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November
Spike in Amazon deforestation draws shock, ups pressure on Brazil
Written by nuke
FILE - In this Nov. 25, 2019 file photo, highway BR-163 stretches between the Tapajos National Forest, left, and a soy field in Belterra, Para state, Brazil. The number of deforestation alerts in the Brazilian Amazon rose for the second straight month in October 2021, compared to 2020, ending a streak of encouraging data at a moment when the government has promised to curb illegal logging. (AP Photo/Leo Correa, File) -
Diplomats expressed shock and disappointment on Friday (Nov 19) at new data revealing higher-than-expected deforestation in Brazil's Amazon this year, saying it increases pressure on President Jair Bolsonaro's government to do more to stop the destruction.
Evidence that Brazil sat on the data for three weeks before announcing it also drew outrage from non-governmental organizations.
The government released the report, which was dated Oct 27, after this month's high-profile UN COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, where Brazil signed up to a global pledge to end deforestation by 2030 and made more climate commitments.
Brazil's environment minister, Joaquim Pereira Leite, told reporters that he only gained access to the data on Thursday when it was announced. He called the data "unacceptable" and vowed more forceful action to fight deforestation.
The data showed deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rose to the highest level since 2006 with an area larger than the state of Connecticut being cleared, according to Brazil's national space research agency, Inpe.
Preliminary data from Inpe released earlier in the year had indicated deforestation might decline slightly, but the more accurate final data showed a 22 per cent increase.
The Amazon's trees absorb vast amounts of carbon dioxide that would otherwise warm the planet.
One European diplomat told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity, that he was "very disappointed with the latest figures."
A second European diplomat, from a different country, said the numbers were "vastly worse" than what was expected.
While the increase drew surprise, Brazil has not shown that environmental policy is moving in the right direction, the person said.
"All the political signals coming from the government through Congress or other means clearly do not show any political will toward reducing deforestation," the diplomat said.
Pressure from the private sector and foreign governments "is only increasing" for Brazil to show a concrete plan for how it will get deforestation under control, they added.
Brazil's presidency and its environment and foreign ministries did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the criticism.
A Brazilian diplomat, who participated in the COP26 Glasgow summit, told Reuters that negotiators did not know about the data during the UN talks and acknowledged that it would increase pressure on Brazil.
But the diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Brazil at the negotiations had already admitted that deforestation was a problem and the new deforestation goals had been welcomed.
"We have to admit to it and resolve it to maintain our ability to negotiate and influence," the person said.
Valentina Sader, assistant director of the Latin America center at the Atlantic Council, a think tank, said the data combined with Brazil's targets at COP could increase international scrutiny.
"Commitments made publicly in Glasgow will be essential for holding Brazil accountable," Sader said//CNA
November
Armenia and Azerbaijan agree to talks in Brussels to overcome tensions, EU says
Written by nuke
Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev attend a meeting of heads of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan October 11, 2019. Sputnik/Alexei Druzhinin/Kremlin via REUTERS
The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan will meet in Brussels in mid-December to discuss tensions that have led to border clashes with several troops, the European Union said on Friday (Nov 19).
"Leaders have agreed to meet in Brussels to discuss the regional situation and ways of overcoming tensions for a prosperous and stable South Caucasus, which the EU supports," a spokesman for Charles Michel, the president of the European Council representing EU member states, said in a statement.
The meeting is to take place in the margins of the EU's Eastern Partnership Summit in Brussels on Dec 15.
The announcement came after talks between Michel and Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev as well as Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Friday.
"During the phone calls, the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders have also agreed to establish a direct communication line, at the level of respective Ministers of Defence, to serve as an incident prevention mechanism", the EU said.
The European Union had urged both countries on Wednesday to disengage their troops and respect the ceasefire agreed the previous day, after reports that seven Azerbaijani soldiers were killed in border clashes.
On Tuesday, Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to a ceasefire at their border after Russia urged them to step back from confrontation following the deadliest clash since a war last year over the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave that killed at least 6,500 people//CNA
November
First German states cancel all Christmas markets over COVID-19
Written by nuke
Munich, the Bavarian state capital, became the first major German city to cancel its Christmas market for the second year in a row. Now the rest of the state has followed suit (Photo: AFP/File/Christof STACHE)
The German states of Bavaria and Saxony on Friday (Nov 19) cancelled all their Christmas markets and unveiled drastic curbs on public life as the country scrambles to contain soaring coronavirus infections.
"The situation is very, very serious and difficult," Markus Soeder, premier of the southern state of Bavaria, said as he also announced a shutdown of clubs, bars and night service at restaurants.
The eastern state of Saxony unveiled similar measures and went even further by closing all sporting and cultural venues, banning tourism, public consumption of alcohol and barring the unvaccinated from non-essential shops and hairdressers.
Saxony premier Michael Kretschmer - whose state has Germany's lowest vaccination rate at just under 60 per cent of the population - admitted that many of the restrictions would affect the vaccinated as well.
But he said tough action was needed to keep hospitals from being overwhelmed and called for "solidarity" from all citizens. "We need more 'we' and less 'I' in this pandemic," he told reporters.
Bavaria and Saxony are among the hardest hit regions in the ferocious fourth COVID-19 wave sweeping Germany.
While Germany had a weekly incidence rate of 340.7 recorded infections per 100,000 people on Friday, according to the Robert Koch Institute health agency, the figure was far higher in Saxony (593.6) and Bavaria (625.3).
The Bavarian state capital of Munich on Tuesday had become the first major German city to cancel its Christmas market for the second year in a row. Saxony's cancellations means the famed Dresden Christmas market is also scrapped.
Germany hosts some 2,500 Christmas markets each year, cherished by visitors who come to savour mulled wine and roasted chestnuts, and shop for seasonal trinkets among clusters of wooden chalets.
In pre-pandemic times, they drew about 160 million domestic and international visitors annually who brought in revenues of three to five billion euros (US$3.4 billion to US$5.6 billion), according to the BSM stallkeepers' industry association.
"It's a catastrophe for us," Eleonore Stiegel, who operates a stand at the Christmas market in the historic town of Bamberg, told AFP.
"We have already bought our wares and now are left with nothing for the second year in a row."
Konrad Friedrich, who also plies his trade at the Bamberg market, said he could understand the decision given the explosion in infections.
"What's more important? The market or health?" he said. "Health, of course."
In addition to the new nightlife restrictions, Bavarian sport and culture venues will be subject to a 25-percent capacity limit and retail outlets will have to restrict customer flows, Soeder said.
Parts of Bavaria with incidence rates above 1,000 - eight districts on Friday - will face even stricter curbs with only daycare facilities, schools and shops allowed to continue operations until at least mid-December.
In Saxony, such hotspots will see a curfew for the unvaccinated from 10:00pm, the state's health minister Petra Koepping said.
Chancellor Angela Merkel and the leaders of Germany's 16 states agreed Thursday to shut the unvaccinated out of restaurants, sporting events and cultural shows nationwide after new cases soared to an all-time daily high of more than 65,000.
However the director of the Robert Koch Institute, Lothar Wieler, told reporters Friday that with the exponential rise in infection levels, the curbs would be insufficient to contain the latest surge//CNA
November
European Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders expressed concern about the inderpendence of the judiciary (Photo: AFP/Wojtek RADWANSKI)
The European Commission wrote to Poland and Hungary on Friday (Nov 19) to launch a process that could lead to them being deprived of funds over threats to the EU legal order.
The move came as the European justice commissioner visited Warsaw, expressing concern about the independence of the judiciary and urging the government to respect EU court rulings.
"The Commission services sent administrative letters to Hungary and Poland," a Commission spokesperson said, adding that they "have now two months to send the requested information".
A European source told AFP that Brussels demanded Warsaw explain measures it has taken to limit the independence of its judiciary and to challengee the supremacy of EU law.
In Hungary's case, the commission will raise concerns over public contracts, conflicts of interest and corruption in the spending of EU funds, the source said.
Poland and Hungary are the first states to be targeted under the EU's new "conditionality mechanism".
The new process entered into force in January and is separate from the bloc's infringement procedures for members deemed in breach of EU rules.
Under it, national governments can eventually find themselves cut off from EU funding if they fail to bring their practics in line with EU law.
Both Warsaw and Budapest have contested the legality of the mechanism and appealed to the European Court of Justice, which could rule within months.
The European Commission, which oversees the use of the mechanism, has said it will not take formal action until the court has ruled whether it is in bounds.
But officials have begun assembling the evidence necessary to proceed -- hence Friday's requests for information.
"We don't start concretely the formal procedure today," Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders said in Warsaw, calling the letters "a mechanism of clarification".
Reynders urged Poland to abolish a "disciplinary chamber" for judges - a central part of judicial reforms pushed through by the populist Law and Justice (PiS) party despite EU objections.
Reynders said Poland must also reform the disciplinary system for judges and re-install judges removed by the reforms, which the government says are needed to root out corruption.
"The main concern that we have in Poland is about the independence of the judiciary," Reynders told reporters.
Poland has ignored an EU court order to scrap the disciplinary chamber and its Constitutional Court last month issued a ruling challenging the primacy of EU law.
Reynders also commented on two photographs of the devastation in Warsaw after World War II given to him by Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro during their meeting.
Ziobro had tweeted that the photos showed "the destruction that the Germans made, implementing the ideology of the segregation of nations".
"They show that Poles are and will be sensitive to the principle of equal treatment of countries, also in the EU," Ziobro said.
The current Polish government complains that it is being unfairly treated in the EU.
Asked about the photos, Reynders commented that "after the Second World War, it was possible to build the European Community and then the European Union... to have a real peaceful continent in Europe"//CNA
November
Colombian president declares 'end' of Gulf Clan cartel
Written by nuke
Gulf Clan leader Dairo Antonio Usuga was captured by Colombian authorities on October 23 (Photo: Colombian army/AFP/Handout)
Colombia's President Ivan Duque on Friday (Nov 19) declared the "end" of the Gulf Clan drug cartel, formerly the country's largest, after the capture of its leader and dozens of other members.
Dairo Antonio Usuga, also known as Otoniel, was arrested on Oct 23 in a raid involving 500 police and military personnel.
The 50-year-old is waiting to be extradited on drug trafficking charges to the United States, which had offered a $5-million reward for his capture.
In recent days, authorities arrested another 90 suspected members of Colombia's largest cocaine cartel, which operates in concert with Mexican drug gangs in almost 30 countries.
"The Gulf Clan as a monolithic structure has reached its end," Duque told Colmundo Radio.
"The chain of command was completely broken and it was highly concentrated in the person of 'Otoniel,'" he said.
The president also warned remaining members of the Clan to "surrender, or we will hit them hard."
Otoniel, the subject of 26 Colombian arrest warrants for murder, terrorism, child recruitment and kidnapping, among other crimes, was arrested in the country's northwestern forests, where he also fought with far-right paramilitary forces.
Four soldiers have been killed in what authorities said was retaliation for the crackdown on the Gulf Clan.
Police say the group was responsible for a third of all cocaine exports from Colombia -- the world's biggest producer of the drug.
The United States is the main destination.
The Indepaz research institute estimates that the Clan has a force of some 1,600 men, while authorities say it has about 3,800 fighters and members.
Colombia is officially at peace after signing a pact with the FARC guerilla group in 2016 to end more than half-a-century of armed conflict.
But it has seen a flareup of violence in recent months due to fighting over territory and resources by dissident guerillas, the ELN rebel group, paramilitary forces and drug cartels//CNA
November
Malaysia says Singapore has returned $16.3 million in 1MDB funds
Written by Nur Yasmin
Singapore has recently returned to Malaysia about $16.3 million linked to a multibillion-dollar scandal at state fund 1MDB, Malaysia's anti-graft agency said on Friday.
U.S. authorities say about $4.5 billion was siphoned from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) between 2009 and 2014, in a globe-spanning theft that has implicated high-ranking officials and financial institutions in multiple countries.
Malaysia has said billions more remain unaccounted for.
Malaysia has recovered about 20.5 billion ringgit ($4.90 billion) in 1MDB assets so far, the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission said in a statement.
Efforts to recover more are ongoing, in countries including Switzerland, Kuwait, Mauritius, Cyprus, and Hong Kong, it added.(Reuters)
November
Ex-Japan PM Abe calls for Tokyo's cooperation with AUKUS in AI, cyber
Written by Nur Yasmin
Former Japanese premier Shinzo Abe, who remains influential in the ruling party, said on Friday Japan should cooperate with the AUKUS security partners the United States, Britain and Australia on artificial intelligence and cyber capabilities.
The AUKUS pact, which was agreed in September and will see Australia acquiring technology to deploy nuclear-powered submarines, is widely seen as a response to Chinese militarisation in the region, particularly in the strategically important South China Sea.
Japan aims to strengthen ties with ally the United States and other friendly nations while bolstering its own defence posture, as it faces Chinese military expansion.
"A key to realising a free and open Indo-Pacific is ensuring like-minded countries' mid- to long-term engagement with the Indo-Pacific region. From this standpoint, I welcome the formation of AUKUS," Abe said in a speech at an online forum.
"It is extremely important to carry out multi-layered efforts to promote the peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific region. I believe Japan should engage in AUKUS cooperation in such areas as cyber capabilities, artificial intelligence and quantum technologies."
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said although AUKUS partnership will begin with nuclear-powered submarines, alliance members expect to accelerate the development of other advanced defence systems including in cyber, AI and quantum computing.
Japan forms the Quad grouping with India and two of the AUKUS members - Australia and the United States. Quad leaders in September held their first in-person summit, which presented a united front amid shared concerns about China.
On Japan's ties with Australia, Abe said the two countries need to deepen further their special strategic partnership.
"Given the regional security environment which has become increasingly severe, there is a need to elevate Japan-Australia bilateral security and defence cooperation to a new level."
Abe, Japan's longest-serving prime minister, stepped down last year due to ill health, but stayed on as a lawmaker and this month took over as the head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's largest faction.(Reuters)
November
Australia calls for global action to fight online misinformation
Written by Nur Yasmin
Australia on Friday called for governments around the world to agree on "rules of the road" to fight the spread of misinformation and state-backed disinformation online.
Foreign Minister Marise Payne said blocs like the Quad group - the United States, India, Japan and Australia - and global bodies like the United Nations were already working to strike a balance between harmful content and free expression online.
But time was running out to agree on rules of what was permissable.
"We should be starting yesterday," Payne told a panel at the Sydney Dialogue virtual event alongside Facebook Inc's (FB.O) global affairs boss.
"We do have to be very clear that the rule of law that applies offline has to apply online. Rules of the road are what enable road users to stay safe, same with users online. Being able to identify the difference between free speech and malicious disinformation ... is important," she added.
Misinformation and government-sponsored attempts to stoke social disharmony online have become a hot political issue with critics accusing platforms like Facebook of failing to stop democracy being skewed by the content they host.
A former Facebook employee went public last month as having leaked documents which she said showed the company put profit over public safety, despite public pronouncements to the contrary, and enbled the Jan. 6 Capitol riot in the United States by turning off safety systems.
Facebook head of global affairs Nick Clegg told the panel it was up to governments to set misinformation rules.
"It is clearly not right that people like me, or sometimes (Facebook founder) Mark Zuckerberg or others, are having to make decisions about what sort of content can stay up or be taken down," said Clegg, a former British deputy prime minister.
"Not all regulation is good, but of course regulation needs to be introduced."(Reuters)
November
Philippines' Duterte says cocaine user among presidential election candidates
Written by Nur Yasmin
Duterte, who waged a war on drugs that killed thousands of users and peddlers, did not name the candidate, nor provide evidence to support his allegation, but said he was "a very weak leader".
Dozens of people have registered to run for president in next year's polls. Duterte, 76, is not eligible for re-election due to the constitution's one-term limit.
"We have a candidate using cocaine," Duterte said in a speech in the province of Oriental Mindoro.
"That is why I am wondering, 'What has this person done? What contribution has he made for the Philippines?"
"Why are the Filipinos crazy supporting ... I am just asking," said Duterte, who will run for a seat in the senate next year.
Reuters asked Duterte's acting spokesperson, Karlo Nograles, who the president was referring to and for more details, but received no immediate response.
"He is a very weak leader," the outspoken Duterte said of the unnamed candidate. "He might win hands down. If that is what the Filipino wants, go ahead," he said in the speech, confirmed by a transcript provided by his office.
"I am not making intrigues. It is up to you. Find out who."
In the same speech he praised his chosen successor and longtime aide, Christopher "Bong" Go, a senator who is seeking the presidency.
Other prominent presidential candidates include senator and retired boxing icon Manny Pacquiao, Vice President Leni Robredo, Manila mayor Francisco Domagoso, senator and former police chief Panfilio Lacson, and Ferdinand Marcos Jr, son and namesake of the late Philippines dictator, whose running mate is Duterte's daughter, Sara Duterte-Carpio.(Reuters)
November
Japan plans record extra defence spending as China threat eyed
Written by Nur Yasmin
Japan plans record defence spending in an extra budget expected to be announced along with an economic stimulus package on Friday as former prime minister Shinzo Abe called for a "new level" of defence cooperation with ally Australia.
The developments come as Japan and Western allies including the United States, Britain and Australia respond to increased Chinese militarisation in Asia-Pacific.
Japan plans to allocate more than 700 billion yen ($6.12 billion) for defence in a supplementary budget that will form a part of the economic stimulus package to be announced on Friday by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government, according to two government and ruling coalition sources who declined to be identified because the plan is not public.
That amount is up about 50% from the previous high, logged in fiscal 2018, in terms of annual defence spending allocated in extra budgets, the Nikkei business daily said.
Part of the defence spending in the extra budget will be earmarked for patrol planes, transport aircraft and mines, the sources said.
The supplementary allocation is likely to take the total defence budget for the fiscal year to March 2022 to more than 6 trillion yen, as the initial defence budget was 5.34 trillion yen.
Japan has long committed to keeping its military budgets within 1% of gross domestic product (GDP), a number that has eased concern at home and abroad about any revival of the militarism that led it into World War Two.
But with concern growing about China's military in the disputed East China Sea, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) included a goal of spending 2% of GDP or more on the military in its policy platform ahead of an election held on Oct 31.
Japan's defence ministry wants money for an indigenous stealth fighter and missiles that can travel more than 1,000 km(621 miles), among others, while the country is also building up cyber, space and electromagnetic warfare capabilities.
Japan is also aiming to strengthen ties with allies and friendly nations such as Australia, a point that Abe - who resigned last year but remains influential in the LDP - made on Friday while taking part in an online seminar organised by an Australian think tank.
"Given the regional security environment which has become increasingly severe, there is a need to elevate Japan-Australia bilateral security and defence cooperation to a new level," he said in a speech for the event, also addressed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Abe said Japan should cooperate with the AUKUS security partners - the United States, Britain and Australia - on artificial intelligence, cyber capabilities and quantum technologies. The AUKUS pact is widely seen as a response to Chinese militarisation in the region.(Reuters)