BRUSSELS: The EU’s outgoing foreign policy chief has urged the bloc to suspend a political dialogue with Israel over human rights concerns in Gaza but it is likely to be vetoed, diplomats said Thursday.
Josep Borrell raised his proposal during a meeting of ambassadors on Wednesday, according to four diplomats involved, and is expected to formalize it when European Union foreign ministers gather in Brussels early next week.
The foreign policy chief has written to member states to ask them to suspend the EU’s political dialogue with Israel – part of a wider agreement governing trade ties – “over alleged abuses” in the Gaza conflict, one diplomat said.
“It is forcing people to talk about the issues,” said the diplomat, adding that “the widespread expectation is that it will not be agreed” – considering that EU foreign policy decisions require unanimity among the 27 member states.
Made “without any forewarning,” Borrell’s proposal “came as a complete surprise,” according to a second diplomat who confirmed that it was “immediately objected to by a large group of member states.”
Key powers Germany and Italy were among the countries said to have raised objections, along with the Netherlands, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary and Greece.
Two other diplomats confirmed Borrell’s proposal – formulated as he prepares to hand over next month to his designated successor Kaja Kallas – without providing details.
EU countries – which include staunch allies of Israel as well as firm supporters of the Palestinians – have struggled for a unified position on the Gaza war.
The EU-Israel Association Agreement, dating from 2000 and governing bilateral relations, contains legally binding provisions on human rights, which Borrell hopes to invoke to suspend the political dialogue.
The EU formally invited Israel in June to discuss ties under the accord in the context of the Gaza conflict, but no meeting has taken place for want of an agreement on an agenda.
Spain and Ireland – which earlier this year recognized a Palestinian state – have called on the EU to review the entire association agreement over Israel’s Gaza offensive.
The war erupted with the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas militants, which resulted in 1,206 deaths, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed 43,665 people in Gaza, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry, which the UN considers reliable.
EU top diplomat wants Israel dialogue suspended over Gaza war
https://arab.news/6a36b
EU top diplomat wants Israel dialogue suspended over Gaza war
- Josep Borrell raised his proposal during a meeting of ambassadors
- EU countries have struggled for a unified position on the Gaza war
Bangladesh denies UN pressure in PM’s ouster last year
- A student-led uprising ended Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year tenure last August
- Thousands marched on her palace and forced autocratic premier into exile
A student-led uprising ended Hasina’s 15-year tenure last August, with soldiers failing to intervene as thousands marched on her palace and forced her into exile.
UN human rights chief Volker Turk told the BBC last week that his office had warned that military involvement in any crackdown could result in Bangladeshi soldiers being banned from peacekeeping missions.
Bangladesh’s army said in a statement that it had not received “any direct communication” to that effect.
“This remark... appears to misrepresent the role of the Bangladesh Army and potentially undermines its reputation, sacrifice, and professionalism,” it said.
“During the July-August 2024 protests, the Army once again stood by the people, ensuring public safety without bias or external influence.”
Bangladesh is one of the largest contributors to UN peacekeeping forces globally and its operations are a lucrative source of income for the country’s soldiers.
Turk said in his comments to the BBC that he had been thanked by student leaders during his visit to Bangladesh last year.
“The students were so grateful to us for taking a stand, speaking out, and supporting them,” he said.
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights sent a fact-finding mission to Bangladesh last year to investigate Hasina’s ouster.
Its report, published last month, found “reasonable grounds to believe that the top echelons” of Hasina’s government had committed “very serious” rights violations while attempting to suppress the protests that toppled her.
More than 800 people were killed during last year’s unrest.
Nigeria’s anti-graft agency recovers nearly $500 million in one year
- Nigeria is ranked 140 out of 180 on Transparency International’s latest Corruption Perception Index
LAGOS: Nigeria’s economic crimes commission said it recovered nearly $500 million in proceeds of crime last year and secured more than 4,000 criminal convictions, its highest since the agency’s inception more than two decades ago.
Africa’s biggest energy producer, Nigeria has struggled for decades with endemic corruption, which many Nigerians say contributes to widespread poverty in the country.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which investigates and prosecutes corruption in Nigeria, said in a report on Monday that some of the recovered money was reinvested in government projects.
Nigeria is ranked 140 out of 180 on Transparency International’s latest Corruption Perception Index.
Besides cash, the EFCC said it also seized 931,052 metric tons of petroleum products, 975 real estate properties and company shares.
Russia says expelling two British ‘diplomats’ on spying charges
- Foreign ministry has revoked their accreditations and ordered them to leave Russia within two weeks
- The ministry also summoned an embassy representative in connection with the allegations
MOSCOW: Russia said Monday it was expelling two British “diplomats” on suspicion of carrying out espionage activities.
Announcing the expulsion of the embassy’s second secretary and husband of the first secretary, Russia’s FSB security service said “counterintelligence work had revealed an undeclared British intelligence presence under the cover of the national embassy.”
It said the two “deliberately provided false information when obtaining a permit to enter our country, thus violating Russian legislation.”
The UK did not immediately respond to the allegation.
The Russian foreign ministry has revoked their accreditations and ordered them to leave Russia within two weeks, the FSB said.
The ministry also summoned an embassy representative in connection with the allegations, it said in a post on Telegram.
Relations between Moscow and London have been strained by intelligence scandals throughout Russian President Vladimir Putin’s quarter-century in power.
The UK accused Moscow of being behind the 2006 assassination of former Russian agent and Kremlin critic Alexander Litvinenko in a London poisoning attack.
And in 2018, Britain and its allies expelled dozens of Russian embassy officials they said were spies over the attempted poisoning of former double agent, Sergei Skripal, with Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok.
Monday’s announcement came as Russia shifts blame for the Ukraine conflict away from the United States to Europe, as US President Donald Trump’s administration seeks closer ties with the Kremlin.
Floodwaters still threaten parts of Australia’s east coast as tropical storm cleanup begins
- Around 200,000 homes and businesses still without power in the region on Monday afternoon
- Workers whose livelihoods were hampered by the storm will be eligible for welfare payments
WELLINGTON: Australia’s prime minister cautioned that the fallout from a vicious tropical storm over the weekend was “far from over” as parts of two states remained inundated with perilous floodwaters on Monday, even as the initial threat from the deluge continued to recede.
One person was killed and several others injured after heavy rain lashed Australia’s east coast on Saturday, toppling trees and power lines and inundating some parts of Queensland and New South Wales with record downpours. The two states escaped the level of chaos forecast from the tropical low weather system, which was earlier expected to make landfall as the first tropical cyclone to hit south east Queensland in 51 years – before weakening as it approached.
Still, 200,000 homes and businesses were without power in the region on Monday afternoon – after the storm prompted the biggest blackout in Queensland’s history – and more than 700 schools were closed for the day.
Those living near rivers and creeks were urged to evacuate or stay indoors as water levels continued to rise in some areas – with more rain forecast triggering further warnings during the day. Disaster was declared for the city of Ipswich, west of Brisbane, where a river was expected to flood overnight. People in surrounding suburbs were ordered to leave their homes.
Meanwhile, in other towns where floodwaters began to recede a cleanup began as power was restored for tens of thousands of people. The scale of the damage was not immediately clear.
Workers whose livelihoods were hampered by the storm will be eligible for welfare payments for up to 13 weeks beginning Tuesday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters on Monday.
In the city of Lismore in New South Wales, two military trucks helping with the rescue efforts on Saturday rolled over, injuring 13 of the 36 personnel traveling in them. One remained in hospital on Monday with injuries that were not life-threatening, Australia’s Defense Minister Richard Marles said.
The single casualty of the crisis was a 61-year-old man who disappeared in a flooded river near the New South Wales town of Dorrigo, police said. His body was recovered on Saturday.
Albanese warned residents of the two stricken states not to be “complacent” as flood warnings lingered.
“If it’s flooded, forget it,” he said, referring to traveling in or entering inundated areas.
Cyclones are common in Queensland’s tropical north but are rare in the state’s temperate and densely populated southeast corner that borders New South Wales. Tropical Cyclone Alfred was last week expected to become the first cyclone since 1974 to cross the Australian coast near Queensland’s state capital of Brisbane, Australia’s third-most populous city.
But it weakened Saturday to a tropical low, defined as carrying sustained winds of less than 63 kph (39 mph).
Authorities had feared similar scenes to those eastern Australia experienced during massive floods in 2011 and in a series of 2022 events – in which more than 20 people died.
India clashes injure four in cricket win celebrations
- Clashes erupted as revelers in Indore town lit firecrackers outside a mosque
- Clashes during cricket win celebrations are not uncommon in Hindu-majority India
NEW DELHI: At least four people were injured in the central Indian town of Dr. Ambedkar Nagar on Sunday in clashes that erupted when revellers celebrating India’s Champions Trophy win lit firecrackers outside a mosque, officials said.
India won the Champions Trophy title on Sunday evening after beating New Zealand by four wickets in the final in Dubai, claiming its second successive global title.
The clashes in Dr. Ambedkar Nagar, earlier known as Mhow, involved stone pelting from both sides, officials said, and several cars, shops, and bikes were also vandalized and torched.
The town is located about 200 km (124 miles) from Madhya Pradesh state’s capital Bhopal.
“Some processions were being taken out in which some people lit firecrackers outside the masjid (mosque), after which there was a disagreement between both sides,” senior police officer Hitika Vasal told reporters.
Police used tear gas shells to quell the violence, local media reported.
Video footage showed deserted lanes with police personnel in riot gear, as some cars with shattered windows and others blackened as a result of being torched stood by the side.
The footage also showed glass shards on the road and shops that had been vandalized.
“The situation is currently under control,” another senior police officer, Nimish Agarwal, told reporters, adding that police patrols had been started in sensitive areas.
Hindu-majority India houses the world’s third-largest Muslim population and clashes during celebrations of cricketing victories are not uncommon.
Police in the western state of Maharashtra had to similarly use force to control crowds celebrating India’s win over arch-rival Pakistan in the same tournament last month, local media had reported.
Activists, opposition groups, and some governments have accused the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led federal government of discriminating against Muslims, and failing to act against those targeting them.
Modi and his government have denied the allegations.
