Duterte rapped for flip-flop orders over virus lockdown

In this Friday, April 3, 2020, photo provided by the Malacanang Presidential Photographers Division, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte speaks during a late night live broadcast in Malacanang, Manila, Philippines. (AP)
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Updated 05 April 2020
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Duterte rapped for flip-flop orders over virus lockdown

  • Philippine president denies issuing ‘shoot-to-kill’ instructions for those violating curfew

MANILA: To shoot or not to shoot, that is the question — one that has left experts and human rights groups in the Philippines perplexed.

The confusion follows President Rodrigo Duterte’s statement late Friday night wherein he denied issuing “shoot-to-kill” orders for anyone violating a Luzon-wide lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the country.
Experts, however, say it is imperative to read between the lines.
“He must have seen the strong negative reaction from the people. You never issue a shoot-to-kill order publicly,” Fr. Eliseo Mercado of the think tank Institute for Autonomy and Governance told Arab News on Saturday.
Duterte’s instructions follow a protest staged by residents of a village in Quezon City on Wednesday to demand food aid, claiming they had not received relief items since the government placed the entire island under enhanced community quarantine starting March 17. Mercado says the protesters had no choice.
“Those people are hungry because of the lockdown,” he said.
The protests led to Duterte issuing an impromptu order to police, military and village officials to shoot those who “cause chaos during the lockdown.”
“Shoot them dead. Do you understand? Dead. Instead of causing trouble, I’ll send you to the grave,” Duterte said at the time.
However, on Friday night, Duterte took a U-turn in an address to the nation.
“I am a lawyer. I never said in public ‘shoot-to-kill.’ Period,” the president said, emphasizing that he told state forces to use force only if their lives came under threat while making an arrest.
“If they resist ... If they fight back ... if they put (your life) in danger ... shoot them. Kill them. That’s the law,” he stressed.
Human rights groups have since condemned the president’s remarks.
In a statement released on Saturday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Duterte’s latest threats cannot be ignored.
“At the very least, Duterte gives the police all the justification they need to commit human rights abuses against people who may be violating these COVID-19 regulations because they need to find work or food,” Carlos Conde of HRW said.
Instead of threatening the poor, he argued that the government should extend the necessary assistance during the outbreak.

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The confusion follows Duterte’s statement wherein he denied issuing ‘shoot-to-kill’ orders for anyone violating a Luzon-wide lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the country.

“Duterte may feel exasperated by incidents of people breaking curfew regulations, but he has to understand that, for the poor affected by this crisis, it is a matter of survival,” Conde said.
On Friday, presidential legal adviser and Malacacang spokesperson Salvador Panelo said that the president “minced no words” in warning of deadly consequences for those who continue to “create unrest, panic, confusion, fear and foment hate against the government.”
“He warned them that if they want trouble and bloodshed, he will accommodate them and give them hell,” Panelo said, referring to Duterte’s previous remarks.
“The president is tasked by the constitution to enforce it and the laws of the land. Transgressors will suffer the consequences of their violations as imposed by law,” he added.
Panelo explained that threatening violators and enemies of the state with deathly violence is “not a crime.”
“The law allows the use of lethal violence when someone’s life depends on it. That is a universal law anchored on the principle of self-preservation,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Department of the Interior and Local Government has urged local government units to hasten the process of assisting the Department of Social Welfare and Development to distribute Social Amelioration Program Bayanihan funds to low-income families.
Interior Secretary Eduardo M. Aco said all LGUs must expedite the distribution, collection, and encoding of the SAP forms of qualified beneficiaries for immediate submission to the DSWD field office in their locality.
Aco added that the government released the first wave of financial assistance to low-income Filipino families on Friday.
 Under the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, a total of P200 billion  ($3.9 billion) was allocated toward the SAP Bayanihan Fund to 18 million low-income families affected by the crisis across the country.


Governor Koike discusses areas of cooperation with Egyptian Prime Minister Madbouly

Updated 10 sec ago
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Governor Koike discusses areas of cooperation with Egyptian Prime Minister Madbouly

  • Dr. Mostafa Madbouly congratulated Koike on her re-election as Governor of Tokyo
  • The Prime Minister also lauded Japan’s contribution to implementing the Japanese Tokkatsu educational system

TOKYO: Governor of Tokyo, Koike Yuriko, who is visiting Cairo, met Egyptian Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly on Friday at the government headquarters in the New Administrative Capital and discussed several cooperation initiatives, Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) officials told Arab News Japan.
The officials said Dr. Amr Talaat, Egypt’s Minister of Communications, and Information Technology; Ambassador Ahmed Shahin, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Asian Affairs; Mr. Katsunobu Takada, Chargé d’Affaires at the Japanese Embassy in Cairo, and Governor Koike’s accompanying delegation attended the meeting.
At the beginning of the meeting, the Prime Minister warmly welcomed Governor Koike and her delegation. He underscored the strategic and historical relations between Egypt and Japan, a testament to the enduring bond that continues to flourish in various fields.
Dr. Mostafa Madbouly congratulated Koike on her re-election as Governor of Tokyo in July for the third consecutive term and expressed his hopes for continued close coordination on various areas of bilateral cooperation.
The Prime Minister also expressed his fervent hope that Japan’s Prime Minister, alongside Governor Koike, will grace the official opening ceremony of the Grand Egyptian Museum once the project is finalized. He also extended his gratitude for Japan’s substantial contributions to major development projects in Egypt, including the museum.
Dr. Madbouly highlighted the Grand Egyptian Museum project as one of the foremost examples of cooperation between Cairo and Tokyo, along with the Egyptian Japanese educational partnership, exemplified by the Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology and Japanese Egyptian schools.
The Prime Minister also lauded Japan’s contribution to implementing the Japanese Tokkatsu educational system, affirming that Egypt is planning to expand this system. He attributed this decision to President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s directive, acknowledging the system’s remarkable success and high quality.
Dr. Madbouly also highlighted the ongoing cooperation between the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and TMG through the “SUSHI Tech Tokyo” initiative, a platform for promoting technological innovation, and the “Tokyo Innovation Base” platform, a hub for fostering entrepreneurial activities and technological advancements.
In turn, Governor Koike praised the bilateral cooperation between Egypt and Japan, expressing her happiness to visit Egypt, where she has unforgettable memories, having studied at Cairo University.
Koike also commended the well-organized 12th World Urban Forum, a global platform for discussing urban issues and solutions, which attracted a wide global audience.
In the meeting, Tokyo Governor Koike invited the Prime Minister, the Minister of Communications, and other Egyptian entities to participate in the upcoming “SUSHI Tech Tokyo” forum, scheduled for the first half of 2025. She noted that Japan has worked over the years to establish itself as a hub for startups and a welcoming environment for entrepreneurs.
Dr. Amr Talaat discussed several collaborative programs with Koike in information and communication technology, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and entrepreneurship. They explored the potential for experience exchange in business incubators for small projects across various sectors, including financial services, health care, and education.
Talaat highlighted that one of the main areas of cooperation with Tokyo’s government is in the startup and entrepreneurship sectors.
Governor Koike is in Egypt on the first leg of a tour of the region that includes Abu Dhabi of the UAE.


Germany brushes off Musk calling Scholz a ‘fool’

Updated 49 min 49 sec ago
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Germany brushes off Musk calling Scholz a ‘fool’

  • Government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann took a playful dig at the US tycoon, saying that “on X, you have Narrenfreiheit,” which translates to the freedom to act like a fool
  • A tight-lipped Scholz simply called it “not very friendly“

BERLIN: German officials on Friday brushed off tech billionaire Elon Musk labelling Olaf Scholz a “fool” on his social media platform X after the dramatic collapse of the chancellor’s coalition government.
In a comment Thursday above a post about the implosion of Scholz’s long-troubled coalition, the world’s richest man tweeted in German: “Olaf ist ein Narr” — “Olaf is a fool.”
Asked about Musk’s comment, government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann took a playful dig at the US tycoon, saying that “on X, you have Narrenfreiheit,” which translates to the freedom to act like a fool.
The word refers to revellers during Germany’s traditional carnival season, which starts next week, having the freedom to act without inhibitions.
Historically, the term echoes the notion of the “jester’s privilege” — the right of a court jester to mock those in power without being punished by the king.
Asked later about the comment, a tight-lipped Scholz simply called it “not very friendly,” adding that Internet companies are “not organs of state so I did not even pay it any attention.”
Musk strongly supported US election winner Donald Trump, and is now positioned to take up a role in his administration as a deputy tasked with restructuring government operations.
It is not the first time the Tesla boss has had run-ins with German officials online.
Last year he said Berlin-funded migrant rescue operations in the Mediterranean could be seen as an “invasion” of Italy, sparking a terse response from the German foreign ministry.
He has also expressed sympathy for some of the positions of Germany’s far-right AfD party, which has notched up a string of recent electoral successes and is riding high in the opinion polls.


First flight with Israelis evacuated from Amsterdam lands in Tel Aviv

Updated 08 November 2024
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First flight with Israelis evacuated from Amsterdam lands in Tel Aviv

  • The plane that arrived in Tel Aviv had passengers evacuated from Amsterdam

TEL AVIV: The first flight carrying Israelis evacuated from Amsterdam after violent clashes following a football match there landed on Friday at Ben Gurion International Airport, the Israel Airports Authority said.
“The plane that arrived in Tel Aviv now has passengers evacuated from Amsterdam,” Liza Dvir, spokeswoman for the airport authority told AFP.


India’s Modi rejects calls to restore Kashmir’s partial autonomy

Updated 08 November 2024
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India’s Modi rejects calls to restore Kashmir’s partial autonomy

  • Modi revoked partial autonomy in 2019 and split the state into the two federally administered territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh 
  • Jammu and Kashmir held its first local election in a decade this year, newly-elected lawmakers passed resolution this week seeking restoration

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly backed his government’s contentious 2019 decision to revoke the partial autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir, days after the territory’s newly elected lawmakers sought its restoration.
“Only the constitution of Babasaheb Ambedkar will operate in Kashmir... No power in the world can restore Article 370 (partial autonomy) in Kashmir,” Modi said, referring to one of the founding fathers of the Indian constitution.
Modi was speaking at a state election rally in the western state of Maharashtra, where Ambedkar was from.
Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government revoked partial autonomy in 2019 and split the state into the two federally administered territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh — a move that was opposed by many political groups in the Himalayan region.
Jammu and Kashmir held its first local election in a decade in September and October and the newly-elected lawmakers passed a resolution this week seeking the restoration.
Jammu and Kashmir’s ruling National Conference party had promised in its election manifesto that it would restore the partial autonomy, although the power to do so lies with Modi’s federal government.
Jammu and Kashmir’s new lawmakers can legislate on local issues like other Indian states, except matters regarding public order and policing. They will also need the approval of the federally-appointed administrator on all policy decisions that have financial implications.
Under the system of partial autonomy, Kashmir had its own constitution and the freedom to make laws on all issues except foreign affairs, defense and communications.
The troubled region, where separatist militants have fought security forces since 1989, is India’s only Muslim-majority territory.
It has been at the center of a territorial dispute with Pakistan since the neighbors gained independence from British colonial rule in 1947.
Kashmir is claimed in full but ruled in part by both India and Pakistan, which have fought two of their three wars over the region.


Kyiv says Russia has returned bodies of 563 soldiers

Updated 08 November 2024
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Kyiv says Russia has returned bodies of 563 soldiers

  • The exchange of prisoners and bodies of killed military personnel remains one of the few areas of cooperation
  • The announcement represents one of the largest repatriations of killed Ukrainian servicemen

KYIV: Ukraine said on Friday it had received the bodies of 563 soldiers from Russian authorities, mainly troops that had died in combat in the eastern Donetsk region.
The exchange of prisoners and bodies of killed military personnel remains one of the few areas of cooperation between Moscow and Kyiv since Russia invaded in 2022.
“The bodies of 563 fallen Ukrainian defenders were returned to Ukraine,” the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said in a statement on social media.
The announcement represents one of the largest repatriations of killed Ukrainian servicemen since the beginning of the war.
The statement said that 320 of the remains were returned from the Donetsk region and that 89 of the soldiers had been killed near Bakhmut, a town captured by Russia in May last year after a costly battle.
Another 154 of the bodies were returned from morgues inside Russia, the statement added.
Neither Russia nor Ukraine publicly disclose how many military personnel have been killed fighting.