Philippines confident in US alliance under Trump amid China tensions, envoy says

Philippines confident in US alliance under Trump amid China tensions, envoy says
Philippine ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez suggested potential changes under Donald Trump would be ‘minimal’ and could even be favorable. (Reuters)
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Updated 07 November 2024
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Philippines confident in US alliance under Trump amid China tensions, envoy says

Philippines confident in US alliance under Trump amid China tensions, envoy says
  • US-Philippine security engagements have deepened under President Joe Biden and Philippine counterpart Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
  • Both leaders keen to counter what they see as China’s aggressive actions in the South China Sea and near Taiwan

MANILA: The Philippines expects US policy in the Indo-Pacific and support for its treaty ally amid South China Sea tensions to remain steady under Donald Trump, driven by bipartisan resolve in Washington, its ambassador to the US said on Thursday.
Both Democrats and Republicans prioritize countering China’s influence, including in the South China Sea, Jose Manuel Romualdez said, suggesting that military cooperation, economic ties and security commitments with the Philippines will continue.
“It is in their interest that the Indo-Pacific region remains free, peaceful and stable, especially given the economic part of it, with trillions of dollars passing through the South China Sea,” Romualdez said in an interview.
US-Philippine security engagements have deepened under President Joe Biden and Philippine counterpart Ferdinand Marcos Jr, with both leaders keen to counter what they see as China’s aggressive actions in the South China Sea and near Taiwan.
Marcos said in a congratulatory message after Trump’s victory: “I am hopeful that this unshakeable alliance, tested in war and peace, will be a force of good that will blaze a path of prosperity and amity, in the region, and in both sides of the Pacific.”
Under Marcos, the Philippines has increased the number of its bases accessible to US forces to nine from five, some facing the South China Sea, where China has built artificial islands equipped with runways and missile systems.
The US has proposed $128 million for infrastructure improvements at those bases, in addition to a $500 million pledge for the Philippine military and coast guard.
Romualdez expressed confidence that these commitments, including joint US-Philippine maritime exercises that began last year, would continue under Trump.
“We have very strong bipartisan support in the US Congress where the money comes from. Every single one of our friends in the Republican side has signified their concern and strong support for whatever we’re doing right now in relation to the challenges we face with China today,” Romualdez said.
He suggested potential changes under Trump would be “minimal” and could even be favorable.
During Trump’s previous term, the US dispelled any doubts about its defense commitments when then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo assured Manila in 2019 that Washington would defend its ally if attacked in the South China Sea, reinforcing the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty.
Beijing claims much of the South China Sea, where about $3 trillion in ship-borne trade passes annually, with the area becoming a flashpoint for Chinese and US tensions around naval operations. There have been recent clashes over territorial claims between China and the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia.
Romualdez emphasized Manila’s intent to manage disputes peacefully, and “will continue to dialogue with China as long as it’s not detrimental to our interests.”
“We’re not at war,” Romualdez said, adding there are many areas where Philippines and China can work with.


Former UK lawyer sentenced for fraud relating to Iraq abuse claims

Former UK lawyer sentenced for fraud relating to Iraq abuse claims
Updated 55 min 50 sec ago
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Former UK lawyer sentenced for fraud relating to Iraq abuse claims

Former UK lawyer sentenced for fraud relating to Iraq abuse claims
  • Phil Shiner pleaded guilty in September to three counts of fraud
  • Britain launched a public inquiry into allegations of atrocities by British troops in 2004, after a battle at the Danny Boy checkpoint in southern Iraq.

LONDON: A former British lawyer who became known for bringing lawsuits on behalf of Iraqi civilians accusing British soldiers of ill-treatment was on Tuesday given a suspended sentence for fraud.
Phil Shiner pleaded guilty in September to three counts of fraud relating to applications made in 2007 for public funding for legal action against the Ministry of Defense.
Following the legal challenge led by Shiner, Britain launched a public inquiry into allegations of atrocities by British troops in 2004, after a battle at the Danny Boy checkpoint in southern Iraq.
Shiner and his firm Public Interest Lawyers, however, were widely criticized and the inquiry ultimately concluded in 2014 that allegations British soldiers executed captured Iraqi prisoners and tortured or seriously abused others were untrue.
Shiner pleaded guilty to failing to disclose, when applying for public funding, that he had asked an intermediary to approach potential claimants and had paid for referrals, which breached his firm’s contract.
He appeared on Tuesday at London’s Southwark Crown Court, where Judge Christopher Hehir imposed a sentence of two years in jail, suspended for two years.
Shiner was struck off as a lawyer in 2017 and Hehir said: “You have already suffered professional and personal ruin and I do not consider it is necessary to add to that by sending you straight to prison.”


Russia takes step toward recognizing Afghanistan’s Taliban government

Russia takes step toward recognizing Afghanistan’s Taliban government
Updated 10 December 2024
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Russia takes step toward recognizing Afghanistan’s Taliban government

Russia takes step toward recognizing Afghanistan’s Taliban government
  • Parliament votes for law to make it possible to remove Taliban from banned terror groups’ list
  • No country currently recognizes the Taliban government which seized power in August 2021

MOSCOW: Russia moved a step closer toward recognizing the Taliban government of Afghanistan on Tuesday as parliament voted in favor of a law that would make it possible to remove the Taliban from Moscow’s list of banned terrorist organizations.
Parliament’s lower house, the Duma, approved the bill in the first of three required readings, Interfax news agency said.
No country currently recognizes the Taliban government which seized power in August 2021 as US-led forces staged a chaotic withdrawal after 20 years of war. But Russia has been gradually building ties with the movement, which President Vladimir Putin said in July was now an ally in fighting terrorism.
Moscow sees a major security threat from Islamist militant groups based in a string of countries from Afghanistan to the Middle East, where Russia lost a major ally this week with the toppling of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
In March, gunmen killed 145 people at a concert hall outside Moscow in an attack claimed by Daesh. US officials said they had intelligence indicating it was the Afghan branch of the group, Daesh, that was responsible.
The Taliban says it is working to wipe out the presence of Daesh in Afghanistan.
Western diplomats say the movement’s path toward wider international recognition is stalled until it changes course on women’s rights. The Taliban has closed high schools and universities to girls and women and placed restrictions on their movement without a male guardian. It says it respects women’s rights in line with its strict interpretation of Islamic law.
Russia has its own complex and bloodstained history in Afghanistan. Soviet troops invaded the country in December 1979 to prop up a Communist government, but became bogged down in a long war against mujahideen fighters armed by the United States. Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev pulled his army out in 1989, by which time some 15,000 Soviet soldiers had been killed.


France begins military withdrawal from Chad, army says

France begins military withdrawal from Chad, army says
Updated 10 December 2024
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France begins military withdrawal from Chad, army says

France begins military withdrawal from Chad, army says
  • “It marks the beginning of the return of French equipment stationed in N’Djamena,” Army spokesperson Col. Guillaume Vernet said
  • France has already pulled its soldiers out of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger

PARIS: France has started the withdrawal of its military from Chad with the departure of two warplanes that were based in the capital N’Djamena, the French army said, two weeks after Chad said it was ending its defense cooperation pact with Paris.
In a surprise move, the government of Chad — an ally of the West in the fight against Islamist militants in the region — ended the defense cooperation pact on Nov. 28.
Terms and conditions of the withdrawal and whether any French troops will remain in the central African country altogether have yet be to be agreed, but on Tuesday the first Mirage warplanes returned to their base in eastern France.
“It marks the beginning of the return of French equipment stationed in N’Djamena,” Army spokesperson Col. Guillaume Vernet said after two Mirage fighter jets left Chad.
France has already pulled its soldiers out of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger following military coups in those West African countries and spreading anti-French sentiment.
The departure from Chad will end decades of French military presence in the Sahel region and ends direct French military operations against Islamist militants there.
France still has about 1,000 troops in Chad. Vernet said a calendar to drawdown its operations would still take several weeks for the two countries to finalize.
There were no indications Paris received advance notice of Chad’s decision to end its defense cooperation although a French envoy to President Emmanuel Macron delivered a report last month containing proposals on how France could reduce its military presence in Chad, Gabon and Ivory Coast.


Saudi businesses explore energy, tourism opportunities in Rajasthan

Business people gather at the Invest Saudi pavilion at the Rising Rajasthan summit in Jaipur, India, Dec. 10, 2024. (AN photo)
Business people gather at the Invest Saudi pavilion at the Rising Rajasthan summit in Jaipur, India, Dec. 10, 2024. (AN photo)
Updated 10 December 2024
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Saudi businesses explore energy, tourism opportunities in Rajasthan

Business people gather at the Invest Saudi pavilion at the Rising Rajasthan summit in Jaipur, India, Dec. 10, 2024. (AN photo)
  • Invest Saudi participates in Rising Rajasthan Investment Summit in Jaipur
  • With its vast deserts, Rajasthan ranks first in India for solar energy production

JAIPUR: Saudi Arabia is exploring cooperation with India in solar and wind energy, infrastructure, tourism, and technology-based industries, its Ministry of Investment said on Tuesday, as it participated in the Rising Rajasthan Investment Summit in Jaipur.

The government of India’s largest state by area is hosting the investment event from Dec. 9 to 11, as it seeks to double Rajasthan’s gross domestic product to $350 billion in the next five years.

The summit was opened on Monday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who encouraged foreign delegates — including from Saudi Arabia, Oman, the UK and Japan — to explore the state’s potential as a global business destination.

The Saudi Ministry of Investment’s pavilion in the forum’s exhibition space presented Invest Saudi — the nation-wide investment brand — and promoted opportunities in the Kingdom., while delegation members held talks with Indian companies.

“We are talking about supporting our private sectors: Indians to invest in Saudi Arabia and Saudi companies to invest in Rajasthan and India,” Abdullah Al-Arfaj, director of international relations for South and West Asia at the Saudi Ministry of Investment, told Arab News.

“Through its participation in this summit, the Saudi Ministry of Investment seeks to foster productive dialogue and build actionable partnerships … The summit is an ideal platform to strengthen Saudi-Indian cooperation and establish the foundations for long-term, sustainable partnerships.”

Al-Arfaj, who was meeting with Rajasthan leadership, said they were identifying “shared areas that can contribute to the economic growth of both nations, such as solar and wind energy, infrastructure development, tourism, and technology-based industries, as well as the development of smart cities, green energy initiatives, and advanced technological solutions.”

With vast desert areas hosting photovoltaic plants, Rajasthan ranks first in India for solar energy production. It is also the largest producer of marble, has the nation’s biggest lead mines, and contains confirmed deposits of rare-earth elements.

The state’s capital, Jaipur, is a major tourist attraction. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is known as the “pink city” from the dominant color scheme of its 18th-century structures.

A number of cooperation agreements are expected to be signed during the summit between Saudi and Indian businesses.

Faisal Al-Jurbua, a member of the Saudi delegation, said his company was planning to establish a desert resort in Rajasthan — the first such property in the Indian state.

“Hopefully, in about six months, we’re going to start,” the CEO of Riyadh-based HAP Experience Co. told Arab News.

“It will be the same that we have in Saudi Arabia. It will be an oasis … We’re going to do some mix between the two cultures,” he said.

“We will be having a lot of work here in Rajasthan in the near future.”


Polish border officials violently pushing back asylum seekers: HRW

Polish border officials violently pushing back asylum seekers: HRW
Updated 10 December 2024
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Polish border officials violently pushing back asylum seekers: HRW

Polish border officials violently pushing back asylum seekers: HRW
  • Somalis, Yemenis describe pattern of abuse including beatings, pepper spray, destruction of personal property
  • ‘A border guard hit me with a baton in places so I couldn’t walk. They beat me and a friend for about an hour’

LONDON: Law enforcement in Poland is unlawfully and violently forcing asylum seekers back to Belarus, Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday, adding that those who are pushed back risk suffering serious abuse at the hands of Belarussian officials.

Others who are not intercepted after being returned to Belarus face injury or even death in harsh winter conditions, said HRW, which conducted in-depth interviews in November with 22 asylum seekers in Poland, including people from Yemen, Somalia and Comoros.

All but five had experienced at least one pushback — in violation of asylum law — from Polish officials on the border. They were subsequently admitted to Poland and allowed to apply for asylum.

A consistent pattern of abuse and violence was described by the interviewees, including beatings with batons, use of pepper spray and destruction of personal property such as mobile phones.

Eli, 25, from Somalia, told HRW that he was summarily pushed back by Polish border forces five times between April and June. His phones were destroyed and he was pepper-sprayed by border guards.

“The first time … we got across the border and walked 1 km into Poland when border guards caught us. They put us in plastic zip ties … They took our phones and smashed them with their batons … They took us by military car to the borderline and opened a gate in the metal fence and told us to go back to Belarus,” he said.

“I kept telling them in English that I wanted protection and asylum in Poland, but they just said go back to Minsk. I was still handcuffed when pushed back.”

Tariq, 24, from Yemen, was pushed back three times between August and October. The first time he was pushed back, border guards intercepted him shortly after crossing the fence and he was pepper-sprayed. The second time he was beaten.

He said: “It was like smoke in my eyes, I was in pain for days. A border guard hit me with a baton in places so I couldn’t walk, on my legs mainly … They beat me and a friend for about an hour … I didn’t ask for asylum because even if I ask they won’t help. I just said: ‘I want Poland.’ The border guards said: ‘You want Germany or France.’ I said: ‘No, I want Poland.’

“Then they just put us in a car and drove us to the border and pushed us across. They took us straight to the border, no station.

“They had zip-tied me when they caught us so when they pushed me through the fence, I still had them on.”

During his third pushback, a Polish police officer stripped him to his underwear and beat him. “Then another officer came, and the beating stopped,” said Tariq.

“They took me to the border. There were others in the car, Africans, Syrians, and we were all pushed back. There were three women in the group and one could barely stand.”