LIMA: Peru’s president declared a state of emergency in the capital Monday and ordered the deployment of soldiers to help police address a surge of violence, amid widespread outcry a day after the killing of a popular singer.
President Dina Boluarte’s government published a decree saying that the state of emergency will last 30 days, and authorities will restrict some rights, including the freedom of assembly and movement. That means the police and the army would be able to detain people without a judicial order.
Peru has seen an increase of killings, violent extortion and attacks on public places in recent months. Police reported 459 killings from Jan. 1 to March 16, and 1,909 extortion reports in January alone. But outrage crested after the killing Sunday of Paul Flores, the 39-year-old lead singer of the cumbia band Armonia 10.
In Congress, opposition lawmakers requested a vote of no confidence against Interior Minister Juan José Santiváñez for what they say is a lack of a plan to fight rising violence. The vote is expected to be discussed in the Congress’ plenary later this week.
Flores was shot to death early Sunday when assailants attacked the bus he and bandmates were traveling after a concert in Lima. Cumbia is a Latin music style that people dance to the rhythm of drums, maracas and other instruments.
The attack against the popular singer was not the only violent event over the weekend. On Saturday, an object exploded at a restaurant in the capital, injuring at least 11 people.
Boluarte’s government previously decreed a state of emergency in an attempt to stem the violence between September and December.
Peru declares an emergency and deploys the army as violence surges in the capital
https://arab.news/wz6ar
Peru declares an emergency and deploys the army as violence surges in the capital
- Authorities will restrict freedom of assembly and movement during the 30 days state of emergency
US repatriates a child from sprawling camp in northeastern Syria
The department estimates that some 30,000 people from 70 countries remain in Al-Hol Camp, most of them wives and children of IS fighters as well as supporters of the extremist group. They include Iraqis as well as nationals of Western countries who traveled to join IS.
Human rights groups for years have cited poor living conditions and pervasive violence in the camp, which the US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have administered for years. The SDF are Washington’s key ally in combating IS in Syria and its sleeper cells, and for years have run large swaths of northeastern Syria.
The State Department did not give any details about the repatriation, except to say in a statement that the child “has known nothing of life outside of the camps” and will be reunified with their family.
The US military for years has been pushing for countries to repatriate their citizens from Al-Hol and the smaller, separate Roj Camp. Iraq has taken back an increasing number in recent years, but many other countries have remained reluctant.
“The only durable solution to the humanitarian and security crisis in these displaced persons camps in northeast Syria is for countries of origin to repatriate, rehabilitate, reintegrate, and where appropriate, ensure accountability for their nationals,” the State Department statement read. “The same goes for former Daesh fighters held in detention centers in northeast Syria,” it said, using a different abbreviation for IS.
Despite difficult talks to formally merge with the country’s new rulers under interim President Ahmad Al-Sharaa, Damascus and the SDF in May reached an agreement to repatriate Syrians in the camp. Since the ouster of Bashar Assad in December, Washington has been pushing for the two sides to implement their deal and unify Syrian territory, which would ultimately put the camp under the control of the government.
The SDF did not immediately comment on the repatriation.
China says to hold military drills with Russia in August
- Alongside economic and political ties, Moscow and Beijing have deepened military cooperation in recent years as both countries seek to counterbalance what they see as a United States-led global order
BEIJING: China said Wednesday it would conduct joint military drills with Russia in August, including sea and air exercises near Vladivostok and joint naval patrols in the Pacific.
Alongside economic and political ties, Moscow and Beijing have deepened military cooperation in recent years as both countries seek to counterbalance what they see as a United States-led global order.
The drills, named “Joint Sea-2025,” were part of regular bilateral cooperation plans and “not directed against third parties,” Chinese defense ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang told a press conference Wednesday.
After the drills, they will also conduct naval patrols in “relevant waters of the Pacific,” Zhang said.
Last year’s “Joint Sea-2024” exercises were held along China’s southern coast.
The “Joint Sea-2025” drills are due to take place ahead of a planned visit to China by Russian President Vladimir Putin beginning late August.
Putin will attend a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as well as celebrations, including a military parade, to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
He will also hold talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Relations between the two countries have deepened since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
China has never denounced Russia’s more than three-year military war nor called for it to withdraw its troops, and many of Ukraine’s allies believe that Beijing has provided support to Moscow.
China insists it is a neutral party, regularly calling for an end to the fighting while also accusing Western countries of prolonging the conflict by arming Ukraine.
Xi told Russia’s foreign minister earlier in July that their countries should “strengthen mutual support” during a meeting in Beijing.
France, 14 other nations urge recognition of Palestinian state
- 15 nations including Spain, Norway, and Finland affirmed their “unwavering commitment to the vision of the two-state solution”
PARIS: France and 14 other Western nations called on countries worldwide to move to recognize a Palestinian state, France’s top diplomat said Wednesday.
The foreign ministers of 15 countries late Tuesday issued a joint statement following a conference in New York, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, aimed at reviving a two-state solution between Israelis and the Palestinians.
“In New York, together with 14 other countries, France is issuing a collective appeal: we express our desire to recognize the State of Palestine and invite those who have not yet done so to join us,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot wrote on X.
President Emmanuel Macron announced last week he would formally recognize Palestinian statehood in September, provoking strong opposition from Israel and the United States.
France is hoping to build a momentum around the formal recognition of a Palestinian state.
On Tuesday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the UK will formally recognize the State of Palestine in September unless Israel takes various “substantive steps,” including agreeing to a ceasefire in Gaza.
Starmer’s move, paired with Paris, would make the two European allies the first G7 nations to do so.
In the statement, 15 nations including Spain, Norway, and Finland affirmed their “unwavering commitment to the vision of the two-state solution.”
Nine of the signatories which have not yet recognized the Palestinian state expressed “the willingness or the positive consideration of their countries” to do so, including Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
Seventeen countries plus the European Union and Arab League during the conference joined calls for Hamas to disarm and end its rule of Gaza, in a bid to end the devastating war in the Palestinian territory.
UK rejects criticism that move to recognize Palestinian state rewards Hamas
- Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s ultimatum, setting a September deadline for Israel, prompted an immediate rebuke from his counterpart in Jerusalem, who said it rewarded Hamas and punished the victims of their 2023 cross-border attack
LONDON: Britain on Wednesday rejected criticism that it was rewarding militant group Hamas by setting out plans to recognize a Palestinian state unless Israel took steps to improve the situation in Gaza and bring about peace.
The sight of emaciated Gaza children has shocked the world in recent days and on Tuesday, a hunger monitor warned that a worst-case scenario of famine was unfolding there and immediate action was needed to avoid widespread death.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s ultimatum, setting a September deadline for Israel, prompted an immediate rebuke from his counterpart in Jerusalem, who said it rewarded Hamas and punished the victims of their 2023 cross-border attack.
US President Donald Trump said he did not think Hamas “should be rewarded” with recognition of Palestinian independence.
Asked about that criticism, British Transport Minister Heidi Alexander — designated by the government to respond to questions in a series of media interviews on Wednesday — said it was not the right way to characterise Britain’s plan.
“This is not a reward for Hamas. Hamas is a vile terrorist organization that has committed appalling atrocities. This is about the Palestinian people. It’s about those children that we see in Gaza who are starving to death,” she told LBC radio.
“We’ve got to ratchet up pressure on the Israeli government to lift the restrictions to get aid back into Gaza.”
France announced last week it would recognize Palestinian statehood in September.
Successive British governments have said they would recognize a Palestinian state when it was most effective to do so.
In a televised address on Tuesday, Starmer said that moment had now come, highlighting the suffering in Gaza and saying the prospect of a two-state solution — a Palestinian state co-existing in peace alongside Israel — was under threat.
Starmer said Britain would make the move at the UN General Assembly in September unless Israel took substantive steps to allow more aid to enter Gaza, made clear there will be no annexation of the West Bank and committed to a long-term peace process that delivered a two-state solution.
Australia bans YouTube accounts for children under 16 in reversal of previous stance
- The age restrictions take effect Dec. 10 and platforms will face fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) for “failing to take responsible steps” to exclude underage account holders, a government statement said
- Children will be able to access YouTube but will not be allowed to have their own YouTube accounts
MELBOURNE: The Australian government announced YouTube will be among the social media platforms that must ensure account holders are at least 16-years-old from December, reversing a position taken months ago on the popular video-sharing service.
YouTube was listed as an exemption in November last year when the Parliament passed world-first laws that will ban Australian children younger than 16 from platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and X.
Communications Minister Anika Wells released rules Wednesday that decide which online services are defined as “age-restricted social media platforms” and which avoid the age limit.
The age restrictions take effect Dec. 10 and platforms will face fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) for “failing to take responsible steps” to exclude underage account holders, a government statement said. The steps are not defined.
Wells defended applying the restrictions to YouTube and said the government would not be intimidated by threats of legal action from the platform’s US owner, Alphabet Inc.
“The evidence cannot be ignored that four out of 10 Australian kids report that their most recent harm was on YouTube,” Wells told reporters, referring to government research. “We will not be intimidated by legal threats when this is a genuine fight for the wellbeing of Australian kids.”
Children will be able to access YouTube but will not be allowed to have their own YouTube accounts.
YouTube said the government’s decision “reverses a clear, public commitment to exclude YouTube from this ban.”
“We share the government’s goal of addressing and reducing online harms. Our position remains clear: YouTube is a video sharing platform with a library of free, high-quality content, increasingly viewed on TV screens. It’s not social media,” a YouTube statement said, noting it will consider next steps and engage with the government.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia would campaign at a United Nations forum in New York in September for international support for banning children from social media.
“I know from the discussions I’ve had with other leaders that they are looking at this and they are considering what impact social media is having on young people in their respective nations,” Albanese said. “It is a common experience. This is not an Australian experience.”
Last year, the government commissioned an evaluation of age assurance technologies that was to report last month on how young children could be excluded from social media.
The government had yet to receive that evaluation’s final recommendations, Wells said. But she added the platform users won’t have to upload documents such as passports and driver’s licenses to prove their age.
“Platforms have to provide an alternative to providing your own personal identification documents to satisfy themselves of age,” Wells said. “These platforms know with deadly accuracy who we are, what we do and when we do it. And they know that you’ve had a Facebook account since 2009, so they know that you are over 16.”
Exempt services include online gaming, messaging, education and health apps. They are excluded because they are considered less harmful to children.
The minimum age is intended to address harmful impacts on children including addictive behaviors caused by persuasive or manipulative platform design features, social isolation, sleep interference, poor mental and physical health, low life-satisfaction and exposure to inappropriate and harmful content, government documents say.
