Senin, 20 September 2021
Lava from erupting volcano destroys homes in Spanish Canary Islands - BBC News - BBC News
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2021-09-20 16:11:10Z
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‘Hotel Rwanda’ film hero found guilty of terror charges - Financial Times
A Rwandan court has sentenced Paul Rusesabagina, the man who inspired a Hollywood film about the country’s 1994 genocide and is an outspoken critic of President Paul Kagame, to 25 years in jail for “terrorism”.
The National Liberation Front (FLN), which opposes the Kagame government, is accused of carrying out attacks in Rwanda.
“The court finds that owing to the testimonies heard, evidence presented . . . we find there’s a prima facie case against Rusesabagina on the charge of creation and being a member of a terror group,” said judge Beatrice Mukamurenzi in Rwanda’s capital Kigali on Monday.
“We find Rusesabagina’s role in creating FLN, his provision of funds and purchasing for them secure phones to use, all constitute the crime of committing terrorism. We therefore find him culpable of the crime of terrorism,” she added. His family and lawyers monitoring his case say Rusesabagina did not receive a fair trial.
To critics, the arrest of a Belgian citizen and recipient of the US presidential medal of freedom highlights allegations that Kagame’s government, which has won accolades for turning the country round after the genocide, aggressively cracks down on opponents at home and abroad. Kagame’s Rwandan Patriotic Front ended the 1994 genocide, in which about 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed, with a military victory.
A divisive figure in his home country, Rusesabagina was arrested last year after what his daughters described as a “kidnapping” by Rwandan authorities. He was scheduled to take a flight from Dubai to Burundi but was detained in Kigali.
“My father was kidnapped, tortured and then forced to face a sham trial all because he dared call on human rights abuses in Rwanda. There is no fair trial process in Rwanda. There is no independent judiciary and there is no justice for our father,” said Anaïse Kanimba, his daughter.
Kagame has denied that Rusesabagina was “kidnapped” by the authorities: “There was no kidnap. There was not any wrongdoing in the process of his getting here. He got here on the basis of what he believed and wanted to do.” This month, Kagame said during a national broadcast that “this man deserves to be fairly tried in the court of law and is going to be tried in the court of law as fair as that can be. And there is nothing going to be short of that.”
But Geoffrey Robertson QC, an international human rights lawyer and the Clooney Foundation for Justice’s TrialWatch expert on the case, said: “This was a show trial rather than a fair judicial inquiry. The prosecution evidence against him was unveiled but not challenged. Given Mr Rusesabagina’s age and poor health, this severe sentence is likely to be a death sentence.”
Rusesabagina won international acclaim after the success of the 2004 film Hotel Rwanda, in which he was portrayed by Don Cheadle. In his 2006 autobiography, An Ordinary Man, he describes how he was able to hide more than 1,200 people inside the Hôtel des Mille Collines in Kigali. But critics, including Kagame, have contested his account.
“This lengthy trial has exposed the terrorist activities of the FLN group led by Rusesabagina. The evidence against the accused was indisputable,” said Yolande Makolo, spokesperson for Rwanda’s government.
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2021-09-20 15:29:00Z
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Endangered South African penguins killed by swarm of bees near Cape Town - BBC News
Sixty-three endangered African penguins have been killed by a swarm of bees in a rare occurrence near Cape Town, bird conservationists in South Africa say.
The protected birds, from a colony in Simonstown, were found on the shore with multiple bee-stings.
They had no other physical injuries.
National parks officials told the BBC this was the first known attack at the world-famous Boulders Beach, which attracts up to 60,000 visitors a year.
"Usually the penguins and bees co-exist," said Dr Alison Kock, a marine biologist with South Africa's national parks agency (SANParks).
"The bees don't sting unless provoked - we are working on the assumption that a nest or hive in the area was disturbed and caused a mass of bees to flee the nest, swarm and became aggressive," she added.
"Unfortunately the bees encountered a group of penguins on their flight path."
Post-mortems found that the birds had been stung around the eyes and on their flippers.
That is because "those are the parts that are not covered by feathers," Dr Katta Ludynia, from the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (Sanccob), told the BBC.
Penguins have pink sweat glands around their eyes and "that area is particularly thin - similar to human fingers," explained Shanet Rutgers, senior penguin keeper at Cape Town's Two Oceans Aquarium.
One of the penguins had been stung 27 times.
"Seeing the number of stings in individual birds, it would have probably been deadly for any animal of that size," Dr Ludynia added.
Honeybees die after stinging and a number of dead bees were found at the scene.
"Once a honeybee has stung something, it leaves a pheromone behind so that the target is easily located by other honeybees defending the nest," said Jenny Cullinan of the African Wild Bee Institute, which is asking nearby residents to stop keeping beehives in their gardens.
African penguins are distinctive for their small size, and live on the coast and islands of South Africa and Namibia - though some have been spotted as far north as Gabon.
Their populations are rapidly declining, the International Union for Conservation of Nature says. Food shortages caused by commercial fishing as well as what it calls "environmental fluctuation" are believed to be the main causes.
Cape honeybees are part of the local ecosystem, which features several conservation areas.
A dead penguin was also found on Friday on nearby Fish Hoek which had also suffered multiple bee-stings, according to SANParks.
The national body said in a statement on Sunday that it was still conducting toxicity and disease checks on the birds, and would continue to monitor the situation.
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2021-09-20 15:23:47Z
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Hotel Rwanda hero Paul Rusesabagina convicted on terror charges - BBC News - BBC News
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2021-09-20 12:41:32Z
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La Palma: Thousands evacuated and 100 homes destroyed as Cumbre Vieja volcano erupts - Sky News
Around 5,000 people on La Palma in the Canary Islands have been evacuated to escape the erupting Cumbre Vieja volcano.
The eruption started on Sunday afternoon and officials said about 100 properties had so far been destroyed by rivers of lava. No deaths or injuries have been reported.
The four villages evacuated included El Paso and Los Llanos de Aridane, with temporary shelters set up to house displaced residents.
Lava with a temperature of more than 1,000C (1,800F) was still flowing at 700 metres (2,300ft) per hour on Monday, according to the Canary Islands Volcanology Institute, but mostly through unpopulated areas.
Explosions and clouds of acidic steam were expected when it meets the Atlantic Ocean around sunset.
Mariano Hernandez, president of La Palma island, also asked people to stay away, describing the scene in the area as "bleak".
He said a wall of lava six metres (20ft) high "is consuming houses, infrastructure [and] crops in its path to the coast".
Canary Islands President Angel Victor Torres told locals to "stay in your houses" on Sunday after people from all over the island began blocking roads trying to get close to the volcano.
People in areas where volcanic ash was falling were also told to stay indoors with their doors and windows closed.
"It is not foreseeable that anyone else will have to be evacuated," Mr Torres added.
Spain's tourism minister faced criticism after telling a local radio station the eruption was a opportunity to attract visitors to the island.
"The island is open," Reyes Maroto told Canal Sur radio, calling the sprays of lava "a wonderful show".
"There are no restrictions on going to the island... on the contrary, we're passing on the information so tourists know they
can travel to the island and enjoy something unusual, see it for themselves," she said.
About 360 tourists were evacuated from a resort in La Palma following the eruption and taken to the nearby island of
Tenerife by boat on Monday, a spokesperson for ferry operator Fred Olsen said.
Another 180 visitors were facing the same prospect. Meanwhile local airline Binter cancelled four flights to and from the neighbouring island of La Gomera.
Garcia Egea, secretary general of the opposition People's Party, posted an article on Twitter quoting the minister and asked: "Can someone confirm the minister said that while hundreds of people are losing everything they have?"
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez arrived on the island late on Sunday to meet Mr Torres to oversea rescue efforts.
He praised scientists for monitoring the eruption, saying their work was "fundamental" in avoiding casualties, and promised that his government would help local people rebuild their lives.
The prime minister delayed his departure for the UN General Assembly in New York to attend.
A 4.2-magnitude quake was recorded before the eruption, which took place in Cabeza de Vaca on the western slope of the ridge that descends to the coast.
La Palma had been on high alert after more than 22,000 tremors were reported in the space of a week.
Cumbre Vieja is part of a chain of volcanoes that last had a major eruption in 1971 and is one of the most active volcanic regions in the Canaries.
It lies in the south of La Palma, which is home to around 80,000 people.
Itahiza Dominguez, head of seismology of Spain's geology institute, told Canary Islands Television that although it was too early to tell how long the eruption would last, prior eruptions had lasted weeks or even months.
Scientists said the lava flows could last for the same amount of time, but that the immediate danger to local people appeared to be over.
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2021-09-20 14:03:45Z
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Thousands evacuated after volcano erupts on Spain’s Canary island - Al Jazeera English
Authorities in Spain’s Atlantic Ocean island of La Palma have evacuated thousands of people after a volcano erupted on Sunday with lava flows destroying isolated houses and threatening to reach the coast.
The Canary Islands Volcanology Institute reported the initial eruption shortly after 3pm near the southern end of the island, which saw its last eruption in 1971. New eruptions continued into Sunday night.
Víctor Torres, president of the Canary Islands, said that some 5,000 people had been evacuated from their homes. Most, he said, had found family or friends to take them in. The rest were in shelters.
La Palma, with a population of 85,000, is one of the eight volcanic islands in Spain’s Canary Islands archipelago off Africa’s western coast. At their nearest point, the islands are 100km (60 miles) from Morocco.
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded before the eruption, which took place in an area known as Cabeza de Vaca on the western slope as the ridge descends to the coast.
Shortly after the initial explosion rocked the area, one black lava flow with a burning tip immediately slid towards houses in the village of El Paso. Mayor Sergio Rodríguez said 300 people in immediate danger were evacuated, roads were closed and authorities urged the curious not to approach the area.
The lava eventually destroyed at least eight houses, according to local officials, causing at least one chalet with a tower to crumble. Authorities warned that the lava flows could also threaten the municipalities of El Paraiso, Alcala and surrounding areas.
Itahiza Dominguez, head of seismology of Spain’s National Geology Institute, told Canary Islands Television that although it was too early to tell how long this eruption would last, prior “eruptions on the Canary Islands lasted weeks or even months”.
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2021-09-20 06:59:01Z
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Putin prepares to address nation after landslide in Russia's 'most corrupt elections in history' - Daily Mail
Putin tightens his grip on power: President prepares to address the nation after his party bags landslide in Russia's 'most corrupt parliamentary elections ever' after sweeping crackdown on opponents
- Putin's United Russia party has won 50% of vote with more than 85% counted
- The results came after videos emerged which appeared to show ballot stuffing
- Parliamentary election leaves Putin's presidency unchallenged in the legislature
- The 68-year-old former KGB spy is expected to address the nation this morning
Vladimir Putin will today address the nation after he bagged a landslide victory in Russia's 'most corrupt parliamentary elections ever.'
With more than 85 per cent of ballots counted on Monday, the Central Election Commission said Putin's United Russia party had won almost half of the vote, with its nearest rival, the Communist Party, at just under 20 per cent.
The results came after videos emerged which appeared to show ballot stuffing in favour of the pro-Kremlin party and opponents claimed the election was rigged.
Irina, 61, a retired doctor, told The Times: 'I vote so that at least my vote can be registered, and so no one can steal that vote from me. These elections are even worse than previous ones. They've purged the field.'
The parliamentary landslide leaves Putin's presidency unchallenged in the legislature ahead of the next presidential election in 2024.
The 68-year-old former KGB spy was due to address the nation on Monday morning.
Putin, who has been in power as prime minister or president since 1999, has yet to say whether he will run at the next presidential election.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to address the nation this morning after his party secured a landslide in the parliamentary elections (pictured: attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting in Dushanbe, Tajikistan via video conference at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow on Friday)
Members of a local electoral commission empty a ballot box at a polling station after the last day of the three-day parliamentary election, in Moscow, on September 19
In Pyotr Dubrava, Samara region at polling station 706 an election official is seen filling in papers before walking over to place them in a ballot box
In Belovo, Kemerovo region, a hidden figure behind a woman I yellow repeatedly stuffs ballots into a polling box
Despite the emphatic election win, United Russia saw a slightly weaker performance than at the last parliamentary election in 2016, when the party won just over 54 per cent of the vote.
A malaise over years of faltering living standards and allegations of corruption from jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny have drained some support, compounded by a tactical voting campaign organised by Navalny's allies.
Kremlin critics, who alleged large-scale vote rigging, said the election was in any case a sham.
United Russia would have fared much worse in a fair contest, given a pre-election crackdown that outlawed Navalny's movement, barred his allies from running and targeted critical media and non-governmental organisations, they said.
Electoral authorities said they had voided any results at voting stations where there had been obvious irregularities and that the overall contest had been fair.
At a celebratory rally last night at United Russia's headquarters broadcast on state television, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, a close ally of the Russian leader, shouted: 'Putin! Putin! Putin!'
The results came after shocking videos were revealed allegedly showing illegal rigging in favour of the main pro-Putin party which pundits expect to win a clear majority.
In Vladivostok, a camera behind a plant showed an official apparently marking many previously blank ballot papers.
In Belovo, Kemerovo region, a hidden figure behind a woman in yellow repeatedly stuffs ballots into a polling box.
In Bryansk region, two women are seen packing ballots into a box, as laughter is heard in the polling station.
In Pyotr Dubrava, Samara region at polling station 706 an election official is seen filling in papers before walking over to place them in a ballot box.
Most of the 'abuse' went ahead in full view of CCTV cameras.
All these cases are highlighted by opposition sites as evidence of rigging in the key parliamentary election.
There were reports of voters being bribed in TransBaikal - where one said he was offered 150 roubles (£1.50) for his vote as well as Yakutia and Novosibirsk.
Chechen women wearing Chechen national costumes leave a polling booth at a polling station during the Parliamentary elections in Grozny, Russia, Sunday
Elsewhere there were claims of people driving around polling stations to vote multiple times.
At a polling station in Yakutia, some 30 per cent of ballot papers had not arrived, prompting fears they were illegally completed, to be added to piles of votes at the count.
In three regions, local election commission chiefs were fired during the poll after 'extra ballots were discovered' at polling stations, said Central Election Commission head, Ella Pamfilova.
The regions were Bryansk, Kemerovo and the republic of Adygea, she said.
'At the moment, eight cases of ballot stuffing have been confirmed,' she said.
But the moves were seen as a token initiative unlikely to convince the opposition that the poll was fair.
Last night a retired doctor called Irina, 61, was quoted by The Times as saying: 'I vote so that at least my vote can be registered, and so no one can steal that vote from me. These elections are even worse than previous ones. They've purged the field.'
Recent months have seen the banning or jailing of key Putin foes, and their parties, such as campaigner Alexei Navalny, now jailed.
Some have been labelled 'extremist' or 'foreign agents'.
Despite this, Navalny repeatedly posted messages during the election calling for tactical voting against pro-Putin candidates.
The popular Telegram messenger had removed Navalny's 'Smart Voting' bot, while the opposition claimed Western web giants had been cowed by the Kremlin in removing Google Docs and YouTube videos containing lists of the recommended candidates.
Yet several opposition parties expected to slightly gain regularly back the Kremlin on key issues.
Putin has remained on self-isolation during the three days of polling after a reported outbreak of Covid-19 in his entourage.
Turnout reached 40.49 per cent by 2:50pm today, the final day of voting, said officials.
A woman casts her ballot at a polling station during parliamentary elections at the Russian embassy in Vilnius, Lithuania
The impact of online voting - more widely available than in previous elections - was not clear.
One opposition activist reported: 'Total [ballot] stuffing continues in St. Petersburg.
'Criminals are not ashamed of anything and shove packs (of votes) right under the camera of the observers.
'They know perfectly well that they will not be punished, rather they will get promoted.'
Earlier huge queues of 'state employees' including soldiers were seen at polling stations around the country amid claims they had been ordered to vote at specific locations to sway the result.
In a week when Russia has seen non-stop war games close to its western frontiers, it seemed like the latest military exercise: Operation Get Out The Vote.
In St Petersburg, a woman was detained after carrying a bag to a voting place stuffed with 100-plus ballot papers.
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2021-09-20 09:12:30Z
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