Putin signs decree to control two foreign firms’ assets in Russia

Move seen as sign that Moscow may take further action if Russian assets abroad are seized to pay for damage caused to Ukraine by war.

President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree that takes temporary control of the Russian subsidiaries of two foreign energy firms, signalling that Moscow could take similar action against other international companies if Russian assets abroad are seized.

The decree — outlining possible retaliation if Russian assets abroad are harmed — showed Moscow had already taken action against Germany’s Uniper division in Russia and the assets of Finland’s Fortum Oyj.

The decree said Russia needed to take urgent measures to respond to unspecified actions from the United States and others it said were “unfriendly and contrary to international law”.

In October, European Council President Charles Michel said the European Union was looking at using seized Russian assets — frozen under sanctions against Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine — to help rebuild Ukraine.

The chief executive of Russia’s state-owned Bank VTB PAO said on Monday that Moscow should consider taking over the assets of foreign companies in Russia, such as Fortum, and only return them when sanctions over the war in Ukraine are lifted.

Shares in Uniper and Fortum Oyj have been placed in the temporary control of Rosimushchestvo, the Russian federal government’s property agency, the decree said. Rosimushchestvo said more foreign firms could find their assets under temporary Russian control, state news agency TASS reported.

“The decree does not concern ownership issues and does not deprive owners of their assets. External management is temporary in nature and means the original owner no longer has the right to make management decisions,” TASS cited the agency as saying.

In February, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Russia should bear the costs of the huge damage caused by its war on Ukraine, though also noting that there were “significant legal obstacles” to confiscating major frozen Russian assets.

In November, the UN adopted a resolution calling on Russia to be held accountable for invading Ukraine, which was contrary to international law, and for Moscow to pay reparation for its destruction of Ukraine and the lives lost.

The resolution stated that Moscow “must bear the legal consequences of all its internationally wrongful acts, including making reparation for injury, including any damage, caused by such acts”.

The temporary seizures of the two firms may come as no surprise.

Fortum had already warned shareholders there was a risk its Russian assets could be expropriated.

Uniper has an 83.73 percent stake in the Russian subsidiary Unipro, which for years had supplied natural gas deliveries to Germany. Even before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Uniper had sought to sell its stake in Unipro. A buyer was found, but the Russian authorities never approved the sale.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES

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Iran court orders US, Obama to pay $313m for ‘terrorist’ attacks

Court names US entities and officials – including ex-Presidents Obama and George W Bush – as it maintains they played a pivotal role in creating and guiding ISIL.

Tehran, Iran – An Iranian court has ruled the United States government and a number of individuals and entities, including former President Barack Obama, must pay compensation for 2017 attacks carried out by the armed group ISIL (ISIS).

The court in the capital issued the verdict on Wednesday based on complaints by families of three people killed and six wounded during the June 2017 attacks in Tehran, according to the official news website of the judiciary.

The building of the Iranian parliament and the mausoleum of the founder of Iran’s current establishment, Ruhollah Khomeini, were targeted during the daylight assault that killed 17 people in total.

The court ruled $9.95m needs to be paid to compensate for financial damages while $104m and $199m are for moral and punitive damages, respectively, with the total nearing $313m.

Those convicted in the case include the US government, Obama, former President George W Bush, Central Command (CENTCOM), and its former commander Tommy Franks, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Treasury Department, weapons manufacturer Lockheed Martin, and American Airlines Group.

None of the named entities or individuals is believed to hold any assets under Iranian control that could be seized, and the court did not say how the compensation order would be carried out.

As to why the US is being blamed for the attacks, the website cited comments by American officials about the “fundamental” role played by the US in “organising and guiding terrorist groups”, news and information published by US media, and books and speeches by US officials discussing “the CIA’s role in creating terrorist groups”, including ISIL.

The judiciary also acknowledged the ruling comes as a response to numerous orders by US courts over the years that have blamed Iran for “terrorist” assaults, and ordered compensation paid from seized Iranian assets.

“As this marks a violation of the immunity of the Iranian government, Iranian courts have also judged a variety of cases against the US government and officials, and have issued legal decisions and will continue to do so,” it said.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA

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Up to 6 million People Allegedly Murdered and Forgotten in Eastern DRC

 New revelations coming out indicate that there was much more to the genocide in Rwanda and the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo than was reported to the world.

In an exclusive interview granted to DNT, Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, the formerly imprisoned opposition leader in Rwanda, lamented how the world simply refused to talk about the massacre of “more than 6 million people”  in eastern DRC.

According to Umuhoza, during the more than two decades of violence and genocide, more people were killed in the eastern portion of DRC than were killed in Rwanda but “nobody talks about it.”

Pressed if she was sure about the number being as high as 6 million, Umuhoza cited reports by multiple human rights groups as well as the government of the DRC.

Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza is a Rwandan politician and chairperson of Development And Liberty For All (DALFA)-Umurinzi, a political party that is yet to be recognised in Rwanda, with the focus to campaign for political space and sustainable development in Rwanda.

 

 

South Africa’s Ramaphosa says governing party wants ICC exit

The decision comes after an arrest warrant issued against Russia’s Putin and before a BRICS summit in South Africa later this year.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has said the governing African National Congress (ANC) party had resolved that South Africa should quit the International Criminal Court, which last month issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The warrant against Putin in March means Pretoria, due to host the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) bloc summit this year, would have to detain him on arrival.

Yes, the governing party … has taken that decision that it is prudent that South Africa should pull out of the ICC,” Ramaphosa said during a news conference co-hosted with the visiting President of Finland Sauli Niinisto.

Ramaphosa said the decision, which follows a weekend meeting of the ANC, was reached “largely” because of what is perceived as the court’s unfair treatment of certain countries.

“We would like this matter of unfair treatment to be properly discussed, but in the meantime, the governing party has decided once again that there should be a pull-out,” he said.

The arrest warrant against Putin followed accusations that the Kremlin unlawfully deported Ukrainian children.

On whether South Africa would arrest Putin, Ramaphosa said “that matter is under consideration”.

A continental powerhouse, South Africa has refused to condemn the invasion of Ukraine that has largely isolated Moscow on the international stage, saying it wants to stay neutral and preferred a dialogue to end the war.

It is not the first time South Africa has attempted to withdraw from the ICC.

It attempted to do so in 2016 following a dispute a year earlier when Sudan’s then-President Omar al-Bashir visited the country for an African Union summit. It refused to arrest him despite the al-Bashir facing an ICC arrest warrant for alleged war crimes.

The controversial decision to pull out was, however, revoked when a domestic court ruled such a move would have been unconstitutional.

SOURCE: AFP

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Turkey arrests 110 over suspected PKK ties ahead of elections

 President Erdogan has been accused of cracking down on PKK-linked opposition to muster support ahead of elections.

Police in Turkey have arrested 110 people over alleged ties to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) weeks ahead of crucial elections with reports indicating politicians, lawyers and journalists are among those detained in raids.

Authorities on Tuesday said the detained are suspected of financing the PKK in addition to recruiting members or engaging in propaganda on behalf of the group, which Turkey and several Western nations consider to be a “terrorist” outfit.

The PKK has been at war with the Turkish state since 1984.

Turkish media reported that Tuesday’s raids were conducted in 21 provinces, including in Diyarbakir in the southeast, which has a Kurdish majority.

The raids were conducted weeks ahead of May 14 parliamentary and presidential elections, which pose the most serious challenge to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s two-decade rule over Turkey.

Tayip Temel, deputy leader of the country’s pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP), directly linked the arrests with Erdogan’s efforts to secure a third term as president.

“On the eve of the election, the government has resorted once again to detentions out of fear of losing power,” he tweeted.

Temel and several other sources said politicians, journalists, lawyers and human rights activists were targeted during the raids, details of which are being kept under wraps.

The Diyarbakir Bar Association said on Twitter that lawyers are banned from contacting their clients for 24 hours and suggested the number of the detained could still rise.

The Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), a Turkish non-profit, said NGO leaders were among those who had their homes searched early in the morning.

Erdogan has found the toughest electoral test of his 20-year rule in opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu. Opinion polls give him a slight lead over the longtime Turkish leader.

The HDP has extended its tacit support to Kilicdaroglu by deciding not to field its own candidate in the presidential race. The HDP is not part of the main opposition alliance but is fiercely opposed to Erdogan for his policies towards the party and the PKK. The Turkish government has accused the HDP of having ties to the PKK, and the former leader of the HDP, Selahattin Demirtas, has been imprisoned after being found guilty in various cases tied to threatening officials and insulting the president.

Erdogan’s support has taken significant hits in recent years due to a struggling economy and accusations of authoritarianism. He has also faced criticism for his response to devastating earthquakes in February that killed 50,000 people and destroyed thousands of homes.

Erdogan, who has been Turkey’s leader since 2003 and has occupied the presidency since 2014, still retains significant support and could yet emerge on top alongside his AK Party.

SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES

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US launches first deportation flight to Cuba since COVID-19

The US anticipates an increase in arrivals across its southern border with Mexico as COVID-19 restrictions expire.

The United States has sent its first deportation flight to Cuba since 2020, months after the island nation agreed — for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic — to accept flights carrying Cubans caught at the US-Mexico border.

“On April 24, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement resumed normal removals processing for Cuban nationals who have received final orders of removal,” a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

The Cuban government confirmed the flight’s arrival, saying on Twitter it included 40 Cubans intercepted in boats and 83 detained at the US-Mexico border.

The Reuters news agency first reported late last year that Cuba agreed to give US authorities a new but limited tool to deter record numbers of Cuban border crossers.

After US President Joe Biden adopted more restrictive border security measures in January, the number of Cubans and other asylum seekers and migrants caught at the border plummeted.

However, the Biden administration is preparing for a possible rise in crossings with COVID restrictions at the US-Mexico border set to lift on May 11. The administration will say more about its preparations this week, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters on Thursday.

US and Cuban officials discussed migration issues earlier this month as the Biden administration braced for the end of COVID-era border restrictions that have blocked Cubans in recent months from crossing into the US from Mexico.

The US embassy in Havana resumed full immigrant visa processing and consular services in January for the first time since 2017 in a bid to stem record numbers of Cubans trying to enter the US from Mexico.

“The United States continues to encourage Cubans to use lawful processes,” the DHS spokesperson said on Monday.

The Biden administration in January began expelling Cubans, Haitians and Nicaraguans crossing the US-Mexico border under restrictions known as Title 42, while also opening new legal pathways for those groups.

SOURCE: REUTERS

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Venezuelan opposition leader Guaido expelled from Colombia

Juan Guaido says he was expelled hours after he arrived. Bogota says he arrived ‘irregularly’.

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido says he was expelled from Colombia hours after he arrived in Bogota to try to meet participants of an international conference to discuss his country’s political crisis.

In a video posted on Twitter, Guaido said he entered Colombia on Monday trying to escape Venezuelan government persecution but that now he also felt he was being persecuted by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Colombia.

“The persecution of the dictatorship, unfortunately, spread to Colombia today,” Guaido said on the video from inside an airplane. He added that he was on a commercial flight to the United States and he would say more on Wednesday.

Colombia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said late on Monday in a press release that Guaido was “irregularly” in the country so immigration authorities escorted him to the international airport to take a plane bound for the US.

Foreign Minister Alvaro Leyva earlier said Guaido’s visit could face obstacles because “he entered [the country] in an inappropriate way, and in Colombia, we respect the law.”

Guaido announced his arrival earlier on Monday, ahead of the conference organised by Colombian President Gustavo Petro aimed at restarting talks to end Venezuela’s protracted political impasse.

Petro is acting as a mediator between Venezuela’s government and the opposition as he tries to unfreeze negotiations between the two sides that began in Mexico City in 2021 but reached an impasse in November.

Officials from about 20 countries, including the US, are expected to attend the conference on Tuesday. Neither Guaido nor Maduro are officially invited to attend.

“I have just arrived in Colombia, in the same way as millions of Venezuelans before me – on foot,” Guaido said in a statement, referring to the Venezuelans who have fled their country’s economic crisis.

“I hope the summit can guarantee that the Maduro regime will return to the negotiation table in Mexico and that a credible timeline can be agreed upon for free and fair elections to be held as a solution for the conflict,” he said.

Guaido, recognised in 2019 by more than 50 Western countries and their allies as Venezuela’s de facto leader, had hoped to hold meetings with officials attending the conference.

He had also called for a protest to be held on Bogota’s Plaza de Bolivar square, a short walk from the palace where the conference will be held.

He has opposed the lifting of sanctions against Venezuela proposed by the Colombian president.

Venezuela’s divided opposition voted to disband its symbolic “interim government” in January and replaced Guaido as the head of a parallel congress made up of opposition lawmakers.

Under Petro’s predecessor, right-wing president Ivan Duque, Colombia had been Guaido’s main regional backer and had broken diplomatic ties with Maduro’s government.

The left-wing Petro reversed this decision, taking up instead a leading role in a process aimed at ending Venezuela’s political crisis through negotiations.

SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES

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Mexico discovers 11,520 tequila bottles with liquid meth at port

Photos of the seizure show a sniffer dog alerting inspectors to cardboard boxes of glass bottles full of a brownish liquid.

Mexican inspectors have intercepted 11,520 tequila bottles due for export that actually contained nearly 10 tonnes of concentrated liquid meth.

The discovery was made at the Pacific coast seaport of Manzanillo, the navy said on Monday. The bottles contained about 8,640kg (19,000 pounds) of methamphetamine.

Photos of the seizure show a sniffer dog alerting inspectors to cardboard boxes of glass bottles full of a brownish liquid, consistent with the colour of “añejo”, or aged tequila. The labels on the bottles were not visible.

Mexico is the world’s only producer of authentic tequila. While there have not been any reported instances of such bottles reaching consumers, ingesting the mixture would be incredibly dangerous.

Mexico has become a major producer of methamphetamine, and drug smugglers frequently are stopped at the border with liquid meth in their windshield washer fluid or other containers in their cars.

The liquid meth is then usually recovered by the smugglers and taken to facilities where the water is extracted and then returned to its usually crystal form.

SOURCE: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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Pakistan confirms its first case of mpox

 A 25-year-old Pakistani man is diagnosed with the infectious viral disease, once known as monkeypox, after recently arriving from Saudi Arabia.

Islamabad, Pakistan – Pakistani health authorities have confirmed the first case of mpox in the country.

The infectious viral disease, earlier known as monkeypox, was found in a 25-year-old Pakistani man who recently arrived in Islamabad from Saudi Arabia.

Sajid Shah, a health ministry official, said the patient has been quarantined in a hospital in the capital and contact tracing has begun.

“As yet there is no evidence of localised transmission of mpox in Pakistan, and the risk of international spread of disease from Pakistan remains low,” Shah told Al Jazeera.

He added that an alert has been issued to all airports in the country and to provincial health departments to ensure “surveillance, contact tracing and rapid identification of suspected cases”.

Mustafa Jamal Kazi, a senior official in the ministry, said the patient was sent into isolation on April 21 after his arrival in Pakistan.

“As the patient was quite unwell, we sent him to quarantine in a hospital here and conducted tests to determine what was wrong with him,” Kazi told Al Jazeera.

He said after mpox cases were detected in other countries, Pakistan increased its vigilance at all its international airports and deployed health teams.

“We have trained staff deployed at the airports, and they have been provided required logistics support, such as gloves, disinfectants, masks, among others,” Kazi said. “WHO [World Health Organization] procedures and precautionary measures and ambulances have been deployed as well.”

According to the WHO, mpox is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus. The disease can be transmitted from infected animals to humans or from infected people to other people through close contact and droplets. It can cause a painful rash, fever, sore throat and swollen lymph nodes.

A global outbreak of the disease was reported in May last year across Europe and North America.

According to the WHO, more than 87,000 confirmed cases of mpox have been detected globally since the beginning of last year and more than 120 people have died.

The United States leads the tally with more than 30,000 cases and 44 deaths.

The WHO said the global outbreak primarily affected gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men as the virus spread person-to-person through sexual networks.

However, while men who have sex with men are likely to be disproportionately affected, health officials stressed that anybody can contract mpox.

Shah said that since May, 22 samples from suspected cases in Pakistan were referred from different parts of the country and tests showed no sign of the virus.

“The health ministry is vigilantly monitoring the situation both at the national and global levels while keeping all the relevant stakeholders onboard for ensuring preparedness, timely response and containment of mpox cases in Pakistan,” he said.

The mpox virus was discovered in Denmark in 1958, and its first reported human case was a nine-month-old boy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1970, according to the WHO.

The spread of the disease slowed with only sporadic cases found in Central and West Africa before an outbreak was reported in the US in 2003.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA

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