IRAQ UPDATES 2020

Iraqi militiamen hurl stones at U.S. Embassy, 

prepare for extended stay

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Hundreds of Iraqi militiamen and their supporters hurled stones at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad for a second day on Wednesday and security forces fired tear gas and stun grenades to drive them away.

The protests, led by Iranian-backed militias, mark a new turn in the shadow war between Washington and Tehran playing out across the Middle East.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who faces re-election in 2020, on Tuesday threatened to retaliate against Iran but said later he did not want to go to war.

RELATED COVERAGE

Iran's Khamenei strongly condemns U.S. attacks in Iraq: TV

The protests also cast uncertainty over the continued presence of U.S. troops in Iraq.

Crowds had rallied on Tuesday to protest against deadly U.S. air strikes on militia bases, setting fires, throwing rocks and smashing surveillance cameras. They did not breach the huge embassy’s main compound, however.

Overnight, demonstrators pitched tents and camped outside the embassy walls. On Wednesday morning, they were bringing in food supplies, cooking equipment and mattresses, Reuters witnesses said, suggesting they intended to stay for a long time.

Senior Iraqi army officers had negotiated with those gathered outside the embassy in an attempt to convince them to leave but failed to do so. Washington is putting pressure on Iraqi leaders to ensure the security of its staff.

The incident marked a sharp escalation of the proxy conflict between Washington and Tehran - both influential players in Iraq - while mass protests are challenging Iraq’s own political system nearly 17 years after the U.S. invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

The protests followed U.S. air strikes on Sunday on bases operated by the Iranian-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah inside Iraq which killed at least 25 fighters and wounded 55.

The strikes were retaliation for the killing of a U.S. civilian contractor in a rocket attack on an Iraqi military base, which Washington blamed on Kataib Hezbollah.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday y condemned the U.S. attacks.

“The Iranian government, nation and I strongly condemn the attacks,” Iranian state TV quoted Khamenei as saying.

Trump accused Iran of orchestrating the violence at the U.S. Embassy and said Tehran would be held responsible. Iran rejected the accusation.

More U.S. troops were being sent to the embassy, U.S. officials said. The 750 troops would initially be based out of Kuwait. The officials said that as many as 4,000 troops could be sent to the region in the coming days if needed.

More than 5,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Iraq supporting local forces. The air strikes have galvanized calls inside Iraq to expel U.S. forces, not just from Iran-backed militias but also their political rivals.

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

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

SEE https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2006/09/us-war-on-capitalism-in-iran.html

AUSTRALIA WILDFIRES UPDATE JAN 2020 PART 2

World welcomes 2020, but wildfires, protests, cast a pall over some celebrations

SYDNEY/HONG KONG/LONDON (Reuters) - The world celebrated the New Year on Wednesday with fireworks displays from Sydney to London, although celebrations were clouded by deadly wildfires in Australia, protests in Hong Kong and India and nuclear tensions with North Korea.

Large crowds gathered in European capitals for spectacular firework displays that lit up the skies over landmarks like Big Ben in London, the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, the Parthenon in Athens and the Kremlin in Moscow.

The traditional drop of a Waterford crystal ball on Times Square in New York capped a six-hour New Year’s Eve show. Intermittent rain did little to dampen the festivities as hundreds of thousands of people were treated to performances by pop star Post Malone, the Korea-pop band BTS, and singer song writer Alanis Morisette.

In Australia, a million revelers thronged Sydney harbor and nearby districts to watch more than 100,000 fireworks explode above the city, even as thousands of people along the country’s eastern seaboard sought refuge from the bushfires on beaches.

Thousands in Hong Kong welcomed 2020 on neon-lit promenades in the picturesque Victoria Harbour, breaking into pro-democracy chants shortly after the countdown to midnight.

Hong Kong authorities canceled the main midnight fireworks display for the first time in a decade, citing security concerns. A “Symphony of Lights” took place instead, involving projections on the city’s tallest skyscrapers, while smaller-scale pyrotechnics were launched from waterfront rooftops.

In Japan, people took turns striking Buddhist temple bells, in accordance with tradition.


A general view shows the Times Square in the Manhattan borough during the New Year's celebrations in New York City, U.S., January 1, 2020. REUTERS/Amr Alfiky

SYDNEY CONTROVERSY

Sydney decided to press ahead with its fireworks despite calls by some members of the public for the display to be canceled in solidarity with fire-hit areas in New South Wales, of which the city is the capital.


Sydney Mayor Clover Moore said planning had begun 15 months ago and that the event also gave a boost to the economy.

Some towns in eastern Australia canceled their New Year’s celebrations as naval vessels and military helicopters helped firefighters rescue people fleeing the fires, which have turned swathes of New South Wales into a raging furnace.

The fires have killed at least 11 people since October, two of them overnight into Tuesday, destroyed more than 4 million hectares (10 million acres) and left many towns and rural areas without electricity or mobile coverage.

Elsewhere, celebrations from Auckland, New Zealand, to Pyongyang, the capital of isolated North Korea, welcomed in the New Year with fireworks displays.

Fireworks exploded and confetti rained on revelers after the ball dropped in New York. High school science teachers and students pressed the button that started the ball on its 60-second descent to count down to the New Year in a gesture to highlight efforts to combat climate change.

The ball has changed form several times since it first dropped at One Times Square in 1907 as an iron-and-wood sphere and has now become a global symbol of the New Year.

But amid the celebrations of a New Year and decade, old tensions threatened to flare up. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said on Wednesday his country would keep developing nuclear programs and introduce a “new strategic weapon” in the near future, after the United States ignored a year-end deadline to restart denuclearization talks.

PROTESTS, BREXIT

In Hong Kong, rocked by months of sometimes violent pro-democracy demonstrations, protesters were urged to wear masks at a New Year rally called “Don’t forget 2019 - Persist in 2020,” according to social media posts.

Some 6,000 police were deployed and Hong Kong’s chief executive, Carrie Lam, appealed for calm and reconciliation in her New Year’s Eve video message and Chinese leader Xi Jinping hoped “harmony” would return to the territory.

The protests began in response to a now-withdrawn bill that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China, where courts are controlled by the Communist Party, and have evolved into a broader pro-democracy movement.

Thousands of Indians ushered in the year by demonstrating against a citizenship law they say will discriminate against Muslims and chip away at India’s secular constitution.

The demonstrations came despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attempts to dampen protests that have run for nearly three weeks.

Irshad Alam, a 25-year-old resident of the Shaheen Bagh area of New Delhi, stood with his 1-year-old child in his arms and his wife by his side. He said he had been participating in the protest every day.

“It’s freezing here,” he said. “But we are still here because we care about this movement.”

More than three years after the UK voted to leave the European Union, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, fresh from winning a parliamentary majority in last month’s election, promised in his New Year’s message to “get Brexit done before the end of this month.”

“As we say goodbye to 2019, we can also turn the page on the division, rancor and uncertainty which has dominated public life and held us back for far too long,” Johnson added.

Reporting by bureaux in Sydney, Hong Kong, New Delhi, London, Seoul and Los Angeles; Writing by Gareth Jones, Alistair Bell and Peter Cooney; Editing by Giles Elgood, Leslie Adler and Neil Fullick

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AUSTRALIA WILDFIRES UPDATE JAN 2020 PART 2

PART 1 AUSTRALIA WILDFIRES UPDATES NOV/DEC
Climate of chaos: the suffocating firestorm engulfing Australia

HONG KONG PROTEST 2020 UPDATES

Thousands march in Hong Kong on New Year's Day, pledge to 'keep fighting'

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters began marching in Hong Kong on New Year’s Day, demanding concessions from the city’s embattled government as the civil unrest that convulsed the Chinese-ruled city for over half a year spills into 2020.
Anti-government protesters attend a demonstration on New Year's Day to call for better governance and democratic reforms in Hong Kong, China, January 1, 2020. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar

Gathering on a grass lawn in Victoria Park under grey skies, citizens young and old, many dressed in black and some masked, carried signs such as “Freedom is not free” before setting off.

“It’s hard to utter ‘Happy New Year’ because Hong Kong people are not happy,” said a man named Tung, who was walking with his two-year-old son, mother and niece.

“Unless the five demands are achieved, and police are held accountable for their brutality, then we can’t have a real happy new year,” he added, referring to the push for concessions from the government including full democracy, an amnesty for the over 6,500 people arrested so far, and a powerful, independent investigation into police actions.

The pro-democracy march is being organized by the Civil Human Rights Front, a group that arranged a number of marches last year that drew millions.

Along the route, a number of newly elected pro-democracy district politicians mingled with the crowds on their first day in office, some helping collect donations to assist the movement.

“The government has already started the oppression before the New Year began ... whoever is being oppressed, we will stand with them,” said Jimmy Sham, one of the leaders of the Civil Human Rights Front.

Thousands of Hong Kong revelers had earlier welcomed in 2020 on neon-lit promenades along the iconic skyline of Victoria Harbour, chanting the movement’s signature eight-word Chinese protest couplet — “Liberate Hong Kong. Revolution of our Time.” — for the final eight seconds before clocks struck midnight.


A sea of protesters then surged down Nathan Road, a major boulevard, blocking all lanes in a spontaneous march breaking out within minutes of the new decade. Some held signs reading “Let’s keep fighting together in 2020.”

Overnight, police fired tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons during some brief standoffs.

China’s President Xi Jinping said in a New Year’s speech that Beijing will “resolutely safeguard the prosperity and stability” of Hong Kong under the so-called “one country, two systems” framework.

Many people in Hong Kong are angered by Beijing’s tight grip on the city which was promised a high degree of autonomy under this framework when the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

Beijing denies interference and blames the West for fomenting the unrest.



Anti-government protesters attend a demonstration on New Year's Day to call for better governance and democratic reforms in Hong Kong, China, January 1, 2020. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar

A group of 40 parliamentarians and dignitaries from 18 countries had written an open letter to Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam on New Year’s Eve, urging her to “seek genuine ways forward out of this crisis by addressing the grievances of Hong Kong people.”

The protest movement is supported by 59% of the city’s residents polled in a survey conducted for Reuters by the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute.

Demonstrations have grown increasingly violent in recent months, at times paralyzing the Asian financial center.

Protesters have thrown petrol bombs and rocks, with police responding with tear gas, water cannon, pepper spray, rubber bullets and occasional live rounds. There have been several injuries.

Reporting by Jessie Pang, Clare Jim, Mari Saito, Sarah Wu, Alun John, Marius Zaharia, additional reporting by Cate Cadell in Beijing; Writing by James Pomfret; Editing by Kim Coghill

AUSTRALIA WILDFIRES UPDATE JAN 2020

Twelve dead, several missing as Australia counts the cost of devastating bushfires
SYDNEY (Reuters) - A third person was confirmed dead on Wednesday in devastating bushfires that engulfed Australia’s southeast coast this week and a fourth was missing and feared dead, as navy ships rushed to provide supplies and assist with evacuations.

Twelve people have now lost their lives in fire-related deaths across Australia since blazes broke out a few months ago, including three volunteer firefighters, after a three-year drought in large parts of the nation created tinder-dry conditions.

Fanned by soaring temperatures, columns of fire and smoke blackened entire towns on Monday and Tuesday, forcing thousands of residents and holidaymakers to seek shelter on beaches. Many stood in shallow water to escape the flames.

Bushfires have destroyed more than 4 million hectares (10 million acres) and new blazes are sparked almost daily by extremely hot and windy conditions and, most recently, dry lightning strikes created by the fires themselves.

Cooler conditions on Wednesday gave the country a moment to count the cost of the fires, although there were still more than 100 blazes in New South Wales (NSW) state alone and thousands of firefighters on the ground.

The body of a man was found in a burnt car early on Wednesday on the south coast of New South Wales after emergency workers began reaching the most damaged areas, and police said the death toll will rise.

“Sadly, we can report today that police have confirmed a further three deaths as a result of the fires on the South Coast,” NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys told reporters in Sydney.

“Police are also at Lake Conjola now, where a house has been destroyed by fire and the occupant of that home is still unaccounted for.”

NSW police did not identify the missing man but said he was 72 years old and authorities have been unable to reach his home.

Police said early assessments have found nearly 200 homes have been destroyed, though they cautioned it was an early estimate.

Large-scale livestock and animal casualties are also expected across Australia’s east coast, though Mogo Zoo - home to Australia’s largest collection of primates, along with zebras, white rhinos, lions, tigers and giraffes – was saved.

The wildlife park was threatened by an out-of-control bushfire, though zoo keepers and firefighters managed to save all 200 animals.

In Victoria state, four people remain missing, state Premier Daniel Andrews said, after a massive blaze ripped through Gippsland - a rural region about 500 km (310 miles) east of Melbourne.

About 4,000 people in the town of Mallacoota in Victoria headed to the waterfront after the main road was cut off.

Mark Tregellas, a resident of Mallacoota who spent the night on a boat ramp, said only a late shift in the wind direction spared lives.

“The fire just continued to grow and then the black started to descend. I couldn’t see the hand in front in my face, and it then it started to glow red and we knew the fire was coming,” Tregellas told Reuters.

“Ash started to fall from the air and then the embers started to come down. At that point, people started to bring their kids and families into the water. Thankfully, the wind changed and the fire moved away.”

In Milton, a small town on the on the NSW south coast, locals queued for hours for the few remaining items left of shelves on supermarkets.

Emma Schirmer, who evacuated from her house in Batemans Bay with her three-month child on Tuesday, said the local shop was limiting sales to six items per customer, while a power outage meant shoppers could pay only with cash.

As shops run low and firefighters struggle with exhaustion, Australia’s military, including Black Hawk helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft and naval vessels were being deployed.

“We’ve got choppers taking 90 firefighters out of the Mallacoota area, they can’t be removed any other way - we’re essentially doing a shift change by the air,” Andrews told reporters.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said authorities were working to restore communications with areas cut off by the fires, and she warned conditions will deteriorate again over the weekend.

“Weather conditions on Saturday will be as bad as they were” on Tuesday, Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney.

Meanwhile, Australia’s capital Canberra was blanketed in thick smoke, reaching about 20 times hazardous levels, prompting health warnings.

The smoke has also drifted to New Zealand where it has turned the daytime sky orange across the South Island.

PHOTOS/VIDEO

Australian bushfires claim third victim as authorities struggle to reach cut-off areas

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian authorities on Wednesday confirmed a third person had died in devastating bushfires that engulfed the southeast coastal region this week and said a fourth person was missing and feared dead.

Fanned by soaring temperatures, columns of fire and smoke blackened entire towns on Monday and Tuesday, forcing thousands of residents and holidaymakers to seek shelter on beaches. Many stood in shallow water to escape the flames.

In total, there have been 12 fire-related deaths across Australia since blazes broke out a few months ago, including three volunteer firefighters, after a three-year drought in large parts of the nation created tinder-dry conditions.

RELATED COVERAGE Head trusts officials on bushfire smoke in Sydney test

Huge bushfires have destroyed more than 4 million hectares (10 million acres) — an area larger than Japan — and new blazes are sparked almost daily by extremely hot and windy conditions and, most recently, dry lightning strikes created by the fires themselves.

Cooler conditions on Wednesday gave the country a moment to count the cost of the fires, although there were still more than 100 blazes in New South Wales (NSW) state alone and thousands of firefighters on the ground.

The body of a man was found on Wednesday on the south coast of New South Wales after emergency workers began reaching the most damaged areas, according to the state’s Rural Fire Service (RFS).

The death toll is likely to rise, NSW RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said.

“We still have grave concerns for (another person),” he told reporters in Sydney.

There is “limited access to the remote area to try to identify and confirm one way or the other the status of that person.”

Large-scale livestock and animal casualties are also expected across Australia’s east coast, though Mogo Zoo - home to Australia’s largest collection of primates, along with zebras, white rhinos, lions, tigers and giraffes – was saved.

The wildlife park was threatened by an out-of-control bushfire, though zoo keepers and firefighters managed to save all 200 animals.

In Victoria state, four people remain missing, authorities said, after a massive blaze ripped through Gippsland - a rural region about 500 km (310 miles) east of Melbourne.

About 4,000 people in the town of Mallacoota in Victoria headed to the waterfront after the main road was cut off.

Mark Tregellas, a resident of Mallacoota who spent the night on a boat ramp, said only a late shift in the wind direction sparred lives.

“The fire just continued to grow and then the black started to descend. I couldn’t see the hand in front in my face, and it then it started to glow red and we knew the fire was coming,” Tregellas told Reuters.

“Ash started to fall from the air and then the embers started to come down. At that point, people started to bring their kids and families into the water. Thankfully, the wind changed and the fire moved away.”

With thousands of people still stranded, Australia’s military has been drafted in.

Black Hawk helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft and naval vessels have all been deployed, along with military personnel.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said authorities were working to restore communications with areas cut off by the fires, and she warned conditions will deteriorate again over the weekend.

“Weather conditions on Saturday will be as bad as they were” on Tuesday, Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney.

While avoiding any fires, Australia’s capital was on Wednesday blanketed in thick smoke, reaching about 20 times hazardous levels, prompting health warnings.

The smoke has also drifted to New Zealand where it has turned the daytime sky orange across the South Island.

PART 1 AUSTRALIA WILDFIRES UPDATES NOV/DEC
Climate of chaos: the suffocating firestorm engulfing Australia
World welcomes 2020, but wildfires, protests, cast a pall over some celebrations


► VIDEO: Australians flee to beach to escape bushfires
Homes, buildings and vast swathes of brush have been reduced to ashes by huge bushfires ripping through parts of Australia. Australians that took shelter on beaches to escape bushfires have been advised to go into the water if the fire situation worsens

Mallacoota: Where Australia's bushfires turned day to night

Mallacoota is a tourist town in Victoria, Australia, some 500km (310 miles) east of Melbourne.

Around 1,000 people live there, but the population swells at Christmas, as Australians head to the coast to enjoy their holidays,

But on Tuesday morning - as bushfires swept the region - thousands of people fled to the beach for a different reason: safety.

Image copyright

People in the town woke up to thick smoke and pale, orange skies. But as the fires drew closer, the sky turned red.

At 8am a warning siren sounded, telling people to head to the water. By 9.30am, the sky was "pitch black".

"We were bracing for the worst because, it was black," David Jeffrey told the BBC. "Like it should have been daylight and it was black like midnight. And we could hear the fire roaring."

Related conte

Australia to send in military as bushfires rage

Aircraft and ships will be sent to New South Wales and Victoria, as thousands flee to the coast.

• 
  3 hours ago

• WA bushfires: Lives and homes remain in danger as firefighters battle three major blazes

IMAGINE A CHILD OR ANIMAL IN THE CAR 

Man fully cooks a pork roast in car during Australian heatwave
Temperatures inside the car peaked at 81 degrees Celsius.
 

State of emergency as bushfires rage in Australia

A state of emergency was declared in Australia's most populated region on Thursday as an unprecedented heatwave fanned out-of-control bushfires, destroying homes and smothering huge areas with a toxic smoke.

DAILYMAIL.CO.UK|BY DAILY MAIL

'DAY OF HELL': Monster inferno surrounds Sydney 

"Bushfires this season have officially burnt the most land on modern record across eastern New South Wales...

"On December 9, NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons tweeted that fires had burnt about 2.7 million hectares — an area greater than Wales.

"Yes, Wales, the country."

Bushfires in NSW have now burnt an area greater than Wales, as new data reveals spring had Australia's worst bushfire danger weather on record.

ABC.NET.AU

NSW bushfires burn an area greater than Wales, the result of an exceptional spring

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

https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/search?q=australia

https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/search?q=climate+change+

COMMUNIST MANIFESTOON

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2020

THE GHOSN ONE

Ghosn says he escaped 'injustice' in Japan; Lebanon calls arrival a private matter

BEIRUT/TOKYO (Reuters) - Ousted Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn said on Tuesday he had fled to Lebanon to escape a “rigged” justice system in Japan, raising questions about how one of the world’s most-recognized executives had slipped away while on bail.

Ghosn’s abrupt departure marks the latest twist in a year-old saga that has shaken the global auto industry, jeopardised the alliance of Nissan Motor Co Ltd and top shareholder Renault SA and increased scrutiny of Japan’s judicial system.

“I am now in Lebanon and will no longer be held hostage by a rigged Japanese justice system where guilt is presumed, discrimination is rampant, and basic human rights are denied,” Ghosn, 65, said in a brief statement on Tuesday.

“I have not fled justice - I have escaped injustice and political persecution. I can now finally communicate freely with the media, and look forward to starting next week.”

RELATED COVERAGE
Factbox: Carlos Ghosn joins list of execs fighting extradition

Beirut says it doesn't know how Nissan ex-boss Ghosn made it to Lebanon

Tokyo officials have previously said the system is not inhumane and that Ghosn, who is facing trial on financial misconduct charges he denies, has been treated like any other suspect.

It was unclear how Ghosn, who holds French, Brazilian and Lebanese citizenship, was able to orchestrate his departure from Japan. He had been under strict surveillance by authorities while out on bail and had surrendered his passports.

According to a senior Lebanese foreign ministry source, Ghosn entered Lebanon legally on a French passport and using his Lebanese ID with normal security procedures. People familiar with the matter told Reuters he had arrived in Beirut on a private jet from Istanbul on Monday.

The French and Lebanese foreign ministries both said they were unaware of the circumstances of his journey. “All discussion of it is his private matter,” the Lebanese ministry added.

Lebanon’s state security directorate said Ghosn will not face any legal consequences for the way he entered the country, state NNA news agency reported. The foreign ministry said Lebanon did not have a judicial cooperation agreement with Japan.

Japanese authorities had no record of Ghosn leaving, Japanese public broadcaster NHK said. A person resembling him entered Beirut international airport under a different name, NHK reported, citing an unidentified Lebanese security official.

His lawyers were still in possession of his three passports, one of his lawyers, Junichiro Hironaka, told reporters.

Hironaka, in comments broadcast live on NHK, said the first he had heard of Ghosn’s departure was on the news this morning and that he was surprised. He also said it was “inexcusable behaviour”.

Japan has extradition treaties with only the United States and South Korea, according to the justice ministry, meaning it could be difficult to force Ghosn to return to stand trial.

While his arrest on financial misconduct charges last year ensured a dramatic fall from grace in Japan, he retains more popularity in Lebanon, where billboards saying “We are all Carlos Ghosn” were erected in his support and he was previously featured on a postage stamp.

Born in Brazil of Lebanese ancestry, Ghosn grew up in Beirut and has retained close ties to Lebanon.

At Ghosn’s gated villa in the Achrafieh neighborhood of Beirut, a handful of police and private security personnel stood guard on Tuesday.

A man who identified himself only as his English neighbor walked by to leave a card, with the words “Carlos, welcome home!” written inside. It was not immediately clear if Ghosn was at the address.

“It’s a good thing that at last he’s out of being locked up for something which he may or may not — probably not — have done,” said the neighbor.

A French minister said before the report Ghosn used a French passport that she was “very surprised” by news of his emergence in Lebanon.

FLIGHT RISK

Ghosn was first arrested in Tokyo in November 2018, shortly after his private jet touched down at the airport. He faces four charges - which he denies - including hiding income and enriching himself through payments to dealerships in the Middle East.

Nissan sacked him as chairman saying internal investigations revealed misconduct including understating his salary while he was its chief executive, and transferring $5 million of Nissan funds to an account in which he had an interest.

The case sparked international criticism of Japan’s justice system, in which 99.9 percent of people charged with crimes are convicted and defence lawyers are prohibited from being present during interrogations that can last eight hours a day.

Ghosn was initially released in March on a record $9 million bail only to be arrested on related charges weeks later and then released on bail again at the end of April.

His movement and communications have been monitored and restricted to prevent his fleeing the country and tampering with evidence, the Tokyo District court previously said.

The terms of his bail have also been striking by Western standards. He has been prevented from communicating with his wife, Carole, and had his use of the internet and other communications curtailed.

Carole is now with him in Lebanon at a house with armed guards outside, the New York Times reported, citing a person familiar with the matter.

HOUSE ARREST

Ghosn did not believe he would get a fair trial in Japan and was “tired of being an industrial political hostage”, one person told The Wall Street Journal.

A person familiar with Nissan’s thinking told Reuters: “I think he gave up fighting the prosecutors in court.”

The trial was widely expected to start in April. Ghosn’s Japanese lawyers have fought, so far unsuccessfully, to get access to 6,000 pieces of evidence collected from Nissan, which they say is crucial to a fair trial.

Ghosn has said he is the victim of a boardroom coup, accusing former Nissan colleagues of “backstabbing” and describing them as selfish rivals bent on derailing closer ties between the Japanese automaker and its biggest shareholder Renault, of which Ghosn was also chairman.

His lawyers have asked the court to dismiss all charges, accusing prosecutors of colluding with government officials and Nissan executives to oust him to block any takeover by Renault.

Ghosn began his career in 1978 at tyre maker Michelin. In 1996, he moved to Renault where he oversaw a turnaround that won him the nickname “Le Cost Killer.”

After Renault sealed an alliance with Nissan in 1999, Ghosn used similar methods to revive the ailing brand, leading to business super-star status in Japan, blanket media coverage and even a manga comic book on his life.

Surveillance in a leafy enclave, Ghosn's Tokyo life was under strict monitoring

TOKYO (Reuters) - The imposing home where Carlos Ghosn lived for the last seven months and probably launched a daring escape to avoid Japanese prosecutors is nestled in a leafy enclave of Tokyo where most people pay little attention to Westerners or luxury cars.

Yet neighbors say it was impossible not to notice one of the world’s most famous executives, or the black car that seemed to idle nearby whenever he was around - a stark reminder of the surveillance on the ousted Nissan Motor Co chairman while out on bail for financial misconduct charges.

Ghosn on Tuesday said he had fled to Lebanon to escape a “rigged” justice system in Japan, an astonishing revelation that raises questions about how one of the world’s most-recognized businessmen slipped past authorities, especially after he had surrendered his passports under the terms of his bail.

Hana Takeda, who lives in an apartment close to the house where Ghosn has lived since May, said she would sometimes see him out walking with one of his three daughters.

“He wasn’t very secretive. I would see him hanging around with his daughter,” Takeda, 28, told Reuters.

The large, multi-level house is not far from the central Roppongi district in an area popular with diplomats and western executives.

There is a police presence because of the proximity of at least one embassy and houses for diplomats. Many homes had western luxury cars parked outside, including BMWs, Land Rovers and Bentleys.

Three wireless security cameras peered out from the balcony above the brick porch. Under the terms of his bail, Ghosn had to have cameras installed at the house’s entrance.

No one came to the door when a Reuters reporter rang the doorbell. A double garage was shut and net curtains were drawn across the windows. Upper floor windows were covered by blinds.

A policeman on a bicycle made regular rounds through the small neighborhood.

Another neighbor, 62-year-old American Whitney Rich, said he had sometimes noticed a black car near the house.

Ghosn was initially arrested in Tokyo in November 2018 and faces four charges, which he denies. They include hiding income and enriching himself through payments to Middle East dealerships.

It seems unlikely he will now stand trial in Tokyo as Japan has no extradition treaty with Lebanon.

AUDACIOUS ACCOUNT

It was unclear how Ghosn, who holds French, Brazilian and Lebanese citizenship, was able to orchestrate his departure from Japan. He entered Lebanon legally on a French passport, one source has told Reuters.

In one audacious account from Lebanese TV news channel MTV, which Reuters has not been able to verify, a group of musicians arrived at Ghosn’s Tokyo house, performed and then packed up their instruments with him inside one of the larger cases. He was then whisked to the airport and out of the country with the help of privately hired security.

What is clear is that Ghosn was tightly monitored - a fact that has made his escape all the more spectacular. Authorities had monitored and restricted his movement and communications to prevent him, they said, from fleeing or tampering with evidence.

There always seemed to be a car at the end of the street near Ghosn’s house, said one Western expat who had lived in the area for nine months.

“He kept a low profile... There was a car parked constantly nearby,” the expat said, declining to be identified.

“He was under constant surveillance.”
Ghosn flight prompts talk of more curbs in Japan's strict justice system

TOKYO (Reuters) - Carlos Ghosn’s daring flight from Japan, where he was awaiting trial on charges of financial wrongdoing, has revived global criticism of the nation’s “hostage justice,” but in Japan is prompting talk of reversing more lenient curbs on defendants.

The ousted boss of Japan’s Nissan Motor Co and France’s Renault SA fled to Lebanon, saying on Tuesday that he had “escaped injustice” and would “no longer be held hostage by a rigged Japanese justice system.”

Ghosn was first arrested in November 2018 when his private jet landed in Tokyo and kept in jail for more than 100 days as prosecutors added more charges, all of which he has denied. He was released on $9 million bail in March - only to be arrested and bailed again the following month.

He was facing four charges, including underreporting his Nissan salary and transferring personal financial losses to his employer’s books while he ran Japan’s No. 2 automaker.

His apparent escape from Japan’s legal system - Tokyo and Lebanon don’t have an extradition treaty - will likely halt or even reverse a trend of recent years toward granting bail in more cases, said Colin Jones, a law professor at Doshisha Law School in Kyoto.

“I would expect it to be more difficult for foreign defendants to get bail,” Jones said.

In Japan, suspects who deny the charges against them are often detained for long periods and subject to intense questioning without a lawyer present, a system critics call “hostage justice.”

Japanese civil rights groups and the main bar lawyers association have long criticized a system that convicts 99.9% of criminal defendants. They say it gives too much power to prosecutors, who can detain suspects for long periods before indictment, and relies too much on confessions, some later found to have been forced and false.

Ghosn’s escape is clearly a shock to Japan’s legal establishment.

“This case raises the extremely serious issue of whether it’s all right to continue the trend toward bail leniency,” said former prosecutor Yasuyuki Takai.

“The legal profession and lawmakers need to quickly consider new legal measures or a system to prevent such escapes,” Takai, who was formerly with the special investigation unit of the prosecutor’s office, told public broadcaster NHK.

“Until the way to achieving this is in sight, we should carefully consider temporarily halting this trend toward bail leniency.”

The Tokyo District Court granted Ghosn bail over the objection of prosecutors because of his lawyer’s assurances that the former executive would observe his unusually strict bail conditions - which included surrendering his passports, barring him from seeing his wife Carole or using the internet outside his lawyers’ office.

“But this trust was betrayed and even this high bail didn’t prevent him from fleeing the country,” Takai said.

Tokyo-based lawyer Stephen Givens said Japan’s political right is using Ghosn’s flight to say, “See, we caved in to Western demands and look what happened.”

Still, Givens said the Ghosn case likely won’t reverse the recent trend of greater willingness to grant bail, as Japan was becoming more sensitive to foreign criticism.

The bold escape “may provide grounds for a backlash but only in very unusual cases,” he said.

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Report Finds Puerto Rico Is Affected by Climate Change More Than Anywhere Else in the World

A new report looking at weather-related calamities across the globe found that Puerto Rico is affected by climate change more than anywhere else in the world.

According to think tank Germanwatch’s Global Climate Risk Index 2020, the Caribbean archipelago is the “most affected country” from 1999 to 2018, followed by Myanmar at No. 2 and Haiti at No. 3. The two Caribbean islands, Puerto Rico and Haiti, are the only Latin American entities to make the list.

The study takes into account both the number of weather-related events as well as the impact of the catastrophes in the 20-year period.

Germanwatch

In 2017, the Category 4 Hurricane María covered almost the entire archipelago, completely wrecking its infrastructure, leaving most people without electricity for months, thousands deceased and even more homeless.

“The Climate Risk Index may serve as a red flag for already existing vulnerabilities that may further increase as extreme events will become more frequent or more severe due to climate change,” the report reads.

According to the study, poor and developing countries are most vulnerable to climate risks and are often hit the hardest, seeing higher rates of deaths and hardships. Despite this, researchers also found that high-income countries are also feeling climate impacts more than ever before.

SEE  https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/search?q=PUERTO+RICO

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

SEE  https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/search?q=CLIMATE+CHANGE

2019: YEAR OF STREET PROTESTS INFOGRAPHIC

SAUDI WHITEWASH OF KHASHOGGI MURDER INFOGRAPHIC

FRENCH COLONIALISM INFOGRAPHIC

INFOGRAPHIC HUMANITARIAN CRISIS SYRIA IDLIB PROVINCE

Food crisis looms as locusts invade northern Kenya

NAIROBI, Kenya

Northern Kenya is facing looming starvation after a recent invasion by locusts that originated from neighboring Somalia, officials said Tuesday.

Local authorities from the Wajir County Department of Agriculture told reporters that the locusts, coming from southern Somalia "moved around for close to two hours before settling eight to 10 kilometers away from Kutulo town."

Kutulo is roughly 45 kilometers (28 miles) from the Kenya-Somalia border.

Farmer Hassan Ahmed, 44, told Anadolu Agency: "The locusts have destroyed ready farm produce. The rains have been good and we have grasslands for our animals, but the locusts eat anything they find as long as its green."

Like many residents of the Wajir and Mandera counties who are mostly pastoralists, Ahmed said that the locusts were eating all the grass meant for the animals. "No pasture means a loss to our livelihood, we can't get enough milk from our animals and eventually they will die," he said.

According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) an outbreak of desert locusts in Somalia destroyed thousands of hectares of crops in, the worst such incident in over 25 years.

In a statement, the FAO said desert locusts continue to breed in Galmudug, Puntland and Somaliland, warning that an estimated 70,000 hectares of land have been infested by the insects, damaging crops and pastures in Ethiopia and Somalia.

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NEW DELHI, INDIA - DECEMBER 30 : Protesters march towards the India Gate during a protest against the police brutality during the clashes, following days of violent protests across India against a new citizenship law, in Delhi, India on December 30, 2019. 

PHOTO ESSAY

( Imtiyaz Khan - Anadolu Agency )