Day: August 28, 2022

The Netherlands has decided to suspend the reception of asylum seekers from Türkiye despite a EU-Türkiye deal.

The Netherlands will “no longer admit people under the EU-Turkey Statement until the end of 2023,” the Justice and Security Ministry said Friday.

The Netherlands has admitted “a relatively large number of Syrians” since 2016 under the EU-Türkiye Readmission Agreement, it said.

The agreement that was signed in March 2016, said Ankara is supposed to readmit all irregular asylum-seekers who reach the Greek islands from Türkiye. In exchange, the European Union agreed to resettle Syrian refugees from Türkiye.

The Dutch government continues to consider “these agreements important and will also start implementing them again from 2024. But in the current situation that is irresponsible,” it added.

“A solid package of measures should improve our asylum reception and the situation in Ter Apel as quickly as possible. With support from the region, we are taking the necessary steps to handle asylum procedures in a humane and dignified manner,” State Secretary for Justice and Security Eric van der Burg wrote on Twitter.

– Accommodation crisis

The Cabinet decided to take measures to alleviate the reception of asylum seekers amid the situation at the asylum application center in Ter Apel, which lasted for months and turned into a national crisis.

While the Dutch government was attempting to address the problem, the Dutch Red Cross set up tents in the garden of the center because of the lack of beds but removed them following backlash.

Despite the removal of the tents, many refugees, including women, children and the elderly, continued to sleep in the garden.

The government has been struggling to find places for asylum seekers due to the lack of space at asylum centers and the inability of municipalities to provide shelter for refugees.

While the government was attempting to facilitate the transfer of a hotel purchased in the village of Albergen to the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers to accommodate 300 refugees, it faced protests from residents.

In addition, Van der Burg had proposed to turn cruisers into temporary accommodation centers to help resolve the problem.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The deal agreed with Kosovo on personal documents is a “gentleman’s agreement” with EU guarantees, Serbia’s prime minister said on Sunday.

Ana Brnabic, the prime minister-designate for the new government, told local media that the agreement on freedom of movement signed by Belgrade and Pristina in Brussels in 2011 reads that each side can issue accompanying documents to the citizens of the other side.

“It is a gentleman’s agreement with EU guarantees, which is oral and does not have to bind anyone in the future,” said Brnabic.

According to the premier, Albanians from Kosovo will not be issued any accompanying documents to enter Serbia.

However, at the crossings, there will be signs with a disclaimer that the use of identity cards issued by Kosovo is done solely for practical reasons.

“It is not a piece of paper, but a board three by two meters wide at the administrative crossings with the so-called disclaimer that enabling the use of identity cards issued by Pristina is done solely for practical reasons, and that it cannot be interpreted as recognition of the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo,” said Brnabic.

Meanwhile, the Kosovo side will not issue accompanying documents to Serbs from Kosovo who have identity cards of Serbia, and they will be able to freely cross into central Serbia and return to the territory of Kosovo.

Brnabic added that Serbia received guarantees from the EU that Serbs from Kosovo will be able to cross into central Serbia and return to the territory of the province with identity cards issued by Serbia’s Interior Ministry.

Serbia and Kosovo on Saturday agreed on a new border policy under an EU-facilitated dialogue process, Josep Borrell, the bloc’s foreign policy chief, announced.

Launched in 2011, the EU-led Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue aims to normalize relations between the Western Balkan neighbors.

The last high-level meeting with the participation of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti took place on Aug. 18 at the headquarters of the EU diplomatic service in Brussels.

Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, with most UN member states, including the US, UK, France, Germany, and Türkiye, recognizing it as a separate autonomous country from its neighbor.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday blamed the UK’s growing cost of living crisis on Russian President Vladimir Putin and his ongoing war on Ukraine.

In a guest op-ed for Sunday’s Daily Mail, Johnson said the Russian president found joy in knowing that the lives of many British people were going to get difficult.

“It was Putin’s invasion of Ukraine (this February) that spooked the energy markets. It is Putin’s war that is costing British consumers,” wrote Johnson, who is soon to be replaced as the Conservative Party’s prime minister after a series of scandals.

“That is why your energy bill is doubling. I am afraid Putin knows it. He likes it. And he wants us to buckle,” he added.

According to Johnson, Putin believes that as winter approaches, European politicians will soften their position towards the Russian president, ease sanctions over the war, “and go begging for Russian oil and gas.”

Johnson admitted that many people across the UK would suffer as a result of the cost of living crisis but reassured the public that his successor would offer financial support and that Britain would emerge prosperous once the crisis recedes.

“We must and we will help people through the crisis. Colossal sums of taxpayers’ money are already committed to helping people pay their bills. That cash is flowing now – and will continue to flow in the months ahead.”

“Britain will emerge stronger and more prosperous the other side. We have more than enough resilience to get through though months ahead. We have shown that before,” he added.

On Friday, energy regulator Ofgem increased the energy price cap to £3,549 ($4,169). As a result, thousands of households across the UK have been plunged into financial uncertainty over skyrocketing energy bills.

In response to the crisis, trade unions from the transport sector to the legal sector have launched a series of strikes reminiscent of the 1970s Winter of Discontent when the UK faced a similar crunch.

Despite Johnson’s optimistic tone, his government has been accused of absence in the face of the growing crisis, with rights groups and opposition parties calling on his potential successors to urgently address the matter.

While Putin’s war on Ukraine has been accused by most economists of fueling worldwide inflation woes, along with the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, the fallout from Brexit – pushed for and executed by Johnson – has also taken much of the blame in Britain, which has fared worse than other major world economies.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The United States has called for an immediate cease-fire between conflicting parties in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, and to engage in talks facilitated by the UN.

In a statement, US Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland condemned the “surge in violence in Tripoli.”

Norland called for allowing “humanitarian corridors to evacuate casualties and civilians caught in crossfire,” and to put an end to the violence in Tripoli “before things get even worse.”

“All Libyan leadership figures have an urgent role to play in this process and we call on them at this time to put the interests of the Libyan people first,” he said.

At least 32 people were killed and dozens injured in clashes between rival militias in several districts in Tripoli.

The situation calmed in the capital on Sunday, one day after heavy clashes between forces backing Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh and forces loyal to his rival Fathi Bashagha, who was appointed by the Tobruk-based parliament as a prime minister.

The violence, the worst since reaching a cease-fire in 2020, came amid military buildups by forces affiliated with Dbeibeh and Bashagha, as both figures claim power and authority in the capital.

Oil-rich Libya has remained in turmoil since 2011 when longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi was ousted after four decades in power.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The head of the United Nations urged an immediate end to violence in Libya on Saturday amid renewed fighting between two rival militias in the capital.

Antonio Guterres expressed deep concern about civilian casualties and the destruction of infrastructure, his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

Guterres urged parties to engage in genuine dialogue to address the ongoing political impasse and called for the protection of civilians and refraining from actions that could escalate tensions and deepen divisions.

At least 23 people were killed and 140 injured during clashes that erupted in several areas of Tripoli, according to the country’s Health Ministry.

The violence came amid military buildups by forces affiliated with Tripoli-based Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh and troops loyal to Fathi Bashagha, who was appointed prime minister by the Tobruk-based parliament in March, as both figures claim power and authority in the capital.

Oil-rich Libya has remained in turmoil since 2011 when longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi was ousted after four decades in power.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Argentina’s president criticized the Buenos Aires city government Saturday because of the treatment of supporters of Vice President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner at demonstrations.

Demonstrators protested days after prosecutors asked for a 12-year prison sentence for de Kirchner on corruption charges.

Alberto Fernandez criticized the city’s government which he said wanted to curtail “free movement in the vicinity of the home of the Vice President.”

“I express my strongest rejection of the institutional violence unleashed by the City Government in the face of a massive demonstration of citizens expressing themselves freely and in democracy,” Fernandez wrote on Twitter.

Five police officers were injured and four arrests were made in protests in support of de Kirchner.

Thousands took to her defense Saturday, mobilizing across Argentina.

The largest protests took place outside Kirchner’s residence in the neighborhood of Recoleta, where police had earlier installed fences to prevent mass protests.

By afternoon, supporters toppled the fences as hydrant trucks and tear gas were used against the crowd, according to local news agency, Telam.

Fernandez argued that the police “operation, far from contributing to the peace invoked, generated a climate of insecurity and intimidation.”

He insisted that authorities and security forces “must work to take care of citizen security, avoiding creating contexts of hostility in the face of massive mobilizations” and maintaining peace and guaranteeing the freedom of expression to all citizens is an “institutional responsibility.”

Fernandez describe what he called the “harassment” of de Kirchner and called for it to stop.

De Kirchner remains a divisive figure in Argentina’s political landscape, adored by supporters and loathed by detractors.

She was accused Monday of awarding fraudulent and overpriced public work contracts in the southern province of Santa Cruz during her two terms as president from 2007-2015.

Many of the contracts allegedly benefitted close allies of the Kirchner family, with some convicted of corruption.

Prosecutors also called for “special life disqualification” from public office for Kirchner, who has political immunity as current vice president and president of the Senate.

She has vehemently denied the accusations and has criticized the country’s judiciary.

Kirchner described waking up to see her home “besieged” on Saturday.

“They want to prohibit the absolutely peaceful and joyful manifestations of love and support, which take place before the unavoidable prosecution of the judicial party,” she wrote on her website.

The sentence against Kirchner is expected to be revealed within months, although some believe she could appeal to higher courts, which would likely extend the time to reach a final verdict.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Anadolu Agency is here with a rundown of the latest developments around the world.

The Netherlands has decided to suspend the reception of asylum seekers from Türkiye despite a EU-Türkiye deal.

The death toll from clashes between rival militias in the Libyan capital rose to 12, authorities said.

Kazakhstan suspended exports of weapons and military products for one year.

Serbia and Kosovo agreed on a new border policy under an EU-facilitated dialogue process, according to the bloc’s foreign policy chief.

The US said it will appoint an envoy for the Arctic region for the first time amid Russia’s recently increased military actions in the region.

French President Emmanuel Macron’s remarks about Türkiye during his current visit to Algeria were “unacceptable,” said Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry.

Tunisia summoned its ambassador from Morocco amid a dispute regarding a visit to the North African nation by the head of the Polisario Front that is seeking independence in Western Sahara.

Source: Anadolu Agency

In an interview, Mark Zuckerberg has admitted that Facebook suppressed a reportedly inaccurate story about then-US presidential candidate Joe Biden’s son in the runup to the fall 2020 US elections.

Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, this week told popular podcaster Joe Rogan that a New York Post story including alleged leaked emails from Hunter Biden’s laptop was algorithmically suppressed by Facebook after the FBI warned the social media website of efforts to spread election misinformation.

“When we take down something that we’re not supposed to, that’s the worst,” said Zuckergerg, although in the months since, the laptop story has not been borne out.

Major outlets such as The Washington Post and The New York Times have acknowledge that at least some of the emails on the laptop were genuine, but that most of the data could not be verified due to “sloppy handling.”

In the runup to the fall 2020 election, which Joe Biden won, then-President Donald Trump and his allies tried to make Hunter Biden into a major scandal, with Trump himself telling Ukraine’s president he would not send weapons unless an investigation of Hunter Biden was announced.

In fall 2016, just weeks before the previous presidential election, an FBI statement about former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s emails that later came to nothing was widely credited with helping Trump narrowly defeat her. Analysts have also said Russian misinformation online and “data dumps” were pivotal in Trump’s victory.

Facebook has been accused of irresponsibly allowing the spreading of misinformation, including Russian propaganda to influence elections and viral racism that fueled the attempted 2017 genocide of minority Rohingya in Myanmar.

Zuckerberg told Rogan: “The background here is that the FBI came to us – some folks on our team – and was like ‘hey, just so you know, you should be on high alert. We thought there was a lot of Russian propaganda in the 2016 election, we have it on notice that basically there’s about to be some kind of dump that’s similar to that’,”

He said the FBI did not warn Facebook about the Biden story in particular – only that Facebook thought it “fit that pattern.”

The New York Post alleged leaked emails from Hunter Biden’s laptop showed then-Vice President Joe Biden was helping his son’s business dealings in Ukraine.

The October 2020 story claimed that a laptop abandoned by Hunter Biden had details of him using his father’s influence — when Joe Biden was vice president in the Barack Obama administration — to seal a deal with a Ukrainian businessman.

Facebook and Twitter restricted sharing of the article, before reversing course amid allegations of censorship.

Source: Anadolu Agency