Tens of thousands protest in Morocco over jailed Rif activists

Protest leader Nasser Zefzafi, three others were handed 20-year jail terms for 'plotting to undermine the security of the state'

Moroccan protesters wave Berber flag in capital Rabat on Sunday (AFP)

Sunday 15 July 2018 

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Morocco's capital Rabat on Sunday to protest against the jailing of leaders of a popular movement in the predominantly Berber region of Rif.

Carrying pictures of the detained activists and waving Berber blue, green, yellow and red flags, demonstrators chanted "Freedom, dignity and social justice", "Long live the Rif", and "The people want immediate release of Rif detainees."

A court in Casablanca in June sentenced 39 people to terms of one to 20 years in jail in connection with a protest movement that shook Morocco in late 2016 and early 2017.

Thomas van Linge

✔@ThomasVLinge

#Morocco: thousands of people have gathered in the capital city #Rabat to protest against political repression in the #Rif and show solidarity with the prisoners of the #Hirak movement

8:58 AM - Jul 15, 2018

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Protest leader Nasser Zefzafi and three others were handed 20-year jail terms for "plotting to undermine the security of the state".

After the verdicts, a lawyer representing the state said the sentences were lenient and that some of the accused had been indicted for serious crimes including attacking law enforcement officers.

The activists are appealing the sentences and Amnesty International has called for the verdicts to be overturned.

The protests had erupted after a fishmonger was crushed inside a rubbish truck while trying to recover fish confiscated by police in the northern city of Al-Hoceima in October 2016.

Detainees and their families had called for Sunday's march, which brought together Berber (Amazigh) groups, leftist opposition parties, human rights groups and the banned Islamist movement Al-Adl wal-Ihsan.

Detainees' relatives, exhausted by a 12-hour bus journey from Al-Hoceima to Rabat, expressed grief and frustration as they marched.

"We will keep up our protests until the release of our sons," Zefzafi's mother Zoulikha told Reuters.

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Addressing crowds that activists said numbered at least 30,000, Zefzafi's father, Ahmed, invoked post-independence grievances and marginalisation in the Rif region and denounced what he called a political verdict.

"Rif is uniting Morocco in this march," he said. Authorities did not give an estimate of the size of the demonstration.

The Al-Hoceima demonstrations, along with protests in the mining town of Jerada in early 2018, marked the biggest unrest in Morocco since Arab Spring protests in 2011 prompted King Mohammed VI to devolve some of his powers to an elected parliament.

After the Rif protests the king dismissed three ministers and various other officials over a lack of progress in a development plan for the Rif.

Ahmed Dgherni, one of the founders of the Berber movement, called the march "a popular referendum that united different political trends" to back the cause of freedom.

"The security approach adopted by the state derailed the peaceful protests in the Rif, leading to confrontations and arrests," he told Reuters.

Senior Al-Adl wal-Ihsan leader Omar Amkasso said the march was "to call for the immediate release of activists and the development of Morocco's marginalised regions".

Liu Xia’s Freedom Shows China Can Still Be Pressured

Even Beijing admitted the Nobel laureate's widow had committed no crime.

Liu Xia, the widow of Chinese Nobel dissident Liu Xiaobo, at the Helsinki International Airport on July 10. (Jussi Nukari/AFP/Getty Images)

BY PATRICK POON-

JULY 13, 2018, 2:14 PM
On July 10, the Chinese authorities finally ended their de facto house arrest of Liu Xia, a painter, a poet, and the widow of the late Nobel peace laureate Liu Xiaobo, and allowed her to leave for Berlin.

It’s worth considering what distinguishes Liu’s case from those of the many dissidents and activists who continue to be held in Chinese prisons or prevented from leaving the country. The two-pronged approach of private and public diplomacy paid off in Liu’s case, and may yet yield results for others, however dark the situation looks.

The first thing to remember is that Liu, unlike her husband, who was tried for “inciting subversion of state power” in 2009, was never accused of any crime by the Chinese government. In this respect, she differs from the dissident writer Qin Yongmin, who was sentenced to 13 years’ imprisonment for “subverting state power” the day after Liu flew to Germany, or the Uighur scholar Ilham Tohti, who was imprisoned for life for “separatism” in 2014. As questionable as the charges against these two and others may be, their trials at least adhered to a thin veneer of judicial process.

By contrast, Liu never faced any charges in court or had any opportunity to present a legal challenge to her treatment. The only reason she was subjected to illegal house arrest for eight years was her unyielding support for her husband, Liu Xiaobo.

This meant that the authorities could not accuse those who called for her release of interfering in China’s judicial process or claim that she was a criminal who had endangered national security, an accusation directed at so many other peaceful activists.

Throughout Liu Xia’s eight years of illegal detention, the Chinese authorities repeated the ludicrous claim that she was free to do as she wished and enjoyed the same rights and freedoms as any other Chinese citizen “in accordance with law.” Statements like these only made Liu’s plight resonate more with those, both within China and abroad, who could see the injustice being done to her.

The timing of Liu’s release is significant, coming just days before the first anniversary of Liu Xiaobo’s death, when calls for her release were set to crescendo. Her release also coincided with a series of significant diplomatic talks. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang was in Germany, the human rights dialogue between China and the European Union took place earlier this week, and the EU-China Summit starts on Monday.

Behind the scenes, foreign diplomats and other officials had been pushing for her case to be on the agenda at these talks. This undoubtedly contributed to the mounting pressure to secure her release.
Some, then, might consider this to be a success of “quiet diplomacy.” But if so, the conditions for this success were created by public, sustained, and vocal pressure, including campaigns from Amnesty International and other nongovernmental organizations. Without such pressure, kept up over years, it is hard to imagine the demand for Liu Xia to leave China remaining on the diplomatic agenda for so long. This two-pronged approach, involving years of diplomatic and public pressure, was crucial to achieving Liu’s release.

Germany’s role in the negotiations should also not be understated. China is as skilled as any state in diplomatic horse-trading. The diplomatic push was more powerful for being spearheaded by Germany, a strategic trade partner that has also been consistent in bringing up human rights issues vis-à-vis China.

China excels in such stubborn diplomatic negotiations and made no immediate concessions. An article published in May by Liu’s good friend Liao Yiwu, a famous Chinese dissident writer exiled in Germany, suggested that China may have been delaying in order to get maximal benefit — in the meantime, cruelly dangling carrots in front of Liu.

She was first told that she would be allowed to go after the 19th Party Congress in October last year. But that promise went unfulfilled. She was then told that she would be allowed to go after the annual sessions of the National People’s Congress and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference in March. Again, the authorities reneged on their promise.

These repeated empty promises left Liu in despair, as revealed in a harrowing telephone conversation Liao had with her in April, a recording of which was released in May. It was not only diplomats and journalists following her case who were moved and saddened by her anguish — ordinary people were also shocked and asked why the Chinese government was being so cruel.

In a remarkable show of solidarity, writers including Paul Auster (author of The New York Trilogy), Alice Sebold (who wrote The Lovely Bones), and J.M. Coetzee (a Nobel laureate in literature) were moved to join a public call for their fellow artist’s release — sustaining the public focus on Liu’s plight up to the eve of her release.

Though Liu Xia is now free, some things remain uncertain. Her younger brother, Liu Hui, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison in 2013 on questionable fraud charges but released on bail later that year, remains in China — a point Beijing refused to negotiate on. Some fear that Liu Hui will be used as leverage to keep Liu Xia from speaking out in the future.

Liu’s release may have been contingent on her very specific circumstances but is something we should cherish, precisely because it is something we see so rarely these days. And we should take heart, because it shows China is not impervious to public and diplomatic pressure. This must be the glimmer of light as we look to secure freedom for other peaceful activists unjustly imprisoned in China.

GENDER INEQUALITY IN EARNINGS AND THE HUMAN CAPITAL

Worldwide losses from gender inequality in earnings around $16 trillion

by Ali Imran-July 11, 2018

That gender inequality is putting a high premium on development of communities, societies and countries around the world sounds like a commonplace observation.

But looking at the impact of gender inequality in earnings on human development in economic terms will likely shock many – with the current losses worldwide estimated to be $ 16.2 trillion and the potential gains likely to scale up the global wealth by 14 percent.

These findings emanate from a World Bank study released this year. Entitled Unrealized Potential: The High Cost of Gender Inequality in Earnings, the study looks at the losses of the earning gaps in terms of human capital.

The premise is simple: it’s the human capital, the people, who are the largest source of development. The argument makes it easier for the modern reader to understand the benefits and costs of human capital development for countries.

Releasing the report, the World Bank cited the study on the Changing Wealth of Nations which explains how human capital measured as the present value of the future earnings of the labor force accounts for two thirds of global wealth.

The findings of the study might seem astronomical or perhaps too theoretical to many in the face of multitude of obstacles that girls and women face in societies around the world. But these finding must inform any debate on realizing women’s access to economic opportunities and making development sustainable.

For instance, even if we make incremental progress, the world can benefit enormously from realizing access to education, health and employment – the very basis for development of human capital. The policymakers should focus  on human development much more than don so far in view of newer challenges like repercussions of the climate change on lives and livelihoods.

Here are some of the key findings of the study:

• Globally, women account for only 38 percent of human capital wealth versus 62 percent for men. In low- and lower-middle income countries, women account for a third or less of human capital wealth.
• On a per capita basis, gender inequality in earnings could lead to losses in wealth of $23,620 per person globally. These losses differ between regions and countries because levels of human capital wealth, and thereby losses in wealth due to gender inequality, tend to increase in absolute values with economic development. For these reasons, in absolute terms the losses are largest in OECD countries.
• Globally, for the 141 countries included in the analysis, the loss in human capital wealth due to gender inequality is estimated at $160.2 trillion if we simply assume that women would earn as much as men. This is about twice the value of GDP globally. Said differently, human capital wealth could increase by 21.7 percent globally, and total wealth by 14.0 percent with gender equality in earnings.
• These estimates of the losses from gender inequality are related only to differences in lifetime labor earnings and therefore human capital wealth between women and men. Many other costs are associated with gender equality apart from those estimated in this particular note. Subsequent notes in this series will estimate those other losses.
• Two main factors lead women to have less earnings and thereby lower human capital wealth than men: lower labor force participation rates and fewer hours worked in the labor market, and lower pay. These factors keep many women in a productivity trap due in part to social norms relegating them to unpaid care and informal work.
• To increase women’s earnings and human capital wealth, investments throughout the life cycle are needed, from early childhood development and learning in schools to building job-relevant skills that employers demand, encouraging entrepreneurship and innovation, and ensuring that both women and men have equal access to opportunities and resources.
• A review of the literature suggests that successful interventions can be implemented in multiple areas to improve employment opportunities and earnings for women. This includes: (i) reducing time spent in unpaid work (notably subsistence and household work) and redistributing care responsibilities; (ii) increasing access to and control over productive assets (particularly land, credit, insurance and savings but also key skills); and (iii) addressing market and institutional failures (access to information and networks, legal and fiscal impediments, and restrictive social norms).
• Ending gender inequality by investing in girls and women is essential to increase the changing wealth of nations and enable countries to develop in sustainable ways. This makes economic sense and it is the right thing to do.”

Singapore’s sex problem and its declining birthrate

File: Tourists pose for photos with the Marina Bay Sands and the Merlion statue (unseen) at a popular tourist spot along Marina Bay in Singapore July 24, 2015. Source: Reuters

By A. Azim Idris | 13th July 2018

SINGAPORE has seen four a percent decrease in number of births in 2017, falling to 39,615 from 41,251 in the previous year, a report said.

According to the city state’s Department of Statistics, the data showed that the 2017 figure was the lowest number of births since 2010, when 37,967 births were recorded, Channel News Asia reported.

The highest number of birds recorded within these eight years was in 2012, which saw 42,663 births in the year of the dragon.

And while 2017 had the lowest number of births, the tiny country also saw more deaths (20,905) recorded last year, a 4.4 percent increase from 2016.

SEE ALSO: IMF tells Asia to learn from Japan, act early on ageing population 

The bulk of the deaths were recorded in hospitals, of which 17,192 of the deceased were aged 60 or older.

The two most common deaths were due to malignant neoplasms or cancerous tumours and heart and hypertensive diseases.

BenHeubl‏ @benheubl

Drastic early changes in birthrates in Singapore & across the rest of #Asia since the 60ties affecting 2day's & future workforce & economics

8:35 am - 5 Oct 2017

In 2016, Senior Minister of State Josephine Teo, who oversees the National Population and Talent Division, raised concerns over low birthrates in the country, but courted controversy after telling young couples they “do not need much space to have sex”.

The government also launched a scheme to prioritize first-time married couples in obtaining homes as concerns mount over their abilities to secure housing before starting families.

SEE ALSO: ‘You don’t need much space for sex’, Singapore minister tells young couples

In 2015, the government began dishing out as much as S$10,000 ($7,400) in cash to Singaporeans who have a baby in a bid to enhance its incentives scheme.

But while the government was pushing to address the infertility woes, the minister said it should not be too nosy in the private lives of its citizens.

Teo said encouraging birth rates was better done with persuasion instead of having the “Government poke its nose into the bedroom”. Women, she said, should attempt to have babies when they are younger.

Soccer: France lift second World Cup after winning classic final

JULY 15, 2018

MOSCOW (Reuters) - France won the World Cup for the second time in spectacular style on Sunday by ending battling Croatia’s dreams of a first major title with a 4-2 victory in one of the most entertaining and action-packed finals for decades.

France triumphed thanks to an own goal from Mario Mandzukic, an Antoine Griezmann penalty — awarded after a VAR review - and second-half strikes by Paul Pogba and teenager Kylian Mbappe.
Ivan Perisic and Mandzukic replied for Croatia.

France vs Belgium - Live Streaming Fifa World Cup™ 2018 Russia

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It was the highest-scoring decider since England beat West Germany 4-2 after extra-time in 1966 and the highest in normal time since Brazil defeated Sweden 5-2 60 years ago.

There were as many goals in 90-action-packed minutes in Moscow as in the last four finals combined, and three of those went to extra time.
The game featured the first final own goal and the first VAR-decided spot-kick — one that Croatia were furious about and that was arguably the turning point of the game.

But the only statistic France will really care about is that the result makes them world champions for the second time following their triumph on home soil 20 years ago.

The French led 2-1 at halftime after Mandzukic’s own goal and Griezmann’s VAR penalty, with Ivan Perisic briefly bringing first-time finalists Croatia level.

Quickfire strikes by Pogba and Mbappe midway through the second half put France in charge before Mandzukic was gifted a goal by keeper Hugo Lloris to set up a nervous last 20 minutes.

France, however, held firm to ensure there was no repeat of two years ago when, again heavy favourites, they were beaten in the European Championship final by Portugal in Paris.

The win means Didier Deschamps, captain of the 1998 side, becomes the third man to lift the World Cup as player and coach after Brazil’s Mario Zagallo and Germany’s Franz Beckenbauer.


Soccer Football - World Cup - Final - France v Croatia - Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia - July 15, 2018 France's Hugo Lloris lifts the trophy as they celebrate winning the World Cu REUTERS/Christian Hartmann

“How marvellous,” Deschamps said having been carried shoulder high around the pitch by his players. “It’s a young team who are on the top of the world. Some are champions at the age of 19.
“We did not play a huge game but we showed mental quality - and we scored four goals.

“It hurt so much to lose the Euro two years ago, but it made us learn too and we worked so hard for 55 days here.”

OWN GOAL

Croatia started full of energy but fell behind when Mandzukic, who scored the extra-time winner against England in the semi-final, became the first man to score an own goal in a World Cup final when a Griezmann free kick skidded in off his head in the 18th minute. It was the 12th own goal of the tournament.

That meant it was the fourth successive knockout game in which Croatia conceded first but again they found a way back. Perisic, who got the equaliser against England, was on hand to level 10 minutes later, smashing in a low shot after Sime Vrsaljko had headed Luka Modric’s free kick across the box.

But then came the moment that Croatian fans will argue about for the rest of their lives and which will keep the VAR debate at the top of the sport’s agenda.

Perisic flapped an arm at a corner and seemed to have got away with it but, either because of or at the same time as a mass French player protest, Argentine referee Nestor Pitana conducted a protracted VAR review and awarded the 28th penalty of the tournament, another record.

Griezmann stroked the ball home in the 38th minute for his fourth goal of Russia 2018.

That made it the highest-scoring first half since 1974, when West Germany led the Netherlands 2-1 - also the final score - but this time there was more to come.

Croatia were on top again after the break, continually winning their one-on-one duels in the air and in every tackle and forging forward in the French box with plenty of variety.

But France’s defence held and Deschamps’ side went 3-1 up on the hour as Mbappe and Griezmann combined to set up Pogba on the edge of the box. The midfielder’s right-footed shot was blocked but he coolly curved the rebound in with his left.

Slideshow (16 Images)

Six minutes later Lucas Hernandez tore down the left to set up Mbappe to drill a low shot beyond keeper Danijel Subasic for the brilliant 19-year-old young player of the tournament to score his fourth goal at the finals.

After three successive extra-time knockout games the chances of Croatia coming back again looked impossible but they were thrown a lifeline by Lloris, who tried to dribble round Mandzukic only for the striker to tap the ball into the unguarded net.

Croatia, beaten by the French in the semi-finals in their first World Cup appearance in 1998, continued to press, with player of the tournament Luka Modric industrious to the end, but their energy was sapped and France safely held out.

The heavens opened for the presentation in torrential rain but man of the match Griezmann could not have cared.

“I don’t know where I am, I am really happy,” he said as his team mates danced around him in celebration.

“It was a very difficult match, Croatia had a great game. We came back and we managed to make the difference. We cannot wait to bring the cup back to France.”

Croatia will also go home to a heroes’ welcome - surpassing the achievements of the famed class of ‘98 - and the way their shirtless fans sang and danced long after the final whistle on Sunday suggests that pride will soon overcome disappointment.

Reporting by Mitch Phillips, editing by Ken Ferris and Ed Osmond

Skulls and skeletal remains discovered in Sathosa Building are those of 38 dead persons ! (photo)

(Lanka e News -13.July.2018, 11.30PM)   Skeletal remains  of 38 persons were  discovered until today , the 12 th  at a location in the  Mannar Sathosa warehouse during excavations.

These skeletal remains  had not been taken out from the mass burial venue. The excavations are being monitored by the Mannar magistrate , M.Prabhakaran..

When some contractors were digging to lay the foundation for a new building after demolishing an old Sathosa building in Mannar town on 25 th March , these skeletal remains have surfaced, according to the Police 

When the earth from the excavation was being transported by a resident of Emilnagar , Mannar by a Tipper he had noticed parts of the human skeletons along  with  the earth. It is following his information to the police , investigations began.

Thereafter , excavations were commenced on the 28 th of May , monitored by  the  former Mannar magistrate A.D. Alex Raja , and with the assistance of a group including Saminda Rajapakse the Judicial Medical officer ,Mannar, archeological department officers , and police crimes division investigation officers.

On the orders of the court , the skeletal remains which had been discovered were  deposited in a special unit of the Mannar hospital  while the security at the place where the skeleton remains were found has been beefed up, Police revealed.  

Photos and report by Dinasena Rathugamage.

Translated by Jeff

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by     (2018-07-14 00:28:15)

Hundreds of unseen photographs from Mullivaikkal massacre released

13Jul 2018

Hundreds of new photographs from inside Mullivaikkal in 2009, where tens of thousands of Tamils were slaughtered in a Sri Lankan military offensive, have been released by TamilNet this week.

The photographs, taken from inside the infamous No Fire Zones, show the aftermath of Sri Lankan military shelling.

They were taken by Suren Karthikesu, a journalist with the Eezhanaatham daily, who has since sought asylum in Canada.

 

Amongst the photographs taken are images showing cluster munitions landing, Sri Lankan air forces jets flying overhead, mass displacement, starvation and doctors struggling to treat the wounded amongst hundreds of dead Tamil civilians.

Mr Karthikesu was one of the few journalists reporting from inside the conflict zone and regularly released his footage at the time of the massacres.

Mr Karthikesu reporting from inside the No Fire Zone.

A total of 577 photographs and 19 videos were released.

Warning – some of these images are highly distressing and reader discretion is advised before viewing.

All the images can be downloaded here.

Related Articles: 

17 May 2018 : 9 years today – A massacre in Mullivaikkal

 Sri Lanka Opposition Leader requests visiting Thai PM to encourage investments in North and East

Sat, Jul 14, 2018, 11:08 am SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.


July 14, Colombo: Sri Lanka Opposition Leader and the leader of Tamil National Alliance R. Sampanthan requested the visiting Thailand Prime Minister to encourage Thai private sector investors to invest in the North and East.

The Opposition Leader met with the Thailand Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-Cha, who was on an official two-day visit to Sri Lanka, on Friday (13th) in Colombo.
A TNA media statement said Mr. Sampanthan, highlighting the longstanding bilateral relationship between the two countries commended the progress made by Thailand in the past.

He told the visiting PM that Sri Lanka was unable to advance in development due to the longstanding conflict, which has not been resolved for the past 70 years.

Briefing on the steps taken by the government to address the national question Mr. Sampanthan said that the Tamil community wants a peaceful resolution through a new Constitution on the basis of equality and self-respect, and they will extend their support to the government to achieve such power-sharing arrangements.

Moreover, as per Lord Buddha's teachings, the right thing must be done to resolve this issue permanently, Mr. Sampanthan said.

Speaking on the need for Investments in the North and East Mr. Sampanthan emphasized and requested the Prime Minister to encourage the Thai private sector investors to invest in the North and East. Further, the people in the North and East are in need of employment opportunities and their economic status must be uplifted said Mr. Sampanthan.

Appreciating the initiatives taken to establish a sugar factory in the North by the Thailand Investors Mr. Sampanthan requested more of such investments to the former war-torn areas and highlighted the adverse impact of the war in achieving development by these very hard working people of the North and East. Further, he emphasized that more investments would certainly uplift the Economic condition of the people in North and East and in the whole of Sri Lanka.

While assuring that he will certainly encourage the Thai Investors to invest in Sri Lanka the Thailand Prime Minister also requested Mr. Sampanthan to extend his support to facilitate these investments in the future.


Along with Mr. Sampanthan TNA spokesman and the Jaffna District Parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran was also present at the meeting.