UK govt welcomes ‘de-escalation’ of riots, remains on ‘high alert’

Police forces with riot gear prepare for a far-right anti-immigration protest in Newcastle, England, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024.(AP)
Police forces with riot gear prepare for a far-right anti-immigration protest in Newcastle, England, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024.(AP)
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Updated 12 August 2024
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UK govt welcomes ‘de-escalation’ of riots, remains on ‘high alert’

Police forces with riot gear prepare for a far-right anti-immigration protest in Newcastle, England, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024.(AP
  • Starmer’s spokeswoman said authorities had acted decisively to quell the unrest but that there was no room for complacency
  • Officials blamed the violence on far-right agitators and opportunist “thugs” accused of using the tragedy to further their anti-immigration, anti-Muslim agenda

LONDON: The UK government welcomed Monday the “de-escalation” of disorder and rioting in English towns and cities following a knife attack that killed three children, but insisted officials remain on “high alert.”
“We welcome that there has been a de-escalation this weekend. But we’re certainly not complacent and remain on high alert,” a spokeswoman for Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office said.
The violence, blamed on the far right, came after misinformation spread about the alleged perpetrator of a mass stabbing on July 29 at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, northwestern England.
Three girls — Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven — died in the attack. Ten others were injured including eight children.
The stabbings sparked a riot in Southport the following evening, on July 30, and violence in more than a dozen English towns and cities as well as in Northern Ireland over the ensuing week.
Starmer’s spokeswoman said authorities had acted decisively to quell the unrest but that there was no room for complacency.
“We also recognize that the job is not done until people feel safe in their communities, but thanks to the work of our police officers, prosecutor and judiciary, we have seen a swift response from the justice system,” she said.
“Within a matter of days, we’ve seen criminals involved arrested, charged, sentenced and behind bars,” she added.
Officials blamed the violence on far-right agitators and opportunist “thugs” accused of using the tragedy to further their anti-immigration, anti-Muslim agenda.
Misinformation spread online in the immediate aftermath of the stabbing spree, claiming that the perpetrator was a Muslim immigrant.
British-born Axel Rudakubana has been charged with murder and attempted murder over the attack. His parents hail from Rwanda, which is overwhelmingly Christian.
A motive for the attack has not been disclosed, but police have said it is not being treated as terrorism-related.


Ukraine urges world leaders not to seek ‘an out’ from Russia’s war instead of true peace

Ukraine urges world leaders not to seek ‘an out’ from Russia’s war instead of true peace
Updated 25 September 2024
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Ukraine urges world leaders not to seek ‘an out’ from Russia’s war instead of true peace

Ukraine urges world leaders not to seek ‘an out’ from Russia’s war instead of true peace
  • “Any parallel or alternative attempts to seek peace are, in fact, efforts to achieve an out instead of an end to the war,” Zelensky said
  • “Do not divide the world. Be united nations,” he implored

UNITED NATIONS: Ukraine’s president urged global leaders Wednesday to stand with his country and not seek “an out” instead of a “real, just peace” more than two years into Russia’s war.
At a time when he faces growing pressure from Western allies and some of his fellow Ukrainians to negotiate a ceasefire, President Volodymyr Zelensky told the UN General Assembly there’s no alternative to the “peace formula” he presented two years ago. Among other things, it seeks the expulsion of all Russian forces from Ukraine and accountability for war crimes.
“Any parallel or alternative attempts to seek peace are, in fact, efforts to achieve an out instead of an end to the war,” he said.
“Do not divide the world. Be united nations,” he implored. “And that will bring us peace.”
Russia hasn’t yet had its turn to speak at the assembly’s annual gathering of presidents, prime ministers, monarchs and other high officials. Low-level Russian diplomats occupied the country’s seats in the huge assembly hall during Zelensky’s speech. Russian President Vladimir Putin is not attending this year’s high-level meetings at the General Assembly.
The war in Ukraine was center stage the last two times that world leaders convened for the UN’s signature annual meeting. But this year, the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and the escalating developments along the Israeli-Lebanese border have gotten much of the spotlight.
Ukraine and Russia, with one of the world’s most potent armies, are locked in a grinding fight along a 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line.
The war began when Russia invaded in February 2022 and has killed tens of thousands of people. Russia has gained momentum in Ukraine’s east; Ukraine, meanwhile, startled Russia by sending troops across the border in a daring incursion last month.
Zelensky argued Tuesday at the UN Security Council that Russia needs to ” be forced into peace,” saying there’s no point in pursuing peace talks with Putin.
In Moscow, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov responded Wednesday that the Ukrainian president’s call for compulsion was “a fatal mistake” and “a profound misconception, which, of course, will inevitably have consequences for the Kyiv regime.”
Zelensky is expected to present a victory plan this week to US President Joe Biden.


Afghanistan wants to join BRICS, says Taliban govt

Afghanistan wants to join BRICS, says Taliban govt
Updated 25 September 2024
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Afghanistan wants to join BRICS, says Taliban govt

Afghanistan wants to join BRICS, says Taliban govt
  • The Taliban authorities have not been officially recognized by any country
  • The group has not publicly reacted to the Taliban government’s comments

KABUL: Afghanistan’s Taliban government is keen to join the BRICS economic forum, a spokesman said on Tuesday ahead of the group’s summit in Russia.
The summit of emerging economies that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa will meet on October 22-24 in the southwestern Russian city of Kazan.
“Countries with major resources and the world’s biggest economies are associated with the BRICS forum, especially Russia, India, and China,” said Hamdullah Fitrat, a government deputy spokesman.
“Currently, we have good economic ties and commercial exchanges with them. We are keen to expand our relations and participate in the economic forums of the BRICS,” he said.
The Taliban authorities have not been officially recognized by any country but have growing relations with founding BRICS nations including China and Russia.
The group, which has recently expanded by including Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Ethiopia, has not publicly reacted to the Taliban government’s comments.
A spokesman for the Afghanistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs told AFP on Wednesday that they have “no information so far” about an invitation to the event.
Both Moscow and Beijing have expressed their readiness to invest in commercial projects in Afghanistan and to cooperate with Taliban authorities in its fight against Daesh Khorasan, the Daesh group’s Afghanistan branch.


Indonesia breaks ground for first foreign investment projects in new capital

Indonesia breaks ground for first foreign investment projects in new capital
Updated 25 September 2024
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Indonesia breaks ground for first foreign investment projects in new capital

Indonesia breaks ground for first foreign investment projects in new capital
  • The three foreign investment projects in Nusantara were worth about $63 million
  • Indonesian government planned 80 percent of the $32-billion project to be funded by private sector

JAKARTA: Indonesia’s outgoing President Joko Widodo broke ground on Wednesday for Australian, Russian and Chinese projects in the country’s future capital Nusantara, marking the first foreign investment in his administration’s flagship $32-billion initiative.

Southeast Asia’s largest economy is relocating its capital to East Kalimantan on Borneo island to replace the overcrowded and sinking Jakarta on Java island, with the megaproject scheduled for completion in 2045.

“This morning, we broke ground for education investment from Australia. Then we also broke ground for property development by Russian investors. And … we are about to do another groundbreaking (project) for a mixed-use property development from Delonix Nusantara, from Chinese investors,” Widodo said during a livestreamed ceremony in Nusantara.

“The foreign investments that are coming in are giving us the belief and confidence that Nusantara is an extremely attractive location for investments.”

Chinese property firm Delonix Group is investing $33 million in the complex of hotels, office and community retail spaces in Nusantara.

The Australian Independent School and Russia’s property developer Magnum Estate are two other investors working with local partners and investing around $9.9 million and $19.8 million in Nusantara, respectively.

Since Widodo unveiled his plan in 2019, the new capital project has faced construction delays and struggled to attract the hoped-for foreign assignment. The mammoth undertaking is expected to mostly rely on private investors, with government funding planned to cover 20 percent of the total expenditure.

The government has so far signed many letters of intent, Widodo said, but officials are carefully choosing projects to “adjust them to the needs of Nusantara.”

The new capital that has been widely seen as the president’s attempt to seal his legacy previously received a $1.3 billion investment from a consortium of Indonesian companies.

Widodo has said he is planning to spend the last weeks of his second and final term in office there. His successor, President-Elect Prabowo Subianto, will take office on Oct. 20.


What to expect from Sri Lanka’s new 3-member cabinet

What to expect from Sri Lanka’s new 3-member cabinet
Updated 25 September 2024
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What to expect from Sri Lanka’s new 3-member cabinet

What to expect from Sri Lanka’s new 3-member cabinet
  • Cabinet consists of president and 2 MPs from his party
  • Interim setup until new parliamentary poll on Nov. 14

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s new President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has appointed the world’s smallest cabinet, with three people in charge of all ministerial portfolios — a move that experts say fulfills his key campaign promise.

The leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (People’s Liberation Front) and the socialist National People’s Power alliance, Dissanayake was sworn in on Monday, shortly after being announced the winner of Saturday’s vote.

On Tuesday, he appointed his government and dissolved the parliament, clearing the way for new parliamentary elections scheduled for Nov. 14.

The three-member cabinet has Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, lawmaker Vijitha Herath, and Dissanayake taking on ministerial portfolios.

“This development is due to politico-legal compulsions. It’s a political compulsion because the NPP whose candidate AKD has won the presidency received the mandate of the people at the just-held presidential election,” A.L.A. Azeez, foreign affairs commentator and former diplomat, told Arab News.

The legal compulsion stems from the fact that Sri Lankan government ministers are appointed from among members of parliament, and once the legislative body is dissolved, the cabinet of ministers existing prior to the dissolution continues in the interim until the parliamentary elections.

“But such an interim cabinet would have ministers who pursued policies and measures — otherwise, governed the country — which the people through the presidential election have disapproved,” Azeez said, adding that Dissanayake did not have much choice as his party had only three MPs.

“It would only be unthinkable for him to get members of parliament from other parties to constitute the interim cabinet. So, he has sought to demonstrate through this compelling development, that he has respected the will of the people, as manifested in the presidential election, and that his cabinet is purpose-driven.”

Dissanayake took over the top job in a nation reeling from the 2022 economic crisis and austerity measures imposed as a part of a bailout deal with the International Monetary Fund.

The new president will oversee defense, finance, economic development, policy formulation, planning, tourism, energy, agriculture, lands, livestock, irrigation, fisheries and aquatic resources.

The new prime minister Amarasuriya, a university lecturer and activist, will oversee justice, health, public administration, provincial councils, local government, education, science and technology, labor, women, child and youth affairs, sports, trade, commerce, food security, co-operative development, industries and entrepreneur development.

Lawmaker Herath, who had previously served as minister of cultural affairs, was assigned foreign affairs, Buddhist affairs, religious and cultural affairs, national integration, social security, mass media, transport, highways, ports and civil aviation, public security, environment, wildlife, forest resources, water supply, plantation and community, infrastructure, rural and urban development, housing and construction.

Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka, political analyst and Sri Lanka’s former envoy to the UN, said the formation of Dissanayake’s mini-cabinet was “inevitable” as he had promised a new style of governance.

“Only he would have done this. Any conventional party would have had 20 cabinet ministers but AKD, the new president of the left-wing NPP, had promised to shrink the overly swollen political structure of government,” he told Arab News.

After the Nov. 14 parliamentary vote, a proper cabinet will be appointed with the composition depending on the results of the election.

The mini-cabinet will be in charge until then, supported by civil servants.

“I think the new president is relying heavily on officials. He has retained some of the key officials. He has also promoted and brought in others with solid administrative credentials,” Jayatilleka said, adding that the president’s choice of his prime minister would also appeal to the public.

“There’s an excellent choice of prime minister. Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, a woman academic ... and then there’s Vijitha Herath, a popular JVP-NPP politician who has been the shadow foreign minister for many years,” he said.

“I don’t think anybody would criticize him. They would welcome the formation of a compact cabinet which is quite unlike what the conventional political parties have done and would have done so.”


Labour Party members deal a blow to Starmer a day after his appeal for unity

Labour Party members deal a blow to Starmer a day after his appeal for unity
Updated 25 September 2024
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Labour Party members deal a blow to Starmer a day after his appeal for unity

Labour Party members deal a blow to Starmer a day after his appeal for unity
  • One is ending the winter fuel allowance, worth between 200 and 300 pounds, for all but the poorest pensioners
  • Since winning office in July, Starmer has cautioned that the dire state of the public finances inherited from the last Conservative government means he must make hard choices

LIVERPOOL: Members of Britain’s governing Labour Party dealt Prime Minister Keir Starmer a blow on Wednesday, rejecting his decision to cut payments that offset winter heating costs for millions of retirees.
The vote on the final day of Labour’s annual conference is not binding, but it’s a setback to Starmer’s efforts to unite his center-left party around the contentious measure.
Since winning office in July, Starmer has cautioned that the dire state of the public finances inherited from the last Conservative government means he must make hard choices such as ending the winter fuel allowance, worth between 200 and 300 pounds ($262 and $393), for all but the poorest pensioners.
Trade unions that are among Labour’s funders and allies organized resistance to the cut at the conference in Liverpool, northwest England. They forced a vote on a demand for the decision to be reversed. It was narrowly passed in a show-of-hands vote amid cheers and jeers in the conference hall.
“I do not understand how our new Labour government can cut the winter fuel payment for pensioners and leave the super-rich untouched,” said Sharon Graham, general secretary of the Unite union, to applause from delegates. “This is not what people voted for. It is the wrong decision and it needs to be reversed.”
The government has promised the withdrawal of the heating allowance will be offset by an above-inflation increase in the state pension and other measures to reduce poverty.
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall told delegates that the cut “wasn’t a decision we wanted or expected to make.” But she argued that “this Labour government has done more to help the poorest pensioners in the last two months than the Tories did in 14 years.”
Starmer tried to unite the party and appeal to a skeptical electorate in his first conference speech as prime minister on Tuesday, telling voters exhausted by years of political and economic turmoil that better times are on the way — if they swallow his recipe of short-term pain for long-term gain.
He said he would make “tough decisions” — code for public spending restraint and tax increases — to achieve economic growth to fund schools, hospitals, roads, railways and more.
Starmer acknowledged some of those decisions would be unpopular, but said: “We will turn our collar up and face the storm.”