Month: July 2022

At least 13 people have been killed in fighting that flared overnight between armed groups in Tripoli, emergency services said Friday, the latest violence to hit the Libyan capital in months of rising political tensions.

The fighting had broken out after midnight in an area of parkland, sowing terror among Tripoli residents who head there to cool off after roasting summer days.

Dozens of people were forced to seek refuge on the campus of Tripoli University and a nearby medical centre.

The fighting “killed 13 people, among them three civilians including a child aged 11, and wounded 30,” the ambulance service told news channel Libya al-Ahrar.

The clashes were between two armed groups with major clout in the west of the war-torn country: the Al-Radaa force and the Tripoli Revolutionaries Brigade.

On Friday, another group called the 444 Brigade intervened to mediate a truce, deploying its own forces in a buffer zone before they too came under heavy fire, an AFP photographer reported.

Images posted on social media showed dozens of vehicles abandoned, their doors open in the middle of the road, by drivers fleeing the violence.

The trigger for the latest fighting could not be immediately verified, although the groups had clashed on June 10, leaving one fighter dead.

FIRST CIVILIAN DEATHS SINCE 2020

Tensions have been rising for months in Libya as two prime ministers vie for power, raising fears of renewed conflict two years after a landmark truce ended a ruinous attempt by eastern military chief Khalifa Haftar to seize Tripoli by force.

The dead were the first civilian casualties of fighting in Tripoli since the 2020 truce.

The fighting trapped hundreds of women attending weddings in the area, including Maisa bin Issa and her sisters.

“Thank God, the ambulance came and rescued us, otherwise we would have been stuck in the wedding hall in Ayn Zara, miles from our house in the city centre,” she said.

“It was really scary with the bombing and gunfire.”

Local resident Mokhtar al-Mahmoudi said he and his family had spent the night in the basement. “Our kids are still terrified,” he said.

Malek al-Badri said he had used his phone to avoid major roads and find his way to his mother’s house.

“Tripoli will never find peace again as long as all these armed groups are here,” he said.

Dozens of students were trapped in university dormitories until they were rescued, Osama Ali of the ambulance service told Al-Ahrar.

Libya has been gripped by insecurity since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011, leaving a power vacuum armed groups have been wrangling for years to fill.

Both groups involved in this week’s fighting are nominally loyal to Abdulhamid Dbeibah’s Government of National Unity, appointed last year as part of a United Nations-backed peace process to end more than a decade of violence in oil-rich Libya.

Dbeibah has refused to cede power to Fathi Bashagha, named in February as prime minister by a parliament based in Libya‘s east after he made a pact with Haftar.

The fighting forced the capital‘s only functioning airport, Mitiga, to close until further notice.

The United Nations Libya mission UNSMIL said it had received reports of civilian casualties and demanded an investigation.

“Any action that endangers the lives of civilians is unacceptable,” it said in a tweet, calling on “all Libyans to do everything possible to preserve the country’s fragile stability at this sensitive time”.

Troops and police Special Task Force commandos wielding batons and armed with automatic assault rifles charged on people blockading the sea-front Presid­ential Secretariat in Colombo.

Hundreds of soldiers removed the demonstrators’ barricades and tents outside the colonial-era building, while the last remaining protesters on the premises — some were still on the steps — were baton charged away.

The operation came hours before new president Ranil Wickrem­esinghe appointed an old friend as prime minister and the ousted head of state’s personal lawyer as foreign minister.

US ambassador in Colombo ‘deeply concerned’ about military action

Wickremesinghe was elected president by lawmakers on Wednesday to replace Gotabaya Raja­paksa, who fled to Singapore and resigned after demonstrators chased him from his palace.

The remaining protesters — far fewer than the thousands who overran several government buildings earlier this month — have been demanding Wickrem­esinghe also quit. They accuse him of protecting the Rajapaksa clan who have dominated politics for much of the last two decades.

By sunrise, police commandos and soldiers barricaded the complex and the main roads leading to the area were cordoned off. Hundreds of activists demonstrated at a nearby designated protest site against the military action, demanding Wickrem­esinghe resign and dissolve parliament and allow fresh elections.

“Don’t attack peaceful protesters, instead listen to us,” said student Dimmithu, 26.

The activists insisted they would continue their struggle, and Basantha Samara­singhe, 45, a businessman and trade union leader, said: “The peoples’ wish is system change, and parliament should be dissolved. It has no public mandate.”

Police said in a statement that security forces acted to clear protesters who were “illegally occupying” the presidential compound, with nine people arrested, two of whom were injured.

The US ambassador in Colombo, Julie Chung, said she was “deeply concerned” about the military action. “We urge restraint by authorities and immediate access to medical attention for those injured,” she said on Twitter.

 

The European Union said freedom of expression was essential for Sri Lanka to transition from its chaos.

“Hard to see how restricting it severely can help in finding solutions to the current political and economic crises,” the EU delegation in Colombo said.

A foreign exchange crisis triggered by the coronavirus pandemic and exacerbated by mismanagement has left Sri Lanka suffering lengthy power blackouts and record-high inflation.

The country’s 22 million people have also endured months of food, fuel and medicine shortages.

On Friday, Wickrem­esinghe swore in his political rival Dinesh Gunawardena as the country’s new prime minister.

The two men have been schoolmates and friends since the age of three but lead political parties that are opposed ideologically.

Wickremesinghe is a free-market champion and a pro-West politician while Gunawardena is a staunch Sinhala nationalist who believes in socialism and wants greater state control over the economy.

“We have differences, but we have enough friendship to unite to deal with the main problem of the country, that is the economy,” Gunaw­ardena told reporters.

Wickremesinghe also swore in a new cabinet, largely re-instating his predecessor’s ministers but retaining the finance portfolio for himself to continue bailout talks with the IMF.

He also replaced the foreign minister with Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s personal lawyer Ali Sabry.

Officials said it was an “interim cabinet” that could be replaced “within weeks”.

LAHORE: The Supreme Court is hearing the PTI and PML-Q’s joint petition against Deputy Speaker Dost Mazari’s ruling in the Punjab chief minister’s election.

A three-member bench — headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, and comprising Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar — is holding the hearing at the Supreme Court’s Lahore registry.

The deputy speaker rejected 10 votes of the PML-Q, citing the apex court’s opinion in the presidential reference for the interpretation of Article 63A, dealing a major blow to Pervez Elahi and paving the way for Hamza Shahbaz to retain the chief minister’s slot.

 

 

Opposition (PTI and PML-Q) candidate Elahi managed to receive 186 votes, but after the deputy speaker’s ruling, the PML-Q leader got only 176 votes, whereas Hamza received 179 votes.

The petition was filed late last night after the Opposition — which was confident of a victory — suffered the setback and vowed to challenge the ruling.

SC order on Article 63(A): Who can give directions to MPs?

The Supreme Court of Pakistan, back in May, had ruled that the votes of dissident members of the Parliament (MPs), cast against their parliamentary party’s directives, cannot be counted.

The apex court, issuing its verdict on the presidential reference seeking the interpretation of Article 63(A) of the Constitution related to defecting lawmakers of the PTI, said that the law cannot be interpreted in isolation.

During yesterday’s ruling, Article 63(A) was applied after PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain wrote a letter to the deputy speaker, saying that he had directed the party to vote for Hamza Shahbaz.

The ruling has invited criticism from legal wizards as several believe that Mazari’s decision was not in line with the Supreme Court’s order.

RAWALPINDI: A huddle of the military’s top brass was held Friday to discuss the defence and security environment of the country, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.

Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Nadeem Raza chaired the meeting that took place at Joint Staff Headquarters (JSHQ), with all services chiefs in presence, the military’s media wing said.

Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi, and Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu were in attendance.

 

 

The meeting, according to ISPR, received a detailed briefing on a review of the national security situation specific to the western border, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan.

In light of the recent terrorist events and the military’s response, the forum expressed complete satisfaction and full confidence in the readiness of the defence forces.

The participants also reaffirmed the resolve of the armed forces to respond to the entire spectrum of threats in the most befitting manner in line with a comprehensive security strategy.

The military’s top brass also lauded the sacrifices of security agencies in the fight against terrorism.

Apart from that, the forum also discussed fast-paced developments in the realm of strategic and conventional policies.

They also exchanged views on the importance of peace in Afghanistan for sustainable development in the region and the operational preparedness of the armed forces.

Since April last year Iraq has hosted five rounds of talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which support opposing sides in various conflicts around the region.

“Progress has been made in these negotiations,” Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said in an interview with Iran’s state broadcaster.

He added that last week Iran had received a message from Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein who said “the Saudi side is ready to move the talks to the political and public level”.

Iran’s top diplomat noted that previous rounds had mainly been at the level of security officials.

“We announced our readiness for the talks to enter the political stage,” he said.

In 2016, protesters attacked Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran after the kingdom executed Shia cleric Nimr al Nimr. Riyadh responded by cutting ties with Tehran.

Amir-Abdollahian said he hoped that the negotiations with Riyadh would lead to “normal diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran”. Officials in Tehran have previously said that holding talks on a political level could yield better and faster results.

After the last round of negotiations in April, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Kadhemi said he believed that “reconciliation is near” between Riyadh and Tehran, a further reflection of shifting political alignments across the region.

Following the severance of ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi downgraded diplomatic relations with Tehran and Kuwait recalled its ambassador. Last week the United Arab Emirates said it was “considering” appointing an ambassador in Tehran.

In their first major deal after nearly five months of fighting, Russian and Ukrainian delegations signed individual agreements with Ankara and the UN in the wake of several rounds of laborious negotiations.

Ukraine had warned ahead of the signing that any Russian “provocations” around its encircled Black Sea ports would be met with a swift military response and refused to pen the same papers as Moscow.

“Today, there is a beacon on the Black Sea — a beacon of hope, a beacon of possibility, a beacon of relief,” UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said at the signing ceremony in the lavish Dolmabahce Palace on the Bosphorus Strait.

UN chief terms accord a beacon of hope, possibility and relief

The deal agreed through UN and Turkish mediation establishes safe corridors along which Ukrainian ships can come in and out of three designated Black Sea ports in and around Odessa.

And both sides also pledged not to attack ships on the way in or out.

“It will bring relief for developing countries on the edge of bankruptcy and the most vulnerable people on the edge of famine,” Guterres said.

Path to peace

The five-month war, which has displaced millions and left thousands dead, is being fought across one of Europe’s most fertile regions by two of the world’s biggest grain producers.

Up to 25 million tonnes of wheat and other grain have been blocked in Ukrainian ports by Russian warships and landmines Kyiv has laid to avert a feared amphibious assault.

“Today’s Istanbul agreement is a step in the right direction. We call for its swift implementation,” tweeted the bloc’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — a key player in the negotiations who has good relations with both Moscow and Kyiv — said he hoped the deal would “hopefully revive the path to peace”.

UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss congratulated Turkiye and UN for brokering the deal but cautioned “we will be watching to ensure Russia’s actions match its words”.

Earlier, Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhaylo Podolyak explained the two sides would sign “mirror” agreements.

“We sign an agreement with Turkiye and the UN and undertake obligations to them. Russia signs a mirror agreement with Turkiye and the UN,” he said on social media. He warned that Russian breaches of the deal and incursions around Ukraine’s ports would be met with “an immediate military response”.

Diplomats expect grain to start fully flowing for the first time since Russia’s invasion of its Western-backed neighbour by the middle of August.

Ukrainian farmers

Still, news of the deal earlier drew scepticism from Ukrainian farmers under pressure in the war-battered south where storage facilities are rapidly filling and local prices for grain tanking.

“It gives some hope but you can’t believe what the Russians say,” said Mykola Zaverukha, a farmer with some 13,000 tonnes of grain waiting for export.

“Russia is unreliable, they have shown themselves to be year after year,” he said in the southern Mykolaiv region.

The Conservative runoff between Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss means that Boris Johnson’s successor in 10 Downing Street will represent a visible, and possibly historic, change.

“Thirteen out of 15 prime ministers since the war have been white men, but it’s no longer the inevitable norm,” Sunder Katwala, director of the research group British Future, said. “It’s not even that much of a surprise that the next leader will be different.”

Foreign Secretary Truss, 46, would be only the third woman prime minister, after Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May, who were both also Conservative.

Ex-finance minister Sunak, an observant Hindu, would be truly breaking new ground as the first prime minister of colour, ruling a country that itself once ruled a quarter of the world’s population, including India.

But for ethnic minorities, Katwala argued, “they’re going to be voting just like everyone else on tax, the economy, Brexit”.

“They remain sceptical of the Conservative agenda, despite the new diversity at the top,” he added, noting the Tories’ treatment under May of legal “Windrush” migrants from the Caribbean.

Words hurt

Superficially at least, the ascent of Sunak and other frontbench Tories of colour suggests a country more at ease with its multicultural identity today, following post-war immigration from Britain’s old empire.

Sunak, 42, has commented previously on the racist insults he and his younger siblings suffered growing up in the southern English city of Southampton.

“It stings in a way that very few other things have,” he told Sky News in June 2020.

“But that’s not something that has happened to me for a long time,” Sunak added, saying that Britain had made “enormous progress” since then.

However, as Tory members prepare to elect their new leader by September 5, racially charged attacks have circulated on social media after controversy over his family’s wealth and tax affairs.

And some Truss supporters say it is sexist to comment on her appearance, with one widely shared meme showing a photo montage of various occasions on which she has posed in similar clothes or settings to Thatcher.

Truss on Thursday called the comparisons “frustrating”, insisting: “I am my own person.”

Rivers of blood

In 1968, Tory MP Enoch Powell predicted racial civil war in an inflammatory address that came to be known as the “rivers of blood” speech.

Polling at the time suggested a large majority of white Britons supported him.

The centre-left Labour party continues to enjoy a hold over most minority voters.

However, it is an “embarrassment” that Labour, alone among the UK’s major political parties, has yet to elect a permanent woman leader, Katwala said.

And compared to other communities, British-Indians have proven more receptive to the Conservatives’ message of aspiration and self-reliance.

The roughly 200,000 Conservative members tend to be richer than the national average, and live in well-to-do areas.

The party refuses to release a breakdown of its membership.

But according to research by academics Tim Bale, Monica Poletti and Paul Webb last year, the members are less diverse ethnically, are relatively old, and 63 per cent of them are male.

Nevertheless, the Tories have come a long way since Powell’s bloodthirsty predictions.

There were eight candidates at the start of the party’s leadership race this month: half were women, and half were from ethnic minorities.

Oxford still rules

Writing in last weekend’s Sunday Times, former prime minister David Cameron noted that when he won the Conservative leadership in 2005, all seven candidates were white men.

Cameron encouraged a new generation of Tories of colour, and women, to stand for parliament and take the electoral fight to Labour.

“Some dismiss (social) cohesion as a soft concept and a second-order policy,” he said.

“It isn’t. Look at (Donald) Trump’s America — now more divided and discontented than the vision of a melting pot I’ve always admired.” But while the next prime minister will look different, some things never change in UK politics.

Out of Britain’s 15 post-war leaders to date, 11 studied at Oxford University, including Johnson, May, Cameron, Tony Blair and Thatcher.

So did Sunak and Truss.

“The elite is more open, provided you have the educational and professional credentials,” Katwala said.

“It’s yet to find a way of doing the same for working-class, less-educated people,” he said. “But it’s still progress.”

State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Deputy Secretary Sherman noted the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the United States and Pakistan and “reaffirmed our shared goals for enhancing the US-Pakistan relationship by advancing our economic and commercial ties and health cooperation”.

 

A Pakistan Embassy press release said Mr Fatemi told the US official that “Pakistan seeks close and cordial relations with the US on the basis of equality, mutual cooperation and mutual benefit”. He told the deputy secretary that “Pakistan is an important player in promoting regional peace, security and prosperity and taking the bilateral relationship forward in a substantive manner would serve the interests of both countries,” the statement added.

Mr Fatemi told Sherman that Islamabad viewed Washington as “an important partner in its efforts to revive Pakistan’s economy,” the embassy said.

Spokesperson Rice, however, focused on “coordination on Afghanistan, regional stability”, but he also mentioned the need for supporting efforts to cope with “the devastating effects of [Russian President] Putin’s invasion of Ukraine on food security in Pakistan and worldwide”.

The embassy’s statement said Mr Fatemi underscored Pakistan’s desire for “enhanced bilateral cooperation” in trade, investment, agriculture, textile, and IT sectors, calling it Pakistan’s “key priority”.

Droupadi Murmu, a 64-year-old teacher turned politician, will be the second woman to hold the largely ceremonial role as head of the republic when she takes office on July 25 at the start of a five-year term.

More than 4,500 state and federal lawmakers voted in the presidential election on Monday and ballots were counted on Thursday. Murmu’s victory was assured as she was backed by Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which dominates federal and state politics.

“A daughter of India hailing from a tribal community born in a remote part of eastern India has been elected our President!” Modi said on Twitter.

 

Born into a family of the Santhal tribe from the state of Odisha, Murmu started her career as a school teacher and actively participated in community issues.

 

She later joined mainstream politics and served as a BJP state lawmaker in Odisha before becoming governor of the eastern state of Jharkhand.

Her election is seen as the BJP’s outreach to India’s tribal communities, which comprise more than 8 per cent of its 1.4 billion people.

“The BJP will want to offset any anti-incumbency of the last 10 years in 2024, and one of the ways to do that is to go for a new vote-base,” political columnist Neerja Choudhary told Reuters.

Murmu beat the opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha, a former BJP finance minister and now a fierce critic of Modi, winning nearly twice as many votes.

The Indian president acts as the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces but the prime minister holds executive powers. Murmu will take over from Ram Nath Kovind.

The president, nevertheless, has a key role during political crises, such as when a general election is inconclusive, by deciding which party is in the best position to form a government.

The 75-year-old has been a driving influence in her once-dominant party since the 1991 assassination of her husband, former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, and heir to a political dynasty that stretches back to the country’s independence from Britain.

Authorities are probing a decade-old complaint filed by a lawmaker from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who accused her family of misusing Congress funds to buy a now-defunct newspaper business and personally acquire its highly valuable property portfolio.