GUILTY OF WAR CRIMES
Israel refuses to work with ICC on war crimes probe, says 'no authority'

Muhammad Abu Jazar, 34, shows his daughter Maisam, 12, a picture of his children who were killed during the 2014 Gaza war 

SAID KHATIB AFP

Issued on: 08/04/2021

Jerusalem (AFP)

Israel on Thursday said it has formally decided not to cooperate with an International Criminal Court war crimes investigation into the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The ICC's chief prosecutor announced on March 3 that she had opened a full investigation into the situation in the Israeli-occupied territories, infuriating Israel, which not a member of The Hague-based court.

The ICC sent a deferral notice on March 9, giving Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) a month to inform judges whether they are investigating crimes similar to those being probed by the ICC.

Had Israel informed the court that it was in fact carrying out its own probe into alleged war crimes perpetrators, it could have asked for a deferral.

Ahead of the deadline, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office issued a statement saying the government had agreed "to not cooperate" with the ICC.

Israel would instead send a letter to the court "completely rejecting the claim that Israel commits war crimes", it said.

The letter would also "reiterate Israel's unequivocal position that The Hague tribunal has no authority to open an investigation against it".

"The state of Israel is committed to the rule of law... and expects the court to refrain from violating its sovereignty and authority," the statement reads.

- 'Hypocrisy' -

The PA, based in the occupied West Bank, has been a state party to the ICC since 2015.

The Palestinians have welcomed the investigation and said they will not seek any deferral.

The world's only permanent war crimes tribunal, the ICC was set up in 2002 to try humanity's worst crimes where local courts are unwilling or unable to step in.

ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda has said her probe will cover the situation since 2014 in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem.

It will mainly focus on the 2014 Gaza war but also look at the deaths of Palestinian demonstrators from 2018 onwards.

After a five-year preliminary probe, Bensouda said there was a "reasonable basis" to believe crimes were committed by both sides -- by the Israeli military, Hamas Islamists who have controlled Gaza since 2007 and Palestinian armed groups.

Hamas has welcomed the ICC probe and argued that its attacks on Israel were justified acts of "resistance".

Netanyahu, a vocal critic of the ICC, on Thursday accused the court of "hypocrisy" for targeting Israel troops who "fight with high moral conduct against terrorists".

The long-serving premier has previously lambasted the decision to open the probe as the "essence of anti-Semitism" and declared Israel was "under attack".

Thursday's statement marked the first time that Netanyahu had made it clear Israel would not directly engage with the ICC.

The United States has also criticised the ICC investigation and voiced support for its ally Israel.

The ICC last week welcomed US President Joe Biden's lifting of sanctions imposed by Donald Trump on Bensouda, saying it signalled a new era of cooperation with Washington.

The Trump administration imposed the financial sanctions and visa ban on Bensouda last year after she launched an investigation into alleged war crimes by US military personnel in Afghanistan.

© 2021 AFP

Opinion: Jair Bolsonaro's unpredictability is more of a threat than ever

Brazil is sliding deeper and deeper into crisis. But its president's course of action is a calculated one. It has an internal logic and consolidates his power, says Philipp Lichterbeck.



Brazil has one of the highest COVID death rates in the world


Jair Bolsonaro thrives on chaos. He needs confrontation, provocation, contradiction. Constant conflict is what energizes him. This was the already true of him during his time as an army officer, when he allegedly planned to detonate a bomb in the bathroom of his barracks as part of his campaign for an increase in military salaries.

The pattern continued when he entered parliament in the early 1990s: It became his trademark to glorify the military dictatorship and wish death, violence and torture on others, in particular leftists and members of minority groups.

As president, Bolsonaro has perfected his taboo-breaking methodology. He and his sons, along with some members of parliament, advisers and propagandists, have bombarded Brazil with fresh lies and provocations on a weekly basis.

This serves to create the sense that the country is in a constant state of emergency. Petyr Baelish, the eminence grise behind those in power in the TV series "Game of Thrones," remarks that "Chaos is a ladder." This is the guiding principle of Bolsonarism. The ladder of the chaos Bolsonaro has incited is what he uses to climb ever higher, and to extend his power.

DW's Philipp Lichterbeck reports from Rio de Janeiro

The logic of Bolsonarism

It is in this context that we must consider this week's forced resignation of the three heads of the Brazilian armed forces. Right now, many observers talk about "chaos in Brazil" and predict the imminent end of Bolsonaro's presidency.

The most common interpretation at the moment is as follows: Courageous generals resisted Bolsonaro's attempt to instrumentalize the armed forces for his own purposes. The president wanted to deploy the army to challenge the COVID-19 lockdowns imposed by regional governors, but, by resigning, the heads of the army, navy and air force demonstrated that the military is not Bolsonaro's tool. Even the Brazilian left rejoiced at the generals' supposed good sense.

In fact, the internal logic of Bolsonarism is at work here. These events are part of a continual intensification of the crisis. In the midst of the worst phase of the coronavirus pandemic — on average, around 3,000 Brazilians are dying of COVID-19 every day — Bolsonaro has provoked a conflict with the top ranks of the military.

It is not a break with the military per se, but with the old guard, the men in its high command. It also sends a signal to the lower ranks, who are also more politically radical. "This is your chance" is the message to the younger officers, who have been more enthusiastic about Bolsonaro from the beginning; the generals regarded him as an outsider.

Watch video03:04 Brazil: Politicization of pandemic compounds crisis

Hauling the three military chiefs over the coals indicates that Bolsonarism is becoming even more radical. It is no longer enough for the president to seek external enemies; now he is also eliminating those who are insufficiently Bolsonarist. This has already happened with various ex-ministers, and the approach is now being extended to veteran military leaders. Anyone who hesitates or voices criticism is considered a "traitor."

The definition of what constitutes Bolsonarism is thus becoming increasingly narrow, and the movement is likely to become even more paranoid, unpredictable, and dangerous.

Tactical considerations

On the other side of this week's events is the military, which is seen as showing a sense of political responsibility. In truth, the military continues to enable the Bolsonarian circus. More than 6,000 of its members are part of the government; around 340 are in paid positions. The military also runs almost a third of Brazil's federal companies.

The supposed rift between Bolsonaro and the military is therefore nothing of the sort. They agree on the main points: The interpretation of military dictatorship as a necessary revolution in order to thwart communism. The rejection of a judicial investigation of the dictatorship. The continued occupation and exploitation of the Amazon region.

The military chiefs' resignations were therefore prompted not so much by fundamental differences of opinion as by tactical considerations. The military is trying to distance itself from Bolsonaro's disastrous coronavirus policies. The generals have realized that they too may be blamed for the mounting daily death toll. So far, many observers have wanted to see the military as a pragmatic, counterbalancing force in the Bolsonaro government.

This myth is no longer sustainable. Brazil is facing self-inflicted disaster in its health care system. The military clearly wants to act as if it bears no responsibility for this. For Bolsonaro, the resulting confusion is an opportunity to fill important positions in the military apparatus with his henchmen.

This article was translated from German.

Brazilian pilot survives 38 days in Amazon after crash


"Despite the circumstances that led me to that flight, being found by a family of gatherers who work in harmony with nature, who don't damage the forest -- that was magical," he said.

Issued on: 09/04/2021 - 

  

Brazilian pilot Antonio Sena speaks to AFP at his home in Brasilia, Brazil, on April 7, 2021 EVARISTO SA AFP


Brasília (AFP)

Antonio Sena was flying a single-prop Cessna 210 over the Brazilian Amazon when the engine suddenly stopped, leaving him minutes to find a spot in the jungle to crash-land.

He survived with no injuries, but was stranded in the middle of the world's largest rainforest -- the start of a 38-day trek he says taught him one of the biggest lessons of his life.

Sena, 36, was hired to fly a cargo run from the northern town of Alenquer to an illegal gold mine in the rainforest, known as the "California."

Flying at an altitude of about 1,000 meters (3,000 feet), he knew when the engine stopped halfway there he would not have much time.

He managed to bring the plane over a valley, and landed as best he could.

Covered in gasoline, he grabbed whatever seemed useful -- a backpack, three bottles of water, four soft drinks, a sack of bread, some rope, an emergency kit, a lantern and two lighters -- and got out of the plane as fast as possible.

It exploded not long after.

That was January 28.

The first five days, he told AFP in an interview at his home in Brasilia, he heard rescue flights overhead, searching for him.

But the vegetation was so dense the rescuers didn't see him.

After that, he heard no more engines, and assumed they had given him up for dead.

"I was devastated. I thought I would never make it out, that I was going to die," he said.

He used what battery he had on his cell phone to find where he was with GPS, and decided to walk east, where he had spotted two air strips.

- Jaguars, crocodiles, anacondas -

He followed the morning sun to stay on course, and dredged up what he remembered of a survival course he had once taken.

"There was water, but no food. And I was vulnerable -- exposed to predators" like jaguars, crocodiles and anacondas, he said.

He ate the same fruits he saw the monkeys eating, and managed to snag three precious blue tinamou bird eggs -- the only protein of his entire ordeal.

"I had never seen such untouched, virgin rainforest," he said.

"I discovered the Amazon isn't one rainforest, it's like four or five forests in one."

The thought of seeing his parents and siblings again kept him going, he said.

Sena was born in Santarem, a small city at the junction of the Amazon and Tapajos rivers.

He calls himself a native "Amazonian" and lover of the rainforest.

But he says the coronavirus pandemic left him with little choice but to take a job working for one of the thousands of illegal gold mines scarring the forest and polluting its rivers with mercury.

A trained pilot with 2,400 hours of flight time, he had opened a restaurant in his hometown several years ago in a change of pace.

But Covid-19 restrictions forced him to close it.

"I had to make money somehow," said Sena.

"I never wanted to (work for an illegal mine), but that was the option I had if I wanted to put food on the table."

- 'Never again' -

In all, Sena walked 28 kilometers (17 miles), losing 25 kilos (55 pounds) on the way.

On the 35th day, he heard the sound of something foreign to the rainforest for the first time since the rescuers gave up looking for him: a chainsaw.

He started walking toward it, and finally came to a camp of Brazil nut collectors.

Startled by his unexpected apparition from the forest, they helped contact his mother to tell her he was alive.

The matriarch of the camp was Maria Jorge dos Santos Tavares, who has been gathering and selling nuts in the forest with her family for five decades.

"She gave me food and clean clothes," Sena said.

"I have tremendous affection for them."

He found meaning in the fact he was saved by a family that lives "in harmony" with the forest, after working for people who are destroying it.

"Despite the circumstances that led me to that flight, being found by a family of gatherers who work in harmony with nature, who don't damage the forest -- that was magical," he said.

"One thing's for sure: I'll never fly for illegal miners again."

© 2021 AFP

Five things to know about Djibouti

FIRST; IT IS HAVING AN ELECTION

Djibouti heads to the polls with Guelleh seeking a fifth presidential term (france24.com)

Issued on: 09/04/2021 - 

Djibouti has styled itself as a trade hub, launching a massive free trade zone in 2018 

Yasuyoshi CHIBA AFP/File

Nairobi (AFP)

Djibouti, which is one-tenth the size of England with a population of just one million, is one of Africa's smallest countries.

But the nation, which holds a presidential election on Friday, has used its strategic position along one of the world's busiest trade routes to its economic and political advantage.

- Foreign military bases -


Djibouti is situated at the mouth of the Bab al-Mandab strait, between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, giving it a unique geographical location between Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.

Its stability in an often volatile region has drawn foreign military powers to establish bases in the country.

France has its biggest military base on the continent in Djibouti, counting some 1,500 troops, while China, Japan and Italy also have soldiers in the country.

Djibouti is also home to the only permanent American military base in Africa, with some 4,000 soldiers supporting anti-terrorist operations on the continent, notably in Somalia.

- Final mandate -

Djibouti's President Ismail Omar Guelleh, 73, has been in power since 1999 and is only the second leader of the country since independence in 1977.

In Friday's election he is seeking a fifth term in office -- his last, given a 2010 constitutional amendment that enshrined an age limit of 75 for presidential candidates.

The amendment also removed presidential term limits, which allowed him to remain in office at the time.

In 2020 Guelleh faced an unusual wave of opposition protests -- which were brutally suppressed -- after the arrest of an air force pilot who had denounced clan-based discrimination and corruption.

- Port economy -

Djibouti is the main maritime outlet for landlocked Ethiopia, and has styled itself as a trade hub, launching a massive free trade zone in 2018.

In 2020, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, Djibouti's economy contracted for the first time in 20 years with growth of minus one percent, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

However it is expected to rebound in 2021 with seven percent growth.

The GDP per capita is about $3,500, higher than much of sub-Saharan Africa, but some 20 percent of the population lives in extreme poverty, according to the World Bank.

- Renewable energy and water -

Situated at the junction of three tectonic plates, and blessed with year-round sunshine, Djibouti has the potential to develop solar, geothermal and wind energy.

The country is currently working on its first geothermal energy plant in Lake Assal -- a saline crater lake at some 150 metres (500 feet) below sea level.

In March 2021 the arid nation also launched its first desalination plant, expected to provide potable water to 250,000 people, a quarter of the country's population.

- Climate change -

The majority of the population lives in the capital Djibouti City. The country has a surface area of 23,200 square kilometres (9,000 square miles) and is 90 percent desert.

Less than 1,000 square kilometres are arable, and there is less than 130 millimetres of rainfall annually.

Like much of the region, Djibouti has faced worsening climate extremes. In 2019 rare floods hit the country after massive downpours.

Some areas received the equivalent of two years of normal rainfall in only a day, and at least nine people died in floods in the capital.

2021 AFP

"MISSION ACCOMPLISHED"
Iraqi youth see little hope 18 years after Saddam's fall

Issued on: 09/04/2021 - 

Hussein, a young Iraqi activist born in 2000, never experienced the brutality of Saddam Hussein's regime  Asaad NIAZI AFP

Baghdad (AFP)

Eighteen years ago Saddam Hussein's brutal rule came to an end, but the prospects for young Iraqis who never witnessed his dictatorship remain blighted by insecurity, rampant corruption and joblessness.

When American troops seized Baghdad on April 9, 2003, a different Hussein was barely three years old. Living in Nasiriyah, a cradle of revolts throughout history in the country's south, he recalls people speaking of a "bloody regime".

It was one which "embroiled Iraq in wars that wasted many lives and resources," alongside crippling sanctions from the 1990s, said the political sciences student.

But today the American promises of democracy and freedom made when Saddam was toppled ring hollow, added Hussein, who did not want to give his second name, as he deplored today's "incapable" political parties and a "rotten system".

Educated initially in a small mud-brick school, since his earliest memories he has known an Iraq beset by "hospitals in ruins and zero job prospects."

Despite the country's oil wealth, the promise of a booming future has remained beyond grasp for most, especially those now coming of age.

The country has grappled with a toxic cocktail of endemic corruption and bloody sectarian episodes, culminating in the Islamic State jihadist group occupying large swathes of the country for three years from mid-2014.

Iraq remains in a state of "total collapse," Hussein lamented.

- 'Poor can't live' -

Ibrahim, a young resident of the Shiite holy city of Karbala, was equally dismissive of his prospects in contemporary Iraq.

"The poor cannot live in this country," said the 21-year-old, who said he had "dreamt of joining the military academy".

"But I had to stop (studying) before middle school" in order to scrape by financially, and today he is stuck, still hawking pink candy floss from a small cart.

Hussein, meanwhile, has tried -- with some success -- to juggle both the demands of study and work, taking odd jobs from as early as 13.

These youngsters' stories are far from uncommon, as 37 percent of Iraqi children live below the global poverty threshold, according to the UN's children's agency UNICEF.

After finishing his day's university classes, Hussein rushes to meet his younger brother, the two of them hustling daily to find a trader who will give them tasks, in order to feed their seven-strong family.

He will soon become the first in the family to hold a degree. But he finds little joy in the prospect of graduating, in a country where 700,000 new graduate entrants to the job market compete for public sector employment every year.

Opportunities in the private sector are minimal, while the Saddam-era policy of guaranteeing all graduates a job became unviable long ago.

All this intertwines with devastating levels of corruption and patronage.

"It is only by joining a political party or a militia that you can get public sector" jobs," Hussein explained.

Some 60 percent of the country's 40 million people are under 25, and the unemployment rate in that age group is a staggering 36 percent. Many therefore turn to armed groups for jobs, attracted by steady salaries, even as the state regularly pays its civil servants late due to depressed oil revenues.

- 'Future decided by us' -

Few take the option of seeking work abroad, since Iraqi degrees are treated with disdain by employers outside the country -- in stark contrast to the early 1900s, when the University of Baghdad had a formidable reputation.

Hussein's determination to restore Iraq's regional credibility drives him forward, he says.

Defying tribal and wider societal pressure, he has protested regularly since the age of 16 -- whenever he has earned enough to feed his family.

Protests mushroomed from October 2019, when hundreds of thousands of mainly young Iraqis took to the streets in multiple cities in a months-long mobilisation seeking to overturn the post-Saddam political class, viewed as corrupt and beholden to foreign powers.

Rawan, 18, was among those protesters, and this year fled to Iraq's northern Kurdistan region, after being threatened in her home region of Babylon.

Her story of flight has a certain unwelcome symmetry -- under Saddam, her father fled with the family into exile in Libya, only to return once the dictator was gone.

Dozens of other activists of the "October revolt" have received threats. Around 600 protesters were killed, mainly in street confrontations.

Intimidation, abductions and even killings of activists continue, despite the street protests fizzling out.

"But our generation is different, due to the new technologies," Rawan noted.

Nowadays, "we can compare what we have here with what others have abroad."

And despite the fear and the shortages, she, like Hussein, is determined to force "a change of regime".

"It is not easy. But the future of this country will be decided by our generation."

Former school principal in Australian court on sex abuse charges

Malka Leifer, a former Australian teacher accused of dozens of cases of sexual abuse of girls at a school, was extradicted from Israel in 2018 

Issued on: 09/04/2021 -

AHMAD GHARABLI AFP/File

Melbourne (AFP)

A former principal of a Jewish ultra-orthodox school accused of child sexual abuse will remain in custody ahead of her pre-trial hearing in September after appearing in an Australian court Friday.

Malka Leifer, a dual Israeli-Australian citizen who was extradited to Australia in January, faces 74 charges of sexually abusing children while working as a religious studies teacher and principal at the Adass Israel School in Melbourne.

Appearing via video link at Melbourne Magistrates' Court, Leifer did not apply for bail and will remain in custody ahead of a five-day committal hearing which was set to begin on September 13.

Wearing a white headscarf, Leifer only spoke once to confirm that she could hear proceedings.

The scheduled hearing, which will determine whether Leifer faces a criminal trial in a higher court, will hear evidence from 10 witnesses, with some appearing remotely from Israel, the court heard.

According to official documents, the charges against her include rape, indecent assault and child sexual abuse alleged to have occurred between 2004 and 2008.

Her alleged victims are three sisters Nicole Meyer, Dassi Erlich and Elly Sapper who publicly identified themselves in their push for Leifer to face charges.

Leifer, now in her 50s, fled Australia for Israel after allegations against her surfaced in 2008, moving with her family to the Emmanuel settlement in the occupied West Bank.

Australian authorities laid charges in 2012 and requested her extradition two years later.

She arrived in Melbourne on a flight in late January after six years of legal wrangling in Israel, including over whether she was feigning mental illness to avoid standing trial in Australia.

The Israeli Supreme Court rejected her lawyers' final appeal against extradition last December.

A first extradition attempt failed after Leifer was admitted to mental health institutions and experts declared her unfit to stand trial.

Undercover private investigators later filmed her living a normal life, prompting Israeli authorities to probe into whether she was faking mental illness, leading to her re-arrest in February 2018.

© 2021 AFP

BREXIT FALLOUT

Belfast in turmoil as Brexit stokes tensions in Northern Ireland
Issued on: 09/04/2021 - 

A week of unrest in Northern Ireland showed no sign of letting up Thursday night

 Paul Faith AFP


Belfast (AFP)

Rioters waged a running battle with police in Belfast on Thursday night -- tossing petrol bombs, setting fires and dodging jets from water cannon as a week of unrest showed no sign of letting up.

Hundreds of boys and young men gathered from early evening in a western neighbourhood in the Northern Ireland capital, which has been riven by violence over Brexit and domestic politics.

Masked and in hooded tops, they hurled rocks, bricks and glass bottles at police barricades where riot officers formed ranks with armoured Land Rovers.

Petrol bombs burst into flames in the street and fireworks were aimed into police formations, exploding and smothering their lines in thick smoke.

Behind riot shields and with batons drawn, police drove back the surging crowds late into Thursday night, as locals peered out of their windows to witness the spectacle.

When one group tried to push a vandalised car into the police barricades, a lumbering water cannon forced them away with powerful spraying jets.

A police loudhailer warned crowds to disperse or face arrest.

"Force may be used," the female voice rang out.

Northern Ireland was the site of "The Troubles" sectarian conflict, which wound down in 1998 -- but Brexit has been partially blamed for igniting old tensions.

The unrest started last week in the pro-UK unionist community, where tensions are high because of new post-Brexit rules some feel are dividing the region from Britain.

But the pro-Ireland nationalist community has begun to respond in scenes like those of Thursday night.

Nationalist and unionist communities in Belfast are often separated by towering "peace walls" to guard against projectiles.

On Wednesday there were ugly scenes when warring groups from unionist and nationalist communities faced off at a gate in the peace wall between their neighbourhoods.

The doors are etched with a slogan reading: "There was never a good war or a bad peace."

But the gates were pried open and rioters traded missiles in vicious confrontations.

- Spiralling situation -

"It's deep rooted, it's not just about Brexit although Brexit has done something as well obviously," Belfast native Fiona McMahon told AFP earlier on Thursday.

"We have been scuppered big time," she said, voicing the sense of exasperation many here feel over Britain's split from the EU.

The rising unrest has caused a political crisis in Northern Ireland, with the regional assembly recalled to address the violence on Thursday.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, his Irish counterpart Micheal Martin and US President Joe Biden have all called for calm.

Meanwhile police have pleaded to those with "influence" in the community to hold back the crowds from participating in riots.

On Thursday dozens of older men and women stood at the gates where violence had flared the previous night and refused to let rioters approach.

A small number of men dismantled a fire being started and blocked others approaching the gate with projectiles.

Two amongst the crowd told AFP they were concerned figures from the surrounding community -- a sign that those who still remember "The Troubles" are unwilling to let the region slide back into its dark past.

© 2021 AFP

Riots flare again in Northern Ireland despite calls for calm



Issued on: 09/04/2021 - 

Text by: NEWS WIRE

Northern Ireland police faced a barrage of petrol bombs and rocks on Thursday, an AFP journalist said, as violence once again flared in Belfast despite pleas for calm.

Riot police on the republican side of the divided city were pelted with projectiles as they tried to prevent a crowd moving towards pro-UK unionists.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Irish counterpart Micheal Martin had earlier called for “calm” following days of violence that included a petrol-bomb attack on a moving bus.

Martin and Johnson held telephone talks in which they stressed that “violence is unacceptable” and “called for calm”, the Irish leader’s office said.

But their calls went unheeded as night fell in Belfast, with unrest breaking out on the republican side of the capital.

Rioting over the last few days—the city’s worst unrest in recent years—had mainly stemmed from its unionist community, leading to joint condemnation from political leaders in the British province.

Unionists are angry over apparent economic dislocation due to Brexit and existing tensions with pro-Irish nationalist communities.

“Destruction, violence and the threat of violence are completely unacceptable and unjustifiable, no matter what concerns may exist in communities,” said the Northern Ireland executive—made up of unionist, nationalist and centrist parties.

“While our political positions are very different on many issues, we are all united in our support for law and order.”



Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis visited Belfast to meet leaders from the main parties, including unionist First Minister Arlene Foster and deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill of Sinn Fein, as well as faith and community advocates.

He called the joint condemnation “a very clear statement”, adding “there is no excuse for violence, we’ve got to make sure we take things forward in a proper democratic and political way.”

In Washington, the White House also expressed concern over the violence and urged calm.

‘Sectarian violence’

In the disorder on Wednesday, gates were set alight on a “peace line”—walls separating pro-Irish nationalist and unionist communities—and police said crowds from either side broke through to attack each other with petrol bombs, missiles and fireworks.

Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) temporary assistant chief constable Jonathan Roberts said the scale and nature of the violence was unprecedented in recent years.

“The fact that it was sectarian violence and there was large groups on both sides... again is not something we have seen for a number of years,” he told reporters.

Before Thursday, six nights of unrest left 55 police injured, Roberts noted, as well as a press photographer and the driver of the bus fire-bombed Wednesday.

He said children as young as 13 were suspected of involvement following encouragement from adults, and the large volume of petrol bombs used suggested “a level of pre-planning”.

The PSNI is probing if Northern Ireland’s notorious paramilitary groups were involved in the unrest.

‘Deep rooted’

Northern Ireland endured 30 years of sectarian conflict that killed 3,500 people.

Unionist paramilitaries, British security forces and armed nationalists seeking to unite the territory with the Republic of Ireland waged battle until a landmark peace deal in 1998.

The accord let unionists and nationalists coexist by blurring the status of the region, dissolving border checks with fellow European Union member Ireland.

But Britain’s 2016 vote to quit the EU revived the need for border checks. A special “protocol” was agreed that shifted the controls away from the land border to ports trading with the UK mainland, prompting many unionists to accuse London of betrayal.

There was also recent outrage among unionists after Northern Irish authorities decided not to prosecute Sinn Fein leaders for attending a large funeral last year of a former paramilitary leader, in apparent breach of Covid restrictions.

Few people in central Belfast on Thursday wanted to discuss the sensitive situation.

“It’s deep-rooted, it’s not just about Brexit,” said Fiona McMahon, 56, before adding Britain’s EU withdrawal had had a “massive impact”.

“The British do whatever the hell they want to do and we get landed with everything afterwards,” she told AFP.

PM Johnson tweeted overnight that he was “deeply concerned”, saying “the way to resolve differences is through dialogue, not violence or criminality”.

Johnson and Martin agreed during their call that “the way forward is through dialogue and working the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement,” according to Dublin.

(AFP)

At least 27 police officers injured in Northern Ireland unrest as politicians call for calm

Police said a care home was damaged in the during the violence causing ‘untold fear and distress’ to residents

In Belfast two boys, aged 13 and 14, were among those arrested in connection with riots in a loyalist area of the city

Loyalists and unionists are angry about post-Brexit trading arrangements which they claim have created barriers between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom.

DPA
Published: , 4 Apr, 2021

A car burns after it was hijacked by Loyalists in Belfast, Northern Ireland on Saturday. Photo: PA via AP

A total of 27 police officers have been injured in unrest in Northern Ireland as political leaders call for calm over the Easter weekend.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said 15 officers were injured in Belfast and 12 officers were hurt in Londonderry during riots in both cities on Friday evening. Eight people have been arrested.

Derry City and Strabane Area Commander Chief Superintendent Darrin Jones said police received reports on Friday night of youths gathering in the areas of Nelson Drive and Tullyally in the city.

“On their arrival, they came under sustained attack from a large group of youths and young adults throwing masonry, bottles, petrol bombs and fireworks,” he said

“As a result 12 officers sustained injuries including head, leg and foot wounds.

Jones also said a care home was damaged in the city during the violence causing “untold fear and distress” to residents. He said it was “totally unacceptable” that Friday was the fifth successive night of disturbances in the unionist Waterside area of the city.

“It is vital that we all send out a message to those responsible that such behaviour will not be tolerated,” he said.

“The people of Derry/Londonderry deserve to feel safe within their own homes and be able to walk the streets without fear.

“I would ask that anyone who has any influence in communities – whether parents, guardians, community or elected representatives – please, use that influence to ensure young people do not get caught up in criminality and that they are kept safe and away from harm.”

A boy looks on as flames and smoke rise behind him at the scene of violence in Newtownabbey, north of Belfast, Northern Ireland on Saturday. Photo: AFP


In Belfast, two boys, aged 13 and 14, are among eight people arrested in connection with riots in a loyalist area of Belfast.

Police said 15 officers were injured on Friday night after being targeted by a crowd of mainly young people in Sandy Row, throwing stones, fireworks, flares, manhole covers and petrol bombs.

Belfast District Commander, Chief Superintendent Simon Walls, said “a small local protest quickly developed into an attack on police officers” and that at points there were up to 300 people of all ages on the streets.

He called for calm, urging anyone with influence in the loyalist community to dissuade young people from causing violence and harm. He said: “I’m not going to enter into dialogue about political commentary.

“What I would ask is that people with influence, people in local communities, would dissuade young people, or anyone else, intent on causing violence or intent on harming police officers.”

Northern Ireland’s First Minister Arlene Foster. Photo: Reuters

He described it as a “real tragedy” that children as young as 13 and 14 were among those arrested.

“I think it’s a tragedy that any child in Northern Ireland is sitting in a custody suite this morning and facing criminal investigation, possibility of being charged and possibility of facing a criminal conviction,” he said.

“It shouldn’t happen. And that’s why I’m very keen that people with influence try to ask anyone intent on violence to please step back. It’s not the way to resolve tensions or arguments.”

Political leaders have also called for calm over the Easter weekend following the riots.

Stormont’s First Minister Arlene Foster urged young people “not to get drawn into disorder,” saying violence “will not make things better”.

I appeal to our young people not to get drawn into disorder which will lead to them having criminal convictions and blighting their own lives 

Arlene Foster, Stormont’s First Minister

The DUP leader said: “I know that many of our young people are hugely frustrated by the events of this last week but causing injury to police officers will not make things better.

“And I send my strong support to all of the rank-and-file police officers that are on duty over this Easter weekend.

“I appeal to our young people not to get drawn into disorder which will lead to them having criminal convictions and blighting their own lives.

“I also ask parents to play their part and be proactive in protecting their young adults.”

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Brandon Lewis. Photo: Reuters

Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis described the unrest as “completely unacceptable.”

Lewis said: “Violence is never the answer. There is no place for it in society.

“It is unwanted, unwarranted and I fully support the PSNI appeal for calm.”

He added that his thoughts were with the officers injured.

The disorder has flared amid ongoing tensions within loyalism across Northern Ireland.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland comes under attack by Loyalists in Newtownabbey, Belfast, Northern Ireland on Saturday. Photo: PA via AP

Loyalists and unionists are angry about post-Brexit trading arrangements which they claim have created barriers between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom.

Tensions ramped up further this week following a controversial decision not to prosecute 24 Sinn Fein politicians for attending a large-scale republican funeral during Covid-19 restrictions.

All the main unionist parties have demanded the resignation of PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne, claiming he has lost the confidence of their community.

Biodiversity 'hot spots' devastated in warming world



Issued on: 09/04/2021 

So-called endemic species -- plants and animals found only in certain zones -- will be hit hardest in a warming world Cindy Ord GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File


Paris (AFP)

Unless nations dramatically improve on carbon cutting pledges made under the 2015 Paris climate treaty, the planet's richest concentrations of animal and plant life will be irreversibly ravaged by global warming, scientists warned Friday.

An analysis of 8,000 published risk assessments for species showed a high danger for extinction in nearly 300 biodiversity "hot spots", on land and in the sea, if temperatures rise three degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, they reported in the journal Biological Conservation.

Earth's surface has heated up 1C so far, and the Paris Agreement enjoins nations to cap warming at "well below" 2C, and 1.5C if possible.

National commitments to slash greenhouse gas emissions -- assuming they are honoured -- would still see temperatures soar well above 3C by century's end, if not sooner.

So-called endemic species -- plants and animals found exclusively in a specific area -- will be hit hardest in a warming world.

From snow leopards in the Himalayas and the vaquita porpoise in the Gulf of California to lemurs in Madagascar and forest elephants in central Africa, many of the planet's most cherished creatures will wind up on a path to extinction unless humanity stops loading the atmosphere with CO2 and methane, the study found.

Endemic land species in biodiverse hot spots are nearly three times as likely to suffer losses due to climate change than more widespread flora and fauna, and 10 times more likely than invasive species.

- Trapped in an enclosed sea -

"Climate change threatens areas overflowing with species that cannot be found anywhere else in the world," said lead author Stella Manes, a researcher at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

"The risk for such species to be lost forever increases more than 10-fold if we miss the goals of the Paris Agreement."

More and more scientists concede that capping global warming at 1.5C target is probably out of reach.

But every tenth of a degree matters when it comes to avoiding impacts, they say.

Some concentrations of wildlife are more vulnerable than others.

In mountain regions, 84 percent of endemic animals and plants face extinction in a 3C world, while on islands -- already devastated by invasive species -- the figure rises to 100 percent.

"By nature, these species cannot easily move to more favourable environments," explained co-author Mark Costello, a marine ecologist from the University of Aukland.

Marine species in the Mediterranean are especially threatened because they are trapped in an enclosed sea, he added.

Overall, more than 90 percent of land-based endemic species, and 95 percent of marine ones, will be adversely affected if Earth warms another two degrees, the international team of researchers found.

- Safe havens not so safe -

In the tropics, two out of three species could perish due to climate change alone.

The findings may impel conservationists to rethink how to best protect endangered wildlife.

Up to now, the main threats have been habitat loss due to expanding urban areas, mining and agriculture, on the one hand, and hunting for food and body parts to sell on the black market, on the other.

A key strategy in the face of this onslaught has been carving out protected areas, especially around biodiversity hot spots.

But these safe havens may be of little use in the face of global warming.

"Unfortunately, our study shows that those biodiversity rich-spots will not be able to act as species refugia from climate change," said co-author Mariana Vale, also from Federal University.

Even before the impact of global warming has truly kicked in, scientists have ascertained that Earth is at the outset of a so-called mass extinction event in which species are disappearing at 100 to 1,000 the normal, or "background", rate.

There have been five previous mass extinctions in the last 500 million years.

© 2021 AFP

Ex-president casts shadow over tight Ecuador election

... the contest is not so much about Arauz versus Lasso but rather about "Correism versus anti-Correism," 

Issued on: 09/04/2021

Ecuador's presidential candidates Andres Arauz (left) and Guillermo Lasso are neck and neck in opinion polls Rodrigo BUENDIA AFP/File

Quito (AFP)

Former Ecuadoran president Rafael Correa is not on the ballot in his country's close presidential runoff on Sunday, yet remains a key figure in the election despite living in exile in Belgium.

Correa's protege, leftist candidate Andres Arauz is up against right-wing contender Guillermo Lasso in a race that is neck and neck, according to opinion polls.

That said, the contest is not so much about Arauz versus Lasso but rather about "Correism versus anti-Correism," political scientist Esteban Nicholls of Simon Bolivar University told AFP.

Arauz won the first-round vote in February with 32.72 percent, more than 12 percentage points higher than Lasso, but not enough to win outright and avoid a runoff.

The last poll by Market predicted a "technical draw" Sunday with 36-year-old Arauz garnering 50 percent and Lasso, age 65, getting 49 percent.

The election is "totally uncertain," Market director Blasco Penaherrera told AFP, adding that "this chapter isn't closed."

However, Penaherrera said that former banker Lasso's "growth" is "vastly superior" to that of economist Arauz.

- Uncertain indigenous vote -

Lasso, who heads the Creating Opportunities party, scraped into the runoff by less than half a percentage point ahead of indigenous candidate Yaku Perez, who contested the result and claimed to have been the victim of fraud.

It took weeks for Lasso's second-place victory to be confirmed. Ahead of the runoff, electoral officials have decided to abandon the usual rapid count to avoid potentially misleading results.

Socialist Perez, whose Pachakutik indigenous movement is the second largest bloc in parliament, picked up around 20 percent of the vote in the first round.

Pachakutik has refused to back either candidate in the second round, leaving uncertainty over which way its supporters will turn.

However, "it's hard to see these votes going to Lasso and easier to see them going Arauz's way," said political scientist Santiago Basabe, of the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences.

The number of undecided voters following the chaotic first round was around 35 percent but that's since shrunk to eight percent.

"There was a disappointment with the electoral process, with the candidates, with politics" pitting Correism against anti-Correism, said Penaherrera.

But this "really changed in just a few weeks."

Basabe believes Arauz, who represents the Union for Hope coalition, has the edge due to his first round victory and the backing of the popular Correa, a leftist two-time former president currently living in Belgium to evade a conviction for corruption.

"While either could win, it seems to me that Arauz has more chance," said Basabe.

And if that happens, "the first point in the (new) government agenda will be the return of Correa, undeniably."

Correa has fallen out with his former vice president, Lenin Moreno, the beleaguered current president whose term ends on May 24.

Correa has been mired in numerous corruption investigations, including the one that saw him convicted in absentia.

- 'No chance of reforms' -

The next president will inherit an unenviable situation: Ecuador has registered more than 340,000 cases of Covid-19 and more than 17,000 deaths among its population of 17.4 million.

Arauz has accused Moreno of neglect and mismanaging the pandemic response.

Ecuador's dolarized economy has been badly hit and shrunk by 7.8 percent in 2020, although experts expect it to grow 3.5 percent this year.

In that respect, "there's a feeling that to a certain extent, it doesn't matter who wins, we just need an immediate change," said Pablo Romero, an analyst at Salesiana University.

Should Lasso win he would face a tough job with Arauz's leftist coalition the largest bloc in Congress.

"There will be permanent tension with the executive. There's almost no chance of the reforms the country needs."

© 2021 AFP

Behind the Inuit tattoo revival: Once banned, now the ancient markings are making a comeback

Nunavut tattoo artist Jana Angulalik shares the motivations and the cautions behind the revival

Author of the article: Jana Angulalik, Special to National Post

Publishing date: Apr 05, 2021 • 

Jana Angulalik midnight fishing in July 2020, at Gravel Pitt. 

PHOTO BY JANA ANGULALIK


By Jana Angulalik

There was a time when the experience of getting a tattoo, for many people, might have been an act of rebellion. That has changed in recent years, as they have become more common. For Inuit women, there is a whole other motivation, one of tradition. Jana Angulalik shares what they mean to her and other Inuit women with her words and images.


I am one of many Inuit women proudly carrying on the tradition of wearing kakiniit, or traditional Inuit tattoos, across Inuit Nunangat.

These markings are sacred to me and have deep, beautiful meanings and stories behind them. I wear them for many reasons, including to proudly identify as an Inuk woman and to reclaim agency over my body as an Indigenous person.

My first kakiniit was a facial tattoo that my cousin, Hovak Johnston, gifted me in August of 2017. I also wear traditional tattoos on my wrists and thighs, both of which were created during the Tattoo Revitalization Project, a recent effort to revive Inuit traditions.

Not only am I lucky to be a part of Indigenization by wearing traditional markings, I am also honoured to be one of the growing number of Inuit women to practice hand-poke and skin -stitch tattooing. I am taking part in the resurgence of our once banned markings.

Where I live, in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, one of the friendly faces you might see is my Auntie Millie Navalik Angulalik, or as most of ‘The Bay’ knows her, ‘Silly Millie.’

She has an incredibly contagious sense of humour and a helping nature that takes her all over town, making friends with everyone. Silly Millie also proudly wears many tattoos, some of which are machine work with modern designs while others are hand-poked and traditional. Her traditional hand-poked tattoos that adorn her face, chest, arms, wrists and hands have a depth of meaning.

A ‘V’-shaped tattoo on our forehead represents womanhood and was often one of the first tattoos received by an Inuk, marking the milestone of starting her first period. However, our lands and people are both vast and diverse. In other parts of Inuit Nunangat, a person’s first tattoo was often on the chin. Other markings, such as finger tattoos, may give honour and respect to Nuliayuk, our Sea Goddess.

Bessie Omilgoetok of Cambridge Bay cleans the blubber from a seal pelt with her ulu. PHOTO BY KAITLYN VAN DE WOESTYNE

Markings that wrap around the chest and back are meant to resemble an amauti, or parka worn to carry babies. This design is often called the motherhood or ‘Celina Tattoo’ after renowned artist Celina Kalluk.

Tattoos on the thighs are birthing tattoos. They prepare a baby to enter the world in beauty and knowledge, born between traditionally marked thighs.

Our tattoos mark milestones and triumphs, but they can also represent loved ones who are no longer with us, or stories that are difficult to share.

That is why it is always best to exercise caution and respect when inquiring further. Here are some tips on how to ask someone about their traditional or modern tattoos.

Get to know the person before asking questions

Traditional Inuit markings were worn by women for millennia. After missionaries arrived in Canada’s Arctic in the late 1700s, many cultural practices were later banned and deemed “evil.”

After our people endured genocide, the traditional practice has made a resurgence in the last several years with projects such as Tunniit: Retracing the Lines of Inuit Tattoos, and the Inuit Tattoo Revitalization Project.

Tattoos are being worn widely across Inuit Nunangat again. This has led to curiosity and excitement. These markings are both beautiful and bold, so it is no surprise that many people, Inuit and others alike, want to know more about them.

While it is great to take interest and share knowledge, one must consider that the meanings behind our traditional tattoos might be too complex to answer on the spot, or ever. It is especially important to be respectful when speaking to elders.

While I am comfortable sharing about my traditional markings, I find it best to share such deep and soulful meanings during a one-on-one visit.

Nancy Angulalik’s hands and wrists show her kakiniit, or traditional Inuit tattoos. PHOTO BY KAITLYN VAN DE WOESTYNE

It is customary to offer a trade for traditional knowledge

Appropriate trades could include offering a product from our local fish plant or an invitation for a meal. Trades can also come in the form of sewing materials or groceries. But the best way to learn is simple, by making friends with locals.

Enjoy the beauty without asking what they mean

This was a difficult concept to learn myself, even as a tattoo artist. It was hard not to ask about the meaning behind a tattoo I was asked to create, but years of experience means I know now not to ask. That information belongs to the woman being tattooed, and it must be her choice to share or not. Now, I simply give compliments and leave it at that. The celebration of our culture in the open, loud and proud.

This, for generations, was not possible, so simply being a witness, and being able to compliment someone wearing such powerful markings, is monumental.

— Produced by ArcticFocus.org, an online platform where communities, researchers and explorers share stories of the Arctic

SEE

'This is so powerful:' Kitikmeot women revive traditional Inuit tattoos | CBC News

How this Alaskan woman is bringing back the art of Inuit tattoos | CBC News

Iqaluit celebrates Inuit women's tattoo culture at Piujut Arnaqsiutit | Nunatsiaq News

Why getting her first tattoo is so meaningful for this 74-year-old Inuit elder | CBC Arts

Mary Johnston, Mary Kudlik and Julia Ogina show off their traditional Inuit tattoos in Ulukhaktok, N.W.T. The experience of tattooing and receiving a tattoo is 'very emotional, very empowering, and very trusting,' said Johnston. (Submitted by Hovak Johnston)

Book published on Inuit tattoo revitalization 'all my

 visions coming to life,' says author | CBC News