Senin, 21 Oktober 2019
Chile protests: Curfew extended as chaos in capital - Al Jazeera English
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7u_iz4YIB6Y
2019-10-21 05:40:01Z
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Johnson's new Brexit deal push: What's happening this week? - Al Jazeera English
The United Kingdom's parliament is poised for another feverish week after MPs on Saturday stopped Prime Minister Boris Johnson putting forward a "meaningful vote" on his Brexit deal until he publishes it as a bill.
The move triggered a law forcing him to request an extension to the October 31 deadline for the UK to exit the European Union.
Will MPs vote on Johnson's deal – and when?
Johnson wants a vote to secure backing for his deal on Monday, even though concern at his bid to rush the bill through parliament was at the heart of Saturday's defeat.
The government will put Commons Speaker John Bercow under pressure to permit a vote - but Bercow's past form suggests he may resist.
Although the prime minister believes he has enough support to pass his deal, opposition MPs plan radical amendments - potentially dragging out the debate.
The Labour Party wants any deal to be contingent on a referendum and the UK to join the EU customs union.
When will MEPs vote on the new deal or an extension?
Donald Tusk, the European Council president, formally accepted Johnson's letter requesting an extension on Saturday night and is consulting member states.
Johnson's agreement has been sent to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, but MEPs will only ratify it after it has been approved by the UK parliament - meaning the earliest they could do so would probably be on Thursday.
If not, they will next gather in November suggesting that, regardless of any deal, Brexit could not take place until after the October 31 deadline that Johnson has pledged to meet.
What's the likelihood of a 'no deal' Brexit now?
On Saturday, MPs withheld support for Johnson's deal until they could scrutinise its details. This move was aimed at preventing hardline Brexiters blocking a subsequent withdrawal bill as the clock ticks down to October 31, in order to engineer the "no-deal" scenario that many of them want.
In principle, therefore, this has made a no-deal Brexit less likely by forcing Johnson to request an EU extension.
However, if Bercow allows a "meaningful vote" on Johnson's deal prior to the publication of a withdrawal bill, and if this is passed - thereby removing the need for an extension - there remains the potential that a bill can be sabotaged in the next 10 days - resulting in no deal.
A no-deal Brexit also remains possible if the EU refuses to grant an extension, although that is thought to be unlikely.
Even if Johnson's deal is passed, many opposition MPs fear a "trapdoor to no deal" with respect to trade under the terms of his plan when a Brexit transition period expires at the end of 2020.
How long could an extension be?
If approval for Johnson's bill is delayed beyond Thursday, it will not go before the European Parliament until November - meaning the earliest date for a Brexit signed and sealed on both sides would be December 1.
While Johnson was forced to request an extension on Saturday, if MPs back his deal this week that extension will no longer apply.
However, there is little time - about 11 days - for MPs to pass all the legislation required to make Brexit happen on October 31, making December 1 again seem realistic.
Have the chances of an election risen?
Johnson has asked for an early election which he seeks to win in the face of what he portrays as an obstructive parliament - but MPs have said no.
He will continue pressing for a poll - either to rectify his lack of a working majority so he can force through his Brexit vision during any extension or, if his Brexit proceeds, to pre-empt a potential economic downturn.
Labour has pledged to support an election if the threat of a no-deal Brexit is removed - which in principle could happen this week - but its poll ratings have plummeted and it may hold out until they improve.
Union Jacks and EU flags fly over Parliament in London. [Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP]
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/10/parliament-poised-feverish-brexit-week-191020181124590.html
2019-10-21 05:19:00Z
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Minggu, 20 Oktober 2019
Trump refers to Defense Secretary Mark Esper as 'Esperanto' - New York Post
President Trump in a tweet on Sunday touted the Defense secretary’s comments about the ceasefire in Syria but misspelled Mark Esper’s name.
“Mark Esperanto, Secretary of Defense, ‘The ceasefire is holding up very nicely. There are some minor skirmishes that have ended quickly. New areas being resettled with the Kurds,'” Trump wrote on his Twitter page.
“USA soldiers are not in combat or ceasefire zones. We have secured the Oil. Bringing soldiers home!” he continued.
About two hours later, the original tweet was deleted and the president posted a new one with the correct spelling of Esper’s name and the same comment.
Esper was asked about the five-day cease-fire Vice President Mike Pence brokered with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last Thursday as said sporadic fighting had reportedly broken out between Kurds and Turkish forces in northern Syria.
“We see a stabilization of the lines if you will on the ground. And we do get reports of intermittent fires, this and that. That doesn’t surprise me necessarily,” Esper, who Trump named to the post in June, told reporters as he headed to the Middle East.
But he also said that the US troops being pulled out of Syria will be sent to western Iraq where they will fight Islamic State terrorists.
“Things could change between now and whenever we complete the withdrawal,” he said. “But that’s the game plan right now.”
The Defense secretary said the mission in Iraq is twofold.
“One is to help defend Iraq and two is to perform a counter-ISIS mission as we sort through the next steps,” Esper said. “Things could change between now and whenever we complete the withdrawal, but that’s the game plan right now.”
https://nypost.com/2019/10/20/trump-refers-to-defense-secretary-mark-esper-as-esperanto/
2019-10-20 14:33:00Z
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U.S. troops leaving Syria for western Iraq, Defense Secretary Esper says - NBC News
All of the nearly 1,000 U.S. troops withdrawing from northern Syria will head to western Iraq to continue the campaign against Islamic State militants, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Saturday.
U.S. forces have been pulling out of northern Syria amid growing chaos after Turkey invaded the region earlier this month.
President Donald Trump said he would withdraw U.S. troops who'd been protecting Kurdish areas out of the way of the Turkish advance, prompting criticism both domestically and abroad.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is leading a congressional delegation to the region this weekend.
Kurds withdraw as U.S. troops head to Iraq
Esper told reporters en route to the Middle East Saturday that the U.S. withdrawal will take weeks not days.
He said the mission for those troops would be to “help defend Iraq” and carry out a counter-ISIS mission. It is unclear whether the U.S. troops moving to Iraq will use it as a base to launch ground raids into Syria.
The additional U.S. troops would add to the more than 5,000 American troops already based in the country.
Oct. 20, 201902:21
Vice President Mike Pence announced a five-day cease-fire in northern Syria Thursday after Turkey agreed to temporarily halt its offensive to allow time for Kurdish fighters to withdraw deeper into Syria.
Esper said Saturday that the fragile cease-fire was generally holding.
"We see a stabilization of the lines if you will on the ground. And we do get reports of intermittent fires, this and that. That doesn’t surprise me necessarily," he added.
Let our news meet your inbox. The news and stories that matters, delivered weekday mornings.
Turkey said Sunday that it was closely monitoring the Kurdish retreat, claiming there "are absolutely no impediments to withdrawal."
Ankara's defense ministry added that information about which roads can be used safely was transmitted to U.S. military authorities. It also claimed one soldier was killed amid sporadic clashes with Kurdish fighters.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said Saturday that Turkey was in violation of the cease-fire and was not allowing the opening of a safe corridor to evacuate the wounded and civilians.
NBC News could not verify the claims.
A top Kurdish general told NBC News he fears the Turkish campaign in Syria will result in “ethnic cleansing.”
Oct. 19, 201902:16
Gen. Mazloum Kobani, commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, said that the U.S. bears full responsibility for what is happening.
“We trusted them for five years and the continuing war against ISIS, but now [there is] ethnic cleansing against the Kurdish people under their eyes. If they wanted, they would have interfered to stop it.”
The Kurds, a loyal ally in America's fight against ISIS for years, have claimed Trump’s actions amounted to a betrayal.
But the president has been steadfast about his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from the area, arguing that it was time for the U.S. to stop fighting “endless wars” abroad.
He has also bragged about the cease-fire the U.S. negotiated.
“Think of how many lives we saved in Syria and Turkey," the president said on Twitter late Friday. "Thousands and thousands, and maybe many more!”
Pelosi in Jordan to talk Syria
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi angrily walked out of a White House meeting Wednesday after she claimed Trump had a "meltdown" after contentious exchanges over Syria. It came as the House voted overwhelmingly to condemn Trump's withdrawal.
Pelosi led a bipartisan congressional delegation to Jordan Saturday to discuss the “deepening crisis.”
“Our delegation has engaged in vital discussions about the impact to regional stability, increased flow of refugees, and the dangerous opening that has been provided to ISIS, Iran and Russia,” Pelosi said in a statement.
The delegation included House Intel Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff and Rep. Mac Thornberry, a Republican and the ranking member on the House Armed Services Committee.
Turkey’s invasion has prompted fears of an ISIS resurgence and a worsening of the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
It has also seen Russia and forces of Syria's embattled President Bashar Assad make gains in the region after the U.S. withdrawal.
Oct. 19, 201902:02
Turkish troops are fighting the Syrian Democratic Forces, which are led by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG). Turkey views the YPG as an extension of the separatist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is considered a terrorist group by the United States.
President Erdogan said Saturday that Turkey would press on with its offensive and “crush the heads of terrorists” if a deal with Washington on the withdrawal of Kurdish fighters from the area was not fully implemented.
Richard Engel, Mac William Bishop, Alex Moe and Marc Smith contributed.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/u-s-troops-leaving-syria-western-iraq-defense-secretary-esper-n1069086
2019-10-20 12:28:00Z
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Brexit: UK gov't 'has means and ability' to leave EU by Oct 31 - Aljazeera.com
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has the numbers to pass his Brexit deal through parliament this month, key British government ministers said on Sunday despite a humiliating defeat in the Commons on Saturday.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he was confident the United Kingdom would leave the European Union on October 31. He also said parliament could not muzzle the prime minister and that many people in the EU were deeply uncomfortable about further delay.
More:
"He has got that deal. We seem to have the numbers in the House of Commons. Why hasn't Parliament pushed this through? That is what we are going to do next week," he told the BBC.
Conservative minister and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove echoed Raab's enthusiasm, asserting that, despite UK parliamentarians forcing Johnson to send a letter on Saturday to the EU requesting a delay, Britain will leave the EU by October 31.
"We are going to leave by October 31, we have the means and the ability to do so," Gove told Sky News on Sunday.
"That letter was sent because Parliament required it to be sent ... but Parliament can't change the prime minister's mind, Parliament can't change the government's policy or determination."
Meanwhile, the opposition Labour Party's Brexit spokesman has re-emphasised his party's support for a second referendum on Britain's divorce deal with the EU.
Keir Starmer told the BBC on Sunday that "whatever deal gets through, it should be subject to a referendum".
Starmer said what Labour is seeking now is that "this deal in particular but any deal is put up against remain in a referendum."
British legislator Oliver Letwin, whose amendment forced Johnson to request the delay, said on Sunday that he believed the UK prime minister could probably get his Brexit deal over the line.
Letwin said he would propose no more amendments this week.
"I am absolutely behind the government now as long as they continue with this bill, continue with the deal, I will support it, I will vote for it," Letwin told BBC.
Letwin, who was kicked out of Johnson's Conservatives Party over his attempts to block a no-deal exit, said with the support of legislators like him, he hoped the government could get the deal across the line, adding: "I think we probably will."
Starmer said on Sunday that his party would put forward amendments to Johnson's Brexit deal legislation, particularly aimed at closing the "trap door" to no-deal Brexit at the end of a transition period in December 2020.
EU response
The EU's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, met with EU ambassadors on Sunday to discuss the consequences of the letter sent by British Prime minister Boris Johnson asking for a Brexit extension.
Johnson sent an unsigned letter to the European Union late on Saturday seeking a delay to Britain's impending October 31 departure from the bloc, as required by British law. But he followed it with a signed letter indicating that he does not favor another Brexit extension.
Asked after the meeting in Brussels whether EU leaders would be open to granting a new Brexit delay, Barnier just said EU Council President Donald Tusk would hold consultations "in the next days."
Barnier said it was "a very short and normal meeting" to "launch the next steps of the EU ratification of the agreement".
"We're looking for more clarity towards the end of the week, hoping that by that time we will also see how things develop in London," one senior EU diplomat said.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/10/brexit-uk-gov-means-ability-leave-eu-oct-31-191020093014028.html
2019-10-20 10:19:00Z
52780406083772
U.S. troops leaving Syria for western Iraq, Defense Secretary Esper says - NBC News
All of the nearly 1,000 U.S. troops withdrawing from northern Syria will head to western Iraq to continue the campaign against Islamic State militants, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Saturday.
U.S. forces have been pulling out of northern Syria amid growing chaos after Turkey invaded the region earlier this month.
President Donald Trump said he would withdraw U.S. troops who'd been protecting Kurdish areas out of the way of the Turkish advance, prompting criticism both domestically and abroad.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is leading a congressional delegation to the region this weekend.
Kurds withdraw as U.S. troops head to Iraq
Esper told reporters en route to the Middle East Saturday that the U.S. withdrawal will take weeks not days.
He said the mission for those troops would be to “help defend Iraq” and carry out a counter-ISIS mission. It is unclear whether the U.S. troops moving to Iraq will use it as a base to launch ground raids into Syria.
The additional U.S. troops would add to the more than 5,000 American troops already based in the country.
Vice President Mike Pence announced a five-day cease-fire in northern Syria Thursday after Turkey agreed to temporarily halt its offensive to allow time for Kurdish fighters to withdraw deeper into Syria.
Esper said Saturday that the fragile cease-fire was generally holding.
"We see a stabilization of the lines if you will on the ground. And we do get reports of intermittent fires, this and that. That doesn’t surprise me necessarily," he added.
Let our news meet your inbox. The news and stories that matters, delivered weekday mornings.
Turkey said Sunday that it was closely monitoring the Kurdish retreat, claiming there "are absolutely no impediments to withdrawal."
Ankara's defense ministry added that information about which roads can be used safely was transmitted to U.S. military authorities. It also claimed one soldier was killed amid sporadic clashes with Kurdish fighters.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said Saturday that Turkey was in violation of the cease-fire and was not allowing the opening of a safe corridor to evacuate the wounded and civilians.
NBC News could not verify the claims.
A top Kurdish general told NBC News he fears the Turkish campaign in Syria will result in “ethnic cleansing.”
Oct. 19, 201902:16
Gen. Mazloum Kobani, commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, said that the U.S. bears full responsibility for what is happening.
“We trusted them for five years and the continuing war against ISIS, but now [there is] ethnic cleansing against the Kurdish people under their eyes. If they wanted, they would have interfered to stop it.”
The Kurds, a loyal ally in America's fight against ISIS for years, have claimed Trump’s actions amounted to a betrayal.
But the president has been steadfast about his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from the area, arguing that it was time for the U.S. to stop fighting “endless wars” abroad.
He has also bragged about the cease-fire the U.S. negotiated.
“Think of how many lives we saved in Syria and Turkey," the president said on Twitter late Friday. "Thousands and thousands, and maybe many more!”
Pelosi in Jordan to talk Syria
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi angrily walked out of a White House meeting Wednesday after she claimed Trump had a "meltdown" after contentious exchanges over Syria. It came as the House voted overwhelmingly to condemn Trump's withdrawal.
Pelosi led a bipartisan congressional delegation to Jordan Saturday to discuss the “deepening crisis.”
“Our delegation has engaged in vital discussions about the impact to regional stability, increased flow of refugees, and the dangerous opening that has been provided to ISIS, Iran and Russia,” Pelosi said in a statement.
The delegation included House Intel Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff and Rep. Mac Thornberry, a Republican and the ranking member on the House Armed Services Committee.
Turkey’s invasion has prompted fears of an ISIS resurgence and a worsening of the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
It has also seen Russia and forces of Syria's embattled President Bashar Assad make gains in the region after the U.S. withdrawal.
Oct. 19, 201902:02
Turkish troops are fighting the Syrian Democratic Forces, which are led by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG). Turkey views the YPG as an extension of the separatist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is considered a terrorist group by the United States.
President Erdogan said Saturday that Turkey would press on with its offensive and “crush the heads of terrorists” if a deal with Washington on the withdrawal of Kurdish fighters from the area was not fully implemented.
Richard Engel, Mac William Bishop, Alex Moe and Marc Smith contributed.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/u-s-troops-leaving-syria-western-iraq-defense-secretary-esper-n1069086
2019-10-20 09:56:00Z
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Police blast mosque with water cannon as tens of thousands protest in Hong Kong - The Washington Post
Kim Kyung-Hoon Reuters
HONG KONG — Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters took to Hong Kong’s streets on Sunday, once again defying a police ban on the assembly and undeterred by a brutal attack against a leader of the organization that called for the march.
The huge turnout, which included families, children and the elderly, demonstrated how the movement now in its fifth month continues to have widespread support, despite the increasingly violent tactics used by protesters and escalating use of force by police.
Marchers created a colored sea of umbrellas through the narrow streets of the city’s Kowloon area, which are lined with malls and international hotels. Some were waving Catalonia flags in solidarity with the pro-independence protests in that region of Spain. Police by the early afternoon had warned that the march was illegal, and used tear gas to disperse protesters shouting insults outside a police station.
In contrast to previous demonstrations, however, the situation quickly escalated with clashes occurring long before sunset. By late afternoon Sunday, protesters had begun tearing up bricks and throwing them at police stations along with molotov cocktails, while peaceful marchers ferried material up to the front line.
In mark of their increasing sophistication, protesters also produced power tools to build sturdier barricades to hold back police, drilling metal railings into the road surface itself.
Philip Fong
Afp Via Getty Images
People hold Catalan pro-independence flags as they take part in a pro-democracy march in the Kowloon district in Hong Kong on Oct. 20, 2019.
Police used cannons shooting water laced with a blue irritant against protesters, sending people fleeing down side streets, some doubled over vomiting. When it went past the Kowloon Mosque, the truck unleashed a cascade of blue water in its direction, hitting several people who had been standing outside the place of worship to protect it.
Passersby were left choking and vomiting, and the steps to the mosque turned blue.
“It is ridiculous, the police just went mad,” said Jeremy Tam, a pro-democracy lawmaker, his pants and shoes soaked blue. “We came here to protect the mosque against protesters but it was the police that did this. Why make such a scene when it was just peaceful?”
The months of protests began in opposition to a now-scrapped bill that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China, what the Hong Kong government said was in response to a brutal murder of a young Hong Kong woman by her boyfriend in Taiwan. He has since voluntarily surrendered to the Taiwanese authorities, despite the lack of extradition treaty.
[Apple pulls police-tracking app used by Hong Kong protesters]
Protests have now swelled into an all-out rejection of Hong Kong’s leaders, who many believe are only acting in Beijing’s interest, and revived a demand for direct elections in the semiautonomous territory.
“We don’t care whether they will approve the march or not, our fight for justice in the face of tyranny goes on anyway,” said Victor, 24, who returned to his home city from New Zealand to participate in the protest. “The movement is spreading everywhere, all around the world, and I am proud to be taking a stand with them.”
The protest came days after the leader of the Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF), Jimmy Sham, was attacked by a group of men wielding hammers in the Mong Kok neighborhood. The organization had applied for a permit from the police to hold the protest, but were denied — an increasingly common response from authorities who cite the threat of violence and disruption to public order.
Mark Schiefelbein
AP
Thousands of protesters march during a rally in Hong Kong, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2019.
The beating left Sham splayed on the street covered in blood. It was the second time in recent months that Sham, who is contesting a seat in next month’s local elections, has been targeted. Sham was released from hospital on Sunday, and will continue to need medical treatment and physical therapy.
“The message was clear that someone or some forces behind the scenes are trying to threaten protest organizers and democracy activists,” said Eric Lai vice convener of the CHRF. “We cannot identify who was behind the attacks, but the objective is to create a chilling effect on those who are making demands for justice.”
“Even if our rallies are banned, hundreds of thousands of people will still show up. People will be much angrier,” Lai added.
Founded in September 2002 in opposition to proposed national security legislation, the CHRF is an umbrella organization made up of numerous civil society organizations. While the protest movement has remained leaderless and largely decentralized, the group has played a major role in organizing the largest marches.
[For many in Hong Kong, Beijing’s troops are already here: The Hong Kong Police Force]
The group began organizing protests against the now scrapped anti-extradition bill this spring, steadily gathering momentum as they worked across various neighborhoods to spread the word about the legislation.
Rumors spread online that the attack on Sham was carried out by people who appeared to be South Asian, prompting fears that ethnic minorities could be targeted for reprisal attacks. In response, protesters called for greater outreach to non-Chinese Hong Kongers and to remain vigilant against attempts to incite violence against them.
Volunteers, minorities, protesters and other locals, stood at the gate to the Kowloon Mosque during the protest, holding signs pleading for people not to attack any ethnic minority people or buildings. While some handed out supplies others led chants and passing marchers loudly cheered them on.
Minorities also stood outside Chungking Mansions, a cramped complex of shops and budget accommodation that has long served as a hub for the city’s South Asian and African communities.
“There was a post saying people would attack ethnic minorities and CK Mansion and the mosque so we wanted to show protesters that were in this together, we are also one of them,” said a student volunteer of South Asian descent, who declined to give his name, as he handed out water to protesters outside Chungking Mansions. “This is an important opportunity to emphasize ethnic unity in Hong Kong and in this movement.”
Sham, in an open letter to Hong Kong on Sunday, urged the city’s residents to “protect each other.”
“I believe that everyone who joins this path to democracy are our brothers and sisters, regardless of nationality, language, color and race,” he wrote.
Vincent Yu
AP
Protesters holding flags of the U.S. and Britain march toward the Tsim She Tsui police station during a rally in Hong Kong, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2019
Tense scenes began unfolding outside the Tsim Sha Tsui police station by early afternoon, as protesters shouted chants calling the police gangsters and demanding the force be dissolved. Police use of force has emerged as a key issue for many in Hong Kong, who believe officers are acting with impunity to suppress the movement.
Shortly after a protester urinated on the station’s gates, police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd there.
[Hong Kong protesters plead for American protection as police crackdown intensifies]
Sunday’s protest, initially planned to show opposition to a recently enacted law banning the use of face masks at public gatherings, was cross-generational, and continued for hours from a planned starting point in the Tsim Sha Tsui neighborhood. April, 27, and her boyfriend William, 29, stood near a park where protesters first gathered. The two said they had held off getting married or having kids out of concern over the direction of Hong Kong and the possibility of raising children in a city where Beijing’s grip is tightening.
“The situation for future generations is turning worse very quickly, we are really worried,” April said. “If we don’t fight today there won’t be a future generation.”
Angel Men Chan, a 50-year-old volunteer outside Chunking Mansions, said her parents left mainland China five decades ago to “get away from authoritarianism and oppression.”
“Now, the same thing is happening here,” Chan said, wearing a blue I Heart Hong Kong T-shirt. “Hong Kong deserves better leadership. We are better people. We are not China; We are Hong Kong.”
Read more
China slams ‘arrogant and dangerous’ U.S. over Hong Kong democracy bill
From Shake Shack to Starbucks, the Hong Kong-China standoff is proving bad for business
Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/tens-of-thousands-protest-in-hong-kong-despite-police-ban-and-attack-on-key-organizer/2019/10/20/1fc07746-f2b6-11e9-bb7e-d2026ee0c199_story.html
2019-10-20 09:08:00Z
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