Sunday, March 24, 2019

Why the US decision about Golan Heights, West Bank and Gaza is dangerous

Move to drop the term ‘occupation’ from references to the Golan Heights, West Bank and Gaza raises serious concerns for Palestinians

Druze Arabs on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights hold an anti-election protest outside a municipal polling station in Majdal Shams (Reuters)

Mohsen Abu Ramadan-22 March 2019

The US government’s decision to drop the word “occupied” in referring to the Golan Heights, West Bank and Gaza Strip comes as an extension of US policy under President Donald Trump, who has adopted the positions of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rightwing government entirely.

Last year, Trump moved the US embassy to Jerusalem and recognised the city as the capital of Israel. He froze US aid to the Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA, and demanded a redefinition of Palestinian refugee status by excluding new generations, which would reduce the number of refugees from more than five million to around 40,000.

Expanding settlements

The Trump administration also decided that the continuous expansion of Israeli settlements was not an obstacle to the peace process, knowing that the US ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, is a major supporter of the settlement enterprise.

In addition, the US closed the Palestine Liberation Organisation office in Washington and froze US aid to Palestinians, estimated, according to OECD data, at nearly $7.3bn from 1993 to 2017.

In this vision, the Gaza Strip is separated from the West Bank, and Palestinian communities are turned into scattered enclaves

It did not end there. The US government enacted laws to prohibit providing funds to the families of Palestinian political prisoners and individuals killed by Israel, under the pretext of “fighting terrorism”.

It also considers any form of criticism of Israel to be anti-semitic, including the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement, which is a legal and peaceful form of protest.

These developments are part and parcel of how the US assumes it will deal with the Palestinian issue: through the removal of political solutions based on the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, in accordance with international law and resolutions.

The US aims to replace such plans with Netanyahu’s vision for the conflict - that is, to find humanitarian solutions based on economic peace for Palestinian residents. In this vision, the Gaza Strip is separated from the West Bank, and Palestinian communities are turned into scattered enclaves. The goal is to eliminate the foundations of Palestinian national identity.

‘Deal of the century’

As the Trump administration’s plans become apparent in accordance with the yet-to-be-announced “deal of the century”, and as the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination is undermined, Arab-Israeli relations are undergoing a process of normalisation to bypass the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative announced in Beirut.

The initiative offered normalised relations with Israel, provided that it withdrew from the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967, and enabled the establishment of a Palestinian state on those lands. At the recent Warsaw summit, the path for Arab-Israeli relations was forged through the creation of a common “enemy”, Iran - part of misleading Zionist propaganda that sees a joint Arab-Israeli interest in confronting the “Iranian threat”.

The goal, however, is really to create a smokescreen and provide Israel with an opportunity to enter and dominate Arab markets and resources.

A Palestinian boy waves a national flag in Jerusalem on 15 March (AFP)

While Iranian-Arab differences and disagreements cannot be ignored, they can be solved through negotiation and dialogue. This can be achieved in a manner that safeguards the interests of all the parties within an orderly framework - on the basis of not interfering in the internal affairs of the countries involved - and that maintains respect for their sovereignty, interests and wealth.

If this is achieved, the main threat remains the Israeli occupation, which aims to become a major military and economic force that can control the region.

Flouting international law

The US decision to remove the word “occupied”, in violation of international law and UN resolutions, gives the Israeli government ample scope to widen its settlement project. This will allow for the confiscation of more land, the transfer of residents and the elimination of any chance for a Palestinian state, paving the way for the official annexation of the Palestinian territories by Israel.

The recent US decisions on Palestine, not to mention other global issues, are not surprising. Trump does not believe in the rules of international law, codified after the Second World War.

Helping Netanyahu: Why Lindsey Graham declared occupied Golan as Israeli

Instead, he believes, as colonisers did, that military and economic tools alone are effective in international and domestic political equations, without regard for mutual interests or the principles of international law and human rights, including the right to self-determination.

In this context, the US decision to drop the word “occupied” not only undermines the foundations of international law regarding the occupied territories, but it adopts the Zionist narrative, which describes these lands as a “historic and religious right” for the Jews.

It also cements the denial of Palestinian and Syrian rights, aiming to tear apart the historical ties of the original residents with their land. This decision gives legitimacy to the occupation by allowing it to do as it pleases with these lands, without accountability.

It gives the reins to the settlement frenzy, imposing new facts on the ground in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which condemns settlements - and it paves the way for possible annexation of these lands by stating that they fall under “Israeli control”.

How will Palestinians respond?

This decision strikes at the basis of all initiatives calling for a two-state solution, including the Arab Peace Initiative. It works to prepare public opinion for Israel’s solution to the occupied territories, which is based on the administration of the people without the land, dispossessing Palestinians and disregarding refugees’ right of return.

Finally, the decision works to “legislate” the transfer of the US embassy to Jerusalem - and the recognition of the city as the capital of the occupation’s state - by excluding Jerusalem from being considered part of the occupied territories.

Palestinians must formulate a plan to confront this based on the Palestinian narrative, which must become relevant again on an Arab and international scale

In the face of this reality, and amid the inherent dangers of the US decision, Palestinians must formulate a plan to confront this based on the Palestinian narrative, which must become relevant again on an Arab and international scale.

It is also necessary that the nature of the conflict is highlighted: that it requires national liberation based on international resolutions to fight settler-colonial, Zionist, discriminatory policies - policies that are supported by the US government.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye.

Killings Under Protection

The situation regarding human rights violations in Indian Held Kashmir is still the same. Custodial killing of Rizwan Asad is the most recent and most horrible example in this context.

by Ali Sukhanver-Yesterday at 4:32 AM

Writing from Islamabad

Yes, they proved it by murdering a Chemistry teacher that all is fair in love and war. His name was Rizwan Asad, age 28. He worked at a private school in Awantipora area of the Pulwama district, south Kashmir. The National Investigative Agency of India arrested this young teacher in the second week of March during a so-called crackdown on socio-political and religious organizations. According to media reports, Rizwan was kept at the dreaded anti-insurgency Special Operations Group head-quarter, commonly known as Cargo Camp, in Srinagar. He could not bear brutal violence there and died during the intervening night of 18th and 19th March. Commenting on the brutality committed in the name of investigation and inquiry, a top Kashmiri human rights’ activist Khurram Parvez said talking to media, “There have been several thousand custodial killings and custodial disappearances by Indian forces in Kashmir. None of them has received any justice; it is because of the complete lack of accountability and total lawlessness.”

The people of Indian Held Kashmir have no trust and no confidence in the investigation agencies and even in the courts. The recent court-verdict in the Samjhauta Express burning case has added a lot of disbelief and suspicions to the self-claimed impartiality of the judicial system in India. According to media reports, a few days back, an Indian court after hearing the case for more than ten years, acquitted four people, including prime accused Swami Aseemanand, in the Samjhauta Express burning case. The court said it could not find any solid proof against the accused ones. It was February 18, 2007 when a train named Samjhauta Express was burnt to ashes along with it passengers when it was on its way to Lahore from New Delhi. More than 70 passengers were killed in that brutality; most of them were Pakistanis, most of them the Muslims. In short, the investigation agencies of India, the courts and above all the government authorities, all have lost people’s trust and confidence.

Rizwan Asad’s brother, Zulqarnain has also expressed his distrust in the concerning authorities regarding investigation of his brother’s murder. He said talking to the media-men, “My brother has been killed in police custody in cold blood. We want an investigation of it but we know nothing is going to happen. We've all seen investigations for the last 20 years.” The Al-Jazeera says, “Rizwan's death adds to the more than 70,000 killings, more than 8,000 enforced disappearances, as well as thousands of torture and sexual violence cases in Indian-administered Kashmir over the past three decades.”

Custodial killings are no doubt a very horrible element making the lives of the helpless Kashmiris more painful and more agonizing. A report published in Greater Kashmir says, ‘There is no record of custodial deaths for 1947-1975.The custodial killings became a routine in 90s. According to human rights defenders around 12000 custodial killings have been reported during the past twenty-six years.’ According to a data-report prepared by Research Section of Kashmir Media Service, Indian troops in their unabated acts of state terrorism martyred 95,265 innocent Kashmiris during the past 29 years. Of those martyred, 7,120 were killed by the troops in custody. As many as 145,504 people were arrested by Indian forces during the period. The troops destroyed 109,201 residential houses and other structures. The Indian forces’ personnel molested and gang raped 11,111 women during the period. The situation of atrocities particularly of custodial killings was the same even in 1995. Amnesty International said in a report published twenty-four years back, “In the period 1990-1994 more than 715 detainees died in the custody of Indian security forces in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. They were tortured to death or shot outright. In areas where government forces are engaged in counter-insurgency operations against armed groups fighting for independence or for the state to join Pakistan, the entire civilian population is at risk of arbitrary detention, torture, even death.” The report further said,” Most of the victims are young men, detained during crackdown-operations to identify armed militants. Almost all those detained are tortured: many do not survive; others are left disabled or mutilated. Scores of women in Jammu and Kashmir claim to have been raped by security forces.”

Now after twenty four years, today in 2019, the situation regarding human rights violations in Indian Held Kashmir is still the same. Custodial killing of Rizwan Asad is the most recent and most horrible example in this context. This all is very much frightening and alarming too. The ‘Kashmirwala’ said in an analysis recently published on 21st March, “After the custodial killing of Awantipora based school principal, Rizwan Asad, his friend, Shahid Manzoor has picked up arms and joined armed-group Hizbul Mujaheddin, fearing physical and mental torture by government forces, as he states, ‘Today, it was Rizwan, tomorrow it could be me.’

Disputing how Europe conquered the world.

23 March 2019

By 1914 Europeans ruled 84% of the globe. How did they do it? Eleven hundred years ago Europe was a backwater. There were no grand cities, apart from Muslim Cordoba in Spain, and the remnants of Rome and Athens. The Middle East, India and China were further ahead. It was the Arabs who kept alive the teachings of the Ancient Greeks’ knowledge of science, medicine, architecture and philosophy.

We now have two schools of thought. Two years ago came Professor Philip Hoffman of Caltech university with his book “Why Did Europe Conquer The World?” He argued that Europe’s pace of innovation was driven by a peculiar form of military competition which he called a “tournament”- the sort of competition that under the right conditions can drive contestants to exert enormous efforts in the hope of earning a prize.

Europe, unlike the Ottoman Empire and China, was a very un-unified kind of place. Since the fall of Charlemagne in 814 there was no one strong enough to hold Europe together. Dozens of small states and principalities, often vying to be top dog, were stimulated to nurse their competitive instincts, and in doing so and fighting they refined their military capabilities more than any of other world’s peoples.

China was a massive hegemon; Japan and the Ottoman empires sizeable ones; India partly one. A hegemon inevitably comes to believe that since it’s political dominant it doesn’t have to work so hard at maintaining superior arms

European rulers raised taxes and lavished resources on armies, navies and gunpowder technology. Moreover, unlike in Asia, private entrepreneurs faced few legal, financial or political obstacles to launching expeditions of conquest and exploration. This is why the British East India Company could conquer much of India.
In contrast, China was a massive hegemon; Japan and the Ottoman empires sizeable ones; India partly one. A hegemon inevitably comes to believe that since it’s political dominant it doesn’t have to work so hard at maintaining superior arms.

So when it came to gunpowder technology and its adaption to warships the European powers, each seeking to outscore the other, could often call the shots against Asia’s hegemons.

The wars that led to Europe’s and particularly Britain’s domination of the world made possible the Industrial Revolution, not vice versa as is commonly thought.
Now comes along a book with a different take on all this- “Empires of the Weak” by J.C. Sharman, professor of International Relations at Cambridge University. He doesn’t appear to have read Hoffman’s book, but it reads as if he was refuting it.

In Latin America the Conquistadores, who did set out to conquer, won through because of alliances with smallish local kingdoms and the spreading of European diseases. They did not win because of superior military technology. Pizaro who conquered the Incas had an army of only 170. Pizaro did indeed have guns which the Incas didn’t but they were just a few cannons and basic muskets. Fighting was mainly hand to hand. In Africa, the imperialists limited themselves to border posts where they bought slaves from local chiefs. Incursions into the interior when they happened later were pioneered with small groups of soldiers, also fighting hand to hand.

In the main, Europeans were realistic that they stood little chance of mastering foes who could put far superior forces in the field against them, and so Europeans deferred to the authority of the Asian empires

Sharman argues that, apart from the Americas, Europeans did not gain military superiority during the period of European expansion from the fifteenth century to the late eighteenth century. He posits that European success in this era is explained by deference, and even subordination, to strong Asian and African politics, the import of deadly European diseases in the Americas and maritime superiority earned by default because these local land-orientated polities were largely indifferent to war and trade at sea. A Chinese admiral once led a look-and-see trip to Africa but then ignored it.

What does he mean by “deference”? He points out that the Europeans were not sending overseas the big armies they used in Europe. Small bands of adventurers, expeditionary forces and private chartered companies who relied on the cultivation of local allies, led the expansion. They had to “go along to get along”. What Europe did could not compare with the spreading of the Asian Empires - the Ottomans in the Near East, the Mughals in South Asia and the Ming and Manchu Qing in China. At the time when Europe began its imperialism the Chinese and Mughal empires were more economically developed than Europe. “In the main”, writes Sharman, “Europeans were realistic that they stood little chance of mastering foes who could put far superior forces in the field against them, and so Europeans deferred to the authority of the Asian empires”.

Only with the advent of the Industrial Revolution did Europe begin in 1760 to outclass and defeat the Asian and Ottoman empires. Competition with each other moved Europe to conquer Africa, apart from Christian Ethiopia.

Sharman’s book now puts a real debate on the academic mat. We spectators can enjoy this intellectual joust. It’s not easy to tell who is right.

Brexit deadlock: May holds talks at Chequers amid coup speculation

Simon Israel-24 Mar 2019Senior Home Affairs Correspondent

For a coup, it certainly seemed short-lived. This morning’s newspapers hailed ministers such as Michael Gove and David Lidington as possible successors. By this afternoon those ministers were offering her public support.

But there is little doubt her leadership is in deep trouble and she held talks with some of her fiercest critics from her Brexiter faction today, to try to seek a way forward.

Global Fight against right-wing nationalism

New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern,(R), hugs and consoles a woman as she visited Kilbirnie Mosque to lay flowers among tributes to Christchurch attack victims in Wellington.

Saturday, March 23, 2019

The rise right-wing nationalism that saw the killing of fifty persons at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand remains the key topic of international interest this week, with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinta Ardern emerging as a leader in the fight against this white-supremacist ideology and politics.

Her call for a global fight to root out racist right-wing ideology has led to a new thinking in international affairs that have for long been largely confined to the extremism and terrorism of Islamist groups and its condemnation, while the lift in white nationalism has been largely played down in world politics.

The tragedy in New Zealand, with 50 Muslims killed and a similar number wounded, has drawn attention to the white-supremacist thinking on the rise in the United States, under the Donald Trump presidency, as well as other right-wing populist political trends that are gaining ground in Europe – especially in Poland, Hungary and Italy, and its growing influence in France and the UK too.

Making her ‘global call’ against anti-racism Prime Minister Ardern said what New Zealand experienced “was violence brought against us by someone who grew up and learned their ideology somewhere else. If we want to make sure globally that we are a safe and tolerant and inclusive world, we cannot think about this in terms of boundaries.”

She defended New Zealand's record on accepting refugees, saying: “We are a welcoming country. I utterly reject the idea that in any way in trying to ensure that we have a system that looks after those who choose to call New Zealand home; that we have perpetuated an environment where this kind of ideology can exist.”

She emphasized the need to weed out right-wing nationalism “where it exists and make sure that we never create an environment where it can flourish”.

She also said “He obviously had a range of reasons for committing this atrocious terrorist attack. Lifting his profile was one of them. And that’s something that we can absolutely deny him….One thing I can assure you — you won’t hear me speak his name”.

The right-with nationalist attack in New Zealand and the response from PM Jacinta Ardern has revived anti-right wing politics in the US and the West, with indications of a rise in opposition to the populist politics in these countries, largely driven by opposition to immigration and alleged fears of dominance in society by the immigrant populations. The coming presidential elections in the US in 2020, is expected to see a strong clashes between white-supremacist right-wing nationalists, and the more liberal political forces there.

Political analysts are of the view that the New Zealand tragedy caused by right-wing terrorism, and the response there, would lead to a major re-assessment of political trends and realities in the world and that would give strength to the liberal politics that has been weakened in the recent decades.
In an important addition from the New Zealand situation is the growing international concerns about the role and power of social media, and the calls for better management and control of them, following the extensive showing the New Zealand terrorist attack on Facebook before being pulled down. This concern about the rising uncontrolled power of social media will also be one of major political and social reform interest in the coming years, to prevent emerging threats to Freedom of Information and Speech.

Brexit bedlam

The United Kingdom is in the whirl of a major political crisis with Prime Minister Theresa May having to seek an extension from the European Union for the UK departure from the EU. Prime Minister Theresa May’s stay in the office is at stake as well as the possibility of a clear and quick exit from the EU.

The crisis over Theresa May’s failure to reach understandings with the other political parties in the House of Commons was made worse by the Speaker of the House John Bercow, ruling the motion on the Agreement with EU over Brexit could not be brought again to the Commons again in the same or substantially the same content. This motion was recently defeated in the Commons twice, with very large majorities. The Speaker quoted a 1604 ruling that no defeated motion could be tabled for voting again in the same session of the House. Theresa May has been pushing this motion – her draft Agreement with the EU, kicking the can down as time for the exit from the EU is due on March 29 – just a few days more. She has been hoping to get more votes as the time for exit draws near and no other option is found.

She is now in a situation where a request has been made to the EU to get an extension till June 30 this year for the UK to leave the EU. The Head of the EU Council has agreed to an extension, but with the UK Parliament showing what exactly it needs. This is the trap Theresa May is now caught it. She is at talks with the EU this week, and will have to return to the Commons early next week, with whatever new or amended proposal she could present.

Her failure to get a favourable vote in the Commons could well lead to her being compelled to resign from the office of Prime Minister. It would also lead to a much longer extension being sought from the EU for the UK Exit, leading to considerable political differences in the UK, and leading to a general election.

The UK negotiations with the EU has gone on for more than two years, led by Theresa May, with no serious consultations with the other political parties, including the Opposition Labour and the Scottish Nationalists. At a general election held last year Theresa May her Conservatives lost their parliamentary majority, and is now dependent on the Northern Irish Democratic Unionists with 10 votes. They have voted against May’s Brexit Deal, especially over the “Irish Back Stop” – a possible free trade border with the EU, which is a major issue of conflict on Brexit.

Recent debates on Brexit in the Commons have seen Theresa May come in for strong criticism from both the government and opposition benches, and increasing concerns by political analyst about the trend of democracy and the parliamentary process in the UK. Breaking away from the EU, with which the UK has been a member for over 40 years, is certainly causing much turmoil in UK politics, hardly expected when the referendum to leave the EU was held nearly three years ago. Theresa May seems to be dragging the Conservative Party, the UK and herself into a political bedlam.

Indian Polls – Opposition and Social Media

With the Indian Polls due to begin on April 11 the opposition parties, especially the Congress led alliances remain in disarray. At midweek the Congress had not finalized its arrangements in the crucial states of West Bengal, Bihar and in Delhi. There is opposition to the Congress tying up with the Aam Aadmi Party that currently holds Delhi; there are disagreements on the number of seats to be given to Congress in West Bengal, and disagreements with leaders of the Rashtriya Janatha Dal on seat alignments in Bihar.

These unsettled divisions in the Opposition give strength to the Narendra Modi led Bharathiya Janatha Party (BJP) and its strong Hindu allies. The recent weeks have also seen key Congress and pro-Congress political leaders in states joining the BJP, raising new problems to Rahul Gandhi and the Congress leadership.

These shifting of old political links and alliances are much to do with the older voters. However, there is increased interest in how the current political trends will affect the new voters in India, who could play a crucial role in deciding on the future politics in the country.

The uncertainty of the young electorate, the 18-19-year-olds with little political baggage are seen as possible key players in the coming polls, with many parties trying to grab the leaders of these youth, who could be very strong supporters and bring in many young followers. The coming election would have about 100 million first time voters, which is a draw to all political parties.

These new voters are better informed, more educated and good organisers too. They key players in the election – the BJP and Congress – are giving importance to attracting more of the young voters, who could be a powerful extra drive to their traditional voter base.

There is no indication yet as to which major political party or alliance could effectively draw these young voters in substantial numbers to make a major positive change in their electoral campaigns. These youth also add the advantage of digital connectivity which is also playing a major role in the campaigning for the coming general election, with the spread of smartphones in the country. One commentator has said: “With the spread of 4G connectivity to rural India and cheaper smartphones, the 2019 battle is likely to be fought as much on phones as in the streets. Maybe, the younger lot will find phones more handy”.

The BJP will continue its strategy of presenting Narendra Modi as the leader image for youth, which was seen in the 2014 polls that saw the BJP win with a big majority in the Lok Sabha. However, Rahul Gandhi, the Congress leader, remains a good attraction to youth voters, but he will have to show more leadership on issues that affect the youth most today. This will also have to do with the effective manner in which the Congress Party carries out its propaganda in the social media, where the BJP and Narendra Modi have already established a strong base of support.

Coming to the role of social media in the polls, India’s Election Commission has formulated a voluntary code of ethics that social media platforms have agreed to follow during the next two months.

In a meeting this week, representatives from Facebook, Google, Twitter, WhatsApp and other social media platforms agreed to take expedited action on any reported violations on their platforms. The Election Commission has ruled that all paid advertising on social media must be pre-certified.

India has been grappling with fake news on Facebook and WhatsApp for months – on matters that have led to considerable violence and issues of caste and religion, becoming an issue of major priority in this election.

Viking Sky reaches port with 900 still onboard after dramatic rescues

Norwegian cruise ship was reportedly 100 metres from rocks after rough seas struck

Viking Sky: hell ride as stricken cruise ship is tossed by rough seas – video

Jedidajah Otteand agencies-Sun 24 Mar 2019

A stricken luxury cruise liner that had hundreds of its passengers airlifted to safety over the weekend has been towed to port in Norway as it emerged it narrowly escaped running aground and a major disaster.

About 900 passengers and crew were still onboard the Viking Sky when it arrived at the port of Molde on Norway’s west coast on Sunday afternoon. Five helicopters had earlier winched 479 people to safety as huge waves tossed the ship around.

Twenty people were treated for injuries including broken bones, cuts and bruises, rescuers said.

Social media footage showed chairs, large pot plants and other furniture on the ship rolling across the floor and crashing into walls. Parts of the ceiling were falling down on to passengers as the ship swayed heavily. Passengers were wearing orange life vests as waves broke down doors and windows and cold water poured over their feet.

The cruise liner was only 100 metres away from striking rocks in shallow waters when it finally managed to turn.

“It was very nearly a disaster. The ship drifted to within 100 metres of running aground before they were able to restart one of the engines,” police chief Hans Vik, who heads the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre for southern Norway, told TV2. “If they had run aground we would have faced a major disaster.”

Among the passengers from Britain, the US, Canada, New Zealand and Australia were Derek and Esther Browne. The couple, from Hampshire, said the “whole boat was swaying, it was very rough” before they were airlifted to safety.

Derek Browne told BBC Radio 5 Live: “We had a few people on stretchers, several with cuts, two with broken limbs, but fortunately we were all right. We were airlifted on to the helicopter, which was quite a frightening experience.”

The ship had started struggling with engine problems in bad weather off Norway’s western coast on Saturday afternoon, in an area known for its rough, unpredictable waters. It reportedly issued a mayday call when it started drifting towards the rocky shore. Police said the crew managed to anchor off the coast near the town of Ålesund.

Viking Sky location tracking map

The evacuations took place in extremely difficult conditions. Norwegian media reported gusts of up to 38 knots (43 mph) and waves over 8 metres (26ft) in an area known for its rough, frigid waters.

The Norwegian public broadcaster NRK said the Viking Sky’s evacuation was a slow and dangerous process, as passengers needed to be hoisted one by one from the cruise ship to the five available helicopters.

“I was afraid. I’ve never experienced anything so scary,” Janet Jacob, among the first group of passengers evacuated to Molde, told NRK. She said her helicopter ride to safety came amid strong winds “like a tornado”, prompting her to pray for the safety of all aboard.

An American passenger, John Curry, told NRK he was having lunch when the cruise ship started to shake. “It was just chaos. The helicopter ride from the ship to shore I would rather not think about. It wasn’t nice,” he told the broadcaster.

NRK said one 90-year-old-man and his 70-year-old spouse on the ship were severely injured, but did not say how it happened.

The Viking Ocean Cruises chairman, Torstein Hagen, told the Norwegian newspaper VG the events were “some of the worst I have been involved in, but now it looks like it’s going well in the end and that we’ve been lucky”.

The British embassy in Oslo tweeted: “We are in touch with the Norwegian authorities and staff from the British embassy will be deploying to Molde to help any British people who require our assistance.”

Passengers are helped out of a rescue helicopter after being rescued from the Viking Sky in Hustadvika. Photograph: Ntb Scanpix/Reuters

Evacuations were halted while the ship was making its way back to port. It was expected to arrive on Sunday afternoon.

The area where the ship encountered problems, known as Hustadvika, is notoriously difficult to navigate. The shallow, 10-nautical-mile section of coastline is known for its many small islands and reefs.

“Hustadvika is one of the most notorious maritime areas that we have,” Odd Roar Lange, a journalist specialising in tourism, told NRK.

The Viking Sky was on a 12-day trip that began on 14 March in the western Norwegian city of Bergen, according to the cruisemapper.com website. It was visiting the Norwegian towns of Narvik, Alta, Tromsø, Bodø and Stavanger before its scheduled arrival on Tuesday in Tilbury on the River Thames.

The Viking Sky, a vessel with gross tonnage of 47,800, was delivered in 2017.

Will Thai stock exchange’s transformation help it catch up with Singapore?

000_VZ7SR-940x580 — People walk past Thai flags outside of the Stock Exchange of Thailand in Bangkok on January 8, 2018. Most Asian markets rose on January 8 following yet more records on Wall Street, with Hong Kong chalking up its tenth day of gains. Source: Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP

@SoumikRoy-March 21 at 1:26 AM

STOCK exchanges in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region are not all equal. Some, like Singapore and Hong Kong, are quite advanced in the way they’re organised. Others, like Thailand and Indonesia, are still playing catch up — at least when it comes to digital transformation.

Most recently, the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) reviewed its plan to rejuvenate its infrastructure and found areas of significant improvement.

In its latest three-year plan, 2019-2021, the exchange has announced that it will focus on four key objectives:

Development of a digital infrastructure platform
Building a one-stop digital capital market
Opening up new investment opportunities, and
Leveling up investment experiences for more convenience and higher speed.

Of course, SET isn’t the only one in the region chasing digital transformation goals.

The Australian Stock Exchange (ASE), for example, is making remarkable progress. The ASE has recently boosted its cybersecurity measures and is exploring the use of blockchains to help optimise operations.

Exchanges in India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and the Philippines are also taking steps to boost their digital infrastructure although some might argue that progress is slow.

What is SET’s digital transformation gameplan?

According to the new digital transformation roadmap, the SET expects to radically transform the market in the country in two areas.

The first one involves completely digitising the capital market infrastructure covering enhancements such as a paperless account opening process through electronic identification verification, electronic payment of stamp duty, and direct-debit registration.

SEE ALSO: Thailand’s Pattaya city faces an oversupply of condominium units

On the second front, SET has announced that it will work very closely and collectively with all stakeholders in the Thai capital market to build a new ecosystem.

As a result of its digitisation strategy, the SET expects to develop capabilities that provide market participants with support for digital assets and help create new opportunities to transform the investment landscape in the future.

SET’s mantra: Collaboration drives transformation

“SET strongly believes that the collaboration with all stakeholders in enhancing the existing infrastructures that are a backbone of the current ecosystem and in building the new digital asset ecosystem will be a turning point that will take the Thai capital market to the next level,” said SET President Pakorn Peetathawatchai.

When the SET mentions collaboration, it’s talking about its various stakeholders across the length and breadth of the country.

For example, SET’s plans to link its FundConnext mutual fund platform currently connected with 19 asset management firms in the country with Vestima, a global fund processing platform operated by Clearstream.

SEE ALSO: Thailand to remain most popular among Chinese property buyers

Doing so will help FundConnext connect the Thai investment fund market to the global market by serving as a gateway for investors in 56 countries to capture new opportunities that were previously more difficult to access.

“SET stands ready to build and operate the capital market that is underpinned by trust,” explained Peetathawatchai.

Although SET’s 2019-2021 digital transformation strategy doesn’t explicitly mention any of the traditional buzzwords such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), the body’s willingness to collaborate might bring these into the fold seamlessly through tech-savvy partners and stakeholders.

From the looks of it, SET is all set to match the digital infrastructure benchmarks of the most advanced capital markets in the region and the world — provided implementation is flawless.

This article originally appeared on our sister site Tech Wire Asia.

Key Democrat says Mueller report summary puts matters ‘squarely in Congress’ court’

Democrats are pushing for continued investigation and transparency after the Mueller report, while Republicans are declaring vindication for President Trump. (Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)

By Felicia Sonmez ,

Rachael Bade ,

Paul Kane and

Paul Sonne-March 24 at 4:19 AM

The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee said Sunday that the release of a summary of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s findings on Russian interference in the 2016 campaign means that the next step is now up to lawmakers.

“Seems like the Department of Justice is putting matters squarely in Congress’ court,” Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) said in a tweet.

Republicans swiftly declared victory after the summary’s release, with Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.), the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, stating that “the cloud hanging over President Trump has been removed by this report” and calling for the country to “move on.”

“Good day for the rule of law. Great day for President Trump and his team. No collusion and no obstruction,” Graham said in a statement. “Bad day for those hoping the Mueller investigation would take President Trump down.”

Mueller submitted a confidential report Friday to Attorney General William P. Barr, who reviewed the document and sent congressional leaders a summary of Mueller’s “principal conclusions” late Sunday afternoon.

At one point in the four-page summary, Barr quotes Mueller: “While the report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.”

Rep. Douglas A. Collins (Ga.), the ranking Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, said Barr’s report showed there “was no collusion between Russia and Donald Trump or his campaign,” and he sought to preempt Democrats’ calls for more details of Mueller’s report to be released.

“Democrats wrote the regulations that now govern how he handles Mr. Mueller’s report, and he appears to be complying with those regulations,” Collins said, defending Barr’s summary of the more than 22-month investigation.

Collins also encouraged Nadler to drop his probe into the president: “Chairman Nadler has the chance to rethink his sprawling investigation, which retreads ground already covered by the special counsel and is already a matter of public record. . . . Today, I ask Chairman Nadler to join us in abandoning the divisiveness that Russia prizes and prioritizing the unity that has always made America stronger than our enemies.”

Earlier Sunday, Democrats maintained that it was too early to raise the specter of impeaching Trump but suggested that they are keeping their options open, while Republicans fired back that Democrats would probably move to impeach the president no matter what.

On the Sunday morning news shows, Nadler said it is “way too early to speculate” about impeachment. He said he still believes Trump obstructed justice, although “whether they’re criminal obstructions is another question.”

“What Congress has to do is look at a broader picture. We have the responsibility of protecting the rule of law . . . so that our democratic institutions are not greatly damaged by this president,” Nadler said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

He maintained that members of the Trump team colluded with Russia during the 2016 election. “We know there was collusion. Why there’s been no indictments, we don’t know,” Nadler said.

Democrats will “try to negotiate, we’ll try everything else first,” but if they have to, they will issue subpoenas and are “absolutely” willing to go to the Supreme Court if necessary, Nadler said.

Asked how long they are willing to wait for the Justice Department to provide the full Mueller report, he replied, “It won’t be months.”

[Republicans and Democrats brace for renewed battles over Mueller report]

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) quickly seized on Nadler’s comments, arguing on CNN that they show Democrats are “immediately pivoting away” from the report and plan to move ahead with plans to impeach Trump no matter what.

“They fully intend to impeach the president,” Cruz said. “What they’re basically saying is they’re going to impeach the president for being Donald Trump.”

In an interview with The Washington Post this month, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said impeachment would be “so divisive to the country that unless there’s something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, I don’t think we should go down that path.”

“He’s just not worth it,” she said of Trump.

Other Democrats on Sunday joined Nadler in renewing their calls for the Mueller report to be made public.

On ABC News’s “This Week,” House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.) reiterated that there was “significant evidence of collusion.”

Responding to Trump attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani’s tweet Saturday that Schiff should “apologize for his mistake” in asserting that there was collusion, Schiff said, “Giuliani would be wise to wait until the report is made public” before making such claims.

“If they’re so confident that the report is going to exonerate them, they should fight to make the report public,” the Democrat said. “I suspect we’ll find those words of transparency hollow.”

Schiff said he believed Mueller’s team erred in relying on written responses from the president, rather than an interview, because those generally reflect “more what the lawyer has to say than what the individual has to say.” “The president is someone who seems pathologically incapable of telling the truth for long periods of time,” Schiff added.

On CBS News’s “Face the Nation,” Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said the Mueller report should be released in full so that Americans can draw their own informed conclusions about Trump.

“The American people deserve to know whether Donald Trump is either a) a legitimate president, b) a Russian asset, c) the functional equivalent of an organized crime boss or d) just a useful idiot who happens to have been victimized by the greatest collection of coincidences in the history of the republic,” said Jeffries, the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House.

In an appearance on NBC News’s “Meet the Press,” Nadler said Democrats are prepared to fight back if the Trump administration seeks to use executive privilege to block the report’s release.

“The president must personally assert executive privilege,” Nadler said. “And I do not believe it exists here at all because, as we learned from the Nixon tapes case, executive privilege cannot be used to hide wrongdoing.”

Nadler also said on “Fox News Sunday” that any attempt by the administration to prevent the delivery of the full report to Congress would amount to a “coverup.”

He emphasized that regardless of the findings in the special counsel’s report, Trump campaign officials colluded “in plain sight” with Russia during the election.

Nadler cited a meeting at Trump Tower that Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. and campaign chairman Paul Manafort attended with a Russian lawyer with the aim of receiving dirt on Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. He also noted the revelation that Manafort gave political targeting data to a Ukrainian political consultant who U.S. authorities have alleged is an agent of the Russian government.

“Regardless of the special counsel’s findings, wrongdoing had already been made public . . . Maybe it’s not indictable, but we know there is collusion. And the question is to what degree and for what purpose,” Nadler said.

[Trump’s legal troubles are far from over even as Mueller probe ends]

Some Republicans on Sunday also called for Mueller’s report to be released to the public while also seizing on the lack of indictments as vindication of Trump.

Cruz said on “State of the Union” that the full report “absolutely” needs to be given to Congress and made public in the interest of transparency.

Collins said Sunday that the facts of the Mueller report will most likely show that there was no collusion.

On “Fox News Sunday,” he accused Democratic lawmakers of abusing power by continuing sweeping investigations into Trump.

“They really don’t have a policy agenda,” Collins said. “They have an agenda against the president. They have an agenda to win 2020.”

The ranking Republican on the House Oversight Committee, Rep. Jim Jordan (Ohio), said on “This Week” that Democrats had asserted that Mueller was “right next to Jesus and can walk on water” but that “all indications are that there’s not going to be any finding of any collusion whatsoever.”

Democrats are pushing for other hearings and investigations, Jordan said, because “they don’t think this Mueller report is going to be the bombshell they all anticipated it would be.”

“This is how the Democrats are going to operate,” he said. “We just have to be used to it.”

Jordan said he was all “for erring on the side of transparency.” But asked whether he would urge Trump to release the full report, he replied, “That’s the president’s call.”

Drew Harwell, Karoun Demirjian and Devlin Barrett contributed to this report.