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Dozens killed in IED and gun attacks in northern Burkina Faso (thedefensepost, Sep 9, 2019)
https://thedefensepost.com/2019/09/09/burkina-faso-ied-gun-attacks-sahel-centre-nord/
“At least 29 people were killed and six injured in two attacks in northern Burkina Faso on Sunday, September 8, the government said, after an al-Qaeda-linked group warned Sahel states not to support French forces in the region.
One vehicle, transporting people and goods in the Centre-Nord region, “rode over an improvised explosive device in the Barsalogho area, leaving at least 10 passengers dead, most of them tradesmen,” a security source told AFP.
Infowakat reported security and local sources as saying the explosion occurred in Guendbila village between Barsalogho in the Centre-Nord and Foubé in the Sahel region, as the vehicle was returning from a market in Foubé.
In a Sunday statement, Communications Minister Remis Fulgance Dandjinou said that 15 people were killed and six injured in the IED attack between Barsalogho and Guendbila.
“Military reinforcements have been deployed and clearance operations are underway,” Dandjinou said, noting that the attack comes as “important security efforts are underway in this region.”
Meanwhile, around 50 km (30 miles) to the east, 10 drivers of three-wheeler food vans traveling in convoy, were killed by armed attackers, a local official told AFP, adding that the vans were carrying provisions for people displaced by fighting.
According to Infowakat, the gun attack took place between Dablo in the Centre-Nord and Kelbo in the Sahel region’s Soum province.
In a second statement, Dandjinou said that 14 civilians were killed and “extensive material damage” caused in the attack which he said was “perpetrated by terrorists.”
He said the government “reiterates its willingness to support the organizations and institutions involved in humanitarian action” and that every effort will be made “to ensure that humanitarian convoys in areas affected by terrorist attacks are under security escort.”
On September 5, a Burkina Faso soldier and five assailants were killed in an ambush on an army patrol in Diomsogui in Kelbo department, while in May, gunmen killed a Catholic priest and five churchgoers during Sunday mass in Dablo.
On August 30, one soldier was injured in an attack in Tongomayel, near Soum province capital Djibo. In an August 31 statement, JNIM said its fighters carried out the attack and five days later released images showing a wide range of weapons, ammunition, mobile phones and other equipment that it said were captured in Tongomayel.
The Tongomayel attack came just weeks after Burkina Faso’s worst-ever insurgent attack. On August 19, 24 soldiers were killed and seven others injured in Koutougou, around 65 km northeast of Tongomayel. A security source told AFP that “several dozen terrorists” on motorbikes and in pickup trucks carried out the attack, which they said was “well-prepared and coordinated by several terrorist groups.”
Growing insurgencies in Burkina Faso
One of the poorest countries in the world, former French colony Burkina Faso lies in the heart of the sprawling, impoverished Sahel, on the southern rim of the Sahara desert.
The country has been battling an escalating wave of attacks over the last three years, beginning in the North region near the border with Mali. Attacks have spread to the East region, near the border with Togo, Benin and Niger, and to a lesser extent, the west of the country.`
Most attacks are attributed to the jihadist group Ansar ul Islam, which emerged near the Mali border in December 2016, the Group to Support Islam and Muslims (JNIM) which has sworn allegiance to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, and Islamic State-affiliated groups.
Since May, Islamic State has attributed insurgent activities in the Mali-Burkina Faso-Niger tri-border area to its West Africa Province affiliate, rather than Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, and in a June ISIS propaganda video, ISWAP militants purportedly in Burkina Faso were shown reaffirming their pledge of allegiance to ISIS.
JNIM warns G5 Sahel not to support the “French occupation”
In a September 5 statement, JNIM warned the government of Burkina Faso, and those in G5 Sahel regional group, that attacks against their forces will continue while they support the France-led Operation Barkhane.
The 4,500-strong Barkhane force has mandate for counter-terrorism operations across the Sahel includes personnel from Estonia and helicopters from the United Kingdom. Denmark plans send two helicopters and up to 70 troops to support the force.
Barkhane focuses activity in insurgent-hit Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and troops will work alongside the G5 Sahel Joint Force, a long-planned 4,500-strong joint counter-terrorism force comprising troops from Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Niger and Mauritania.
France spearheaded the G5 Sahel initiative, but it has been undermined by lack of training, poor equipment and a shortage of funds. Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres has repeatedly called for regular U.N. funding for the G5 Sahel Joint Force, but the U.S. has pushed back against direct funding.
“The French occupation put together a plan to support the armies of the Sahel region, so that they serve as a shield to repel the strikes of the Mujahideen, to keep the French soldier protected in its strongholds behind those cheap cogs in the wheel,” the JNIM statement said.
“This has forced the mujahideen to each time discipline those hired armies, which we wish to see fighting the occupiers and deterring the aggression on the Muslims, or at least remain neutral. But there is no life for those who do not listen.”
“Burkina Faso would have been prosperous and spared from this war had it not been for the French-backed coup government,” the statement added.
“It is high time for the governments of the Sahel called the “G5? to re-consider their involvement with the occupier,” it said.
Al-Qaeda-linked militants have also begun to assassinate people seen as collaborating with French forces, according to France 24’s Wassim Nasr.
ECOSWAS counter-terrorism summit
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is due to hold an Extraordinary Summit on Counter-Terrorism for heads of state and government in Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadougou on Saturday.
The meeting will focus on the Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin and seeks to build on earlier discussions in Niger between stakeholders on terrorism and inter-communal clashes in the region, which was followed by a meeting of the Chiefs of Defence Staff, Chiefs of Security and Intelligence Services that discussed counter-terrorism.
A counter-terrorism action plan on developed from those meetings is due to be presented to the ECOWAS Council of Ministers Thursday, ahead of the September 14 summit.
After a bilateral meeting ahead of summit, Niger’s President Issoufou Mahamadou and his Mali counterpart Ibrahim Boubacar Keita on Saturday discussed a sub-regional and regional approach to tackling terrorism supported by intelligence exchanges, and announced the two states would set up a joint cross-border security committee composed of the ministers of defense, security, foreign affairs, justice and finance and supplemented by representatives of both National Security Councils.”
Iran Warns of Foreign Plot for Bloodshed in Afghanistan (tasnimnews, Sep 9, 2019)
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2019/09/09/2093217/iran-warns-of-foreign-plot-for-bloodshed-in-afghanistan
“Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has cautioned the Afghan warring parties against a plot that outsiders are hatching to trigger a new round of carnage across Afghanistan.
In comments on Sunday, Zarif voiced concern about the current circumstances in Afghanistan, saying, “The Islamic Republic of Iran is warning that the aliens and aggressors may take advantage of the new situation in that country (Afghanistan) to launch a new round of slaughter and bloodshed in Afghanistan.”
“From our viewpoint, the invaders and occupiers must concede defeat and leave Afghanistan as soon as possible,” the Iranian foreign minister underlined.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran asks the whole (Afghan) warring parties to exercise self-restraint, abandon fratricide, and seriously avoid shedding the blood of innocent civilians until the achievement of a lasting ceasefire agreement and national reconciliation,” he added.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran respects Afghanistan’s sovereignty, stresses the need for the whole Afghan people to own and direct any peace process, and is prepared to hold consultations and negotiations with all warring sides in Afghanistan under a regional initiative along with the neighbors, as well as the Afghan government and all Afghan groups in order to prevent the shedding of innocent blood and facilitate the achievement of a sustainable deal,” Zarif noted.
He finally pledged that Tehran will spare no “sincere and evenhanded effort” to help resolve the Afghan conflicts.”
Iraqi Popular Forces Clear 20 Villages from Daesh Terrorists in Diyala (tasnimnews, Sep 9, 2019)
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2019/09/09/2093355/iraqi-popular-forces-clear-20-villages-from-daesh-terrorists-in-diyala
“A senior commander of Iraq’s Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Units) announced that the forces have managed to clear 20 villages in the eastern province of Diyala from Daesh (ISIS or ISIL) terrorists.
In a statement, Talib al-Mousavi, the commander of the Hashd al-Shaabi’s operation in Diyala code-named “Ashoura”, said the PMU forces started the clean-up operation on Sunday morning.
The operation covers an area of up to 54 square kilometers, he said, adding that about 20 villages in the province were cleared of Daesh and their vehicles and equipment were captured.
According to the commander, the Ashoura operation was carried out with the support of the Iraqi Air Force.
Daesh militants made swift advances in much of northern and western Iraq over the summer of 2014, after capturing large swaths of northern Syria.
However, a combination of concentrated attacks by the Iraqi military and the volunteer forces, who rushed to take arms after top Iraqi cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani issued a fatwa calling for a fight against the militants, blunted the edge of Daesh offensive and later forced them to withdraw from the territories they had occupied.
In November 2017, the self-proclaimed caliphate of Daesh collapsed after Syrian and Iraqi armed forces and their allies managed to recapture the terror group’s last strongholds in the two Arab countries.”
Saudi Arabia wants to enrich uranium for nuclear power — Prince Abdulaziz (saudigazette, Sep 9, 2019)
http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/576788/SAUDI-ARABIA/Saudi-Arabia-wants-to-enrich-uranium-for-nuclear-power-mdash-Prince-Abdulaziz
“Saudi Arabia wants to have uranium production and enrichment in future for its planned nuclear power program that will begin with two atomic reactors, the Kingdom’s new energy minister said on Monday.
The world’s top oil exporter has said it wants to use the metal to diversify its energy mix, but uranium enrichment also opens up the possibility of military uses of the material, the issue at the heart of Western and regional concerns over Iran’s atomic work.
“We are proceeding with it cautiously … we are experimenting with two nuclear reactors,” Prince Abdulaziz said, referring to a plan to issue a tender for the Kingdom’s first two nuclear power reactors.
He told an energy conference here that ultimately the Kingdom wanted to go ahead with the full cycle of the nuclear program, including the production and enrichment of uranium for fuel.
The tender is expected in 2020, with US, Russian, South Korean, Chinese and French firms involved in preliminary talks about the multi-billion-dollar project.
Prince Abdulaziz also said that the country is aiming for an initial public offering of its national oil giant Saudi Aramco “as soon as possible.”
He was speaking for the first time since his appointment earlier this week, replacing Khalid Al-Falih, at an energy conference in Abu Dhabi.
Aramco is preparing to sell up to a 5% stake by 2020-2021, in what could be the world’s biggest IPO.
The company is meeting banks pitching for roles on the deal this week, and is expected to appoint the advisers in the coming days, two sources told Reuters.
The IPO is a centerpiece of Saudi Arabia’s economic transformation drive to attract foreign investment and diversify away from oil.
Prince Abdulaziz said on Monday the world’s top oil exporter would keep working with other producers to achieve market balance and that an OPEC-led supply-curbing deal would survive “with the will of everybody”.
Prince Abdulaziz told reporters there would be “no radical” change in the oil policy of Saudi Arabia, which he said was based on strategic considerations such as reserves and energy consumption.
The prince had helped negotiate the deal between the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, a group known as OPEC+, to cut global crude supply in order to support prices and balance the market.
He told reporters on the sidelines of an energy conference in Abu Dhabi that the OPEC+ alliance was “staying for the long term” and called on OPEC members to comply with output targets.
“We have always worked in a cohesive, coherent way within OPEC to make sure that producers work and prosper together,” the prince said.
“It would be wrong from my end to pre-empt the rest of the OPEC members,” he said when asked whether there was a need for further oil production cuts to support the market.
Oil prices rose on Monday on his remarks. Global benchmark Brent crude futures were up 46 cents at $62.00 a barrel by 1011 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate was up 48 cents at $57.00.
Prince Abdulaziz said oil markets were being driven by “negative sentiments” but he did not believe there was an impact on oil demand growth. He said the global economic outlook was expected to improve once a trade dispute between the United States and China was resolved.
“People are speculating about a global recession but there is no recession today,” he said.
The oil ministers of Oman and Iraq earlier told reporters in Abu Dhabi that it was too early to assess whether deeper cuts were required to support oil markets at a time of global recession concerns due to the US-China row.
The energy minister of non-OPEC Oman, Mohammed Bin Hamad Al-Rumhy, said Muscat would like to see oil at $70 a barrel. He said overall compliance with the supply-curbing deal was good, but there were concerns that compliance was not fully shared.
The oil minister of Iraq, OPEC’s second-largest producer, said Baghdad was committed to complying with the deal and that his country’s production stood at 4.6 million barrels per day.
“We are definitely committed to respect (the curbs) … our exports have decreased by at least 150,000 bpd from the south,” Thamer Ghadhban said. — Reuters”
Iran teen found in British couple’s car at Calais (memo, Sep 9, 2019)
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190909-iran-teen-found-in-british-couples-car-at-calais/
“A British couple were accused of people smuggling after a 16-year-old Iranian boy was found in the boot of their car at Calais.
After French police searched Jordan Valentine and Sam Hemingway’s car at the ferry point in northern France they found the teenager hiding underneath their luggage. The couple told immigration officials they had no idea he was inside.
They were detained for two and a half days and denied access to a lawyer and an interpreter. Valentine, who suffers from mental health problems, asked to see a doctor but the request wasn’t granted.
They were released when French police tested the car and found that the locking system was easily compromised.
The discovery of the Iranian teenager comes amid tightening restrictions on the entry of migrants into the UK…”
Oxfam slams Britain’s approach to Yemen as ‘illegal, immoral and incoherent’ (memo, Sep 9, 2019)
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190909-oxfam-slams-britains-approach-to-yemen-as-illegal-immoral-and-incoherent/
“Oxfam has slammed the British government over the disparity between the profit it makes from the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia and the amount of aid it donates to Yemen, which has been ravaged by a Saudi-led military campaign against Houthi rebels.
“The UK government’s approach to Yemen has been illegal, immoral and incoherent,” said the major NGO in a briefing this morning. It suggested that Britain was profiting from the war through its sale of weapons and bore some responsibility for the humanitarian crisis that has unfolded since the Saudi-led coalition offensive started in 2015.
Britain has donated $952 million (around £770 million) to Yemen over the past four years, making the country the sixth largest recipient of UK aid, Oxfam’s report pointed out. The charity recognised Britain as “an important donor to aid programmes in Yemen.” At the same time, though, Britain has made $7.6 billion from arms sales to Saudi Arabia and other coalition members.
Oxfam noted that the amount that Britain has made from arms export to the Saudi led coalition is more than eight times the amount of aid Yemen has received from the government in London since March 2015. It claimed that the $7.6 billion would be enough to cover the shortfall in funding for the UN’s response plan for 2019 almost three times over…”
Jordan strikes back against protesting teachers (memo, Sep 9, 2019)
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190909-jordan-strikes-back-against-protesting-teachers/
“Streets in Jordan have been blocked as teachers launched a strike demanding the government follow through with a 2014 agreement to increase their salaries.
In response to the mass strikes, the government has deployed a heavy security presence across the capital Amman. Tear gas was used to disperse crowds during yesterday’s protests with teachers being confronted with violence at the hands of local police officers.
Social media users shared footage and images of the protesters and the security forces and police’s actions against them…”
Yemen: Socotra suspends Emirates Airline flights to stop UAE mercenaries (memo, Sep 9, 2019)
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190909-yemen-socotra-suspends-emirates-airline-flights-to-stop-uae-mercenaries/
“Amid allegations of UAE-backed foreign mercenaries arriving on the Yemeni island of Socotra, it was reported yesterday that the island’s main airport has temporarily suspended flights from UAE’s Emirates Airline for three days.
According to the Socotra Post, local intelligence suggests the UAE intends to deploy additional mercenaries from the Eritrean port city of Asseb in addition to militia stationed in the southern mainland.
It has been speculated that the UAE hopes to expand its trading routes by occupying the strategically located archipelago where a military base has already been established. The UAE has previously set up similar bases in the Horn of Africa, of which Eritrea is part…”
“Fireworks are Coming | Tommy’s coming home .. He’s coming home ! 11th SEPTEMBER!!”
TR LIVE STREAM NEWS CHANNEL – Published on Sep 7, 2019
Al-Qaeda seizes control of southern Yemen district (memo, Sep 9, 2019)
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190909-al-qaeda-seizes-control-of-southern-yemen-district/
“Al-Qaeda forces in southern Yemen yesterday managed to wrestle control of a district in the Abyan province which is the hometown of Saudi-backed Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi.
Al-Wadea district was overrun with Al-Qaeda fighters, who sources say began to emerge not long after the reported arrival of dozens of Islah aligned militia last week from Marib to the oil producing province of Shabwa, which shares a border with Abyan.
The Muslim Brotherhood affiliated Islah could be taking heed of a fatwa, religious edict, issued by the Board of Yemeni Ulema (religious scholars), which called for the southern separatist “insurgency” headed by the Southern Transitional Council (STC) to be eliminated.
The UAE, although partners with Saudi Arabia in the coalition against the Houthi-dominated north, also backs the STC, causing a rift between the two Gulf states, especially since the STC assumed control over the strategic port city of Aden, which served as the de-facto capital of the Hadi government.
Allegations have also circulated that Saudi Arabia has been supporting the Islah militia in its fight against the Houthis.
The Abyan province has fallen in and out of Al-Qaeda control throughout the duration of the conflict, which is currently in its fifth year. It is believed that Al-Qaeda tactically retreated in the past, despite UAE reports of military victories against the militants.”
Egypt: Brotherhood’s Badie, 10 others handed life terms (memo, Sep 9, 2019)
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190909-egypt-brotherhoods-badie-10-others-handed-life-terms/
“An Egyptian court has sentenced 11 people, including the Supreme Guide of Muslim Brotherhood Mohammed Badie, after a retrial was carried out.
The verdict is final and cannot be appealed.
Life sentences in Egypt are 25-year terms.
Judge Mohammed Shirin Fahmy said in his verdict that the late President Mohamed Morsi deserved punishment, but he died before judgments were served.
Morsi was among those involved in the case but died after collapsing in court in a separate matter on 7 June.
The defendants in the case are accused of orchestrating prison breaks and breaches of Egypt’s eastern border during the uprising that forced long-term dictator Hosni Mubarak from power in January 2011.
Authorities accuse the Brotherhood of condoning violence and have designated the group a “terrorist” organisation.”
UAE candidate promises to promote polygamy to ‘cure spinsterhood’ (alaraby, Sep 9, 2019)
https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2019/9/9/uae-candidate-promises-to-promote-polygamy-to-cure-spinsterhood
“A candidate for the UAE Federal National Council for Shajrah has pledged to promote polygamy to “eliminate spinsterhood” as a part of her election campaign.
Khawla Abdul Aziz al-Ali said if she was elected, she would “offer suggestions and effective solutions with the concerned authorities to create the appropriate conditions to increase the stability of the Emirati household,” according to UAE Today.
In her proposal, she referred to unmarried women as “Unussa” – a derogatory term in the Arab world used to smear women who are not married. The term, which is considered a slur, translates to spinster.
She stressed “all spinsters need care and attention” and she will ensure the relevant Shajrah institutions will work with the unmarried women to guide them to polygamy to create a happy family dynamic and to increase the “native” population of the state.
Al-Ali even blamed families in the rise of “spinsterhood”, saying some women have been betrayed by their families who did not approve of them becoming second, third and fourth wife during the “earlier years of their lives.””
Sub-saharan Immigrant Protests Against Tramway Company in Rabat (mwn, Sep 9, 2019)
https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2019/09/282210/sub-saharan-immigrant-tramway-company-rabat/
“In the recent days, videos and pictures of a sub-saharan immigrant protesting against the low-quality service provided by the tramway company of Rabat-Sale are going viral.
The immigrant, wearing a shirt with the Benin flag on it, lay down in front of a tramway wagon, saying that he would not move until his demands were met. In one of the videos, he explains the reasons behind his protest…”
Two Female Imams in Paris Lead First Ever Mixed Gender Prayer (mwn, Sep 9, 2019)
https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2019/09/282229/two-female-imams-paris-first-ever-mixed-gender-prayer/
“On Saturday, September 7, two female imams led a Muslim prayer, gathering both men and women. The prayer was the first Muslim prayer led by a woman and involving both genders in France.
“This moment is important for Islam in France because this prayer guarantees gender equality in Islam,” said Eva Janadin, one of the two female imams in her opening speech.
The room where the prayer was held was full of participants from both genders. The sermons were given in French with translations of Arabic expressions.
While some of the women in attendance were wearing a headcovering, others, including the two imams chose not to cover their heads. The female imams wore non-traditional clothing, with one wearing jeans.
The two imams, Eva Janadin and Anne-Sophie Monsinay, both converted to Islam years ago. They want to express their vision of a “progressive” and “enlightened” Islam in concrete acts. “Today, with this first prayer, our vision materializes,” said Anne-Sophie Monsinay.
The two women are hoping to provide a “dialogue space free of any community or family pressure,” because they understand that “a lot of Muslims have a vital need for emancipation and liberation.”
“It is possible to develop an alternative model to counter Islamism and conservatism,” said Eva Janadin.”
Police Arrest 6 Suspects for Alleged Irregular Migration, Human Trafficking (mwn, Sep 9, 2019)
https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2019/09/282198/police-irregular-migration-human-trafficking/
“Police in Tan Tan and Laayoune in southern Morocco arrested on Saturday, September 7, six people for their involvement in alleged irregular migration and human trafficking.
The suspects are aged between 33 and 39, a statement from the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) said on Sunday, September 8.
DGSN added that the operation allowed the arrest of five of the suspects in two different houses in the city of Tan-Tan. The suspects were accompanied by four Moroccan candidates for irregular migration. Police arrested the sixth suspect in a taxi in Laayoune, southern Morocco.
Police put the suspects in custody for further investigation, to identify and arrest other possible accomplices…”
Without comment:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-lgbt-parenting/u-s-parents-accept-childrens-transgender-identity-by-age-three-idUSKBN14B1C8
sky news
Transgender man speaks about his pregnancy
Ash Ejiro - 3 hours agothat's not a man having a baby, that's a woman having a beard
Oh, a circus freak.
I prefer the trapeze artists.
UN records sharp increase in HIV cases (tribune, Sep 9, 2019)
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2053095/1-un-records-sharp-increase-hiv-cases/
“Pakistan recorded a 13% increase in the number of HIV infection cases, a trend that contrasts with the general decline across the world.
A report published by the United Nations revealed that new cases of HIV have increased at their fastest rate, with a dramatic surge among transgender individuals and sex workers.
There has been a sharp increase in the number of young people contracting the virus. Among those aged 14, there was a jump of 1,500 between 2018 and 2015. Similarly, female HIV patients above the age of 15 rose to 37,000 in 2015 and 48,000 in 2018. HIV rates among injection drug users increased by 21% during 2019, followed by 3.7% among homosexuals and 3.8 % in sex workers.
Figures released by the UN suggest that the total number of HIV cases has risen to 160,000 this year, a significant increase from 67,000 in 2010…”
UN rights chief urges India to ease Occupied Kashmir lockdown (tribune, Sep 9, 2019)
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2052916/1-un-human-rights-chief-urges-new-delhi-ease-iok-lockdown/
“UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet has once again urged New Delhi to ease the current lockdowns and curfews in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK).
In her opening statement ahead of the 42nd Session of the Human Rights Council, the UN rights chief said she was “deeply concerned about the impact of recent actions by the Government of India on the human rights of Kashmiris”.
“I am deeply concerned about the impact of recent actions by the Government of India on the human rights of Kashmiris, including restrictions on internet communications and peaceful assembly, and the detention of local political leaders and activists,” she said.
Bachelet said she had “appealed particularly to India to ease the current lockdowns or curfews; to ensure people’s access to basic services; and that all due process rights are respected for those who have been detained.”
She also stressed the need to include the people of Kashmir in “any decision-making processes that have an impact on their future”…”
‘Long-term peace in Balkans impossible without Turkey’ (aa, Sep 9, 2019)
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/long-term-peace-in-balkans-impossible-without-turkey/1576878
“A long-term peace in the Balkans is impossible without Turkey, according to a top North Macedonian politician.
The leader of the AlternAtivA political party Afrim Gashi, who is part of the broad government coalition in northern Macedonia, evaluated the latest developments in Western Balkans and his country’s relations with Turkey.
Turkey plays an important role in the dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo, Gashi told Anadolu Agency.
“A long-term peace in the Balkans is impossible without Turkey,” Gashi said.
“Turkey’s involvement would not only facilitate an agreement between Serbia and Kosovo, but it would also benefit Turkey to have good relations with Albanians. Also, as a NATO member and a strong U.S. partner in NATO, Turkey can be the guarantor of peace,” he added.
Gashi stressed the need for a dialogue that would eventually lead to mutual recognition, adding that such an agreement would improve Kosovo-Serbia relations and bring long-term peace to the Balkans as well.
He also said they had very productive meetings during a recent delegation visit to Turkey, which he led.
The aim of the visit was to attract Turkish investors to North Macedonia, and they wanted to improve economic as well as institutional ties between the two countries, Gashi said…”
Germany: Primary school teacher shortage worse than expected (DW, Sep 9, 2019)
https://www.dw.com/en/germany-primary-school-teacher-shortage-worse-than-expected/a-50354747
“The shortage of teachers is one of the dominant topics in German education. But a recent study by the Bertelsmann Foundation has shown the problem is even worse than the government has calculated…”
Bulgarian Kristalina Georgieva is the Only Candidate for IMF Director
World Bank Chief Executive Officer Kristalina Georgieva is the only candidate for IMF director, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said.
Kristalina Georgieva of Bulgaria, currently CEO of the World Bank, is unrivaled for the post of former managing director Christine Lagarde, who was elected to head the European Central Bank.
https://www.novinite.com/articles/200047/Bulgarian+Kristalina+Georgieva+is+the+Only+Candidate+for+IMF+Director
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Five challenges facing incoming IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva
Kristalina Georgieva is poised to succeed Christine Lagarde as managing director of the IMF after the board of the Washington-based multilateral lender said on Monday she was the sole contender for the job.
Ms Georgieva, a 66-year old Bulgarian who has served as chief executive of the World Bank since early 2017, will face a raft of challenges if her appointment is confirmed by the IMF’s directors. The lack of other nominees means her success in the race is all but guaranteed.
As a champion of multilateralism, Ms Georgieva is expected to maintain Ms Lagarde’s recent focus on tackling climate change, boosting female labour participation and reducing inequality. A longtime World Bank official who served as EU commissioner for aid and crisis response, Ms Georgieva has more expertise in development than Ms Lagarde but less familiarity with financial trouble in advanced economies.
The IMF has said it would like to conclude the selection process by early October at the latest. As Ms Georgieva cruises towards her appointment, here are five big issues she will face.
THE FUTURE OF THE ARGENTINE BAILOUT
The IMF’s largest bailout in history — a $57bn bet on the economic stewardship of reformist president Mauricio Macri — is on the rocks.
As Ms Georgieva takes office, Mr Macri is expected to be unseated from office in an election by Alberto Fernández, a populist challenger with little sympathy for the IMF or the terms of its loan. The prospect of Mr Macri’s defeat sent the peso tumbling recently, undoing much of the economic progress that had been made and making it more likely that the IMF will have to renegotiate or replace the existing programme.
Although the IMF has defended its approach, critics have questioned both the design and scale of the loan, as well as its inability to garner more widespread support among the Argentine public.
THE ECONOMIC SLOWDOWN
The global economy is slowing, which puts more pressure on the IMF as the world’s lender of last resort.
According to the Fund’s own forecasts, which have been repeatedly downgraded, world output is expected to grow by 3.2 per cent this year, compared with 3.8 per cent in 2017 and 3.6 per cent in 2018. The downward trend increases the risk that more countries will have to seek support from the IMF.
TRADE CONFLICT
The trade war between Washington and Beijing has not only cast a cloud over the world economy, but also made multilateral institutions like the IMF battlegrounds in the conflict.
Ms Lagarde had solid relationships with both Mr Trump and the Chinese leadership, and Ms Georgieva has the same. But the IMF nonetheless risks being caught in the middle if either the US or China object to its research, dispute its basic findings or throw a wrench into a problematic bailout. The Fund’s work on currency and debt transparency will also be closely followed.
FINDING THE MONEY
Ms Georgieva will have to put the final touches to a deal negotiated by Ms Lagarde to renew the Fund’s borrowing arrangement with the US, which would keep IMF resources at about $1tn. But many at the Fund do not believe this is sufficient given the demand it might face in the event of a new recession or financial crisis.
In the next IMF fundraising drive, Ms Georgieva may try to achieve what Ms Lagarde failed to secure: a permanent increase in funding, in exchange for governance changes that would give more power to large emerging market economies — a move that would be controversial with both the EU and the US.
THE REPEAT OFFENDERS
In addition to Argentina, Ms Georgieva’s focus will be on Ukraine and Pakistan, two other countries that have frequently borrowed from the Fund but never been able to fully stabilise their economies and financial systems.
With a new government in place in Kiev, Ukraine is hoping to seal a deal with the IMF for fresh loans later this year.
After months of negotiations, Pakistan in July secured new loans — despite US concerns that the money might be used to repay Chinese debt — but there are doubts about whether the programme will succeed.
https://www.ft.com/content/5b444782-d30f-11e9-a0bd-ab8ec6435630
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twitter @KGeorgieva
With George Soros and the @OpenSociety Prize awarded to me by the @ceuhungary. Great honour!
https://twitter.com/kgeorgieva/status/526766094288433153
MUHARRAM 9 1441 –
NYC
Bonn – Germany