai and a Starbucks in Tin Hau. The walls were spray painted and the ...



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'Water comes from forests, not dams’?
Ramon Efren Lazaro (The Philippine Star) - December 12, 2019
Alien tree huggers-acrylic on canvas by Roxlee.
MANILA, Philippines — Amid ongoing debates over the controversial Kaliwa Dam, an environmental group said the solution to the water crisis is the restoration of Philippine forests.?
Haribon Foundation emphasized that the water issue should be understood from the ridge-to-reef perspective that begins with asking where water comes from.??
“Water comes from forests, not from dams. Forests absorb water through their roots, release it from their leaves through transpiration, which then turn into rainwater together with water evaporated from oceans and other water bodies,” the group said.?
The foundation noted that the Environmental Impact Statement submitted by the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) has also recognized the significant role of forests in the global carbon cycle as carbon sinks of the land ecosystem, absorbing carbon dioxide, and storing carbon in soils.?
“Forests have an indispensable biodiversity value – not only do they supply goods for trade and subsistence, they also contribute to water cycle and groundwater withdrawal,” said Haribon.Based on the government reforestation costing – particularly the national greening program (NGP) – restoring one hectare of forest costs P16,450 for three years.
According to Haribon, this shows that only around P2.48 billion is needed to restore 150,000 hectares of forests in the country compared to the P12.2 billion loan from China that puts the Philippines at risk of environmental chaos and a debt trap. 
Meanwhile, the province of Bulacan has the biggest agroforest plantations in Central Luzon, with fruit-bearing trees planted under the NGP of the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources, according to the DENR information officer of the region.
Don Guevarra said the region has a total of 9,187.84 hectares of agroforest plantations in its seven provinces, with Bulacan having 2,313.04 hectares planted with fruit-bearing trees like guyabano, cacao and coffee.
This is followed by Zambales with 1,767.84 hectares; Tarlac, 1,466.88; Bataan, 1,013.86; Aurora, 1,006.28; Pampanga, 914.23, and Nueva Ecija, 705.02 hectares.
Emelita Lingat, DENR’s provincial officer in Bulacan, told The STAR that the NGP’s agroforest plantations started in 2011 as an alternative livelihood program for the slash-and-burn (kaingin) farmers, charcoal makers and illegal loggers.
Bulacan has two community environment and natural resources offices (CENRO) – in Guiguinto and Baliuag – that are responsible for the implementation of DENR policies, programs, projects and activities and the enforcement of laws and regulations at the community level.
CENRO Baliuag has jurisdiction over the northern part of Bulacan that includes the towns of Baliuag, San Rafael, San Ildefonso, San Miguel and Donya
Remedios Trinidad. The rest of the province is under the jurisdiction of CENRO Guiguinto.

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 SEE  https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/search?q=FOREST

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Biggest bloom: 'World's largest' flower spotted in Indonesia


This handout picture taken on January 2, 2020 and released on January 3 by the Sumatra 
Barat Nature Conservation Agency (BKSDA) shows a giant Rafflesia tuan-mudae—a fleshy 
red flower with white blister-like spots on its enormous petals and measuring a whopping
 111 centimeters (3.6 feet) in diameter at the Maninjau nature preserve in Agam, West Sumatra.
Handout/West Sumatra BKSDA/AFP
Biggest bloom: 'World's largest' flower spotted in Indonesia
(Agence France-Presse) - January 3, 2020 - 6:35pm
PADANG, Indonesia — Indonesian conservationists say they've spotted the biggest specimen ever of what's already been billed as one of the world's largest flowers.
The giant Rafflesia tuan-mudae—a fleshy red flower with white blister-like spots on its enormous petals—came in at a whopping 111 centimeters (3.6 foot) in diameter.
That's bigger than the previous record of 107 centimeters on a bloom also found in the jungles of West Sumatra several years ago.
"This is the largest Rafflesia tuan-mudae that has ever been documented," said Ade Putra at the Agam Conservation Agency in Sumatra.
The flower's bloom will only last about one week before it will wither and rot, he added.
It was named Rafflesia after British colonialist Sir Stamford Raffles who spotted one in Indonesia in the early 19th Century.
The species grows in several Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines where a 100 centimeter specimen was recorded.
The parasitic bloom, sometimes referred to as corpse flower, mimics the stench of rotting meat to attract insects.
Sharing that noxious smell is Indonesia's Amorphophallus titanum, a phallus-shaped flower that can reach heights of up to three meters (10 feet).
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