15-21 January 2018 - 16-min

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4 15 - 21 January, 2018 R World Russia takes aim at US over series of Syria drone attacks ussia said that a recent series of drone attacks on its military bases in Syria would have required assistance from a country possessing satellite navigation technology — a statement that appeared to be aimed at the United States. Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces repelled a series of drone attacks on the Hemeimeem air base and a naval facility in Tartus, adding that out of the 13 drones involved, seven were shot down and six were forced to land without inflicting any damage. Without blaming any specific country, the ministry said data for the attacks could only have been obtained “from one of the countries that possesses know-how in satellite navigation.” In the statement, it noted a “strange coincidence” of a U.S. military intelligence plane flying over the Mediterranean near the two Russian bases at the moment of the attack. The Pentagon denied any involvement. Photo Credit : AP Photo “Any suggestion that U.S. or coalition forces played a role in an attack on a Russian base is without any basis in fact and is utterly irresponsible,” said Marine Maj. Adrian Rankine-Galloway, a Pentagon spokesman. The U.S. and Russia support opposing sides of the Syrian civil war. Russian President Vladimir Putin declared victory in Syria last month and ordered a partial troops pullout, and the Kremlin said on 8th January that the number of Russian troops left in Syria is sufficient for fending off any attacks by militants. Asked whether the withdrawal could have been premature in view of the drone attack, Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Russian forces in Syria have “all the necessary means” to counter any challenge. Syria’s President Bashar Assad has recovered major territory from rebels in Syria in the past two years, largely because of Russia’s military support. His forces are currently battling rebels on two fronts, in the northwestern Idlib province and in the eastern suburbs of Damascus. Opposition activists have reported airstrikes and shelling of rebel-held Damascus suburbs that killed and wounded dozens. The Britainbased Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said warplanes attacked several suburbs of Damascus, including Saqba, where a man and a child were killed and 13 others were wounded. The Observatory and the Syrian Civil Defense, first responders known as the White Helmets, reported airstrikes on other suburbs, including Harasta and Douma. Syria’s state news agency SANA said rebel shelling of the capital on 9th January killed five people and wounded 30. SANA said 15 shells struck the central, predominantly Christian neighborhood of Bab Touma. The capital has been shelled on a near-daily basis in recent weeks. Turkey’s foreign minister accused Syrian government forces of attacking moderate opposition fighters under the guise of fighting extremists. Mevlut Cavusoglu’s comments came a day after Syrian government forces captured 14 villages as they advanced on Idlib, the largest rebel-held enclave in the country’s north, amid a wave of airstrikes. The troops aim to reach a rebel-held air base and secure the road linking the capital, Damascus, with the northern city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest. The government offensive around Idlib has forced thousands of civilians to flee toward the border with Turkey. Cavusoglu said Syrian government attacks on moderate opposition forces would “axe” peace efforts. Turkey, which backs the opposition, and Russia and Iran, whose wide-ranging support for Assad has turned the war in his favor, have taken the lead in Syria peace efforts over the past year. The U.N. humanitarian chief arrived in Damascus on 9th January to assess the humanitarian situation and discuss with government officials ways of improving access and aid delivery. Mark Lowcock’s visit is the first by the head of the U.N.’s humanitarian agency since December 2015. The U.N. estimates that more than 13 million people need basic aid and protection across Syria. Lowcock is expected to meet government officials and visit the central city of Homs during his three-day visit. At the United Nations, Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzia said he hopes there will be new U.N.-led talks on Syria in Geneva ahead of Russian-brokered talks this month to “reinvigorate” peace efforts. He said Moscow wants talks among Syrians in Russia’s Black Sea resort of Sochi to contribute to the U.N.-led peace effort in Geneva, which has so far failed. Credit : Associated Press (AP) NEW DELHI TIMES China to invest billions of dollars in ally Cambodia C ambodia and China on 11th January signed nearly 20 agreements worth several billion dollars to develop the impoverished Southeast Asian country’s infrastructure, agriculture and health care. The agreements and memorandums of understanding were signed during a meeting between Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and his Chinese counterpart, Li Keqiang. Li led a senior delegation on a daylong official visit on 11th January to Cambodia, China’s close ally. Among the major agreements was building a new expressway more than 200 kilometers (125 miles) long linking the capital, Phnom Penh, with the resort city of Sihanoukville, and a new Phnom Penh international Airport.Cambodian Public Work and Transport Minister Sun Chanthol told The Associated Greece limits Sharia law after European Court challenge L awmakers in Greece voted to limit the powers of Islamic courts operating in a border region that is home to a 100,000-strong Muslim minority, scrapping procedures dating back more than 90 years. The proposed law passed easily, with backing from parliament’s largest political parties. It eliminates rules that referred many civil cases involving members of the Muslim community to Sharia law courts. Greek courts now will have priority in all cases. The changes — considered long overdue by many Greek legal experts — follow a complaint a Muslim woman who lives in the northeastern Greek city of Komotini made to the Council of Europe’s Court of Human Rights over an inheritance dispute. Legislation concerning minority rights was based on international treaties following wars in the aftermath of the Ottoman empire’s collapse. The Muslim minority in Greece is largely Turkish-speaking. Minority areas were visited last month by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said in a statement that the new law respects the “special characteristics” of Greece’s Muslim minority, while redressing past injustices against community members “who were excluded from the legal guarantees and freedoms that all Greek citizens must enjoy.” Greek governments in the past have been reluctant to amend minority rights, as many Press after the signing that China will invest some $2 billion for the highway. He said the project is set to start this year and will take at least 44 months to complete. China is Cambodia’s key ally and economic partner. It has provided millions of dollars in aid and investment over the past decade, granted Cambodia a tariff-free status on hundreds of trade items and written off its debt. In return, Cambodia supports China in international forums, including Beijing’s ongoing dispute with Southeast Asian countries in the South China Sea. Credit : Associated Press (AP) disputes between Greece and Turkey remain unresolved. Currently, Islamic court hearings are presided over by a single official, a stateappointed Muslim cleric. In parliament, Constantine Gavroglou, minister of education and religious affairs, praised opposition party support for the bill. He said the current rules stemmed “from policies that were hostile toward the minority and sought to create second-class citizens.” “This is not just a technical adjustment, it’s a very important day for parliament ... because of the broad support that is key when addressing issues of democracy and people’s rights,” Gavroglou told lawmakers. The extreme-right Golden Dawn party rejected the bill, arguing that it failed to adequately outline what powers would be retained by Islamic courts and did not address the issue of locally elected clerics who operate in an unofficial, but influential capacity. Credit : Associated Press (AP) Photo Credit : AP Photo Photo Credit : AP Photo www.NewDelhiTimes.com
15 - 21 January, 2018 5 P World NEW DELHI TIMES Polish PM reshuffles his Cabinet to oland’s new prime minister reshuffled his Cabinet, ousting the controversial ministers of foreign affairs, defense and the environment in a move aimed at mending relations with partners in the European Union. Mateusz Morawiecki, who became prime minister in December replacing Beata Szydlo, is seeking to improve Poland’s deteriorating position in the EU and head off possible EU sanctions. Later in the day, the office of the European Commission’s head, Jean-Claude Juncker, said the two had a “friendly” and “constructive” dinner in Brussels and would be seeking to make progress on better ties by the end of February. EU leaders have raised a series of concerns over Poland’s changes to its justice system, government-approved logging in an old forest and refusal to take in migrants under an EU plan. They have opened a sanctioning procedure that could strip Poland of its EU voting rights. Morawiecki said at a news conference sought to explain to Juncker the goal of the warm EU ties changes in the justice system and that they are long-awaited and necessary. “I said that our intentions are aimed at making the system more efficient, more just and more objective” as well as transparent and cost-efficient, he said. Other themes included energy and climate policy as well as the approximately 1 million Ukrainians fleeing the conflict with Russia who have been given refuge in Poland. In making his government reshuffle, Morawiecki seemed to have persuaded Poland’s most powerful politician, ruling party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski, that the Cabinet ministers most criticized by EU leaders and by the opposition should go. “We are not and we don’t want to be a dogmatic, doctrinal government, or a government of socialist or neo-liberal extremities,” Morawiecki said during a swearing-in ceremony for the new ministers German economy grew in 2017 at fastest pace in 6 years T he German economy accelerated last year to grow by 2.2 percent, putting in its strongest performance for six years thanks primarily to increasing demand at home, according to official data released on 11th January. The figure released by the Federal Statistical Office was the strongest since 2011, when Europe’s biggest economy grew by 3.7 previous year’s 2.6 percent. But they were outpaced by imports, which expanded by 5.2 percent, up from 3.9 percent in 2016. Overall, foreign trade contributed 0.2 percentage points to last year’s GDP growth. Eight consecutive years of growth have also helped Germany’s public finances. Germany had its fourth budget surplus in a row last year, totaling 1.2 percent of GDP, according at the Presidential Palace. He said he wants Poland to have an important role in a strong Europe. The composition of the new government suggests Poland is attempting a more conciliatory approach to the EU. “I see it as a continuation of the drive to calm the situation and the emotions in areas where conflict was not needed” including the environment and the defense sectors, said Malgorzata Bonikowska, head of the Centre for International Relations think tank. The removals of Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski and Environment Minister Jan Szyszko, whose decision to cut trees in the pristine Bialowieza Forest has led to a procedure against Poland at the European Court of Justice, shows a will to mend fences within the EU. They were respectively replaced by Jacek Czaputowicz, the deputy foreign minister, and by a government economic expert, Henryk Kowalczyk. The new defense minister is Mariusz Blaszczak, the former interior minister, replacing a minister blamed for abruptly cancelling a deal to buy French-made helicopters. Morawiecki kept Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro, the author of the sweeping reform of the justice system, in a sign that he backs the changes. Photo Credit : AP Photo New finance and development ministers were also appointed as the jobs were vacated by Morawiecki when he became prime minister. Credit : Associated Press (AP) percent. Gross domestic product expanded by 1.9 percent in 2016 and 1.7 percent in 2015. Household spending by Germans was up 2 percent last year, while investment in machinery and other equipment was up 3.5 percent. Exports — a traditional strength of the German economy — grew by 4.7 percent, a much stronger performance than the to the report. That was up from 0.8 percent the previous year as growth in the state’s income outpaced increased spending. The statistics office offered a rough estimate that the economy grew by more than a halfpercent in the fourth quarter compared with the previous three-month period. However, it won’t release an official figure until mid-February, after data for December become available. Credit : Associated Press (AP) Photo Credit : AP Photo www.NewDelhiTimes.com
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15-21 January 2018 - 16-min

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