Author: IGIHE

Australia halts Syria air strikes after Russia warning

{Suspension is ‘precautionary measure’ amid rising tensions between Russia and US over downing of a Syrian jet.}

Australia’s military said it was temporarily halting air missions over Syria, following the shooting down of a Syrian jet by US forces.

The decision came amid increasing tension between the US and Russia, which warned it would track coalition aircraft in Syria as potential “targets” and halted a military hotline with Washington over the incident.

“As a precautionary measure, Australian Defence Force (ADF) strike operations into Syria have temporarily ceased,” Australia’s Department of Defence said in a statement.

“ADF operations in Iraq will continue as part of the coalition.”

Russia made clear it was changing its military posture in response to the US downing of a Syrian military jet on Sunday, which, according to Damascus, is the first such incident since the start of the conflict in 2011.

READ MORE: Syria’s displaced – ‘This Ramadan is full of grief’

“ADF personnel are closely monitoring the air situation in Syria and a decision on the resumption of ADF air operations in Syria will be made in due course,” Australia’s Department of Defence said.

Al Jazeera’s Andrew Thomas, reporting from the Australian city of Cairns, said Australia’s decision signals that it may believe there is a threat.

“Symbolically this is very important because Australia is a key partner in the US-led coalition operating over Syria and Iraq and for it to withdraw its aircraft, even temporarily, is a sign that they feel there is a threat from Russian aircraft and the Syrians,” Thomas said.

“In the short term they’re going to take stock and decide whether to resume operations over Syria or not.”

Meanwhile, the US has moved quickly to contain an escalation of the situation, with a top general saying the country would work to relaunch a “deconfliction” hotline established in 2015.

Russia said Washington had failed to use the line – a vital incident-prevention tool – before targeting the plane near Raqqa.

Australia is part of the coalition fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) in Iraq. In late 2015, it extended air operations into Syria on US’ request.

It has six fighter jets based in the United Arab Emirates that strike targets in Syria and Iraq.

In September, Australia said it would widen the scope of targets in the air war against ISIL by allowing its pilots to strike support and logistics resources in Iraq and Syria.

Australia has conducted one of the highest number of airstrikes in Syria and Iraq, according to Airwars, a Britain-based non-profit research group monitoring airstrikes.

Source:Al Jazeera

June 20, 2017
Police: Nabra Hassanen killed in ‘road rage incident’

{Many express outrage over Virginia police’s decision not to investigate murder of Muslim teenager as a hate crime.}

The murder of a teenage Muslim girl beaten and killed by a bat-wielding motorist near a Virginia mosque was likely a “road rage incident”, not a hate crime, US police said, prompting outrage from many who say the teen was targeted because of her religion.

Darwin Martinez Torres, 22, has been arrested and charged with Nabra Hassanen’s murder in an incident police say began as a road dispute with a male teenager who was among Hassanen’s group.

“It appears that the suspect became so enraged over this traffic argument that it escalated into deadly violence,” Fairfax County police spokeswoman Julie Parker said at a news conference on Monday.

Parker said there was no indication the attack near the All Dulles Area Muslim Society mosque early on Sunday was motivated by race or religion.

She added that there was no sign that Martinez used racial slurs as he chased the group of teens into a car park, emerged from his car with a baseball bat and struck Hassanen before loading her into a car and dumping her body in a pond in a neighbouring town.

Hassanen’s father, Mohmoud Hassanen Aboras, told The Guardian newspaper he believes his daughter was killed because “she is Muslim”.

He also told reporters he doesn’t want anyone to feel the pain he feels.

“My daughter is dead, and I don’t want anyone to feel what I feel, to lose your 17-year-old daughter … Christian, Muslim, Jew, Hispanic, whatever,” he said.

Authorities said its findings could change pending an ongoing investigation.

{{‘Words shape narrative’}}

Police had announced earlier on Monday that they were “not investigating [Hassanen’s] murder as a hate crime”, provoking deep scepticism among many within the Muslim community.

Abas Sherif, a spokesman for the victim’s family, said Hassanen and the other girls in her group were wearing headscarves, leaving many to believe she was targeted because of her religion.

Online, many expressed outrage over the decision by police not to investigate the incident as a hate crime.

{{Anti-Muslim hate crimes}}

Others highlighted the surge of anti-Muslim crimes and the rise of Islamophobia worldwide in recent years, also pointing to Monday’s attack in north London’s Finsbury Park, in which a man drove a van into a group of people leaving Ramadan prayers at a nearby mosque.

The Council on American-Islamic Affairs (CAIR), an Islamic civil rights organisation, urged US police to “conduct a thorough investigation of possible bias motive in [Hassanen ‘s] case, coming as it does at a time of rising Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hate attacks nationwide”.

In a recent report, CAIR documented a 57 percent increase in anti-Muslim bias incidents from 2015 to 2016.

“This was accompanied by a 44 percent increase in anti-Muslim hate crimes in the same period,” the report said.

In May, two men were stabbed to death as they tried to stop a white supremacist who was bullying Muslim women on a train in Portland, Oregon.

Critics argue the rhetoric by President Donald Trump has contributed to the rise. Trump signed an executive order earlier this year that would ban travellers from six Muslim-majority countries from entering the US. That order has been frozen by several courts.

Others point to the way Islam has been been portrayed by media organisations, particularly those in the US.

CAIR also documented at least 10 anti-Muslim laws that were enacted by state legislatures between 2013 and 2015.

Source:Al Jazeera

June 20, 2017
Two Dutch journalists kidnapped by Colombia’s ELN

{Derk Johannes Bolt and Eugenio Ernest Marie Follender captured by Marxist rebel group in northeast Colombia, army says.}

Two Dutch journalists have been captured by Marxist ELN rebels in a conflict area of northeastern Colombia, the military said.

The leftist guerrilla group, which neither confirmed nor denied any kidnapping, said on Twitter on Monday that they were looking into the case.

“This morning, reporter Derk Johannes Bolt, 62, and his cameraman Eugenio Ernest Marie Follender, 58, both Dutch nationals, were stopped” in El Tarra, Norte de Santander, by presumed ELN rebels, police said in a statement.

Bolt and Follender work for the Dutch TV programme Spoorloos, which traces lost relatives.

In May 2016 in the same El Tarra region ELN rebels kidnapped a Colombian-Spanish journalist and two Colombian TV reporters. The reporters were handed over days later to intermediaries.

The government ombudsman’s office via Twitter demanded the “immediate liberation of the two Dutch nationals being held,” and said it will try to help solve the situation.

Meanwhile police specialists in kidnapping and extortion headed to the region in an attempt secure the release of the two men.

The ELN, Colombia’s second biggest rebel group, is in peace talks with the government to put an end to more than five decades of war in the Andean nation.

The biggest rebel movement, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), signed a peace accord late last year and is expected to complete disarmament this week.

More than 220,000 people have been killed in a conflict that pit the military against FARC, ELN and right wing paramilitary armies since it began in 1952.

Source:Al Jazeera

June 20, 2017
Calais van driver dead in migrant roadblock crash

{A driver was killed when a van crashed into lorries that had been forced to stop on a motorway near Calais by a makeshift barrier set up by migrants.}

The van, registered in Poland, burst into flames. The driver’s identity is not yet known.
Nine Eritreans were found in one of the lorries and taken into police custody.

In 2016, the so-called Jungle migrant camp at Calais was closed, but hundreds of people have returned to the area in the hope of reaching the UK.

Roadblocks, often built from tyres or rocks, were regularly placed on the A16 motorway leading to the port of Calais before the camp was dismantled in October. Migrants aimed to slow lorries down as they approached the port in the hope of climbing on board.

An Eritrean man was killed in an accident involving a British motorist in October. But no further incidents had been reported on the A16 until late last month.

The crash in the early hours of Tuesday was described as the first fatality involving a driver.

Two lorries were forced to stop when tree trunks were placed in the road near Guemps, 12km (8 miles) east of Calais, at around 03:45 local time (01:45 GMT), local media said.

The van was unable to brake in time and ran into the back of them. The driver died at the scene.

Police said the nine Eritreans were being questioned on suspicion of manslaughter.
Several hundred migrants are living in the Calais area in poor conditions. Some 7,000 had lived at the Jungle camp before it was dismantled.

Source:BBC

June 20, 2017
‘Half’ Nigeria food aid for Boko Haram victims not delivered

{Up to half the food aid meant for people who have fled Nigeria’s Islamist insurgency has reportedly not been delivered, the government says.}

It described it as a “diversion of relief materials”, which correspondents say is a euphemism for theft.

A statement from the acting president’s office added that security was being beefed up to protect the deliveries.

As a result of Boko Haram violence some 8.5 million Nigerians in the north-east need life-saving aid, officials say.

Poor rains have exacerbated a problem caused by fighting with Boko Haram Islamist militants, which has forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes.

People in north-east Nigeria are also facing a possible famine, the UN said in March.

In the latest suspected Boko Haram attack on Sunday, 12 people were killed by five suicide bombers in a village near Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state.

The statement from acting President Yemi Osinbajo said aid going missing had “dogged food delivery” and then cited reports saying that more than 50 lorries out of every 100 sent to the north-east never reach their destination.

It does not say what has happened to the diverted food, but in May two Nigerian officials were jailed for selling food aid.

Last week, Nigeria apologised to Saudi Arabia after 200 tonnes of dates the kingdom sent as a Ramadan gift were found on sale in local markets.

Mr Osinbajo said that the latest consignment of aid which is making its way to the north-east is being protected by more than a thousand soldiers.

Source:BBC

June 20, 2017
Somali soldier who killed minister Siraji gets death sentence

{The Somali soldier who shot dead the country’s youngest-ever cabinet minister last month has been sentenced to death by firing squad.}

Abas Abdullahi Siraji was in his car near the presidential palace in Mogadishu when he was killed by Ahmed Abdullahi Abdi, who reportedly mistook him for a militant Islamist.
The minister’s death caused shock and anger at the time.

The military court which sentenced the soldier said he can appeal.

His lawyers argued that the killing was an accident, the AFP news agency reports.

They said that the minister’s car attracted suspicion after it drove up behind the car carrying the auditor general, who the soldier was protecting.

At 31, Mr Siraji became Somalia’s youngest-ever member of parliament last November before becoming the minister of public works earlier this year.

He grew up as a refugee in neighbouring Kenya, home to hundreds of thousands of Somalis who fled drought and conflict, and was seen a role model for his widely admired determination to succeed.

Sensing his popularity with the youth, President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmajo appointed him to the cabinet.

When Mr Siraji was killed, the president cut short a visit to Ethiopia to attend his state funeral.

Somalia has been wracked by conflict since the long-serving ruler Siad Barre was ousted in 1991.

It is currently battling militant Islamists from the al-Shabab group, which is affiliated to al-Qaeda.

Source:BBC

June 20, 2017
Uganda:Court stops mental status test against Dr Nyanzi

{Buganda Road Court has temporary stopped the request by the State to subject suspended Makerere Research Fellow, Dr Stella Nyanzi to a mental status test until her petition challenging the same is determined by the Constitutional Court.}

In his ruling on Tuesday, Buganda Road Chief Magistrate, Mr James Ereemye, stated that after examining both the defence and state arguments, he found that there is need to stop the proceeding under the Mental Treatment Act of 1938 as sought by Dr Nyanzi since they do not in any way affect the main suit.

The magistrate also said that he was satisfied that Dr Nyanzi’s case merited to be referred to the Constitutional Court in order to determine her issues and not have them frustrated by the lower court.

“The proceedings under the Mental Treatment Act 1938 are hereby stayed pending the determination of Application No.18 of 2017 filed in the Constitutional Court,” Mr Ereemye ruled.

In the initial stages of the cyber and offensive communication charges against Dr Nyanzi, the state applied to court to have her subjected to a mental status on grounds that her behaviours were suspicious.

Further in his ruling, Mr Ereemye said the main case in which the outspoken research fellow is accused of abusing President Museveni as “a pair of buttocks” on her Facebook wall, will proceed.

“The applicant here is not challenging her trial under the criminal procedure and in fact states categorically that she is ready for trial on charges brought against her,” he said.

Still in the same court, Mr Ereemye declined to cancel Dr Nyanzi’s bail that would see her taken back to Luzira Prison as earlier requested by Mr Jonathan Muwaganya, a state attorney.

Mr Muwaganya had two weeks ago, accused Dr Nyanzi to have continued posting offensive words on her Facebook page despite being cautioned to restrain herself until her matter is concluded.

“I was asked to determine if the applicant’s Facebook posts fall within the ambit of violation of the sub-judice rule or contempt of court .My considered answer is no. I have not found anything in that post that discusses the merits or demerits of the case before me,” Mr Ereemye said.

He clarified that all that is clear in Dr Nyanzi’s post is are misgiving and expression of dissatisfaction, a form of complaint about the manner a public officer conducted themselves at the expense of those they a supposed to serve.

Before Mr Ereemye could adjourn the matter, he warned judicial officers like advocates and prosecutors to respect the sanctity and integrity of courts as temples of justice.

He adjourned the case to July 21.

“This has been a sweet ruling. I have seen that there is still some transparency in some judicial officers after my request to stay the mental status proceeding was granted,” Dr Nyanzi said.

Source:Daily Monitor

June 20, 2017
Kenya:Catholic bishops caution IEBC on ballot tender

{Catholic Bishops are cautioning the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission against forcing through the printing contract for ballot papers, if key stakeholders disagree with it.}

In a pastoral letter on elections, the clerics under the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) argue it would be important for the commission to discuss the printing job with everyone concerned to ensure the credibility of elections is intact.

{{Transparency}}

“Transparency of the IEBC is so important. If there are doubts of any kind, they should be sorted out before elections,” said Bishop Cornelius Korir of Eldoret

“If the other side is not satisfied, the other side should give a chance for dialogue (sic)…if dialogue reaches a dead end, the whole thing should be cancelled,” he added.

They spoke on Tuesday as IEBC said it would go ahead with sending representatives from the media, civil society and political parties to the printing firm Al-Ghurair in Dubai to witness how the work will be done.

But the commission has come under intense disapproval from opposition National Super Alliance (Nasa), which insists the tender awarded to the Emirati firm should be cancelled.

Last week, Nasa presidential candidate Raila Odinga claimed the printing job was given to the company because its officials were close associates of the First Family, claims the government has denied.

{{Qualities }}

But as we hurtle towards the Election Day on August 8, the commission, which felt it had run out of time, argued it awarded the tender to Al-Ghurair Printing and Publishing because the company has printed ballot papers the commission has used in several by-elections since 2014.

The clerics were speaking generally against corruption, violence and other political misbehaviour during the electioneering time.

They called for a free, fair and peaceful elections and said Kenyans must weigh qualities of every leader on the ballot paper.

On inciters of violence, the bishops said they should be “resisted” and rejected by the voters.

“We call on Kenyans to reject the agenda of some politicians that is not family-friendly. Let us remember that we are entrusting our future and that of our families into their hands,” they said in a joint statement.

{{Manifesto }}

“We must resist and reject any form of incitement.”

They turned to the electoral commission which they said must ensure every step towards the polls should be credible to keep doubts at bay.

If the IEBC is to ensure credible elections, the clerics argued, it will not do it alone.

So they asked political parties and politicians to respect electoral laws.

“They have a chance to foster wide participation,” said Bishop Martin Kivuva of Mombasa.

“We call on political parties to present their manifestos to the electorate, explain them and make them available to everyone.

{{Letter }}

“We strongly advise that political parties follow provisions of political parties Act of 2011 and make them national in character.”

The pastoral letter, a commentary routinely written by the clergy to the congregation on a particular subject, was endorsed by Cardinal John Njue and the bishops across the country.

They included Philip Anyolo, Maurice Crowley, Cornelius Korir, Martin Kivuva, Anthony Muheria, and Zaccheaus Okoth, John Owaa and Joseph Okemwa.

Source:Daily Nation

June 20, 2017
Nasa discovers 10 new planets that could have life

{The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) has revealed 10 new rocky, Earth-sized planets that could potentially have liquid water and support life.}

The Kepler mission team released a survey of 219 potential exoplanets — planets outside of our solar system — that had been detected by the space observatory launched in 2009 to scan the Milky Way galaxy.

Ten of the new discoveries were orbiting their suns at a distance similar to Earth’s orbit around the sun, the so-called habitable zone that could potentially have liquid water and sustain life.

Kepler has already discovered 4,034 potential exoplanets, 2,335 of which have been confirmed by other telescopes as actual planets.

The 10 new Earth-size planets bring the total to 50 that exist in habitable zones around the galaxy.

{{New planets }}

“This carefully-measured catalogue is the foundation for directly answering one of astronomy’s most compelling questions — how many planets like our Earth are in the galaxy?” said Susan Thompson, a Kepler research scientist and lead author of the latest study.

The latest findings were released at the Fourth Kepler and K2 science conference being held this week at Nasa’s Ames research centre in California.

The Kepler telescope detects the presence of planets by registering minuscule drops in a star’s brightness that occurs when a planet crosses in front of it, a movement known as a transit.

The findings were compiled from data gathered during the first four years of the mission, which scientists processed to determine the size and composition of the planets observed.

The scientists found that the newly discovered planets tended to fall into two distinct categories — smaller, rocky planets that are usually around 75 percent bigger than Earth, and much larger, gaseous planets similar in size to Neptune.

{{Unique data set }}

Nasa said the latest catalogue is the most complete and detailed survey of potential exoplanets yet compiled. The telescope has studied some 150,000 stars in the Cygnus constellation, a survey which Nasa said is now complete.

“The Kepler data set is unique, as it is the only one containing a population of these near Earth-analogs — planets with roughly the same size and orbit as Earth,” said Mario Perez of Nasa’s Astrophysics Division. “Understanding their frequency in the galaxy will help inform the design of future Nasa missions to directly image another Earth.”

The mission ran into technical problems in 2013 when mechanisms used to turn the spacecraft failed, but the telescope has continued searching for potentially habitable planets as part of its K2 project.

As of next year, Nasa will continue its scan of the galaxy using Kepler’s successor, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, or Tess, which will spend two years observing the 200,000 brightest nearby stars for Earth-like worlds.

Scientists also hope the James Webb Space telescope, which will replace the Hubble telescope in 2018, will be able to detect the molecular make-up of atmospheres of exoplanets, including the possibility of finding signatures of potential life forms.

Source:AFP

June 20, 2017
DRC to join East African police chiefs cooperation

{East African police chiefs have embarked on a move to add the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as a member of East African Police Chiefs Cooperation.}

The move follows increased lawlessness in the DRC, with criminals from across the region using it as a destination for stolen goods especially vehicles and motorcycles.

According to Asan Kasingye the police spokesperson, having the DRC as a member of a regional security body will ensure that security measures are harmonized and uniformly implemented.

Source:KFM

June 20, 2017