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April
Russia revokes registration of Amnesty and Human Rights Watch
Written by nuke
FILE PHOTO: An activist from Amnesty International holds a sign during a protest outside the Russian Embassy as part of a Global Day of Action for Ukraine, following Russia's invasion in Mexico City, Mexico, March 24, 2022. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido -
Russia's justice ministry said on Friday (Apr 8) it had revoked the registration of 15 foreign organisations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW).
The Russian units of the organisations, which also included the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, "were excluded due to the discovery of violations of the current legislation of the Russian Federation," the ministry said in a statement.
The decision, which did not give details of any violations, was announced days after New York-based HRW said it had found "several cases of Russian military forces committing laws-of-war violations" in Ukraine.
Russia has repeatedly denied war crimes allegations by Ukraine and Western countries during its 6-week-long invasion of Ukraine and denies targeting civilians.
"There is little doubt the move was in response to our reporting on the war in Ukraine," HRW said.
"The Russian government had already made it abundantly clear that it has no use for any facts regarding the protection of civilians in Ukraine. This is just one small further proof of that," it said on Twitter.
Russia says it is conducting a "special military operation" to demilitarise and "denazify" Ukraine. The Kyiv government and its Western allies reject that as a false pretext for an unjustified invasion.
Other organisations whose registration was revoked on Friday included a branch of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, the Aga Khan Foundation and the Institute of International Education.
Nine German organisations were included as well as three from the United States, one from Britain, one from Poland and one from Switzerland//CNA
April
Austrian chancellor sets off for Ukraine, to meet Zelenskiy on Saturday
Written by nuke
FILE PHOTO: Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer attends a news conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, March 31, 2022. Steffi Loos/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo -
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer has set off on a one-day trip to Ukraine during which he will meet President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv on Saturday morning, his office said in a statement on Friday (Apr 8).
Neutral Austria has been providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine as well as helmets and body armour for civilians rather than weapons. Nehammer, a conservative, has been visibly moved by telephone conversations with Zelenskiy and says he wants to show support.
His trip will include a visit to Bucha, a town just outside Kyiv where invading Russian forces are alleged to have executed civilians whose bodies were left strewn in the streets. Russia denies the allegations. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen visited Bucha on Friday.
"It is important that within the framework of our neutrality we stand by Ukraine on a humanitarian level as well as politically," Nehammer said in the statement issued by his office. "My visit to Kyiv and Bucha ... serves to show our solidarity with the Ukrainian population."
Nehammer, a former soldier, will also meet Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and the mayor of Kyiv, Vitaliy Klitschko, before leaving in the early evening, the statement said.
"The war crimes that have come to light must be fully investigated by independent international experts," the statement quoted Nehammer as saying, apparently referring to Bucha. "Those responsible for these crimes must and will be held accountable."//CNA
April
Turkey still hopes to host Russia, Ukraine talks after attacks
Written by nuke
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan opening Ukrainian-Russian talks in Istanbul last week (Photo: TURKISH PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE/AFP/Murat CETIN MUHURDAR) -
Turkey is pushing to revive talks between Russia and Ukraine stalled after atrocities were uncovered in Bucha and other regions near Kyiv, saying the two countries are still ready to meet on its soil.
The positive atmosphere that emerged after the Istanbul talks last week between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators were "overshadowed" by "shameful" images from Bucha, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday.
Ankara assures that the two warring sides are still "willing to hold talks" in Turkey in a bid to move towards a solution to the six-weeks war.
"Both Russia and Ukraine are willing to hold the talks in Turkey but they are far away from agreeing on a common text," a high-ranking Turkish official told a small group of journalists on Friday.
There are "some issues pending" including the status of the Donbas and Crimea regions as well as security guarantees, according to the official, who added there was no date fixed for the next round of negotiations.
Turkey, which hosted talks last week between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators, has been mediating for an end to the conflict.
"We are the only country that can talk to both parties, the only country able to talk to Russia," the official stressed.
"We are not proposing anything but we are trying to facilitate what they are discussing."
Turkey has strong ties with both Russia and Ukraine. As a NATO member, it has supplied Kyiv with drones but has shied away from joining Western sanctions against Moscow.
"Imposing sanctions is not a good way to solve the issue," the Turkish official said, adding that Ankara would only join UN sanctions.
The official said the most delicate issues were discussed in Istanbul between the two countries' negotiators, without providing any details.
After the negotiators met in Istanbul on March 29, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan placed phone calls to Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian counterpart Volodmyr Zelensky, renewing his invitation to host a leaders' summit.
A senior Western source referred to the existence of a "peace treaty" being negotiated between Moscow and Kyiv where the status of the Donbas and Crimea regions remain to be defined.
The Turkish official close to the talks said: "We have some ideas about the content but is it a peace treaty? We cannot qualify the document."
According to the Turkish official, the two countries have "agreed on some issues" including the so-called de-Nazification, Ukraine's neutrality and security guarantees.
But they have to define the security guarantees because some countries "are concerned this could lead to direct confrontation with Russia," the official said.
"There are some legal issues to be solved as part of guarantors."
At the earlier peace talks in Istanbul, Ukrainian negotiators said Kyiv was ready to accept neutrality in return for security guarantees to be provided by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council as well as some other countries including Turkey, Germany, Canada and Israel.
Ukrainian negotiators have compared the security guarantees they want to the NATO treaty's Article 5 where members agree to come to the defence of one another in case of military aggression.
For its part, Moscow has demanded "the unanimity of all guarantors" for any decision, according to the Western source, deeming it "unacceptable" for Kyiv because with Russia holding the veto-power the same as in the UN Security Council.
Turkey has stepped up diplomacy from the first days of the war - and even before, when the crisis was brewing, with Erdogan offering good offices without alienating Russia, according to the Turkish official.
Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers also met in southern Turkish province of Antalya in March, ahead of the technical negotiations in Istanbul.
On Mar 31, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu had said the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers could meet within two weeks.
But while Russia had pledged in Istanbul to scale down its military activity on the ground, the images that emerged from Bucha last weekend and a fatal rocket attack on Friday on a train station in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk have cast a shadow on the peace talks, according to the Turkish government.
An official cited an ancient proverb, saying: "If you go to bed with a Russian, don't forget your knife."//CNA
April
Brazil's Amazon deforestation sets first-quarter record despite March dip
Written by nuke
FILE PHOTO: Indigenous people from the Mura tribe show a deforested area in unmarked indigenous lands inside the Humaita, Amazonas State, Brazil August 20, 2019. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino/File Photo -
Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest fell 15 per cent in March from a year earlier, preliminary government data showed on Friday (Apr 8), but even with that dip it was enough to drive the most destruction during the first quarter in at least six years.
From January to March, deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon rose 64per cent from a year ago to 941 square kilometers (363 square miles), data from national space research agency Inpe showed. That area, larger than New York City, is the most forest cover lost in the period since the data series began in 2015/2016.
Destruction of the world's largest rainforest has surged since President Jair Bolsonaro took office in 2019 and weakened environmental protections, arguing that they hinder economic development that could reduce poverty in the Amazon region.
The president's office and the Environment Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
A UN climate panel report on Monday warned that governments are not doing enough to rein in greenhouse gas emissions in order to avert the worst effects of global warming.While fossil fuel use is mostly to blame, deforestation accounts for about 10 per cent of global emissions, according to the report.
"Brazil is an example of what the UN climate report is saying when referring to governments not taking the necessary actions," said Cristiane Mazzetti, a forest campaigner in Brazil for environmental advocacy group Greenpeace.
"We have a government that goes deliberately against the necessary steps to limit climate change."
Some scientists predict deforestation will continue to rise ahead of Brazil's October presidential election, as it has ahead of the last three elections.
Environmental enforcement typically weakens in election years and criminals may rush to deforest ahead of a new government taking office, according to Carlos Souza Jr, a researcher at the institute Imazon.
A poll on Thursday showed that left-wing former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, whose administration drastically reduced deforestation in the 2000s, would get 45 per cent of the vote over 31 per cent for Bolsonaro in the first round of the election//CNA
April
Moderna recalls thousands of COVID-19 vaccine doses in Europe
Written by nuke
FILE PHOTO: A vial labelled "Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine" is seen in this illustration taken January 16, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo -
Moderna said on Friday (Apr 8) it was recalling 764,900 doses of its COVID-19 vaccine made by its contract manufacturer Rovi after a vial was found contaminated by a foreign body.
No safety issues have been identified, Moderna said about the lots that were distributed in Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden in January.
The drugmaker said the contamination was found in just one vial, and it was recalling the whole lot out of "an abundance of caution". It did not disclose what was found in the vial.
Japanese authorities last year suspended the use of some doses of the vaccine, which Moderna later recalled, after an investigation found stainless steel contaminants in some vials.
Over 900 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine have been administered worldwide to date.
Moderna said on Friday it did not believe the contamination posed a risk to other vials in the lot//CNA
April
Pakistani opposition leader Sharif says he is allies' candidate for the next PM
Written by Nur Yasmin
Pakistani opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday said his allies have nominated him as the next prime minister if they are able to vote out Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday.
Sharif was addressing a joint press conference along with other opposition leaders who won a court case earlier on Thursday that overturned a move by Khan to dodge the ouster vote and dissolve the lower house of parliament. read more
The opposition allies have a majority in the assembly after Khan allies defected away from his government. (Reuters)
April
Sri Lanka calls for $1 bln debt restructure as crisis rages
Written by Nur Yasmin
Sri Lanka must urgently seek funds from multilateral lenders and aim to restructure a debt payment due in July, its outgoing finance minister said on Thursday, pleading for political stability amid the country's worst economic crisis in decades.
The opposition and some partners of the ruling coalition rejected calls this week for a unity government from President Gotabaya Rajapaksa after he disbanded his cabinet, hoping to quell weeks-long street protests over shortages of fuel, power, food and medicine.
With its foreign exchange reserves shrinking quickly, massive debt payments due and the rupee currency slumping, analysts say the government - controlled by Rajapaksa and his elder brother Mahinda, the prime minister - is running out of options.
Reserves dropped 16% to $1.93 billion in March, central bank data showed on Thursday.
"We must look at how to structure the $1 billion international sovereign bond payment maturing in July," said Ali Sabry, who submitted his resignation to Rajapaksa on Tuesday."We must go to the IMF, there is no other solution that I can see."
Sabrywas moved to finance from the justice ministry on Monday to replace President Rajapaksa's younger brother Basil Rajapaksa.
It was not immediately clear if Rajapaksa had accepted Sabry's resignation, submitted days ahead of scheduled talks with the IMF for emergency loans.
As the island nation attempts to fast-track the formulation of proposals to present to the IMF President Rajapaksa on Thursday appointed K.M.M Siriwardana, a deputy governor at the central bank who previously worked with the Fund, as treasury secretary.
The $1 billion bond maturing on July 25 was trading at 54 cents in the dollar, its lowest level since spring 2020 when the COVID-19 rout hit global financial markets, data from MarketAxess showed .
Other Sri Lankan dollar-denominated sovereign bonds traded at even more stressed levels, with most changing hands around 40 cents in the dollar.
"We must have political stability to find solutions to the financial crisis," Sabry said.
"We must discuss with the World Bank and we must have a bridge-financing plan with the ADB. If we don't have stability, who will conduct these talks?," he said, referring to the Philippines-based Asian Development Bank.
Opposition lawmakers continued to call for the president to step down. At least 41 parliamentarians withdrew from the ruling coalition this week, though they could still support the government in the house and the opposition has not called for a no-confidence vote. read more
Foreign Minister G. L. Peiris told diplomats in a briefing that the government still held a majority in parliament and that "despite the agitation", there was no consensus on who could replace the president, prime minister and parliament.
DEEP IN DEBT
Critics have accused the government of mismanagement, but the tourism-reliant economy has also been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Help from the IMF would likely come with some tough political choices - policy reforms that could add to the pain in the short term in hopes of getting the economy back on more solid footing in a few years.
J.P. Morgan analysts estimated this week that Sri Lanka's gross debt servicing would amount to $7 billion this year, with the current account deficit coming in around $3 billion.
As the search for a replacement for Sabry at the finance ministry continues, P. Nandalal Weerasinghe took over as the central bank governor, succeeding Ajith Nivard Cabraal, who quit on Monday.
A court in the commercial capital Colombo on Thursday barred Cabraal from leaving the country until March 18, Rajith Keerthi Tennakoon, a well-known anti-corruption activist who accused Cabraal of misusing public funds during his tenure, told Reuters. Tennakoon had petitioned the court.
Reuters could not immediately contact Cabraal and his lawyer did not answer calls.
Weerasinghe, a former senior central bank deputy governor who has also worked with the IMF, will hold a monetary policy meeting on Friday. It was originally scheduled to be held on Monday.
An analyst said the central bank was expected to hike key interest rates by 300-400 basis points - following a 100 bps increase in early March - to tame inflation that hit 18.7% in March.
"We also expect the newly appointed governor to outline potential measures to be included in the IMF reform plan, views on potential debt restructuring, and currency management," said Lakshini Fernando of Asia Securities. (Reuters)
April
Crisis-hit Sri Lanka's finance minister says no alternative to debt restructuring
Written by Nur Yasmin
Sri Lanka's finance minister on Friday said that the crisis-hit country must urgently restructure its debt and seek external help, while the main opposition threatened a no-confidence motion and business leaders warned that exports could plummet.
The heavily indebted country has little money left to pay for imports, leading to crippling shortages of fuel, power, food and, increasingly, medicine. Street protests have been held nearly non-stop for more than a month, despite a five-day state of emergency and a two-day curfew.
"We cannot step away from repaying debt because the consequences are terrifying. There is no alternative, we must restructure our debt," Ali Sabry told parliament.
A repayment of $1 billion is due in July. J.P. Morgan analysts estimate that Sri Lanka's gross debt servicing costs will amount to $7 billion this year in total.
"We have to go for a debt moratorium," said Sabry, who offered to quit a day after he was appointed on Monday but later confirmed that he was still the finance minister.
"We have to suspend debt repayment for some time and get bilateral and multilateral support to manage our balance of payments."
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is running his administration with only a handful of ministers after his entire cabinet resigned this week, while the opposition and even some coalition partners rejected calls for a unity government to deal with the worst crisis in decades.
At least 41 lawmakers have walked out of the ruling coalition to become independents, though the government says it still has a majority in parliament. read more
"The government needs to address the financial crisis and work to improve governance, or we will move a no-confidence motion," Sajith Premadasa, leader of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya opposition group, said in parliament.
"It is imperative that Sri Lanka must avoid a disorderly debt default. The government must work to suspend debt and appoint financial advisers to start off the process of restructuring debt."
Parliamentary proceedings were suspended twice in the morning as rivals heckled each other, with two members temporarily removed from the chamber on the orders of the speaker.
'CANNOT WAIT'
Sabry, a former justice minister, said political stability was necessary as the country prepared to start talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) this month.
"This is not a time for politics," he said. "We cannot wait, we must move immediately."
Earlier on Friday, nearly two dozen associations, representing industries that collectively employ a fifth of the country's 22 million people, together urged the government to quickly seek financial help from the IMF, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
"We need a solution within weeks or the country will fall off the precipice," Rohan Masakorala, director-general of the Sri Lanka Association of Manufacturers And Exporters of Rubber Products, told a news conference.
Masakorala said that both merchandise and service exports could drop 20%-30% this year due to a dollar shortage, higher freight costs and power cuts.
"We are pushing the government and opposition to establish political stability as soon as possible and give us a way forward," Masakorala said. "IMF should have happened yesterday."
Sri Lanka's foreign exchange reserves have plunged some 70% in the past two years, hitting $1.93 billion at the end of March.
Inflation, meanwhile, has rocketed to its highest level in more than a decade, and on Friday evening, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka is expected to raise key interest rates by as much as 400 basis points (bps) following a 100 bps rise in early March.
The government has secured credit lines and currency swaps of billions of dollars from India and China but industry leaders say it needs to do more, urging the central bank governor to start negotiations urgently.
"The Indian credit lines will only last until end-April," said Russell Juriansz, chairman of the Sri Lanka Shippers' Council.
"We appeal to the president to take the right decision or it will haunt him for the rest of his life." (Reuters)
April
Pakistan parliament to meet Saturday to decide PM Khan's fate
Written by Nur Yasmin
Pakistan's parliament will convene on Saturday to vote on removing Imran Khan as prime minister, an official notice said on Friday, potentially cutting short his term as leader.
The country's top court ruled late on Thursday that Khan must face the no-confidence vote, which he is widely expected to lose, meaning he would be ousted from office.
The lower house of parliament has been convened for a session on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. (0530 GMT), the speaker's office said in an order paper. The vote, brought by the opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif, is the fourth point on the agenda.
Khan, a former cricket star who took office in 2018, was due to address the nation later on Friday. He said after Thursday's ruling that "My message to our nation is I have always and will continue to fight for (Pakistan) till the last ball". read more
A member of Khan's government denounced the Supreme Court's decision to quash the prime minister's effort to block the no-confidence vote.
"A judicial coup happened last night ... ending parliamentary supremacy!" Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari said on Twitter.
In its ruling, the Supreme Court said Khan had acted unconstitutionally in blocking the no-confidence vote when it was due to take place last Sunday, after which he dissolved parliament and called an election. read more
The ruling was the latest twist in a crisis that has threatened political and economic stability in the country of 220 million people, where the military has ruled for half its history.
Khan, who opposed the U.S.-led intervention in Afghanistan and has developed relations with Russia since he became prime minister, has accused the United States of supporting a plot to oust him. Washington has dismissed the accusation.
If he loses the no-confidence vote, the opposition will put forward a candidate for prime minister.
Shehbaz Sharif, the younger brother of three-time former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, said after the court ruling that the opposition had nominated him to take over should Khan be ousted.
ENDING UNCERTAINTY?
The rupee currency hit all-time lows on Thursday and foreign exchange reserves tumbled. read more
Pakistan's central bank hiked its benchmark interest rate by 250 basis points on Thursday, the largest such move since 1996.
On Friday, markets opened higher on investor hopes the crisis might be easing. The Pakistan Stock Exchange was up 680 points, or 1.5%, and the rupee had rebounded from historic lows.
"The court decision will end political uncertainty and constitutional crisis to a large extent. This will help restore come confidence in the markets," Muhammad Sohail of Karachi-based Topline Securities told Reuters.
"However economic challenges remain and it will be interesting to see how new set-up takes bold steps to put things in order," he added.
Pakistan's sovereign dollar bonds stumbled again on Friday, however.
The 2029 issue dropped more than 1 cent to 88.6 cents on the dollar while shorter-dated issues traded around the mid-70s cents, Tradeweb data showed. The country's bonds had traded close to par of 100 cents at the start of the year. , ,
The opposition has said it wants early elections but only after delivering Khan a political defeat and passing legislation that it says is needed to ensure the next polls are free and fair.
The election commission has said the earliest it can hold elections is in October, which means any new government will have to deal with pressing economic issues before that. (Reuters)
April
Taiwan president tests negative after COVID case at her residence
Written by Nur Yasmin
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen tested negative for COVID-19 on Friday after a relative she previously had a meal with at her residence was confirmed to be infected, but her public events will all be cancelled until April 14, her office said.
Taiwan has been dealing with a comparatively small rise in domestic cases since the start of this year, 2,719 so far, but still in larger numbers than it has generally previously reported, having kept the pandemic well under control.
Presidential Office spokesperson Xavier Chang told reporters that Tsai had a meal with family members on Monday, one of whom later tested positive for COVID-19.
Tsai has tested negative and is in good health, but her public events will be cancelled until April 14 and she will work from home, he added.
More than 99% of cases since the start of this year have either had mild or no symptoms, with only one death, and the government has said its plans to gradually re-open remain unchanged.
Taiwan has reported 26,263 cases since the pandemic began more than two years ago, and 853 deaths.