Islamic State Claims Aid Workers’ Kidnap in Northeast Nigeria

Islamic State’s West Africa branch on Thursday claimed responsibility for kidnapping six aid workers in northeast Nigeria.

International aid agency Action Against Hunger said that a staff member and five others kidnapped in Nigeria last week had appeared in a video released on Wednesday evening and that they were “apparently in a good condition of health.”

Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA), which split from Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram in 2016, claimed responsibility for the kidnap in a tweet published by the SITE monitoring group.

The group has carried out a number of attacks in the northeast over the last few months, including on military bases.

It killed a kidnapped aid worker nine months ago.

Action Against Hunger said in a statement that the people were abducted last week near the town of Damasak in northeast Nigeria, where the insurgents were active.

“Action Against Hunger strongly requests that our staff member and her companions are released,” said the agency.

The video was published by The Cable, a Nigerian news organisation, and showed a woman sitting on the floor who identifies herself as “Grace”. Five men sit around her, some with their heads bowed.

Behind them is a sheet with the logo of the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR.

“We were caught by this army called the Calipha,” she said, before asking that the Nigerian government and Action Against Hunger secure their release. “We don’t know where we are.”

Separately, the Nigerian presidency said in a statement that the government was negotiating for the release of the kidnapped aid workers.

A source told Reuters that a driver was killed during the kidnap and that all six abductees were Nigerians.

From: MeNeedIt

US House Approves Protected Status for Venezuelans

The U.S. House on Thursday approved legislation aimed at protecting thousands of Venezuelans living in the United States from deportation by granting them Temporary Protected Status.

The measure was adopted on a 272-158 vote after a debate that required a simple majority for passage. The same bill failed earlier this week when 154 Republicans voted against it under a procedure for quick passage that required approval from two-thirds of the 435 House members. All 158 votes against the bill Thursday were Republicans, while 39 Republicans voted in favor.

Similar legislation has not moved forward in the Senate since it was introduced in February.

Arguments for, against

Temporary Protected Status is usually granted by the Department of Homeland Security to people from countries ravaged by natural disasters or war and lets them remain in the U.S. until the situation improves back home.

Rep. Doug Collin of Georgia, the top Republican on the House judiciary panel, said he opposed the bill because recent court rulings have blocked the Trump administration from terminating the TPS designation for some countries.

“We should not ensure renewal is automatic,” Collins said. “If we do not do that, we can continue the same broken TPS designation process.”

Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida, a Republican who was a co-sponsor of the measure, urged other members of his caucus to support the bill.

“This is not to be confused with issues dealing with immigration,” Diaz-Balart said. “This is to deal with a specific case of the Venezuelans who are struggling under this oppressive regime and we should not return people back.”

200,000 Venezuelans

The Trump administration was one of the first to recognize Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the legitimate president of the South American nation, a step that has been taken by more than 50 other governments. Those countries contend President Nicolas Maduro’s re-election in 2018 was fraudulent.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates 200,000 Venezuelans currently living in the United States could receive TPS. Under the measure, Venezuelan nationals would be eligible to get migratory relief and work permits valid for 18 months if they have been continuously present in the U.S. since the bill’s enactment and apply paying a $360 fee.

Stuck in the Senate

Rep. Darren Soto, a Florida Democrat and sponsor of the bill, said after the vote that “we want this to be as bipartisan as possible because it gives us a better chance in the Senate.”

The TPS legislation is the fourth Venezuela-related bill adopted by the House so far this year, but none has made it yet to the Senate floor.

“Our hope is the vote today will really light a fire in the Senate to get going on the Venezuela bills,” said Rep. Donna Shalala, also a Florida Democrat.

The United Nations estimates that at least 4 million Venezuelans have left their country in recent years because of a chronic scarcity of food and medicines and a hyperinflation that reached 130,000% last year.

From: MeNeedIt

HBO Chief: Sorry, Fans, no ‘Game of Thrones’ Do-over

The clamor from “Game of Thrones” fans for a do-over of the drama’s final season has been in vain.

HBO programming chief Casey Bloys said Wednesday there was no serious consideration to remaking the story that some viewers and critics called disappointing.

There are few downsides to having a hugely popular show like “Game of Thrones,” Bloys said, but one is that fans have strong opinions on what would be a satisfying conclusion.

Bloys said during a TV critics’ meeting that it comes with the territory, adding that he appreciates fans’ passion for the saga based on George R.R. Martin’s novels.

Emmy voters proved unswayed by petitioners demanding a remake: They gave “Game of Thrones” a record-breaking 32 nominations earlier this month. The series also hit record highs for HBO.

HBO will want to keep the fan fervor alive for the prequel to “Game of Thrones” that’s in the works. The first episode completed taping in Ireland and the dailies look “really good,” Bloys said. The planned series stars Naomi Watts and is set thousands of years before the original.

Asked whether negative reaction to the “Game of Thrones” conclusion will shape the prequel, Bloys replied, “Not at all.”

From: MeNeedIt

Georgia’s Culture War: The Push for LGBT Rights

LGBT activists in the Republic of Georgia this summer have been looking for ways to hold a parade on the streets of the capital, Tbilisi.   While pride parades are common across the West, activists in Georgia face strong opposition from the government and a deeply traditional society.  In a report narrated by Steve Redisch, Ricardo Marquina in Tbilisi looks at the difficult road ahead for those promoting the rights of homosexual, bisexual and transgender people.

From: MeNeedIt

Electricity Returns to Parts of Venezuela after Outages Plunged Much of the Country into Darkness

Electric power is slowly returning in Venezuela after a devastating blackout that ground activity to a virtual halt in a country beleaguered by a protracted political power struggle. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi reports that the Trump administration is renewing calls for the departure of embattled socialist ruler Nicolas Maduro, who remains defiant, insisting that conditions in Venezuela will improve.

From: MeNeedIt

Boris Johnson Begins Term as Britain’s Prime Minister

Britain’s new Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the Conservative Party leader, began assembling his political team as soon as he took office Wednesday. New Cabinet members include the country’s first ethnic minority person to head the Treasury and several women. VOA’s Zlatica Hoke reports Johnson’s first day on the job was marked by demonstrations by his supporters, as well as his opponents.

From: MeNeedIt

FBI Director: China Poses Biggest Counterintelligence Threat to US

FBI Director Christopher Wray says China right now poses a more serious counter-intelligence threat to the United States than any other country, including Russia. In his testimony Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Wray described the threat as “more challenging, more comprehensive and more concerning than any counter-intelligence threat” he can think of.  VOA’s Zlatica Hoke reports.

 

From: MeNeedIt

Landslides in Southwest China Kill 14; 42 Missing

At least 14 people have died in two landslides in southwestern China and rescuers are looking for 42 others who are missing, Chinese state media reported Wednesday.

A landslide on Tuesday night buried 21 houses and caused at least 13 deaths in Guizhou province’s Shuicheng county, said state broadcaster CCTV.

Eleven people were rescued and sent to the hospital while another 42 remained missing. Heavy rainfall is believed to be the main cause, CCTV said.

More than 800 rescuers have been scouring the area, where continuous rainfall and the mountain’s steep slopes have hampered search efforts.

One person died and six others are unaccounted for after an earlier landslide hit a village in Hezhang county in Guizhou on Tuesday afternoon. The landslide happened at a highway construction site, the Xinhua state news agency reported.

From: MeNeedIt

China Releases Military White Paper, Disclosing Defense Spending

For the first time in four years, China’s Ministry of National Defense on Wednesday released a white paper on the country’s overall national defense strategy, disclosing that, before 2017, its military spending accounted for 1.28 percent of its GDP.

The lengthy 27,000-word white paper, titled “China’s National Defense in the New Era,” totals six chapters.
 
It is the first comprehensive white paper since the 18th National Congress of China Communist Party, held in 2012, and the 10th one since the Chinese government released its first defense white paper in 1998.
 
Some analysts said the white paper has demonstrated China’s efforts to regain international security narrative. Others, however, add that it’s nothing new, but more about repeating consistent Chinese narratives while its defense budget remains opaque.
 
Xi slogans
 
Compared to the last white paper in 2015, “this new white paper is designed to really facilitate China’s drive to what I call to earn the regional security narrative. The white paper is full of (Chinese President) Xi Jinping’s slogans,” said Alexander Neill, a Shangri-La Dialogue senior fellow for Asia Pacific security at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
 
“Following a period of quite considerable defense reform, this white paper is setting out its achievement in terms of reforms but it’s also offering a new vision for regional security with Chinese characteristics,” added the Singapore-based expert.
 
During a news conference on Wednesday morning, China insisted its armed forces are defensive in nature.
 
That, some observers believe, shows China’s attempts to dismiss international criticism that it is a rising military threat.
 
According to Hu Kaihong, spokesman at China’s State Council Information Office, the white paper responds to the international community’s interest in the development of China’s armed forces and elaborates on the distinctive feature of China’s national defense policy, which is defensive in nature.
 
A military threat?

 
“China’s national defense in the new era is never seeking hegemony, expansion or spheres of influence. And China’s national defense expenditure has been reasonable and appropriate,” Hu said.
 
According to the white paper, from 2012 to 2017, China’s defense expenditure increased from US$98 billion to $152 billion.
 
During the period, China’s GDP and government expenditures grew at an average rates of 9.04 percent and 10.43 percent respectively while its defense expenditures increased by an average of 9.42 percent.
 

FILE – Soldiers of China’s People’s Liberation Army get ready for the military parade to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the foundation of the army at Zhurihe military training base in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China, July 30, 2017.

Meanwhile, China’s defense expenditures accounted for 5.26 percent of government expenditures on average and 1.28 percent of its GDP, the latter of which compared to Russia’s 4.4 percent, the U.S.’s 3.5 percent and India’s 2.5 percent.
 
“The percentage of China’s defense expenditure in GDP remained stable and grew in coordination with the increase of government expenditure,” the white paper said.
 
It added that China ranks the sixth among those big defense-spending countries in terms of defense spending as a percentage of GDP on average and is the lowest among the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council.
 
Opaque defense spending
 
But Ross Feingold, a Taipei-based political risk analyst, refuted the comparison as a distortion given other great military powers have international peacekeeping obligations.
 
The security presence of the U.S., for example, is broadly welcomed around the world whether that’s through weapon sales or actual presence of U.S. personnel or equipment, he said.
 
“Broadly speaking, there’s still a preference around the world for a U.S. [security] presence. Where China is expanding its presence, it seems to be  very bilateral, rather than [a] regional request,” Feingold added, referring to China’s naval base in Djibouti as an example.
 
Feingold said the white paper is nothing new but China’s consistent military narrative.
 
He further questioned if China’s disclosure of military expenditures between 2012 and 2017 was updated and transparent enough.
 
He said that some of China’s military spending may not be reported accurately or there remain secret budgets through Chinese state-owned enterprises which engage in research and development or even products — all that he said may not show up in the actual budget numbers.
 
While the white paper also seeks to show just how intense China’s military reforms have been since it was introduced by Xi, what’s missing in the paper is the actual turbulence that has happened to the Chinese military in the past couple of years, Neill said.
 
 

 

 

From: MeNeedIt

Russia and China Deny Violating South Korean Airspace

Both Russia and China are denying their military aircraft violated South Korea’s territorial airspace during a joint air patrol Tuesday.

The alleged violation happened near a disputed group of islands claimed by both South Korea, which calls it Dokdo, and Japan, which calls it Takeshima.  

South Korea’s Defense Ministry says it scrambled multiple fighter jets after a Russian warplane ventured into its airspace over the East Sea.  

The ministry says after the South Korean jets fired warning shots, the Russian plane left South Korean territory. However, it returned a short time later, prompting the South Korean jets to fire more warning shots.

Russia’s Defense Ministry denied Seoul’s depiction of the incident, and accused the South Korean fighter jets of “unprofessional maneuvers.”  A spokesman for China’s Defense Ministry told reporters in Beijing that the patrol did not “target any third party” and flew along established air routes.  

South Korea’s Defense Ministry summoned officials from the Chinese and Russian embassies to lodge an official protest. Seoul says this is the first time that a Russian plane has violated its territorial skies.  

The flight by two Russian and two Chinese bombers, plus early warning planes from both nations, marks a notable ramping-up of military cooperation between Beijing and Moscow.  

Japan also lodged its own formal protest with Seoul and Moscow over the incident.  Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters in Tokyo that South Korea’s actions were “totally unacceptable and extremely regrettable” in light of Japan’s claim over the islands.

From: MeNeedIt