UAE rejects ‘racist’ remarks by EU foreign policy chief, summons diplomat

UAE rejects ‘racist’ remarks by EU foreign policy chief, summons diplomat
EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell called Europe a “garden”, while describing the rest of the world as “a jungle.” (File/AFP)
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Updated 18 October 2022

UAE rejects ‘racist’ remarks by EU foreign policy chief, summons diplomat

UAE rejects ‘racist’ remarks by EU foreign policy chief, summons diplomat
  • The UAE foreign ministry summoned Emil Paulsen over the remarks
  • Borrell’s office was also asked to provide a written explanation of the comments

DUBAI: The UAE has rejected “racist” statements made by European Union Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell at the inauguration of the new European Diplomatic Academy in Belgium.

Borrell has lately come under fire for describing Europe as a “garden”, while the rest of the world is “a jungle [that] could invade the garden.”

In a statement on the Emirates News Agency (WAM), the UAE called Borrell’s remarks “discriminatory and inappropriate” and said they “contribute to a worsening climate of intolerance and discrimination worldwide.”

“Borrell’s remarks are a disappointing development that comes at a time when all parties are aware of the importance of respect for other religions, cultures, and ethnic groups, as well as values such as pluralism, coexistence, and tolerance,” read the WAM statement.

The foreign ministry summoned Emil Paulsen, acting head of mission at the EU delegation to the UAE, on Monday over the remarks, said WAM.

Borrell’s office was also asked to provide a written explanation of the comments.


540,000 children in Yemen ‘starving’: UNICEF

540,000 children in Yemen ‘starving’: UNICEF
Updated 18 sec ago

540,000 children in Yemen ‘starving’: UNICEF

540,000 children in Yemen ‘starving’: UNICEF
  • The agency pleads for more aid as a child dies every 10 minutes

JEDDAH: More than 540,000 children under the age of 5 in Yemen are suffering life-threatening severe acute malnutrition and a child dies every 10 minutes from preventable causes, the UN said on Friday.

The UN children’s agency UNICEF warned that it could be forced to slash support for children in Yemen without a funding boost.

A total of 11 million children are in need of humanitarian assistance, UNICEF says.
It said it required $484 million to continue assistance this year, but the UN raised only $1.2 billion for all its agencies in Yemen at a pledging conference in Switzerland last month, well short of the $4.3 billion target.
“The funding gap UNICEF continued to face through 2022 and since the beginning of 2023 is putting the required humanitarian response for children in Yemen at risk,” the organization said said.
“If funding is not received, UNICEF might be forced to scale down its vital assistance for vulnerable children.”

The conflict in Yemen began in 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia seized the capital, Sanaa, in a coup. An Arab coalition intervened the following year to support the legitimate government, and launched their first assaults against Houthi positions on March 26, 2015.
A truce expired last year, but fighting has remained largely on hold.
More than 11,000 children are known to have been killed or maimed since the conflict escalated in 2015.
Fighting in Yemen has triggered what the UN describes as one of the world's worst humanitarian tragedies. Itsays more than 21.7 million people, two-thirds of Yemen's population, will need humanitarian assistance this year.
 


Rare anti-Houthi protests in Yemen after activist’s death

Hundreds of angry demonstrators are seen carrying the body of Hamdi Abdul Razaq through the streets of Ibb province on March 23
Hundreds of angry demonstrators are seen carrying the body of Hamdi Abdul Razaq through the streets of Ibb province on March 23
Updated 51 min 3 sec ago

Rare anti-Houthi protests in Yemen after activist’s death

Hundreds of angry demonstrators are seen carrying the body of Hamdi Abdul Razaq through the streets of Ibb province on March 23

SANAA: Rare protests have erupted against Yemen’s Houthi rebels following the funeral of a popular critic found dead after he was detained by the group.
Videos posted on social media showed hundreds of angry demonstrators carrying the body of Hamdi Abdul Razaq through the streets of Ibb province on Thursday.
Eyewitnesses, who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of reprisal, said the Thursday protests spanned several neighborhoods and protesters were heard chanting “No Houthis after today.”
Activists have accused the rebel authorities of abducting, torturing and killing Hamdi Abdul Razaq, who spoke out against the Houthi authorities in videos posted on Youtube. Followers knew him by his profile name, “Al-Mukohl.” He was reported dead by authorities late last week. His family have not commented on the incident.
In a series of videos, Abdul Razaq openly criticized Houthi rule, branding its administration as corrupt and repressive.
Houthi forces, who control Sanaa and most of northern Yemen, have cracked down on dissent in their territories. Some who oppose them have been charged for working with Saudi Arabia, which is part of the coalition battling the Houthis.
Yemen’s devastating conflict began in 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital of Sanaa and much of northern Yemen and forced the government into exile. The coalition intervened in 2015 to try to restore the internationally recognized government to power.
In a statement following Thursday’s protest, the Houthi authorities claimed Abdul Razaq had been detained for insulting another influential family in the area. On Sunday, he escaped through a bathroom window of the police station and was found in a half-constructed building later that day, it said.
In a statement Thursday, the head of Yemen’s internationally recognized government, Rashed Al-Alimi, offered his support to the protesters and said a monthly stipend would be given to Abdul Razaq’s family.
Mohammed Ali, a high-ranking Houthi official, later said on Twitter that a committee had been set up to further investigate the incident.
His death comes amid a string of similar reported incidents. Earlier this year, a fruit and vegetable vendor from northern Houthi-held territories was abducted and killed, whipping up widespread anger across the divided country.
On Tuesday four activists were handed prison terms, ranging from six months to three years, by a Houthi court for their criticism of the Iran-backed rebels on social media, a lawyer said.


Charity opens village in for Syrians displaced by earthquake and conflict, named after child killed in quake

Charity opens village in for Syrians displaced by earthquake and conflict, named after child killed in quake
Updated 24 March 2023

Charity opens village in for Syrians displaced by earthquake and conflict, named after child killed in quake

Charity opens village in for Syrians displaced by earthquake and conflict, named after child killed in quake
  • The village is named after 10-year-old Massa Al-Najjar, a Syrian girl who was killed in last month’s earthquake

LONDON: A new village housing 500 Syrian families, who have been forced to live in tents and other informal accommodation due to last month’s devastating earthquake and the 12 years of conflict, was opened on Friday.

The town was opened by Action For Humanity, the parent charity of Syria Relief.

The Massa Village, in Al-Baab district of Northwest Syria, has already welcomed hundreds of people who due to move into their new homes.

The village is named after 10-year-old Massa Al-Najjar, a Syrian girl who was killed in last month’s earthquake and was the niece of Yarub Al-Asfari, AFH’s deputy country director for Syria.

The UK-based charity had already built 500 homes prior to this in the development and aims to build a further 1,000, for another 6,000 people, once it has secured funding from the public.

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck parts of Turkiye and Syria on Feb. 6, killing more than 52,000 people — the vast majority in Turkiye — with 7,200 deaths recorded in Syria.

The quake and resulting aftershocks caused about $5.1 billion in direct physical damage in Syria, the World Bank estimated earlier this month, some 10 percent of Syria’s GDP.

“The past 12 years have been heartbreaking for the people of Syria, so many people have been killed and injured and lost their homes, and sadly, so many people lost their home multiple times,” Othman Moqbel, AFH’s chief executive, said.

“In addition to this, virtually all of the internally displaced persons in northwest Syria — 98 percent — were displaced by the devastating earthquakes on Feb. 6, and, sadly, 89 percent of these families had already been displaced at least once prior to this by the 12 years of conflict.

“So many people have to call a tent home, (so) we have built them proper homes, 50 square meters in size, each featuring a kitchen, a bathroom, bedrooms and living rooms.

“Adequate shelter is a basic human right, we hope this village will give hope to the affected Syrian population, where now more than 1.5 million people are residing in temporary shelters following February’s earthquakes.”


UN sees growing Islamic donations for refugee aid

UN sees growing Islamic donations for refugee aid
Updated 24 March 2023

UN sees growing Islamic donations for refugee aid

UN sees growing Islamic donations for refugee aid
  • A day after the start of Ramadan, the UN’s refugee agency said it was increasingly able to channel obligatory donations under Islam to help fund its activities
  • The main recipient operations have been for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, internally displaced people in Yemen, and Syrian refugees in Lebanon

GENEVA: The UN said Friday that its refugee operations were seeing swelling funding through a dedicated Islamic philanthropy platform aimed at collecting the charity payments required of Muslims under the religion.
A day after the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the United Nations’ refugee agency said it was increasingly able to channel obligatory donations under Islam to help fund its activities.
Since it was first piloted in 2017, the UNHCR’s Refugee Zakat Fund has raised nearly $200 million from Zakat — one of the five pillars of Islam, which requires Muslims to give around 2.5 percent of their savings and wealth each year as obligatory almsgiving — and from voluntary charity funds known as Sadaqah.
“During the last five years, we managed to assist six million people, mainly in Muslim countries, with the Zakat and the Sadaqah,” Khaled Khalifa, UNHCR’s representative to the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, told reporters in Geneva.
The main recipient operations have been for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, internally displaced people in Yemen, and Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
Overall, cash assistance and other aid has been handed out across 26 countries.
Last year, the fund received $21.3 million in Zakat contributions and $16.7 million in Sadaqah donations, the UNHCR said.
Khalifa said the UNHCR platform had allowed it to become the main beneficiary of such funds within the UN system and perhaps in the global humanitarian sector.
While the aid went mainly to Muslim-majority countries, Khalifa said that “we do not help Muslims alone, and we do not divide the beneficiaries by religion.”
He acknowledged that compared to the UN refugee agency’s overall multibillion-dollar budget, Islamic philanthropy represented “only a drop in the ocean.”
“I hope it will be much bigger in the future,” he said.
So far, Sheikh Thani Bin Abdullah Bin Thani Al-Thani of Qatar, who serves as a UNHCR advocate, has been the biggest contributor to the fund, providing more than $110 million to date, or more than half of total contributions.
“I think this demonstrates how powerful this tool could be if we provide a platform for individual donors who can contribute to refugee issues worldwide,” Khalifa said.
He added though that the fund is trying to “reduce our dependence on large donors... and to rely more on small, individual donors who can contribute small amounts but in an economy-of-scale perspective.”
The agency is hoping to see more funds coming in during Ramadan.
“Last year, we raised more than $20 million in Ramadan alone,” Khalifa said. “We are hoping to exceed that this year.”


US official meets Lebanon’s leaders as violent protests rage outside banks

US official meets Lebanon’s leaders as violent protests rage outside banks
Updated 24 March 2023

US official meets Lebanon’s leaders as violent protests rage outside banks

US official meets Lebanon’s leaders as violent protests rage outside banks
  • Barbara Leaf urges country to reach deal with IMF to prevent economic crisis worsening
  • Lebanon still without president as political opponents continue to wrangle

BEIRUT: The US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf met several Lebanese officials on Friday, following depositors’ protests against Lebanon’s central bank and other lenders in Beirut.
Accompanied by Dorothy Shea, US ambassador to Lebanon, Leaf met parliament speaker Nabih Berri, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, caretaker Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib and Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt.
Leaf is reported to have told the officials that the US was pleased with the recent Saudi-Iranian rapprochement and that it encouraged Saudi Arabia to move forward in this regard but the Kingdom had yet to express its intention to restore consular work in Syria.
The diplomat said she did not want to give her opinion on who should be the next Lebanese president as that was responsibility of the country’s lawmakers, but the US welcomed any elected leader.
Leaf told Berri that the situation in Lebanon could not continue as the economic situation was deteriorating and that the country needed to reach an agreement with the International Monetary Fund as soon as possible.
Ahead of Leaf’s visit to Beirut as part of a Middle Eastern tour, the US State Department urged Lebanese officials to elect a president, form a government and implement decisive economic reforms as soon as possible in order to put the country on the path to stability and prosperity.
Her arrival was preceded by three days of talks in Beirut between the head of the Strategic Council for Iranian Foreign Relations Kamal Kharrazi, Berri, Mikati and Hezbollah. Kharrazi said a new Lebanese president should be elected without outside interference and that the matter was “up to Hezbollah.”
Hezbollah and its allies have named Suleiman Franjieh, head of the Marada Movement, as their candidate, but the sovereign and reformist team has rejected him because of his closeness to the Syrian regime.
Franjieh failed to secure a majority of 65 votes in the first round of voting, and also missed the quorum of two-thirds of members of parliament, 86 out of 128, for the polling session in the second round.
During the talks, Leaf criticized a group of reformist MPs who recently visited the US rather than remaining in Beirut to elect a president. One lawmaker said she told them that although Washington would help to prevent Lebanon’s collapse it “cannot elect a president in their stead.”
Leaf’s visit comes against the backdrop of more economic and monetary deterioration in Lebanon. The IMF warned at the end of its meetings in Beirut that the country “is in a very dangerous situation one year after it committed to reforms it has failed to implement.”
Meanwhile, security forces strengthened their presence in the vicinity of the central bank in Hamra on Friday, after a sit-in by members of the Depositors’ Cry group turned into a riot. Some protesters launched firecrackers at the building, while others tried to storm the Societe General bank, and still more attacked the frontages of the BBAC and Mawarid banks in Hamra Street.
A group of depositors from the United for Lebanon alliance said they tried to enter the building in which Nadim Kassar, general manager of Fransabank, lives in the Jnah area of Beirut.
“Our protests have nothing to do with what the IMF mission had to say,” Alaa Khorshid, head of Depositors’ Cry, said.
“We had already planned to take action and we will continue to do so until we recover our deposits that have been withheld in banks since 2019.”
Joanna Wronecka, UN special coordinator for Lebanon, said on Friday: “Three years after Lebanon announced the suspension of the payment of its sovereign debts, the Lebanese are still waiting for their leaders to take action and save the country.
“People are angry to see their salaries lose value due to inflation and the depreciation of the national currency. The reforms agreed upon with the IMF have become vital and inevitable.”
The final report of the IMF mission, headed by Ernesto Rigo, said that Lebanon was “at a dangerous crossroads.”
“Without rapid reforms, the country will plunge into a crisis that will never end.”