Sabtu, 16 Juli 2022

Joe Biden tells Middle East summit: 'America is not going anywhere' - Financial Times

Joe Biden told Middle East leaders on Saturday that the US was invested in the region and not about to cede influence to Russia, China and Iran, which have all built a presence in the region over recent years.

“We will not walk away and leave a vacuum to be filled by China, Russia, or Iran. And we’ll seek to build on this moment with active, principled American leadership,” the US president said. “The United States is not going anywhere.”

Biden, who was on his first tour of the region, partly aimed at persuading Gulf states to pump more oil, was speaking at a summit in the Saudi city of Jeddah where heads of the Gulf states, Egypt and Jordan had gathered.

His administration has already been at odds with key Middle East allies such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt over a range of issues, including human rights. Some Arab states, including in the Gulf where countries rely heavily on US security aid, have worried about what they see as American disengagement in the region, which in turn had caused them to draw closer to Russia and China. 

Relations between Washington and Riyadh in particular deteriorated after Biden promised to turn the country into a pariah during his presidential campaign, citing the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents. The CIA concluded that Saudi Crown Prince and day-to-day ruler Mohammed bin Salman ordered the operation, something the prince denies.

Biden met the crown prince for the first time on Friday. He said after the meeting that he had raised Khashoggi’s case with the prince, and that he expected Saudi Arabia to increase oil production in coming weeks.

A Saudi official told reporters the country would increase production if there were demand on the market.

Saudi Arabia, along with the UAE, has been lobbying the US for more military assistance to counter Iran’s power in the region and to defend against Houthi rebels in Yemen who have attacked installations in both Gulf countries. It was not immediately clear whether Biden’s visit would lead to an increase in military support and aid to Saudi Arabia.

“As we continue to work closely with many of you to counter the threats posed [in] . . . the region by Iran, we’re also pursuing diplomacy to return constraints on Iran’s nuclear program. But no matter what, the United States is committed to ensuring that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon,” Biden said.

On the sidelines, the president met the leaders of Egypt, Iraq and the UAE president, Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed, who he invited to Washington.

Biden, who visited Israel and the Palestinian territories before arriving in Saudi Arabia, achieved a foreign policy win during the trip, with Saudi Arabia announcing that it would open up its skies to all overflights to and from Israel after US-brokered ties. Israel agreed to the transfer of multinational peacekeeping forces from two Red Sea islands Egypt had relinquished to Saudi Arabia in 2017.

US officials said they expected establishing full diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel would take years and made clear before the trip they were not expecting significant breakthroughs.

The arrangements brokered between Saudi Arabia and Israel over the course of the trip fell short of the peace accords brokered by the US between Israel and four Arab countries in 2020. Saudi Arabia has said it would normalise ties with Israel only when it settles its conflict with the Palestinians.

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2022-07-16 16:25:34Z
1491588704

Fears rare white whale found washed up on Mallacoota beach could be world-famous humpback Migaloo - Sky News

A rare albino whale - feared to be the world's most famous white humpback Migaloo - has been found washed ashore at Mallacoota, in eastern Victoria, Australia.

The whale's carcass was discovered on the beach, which is only accessible via water, on Saturday morning. It's not clear how long it had been there.

Many fear the dead animal could be Migaloo - the snow-white whale who had regularly been spotted off the coast of Australia since 1991 and become somewhat of a sea life celebrity.

Local resident Peter Coles, who was out fishing when he kayaked across to see the dead mammal, told Sky News: "It was beautiful even though it was dead. It was pretty spectacular. It was pure white and marble looking. I thought it looked like a sculpture, it almost didn't look real.

"I paced it out and it was 10m long. I didn't touch it and it was a bit smelly. There weren't any signs of decomposition but it did look very, very dead."

An albino whale carcass washed ashore in Mallacoota, eastern Victoria. Pic: Peter Coles
Image: The albino whale carcass washed ashore in Mallacoota, eastern Victoria, Australia. Pic: Peter Coles

Mr Coles, who took photos of the humpback, went on: "I felt sad for the poor creature, not knowing it might be Migaloo."

He said it was only later he found out about the rare albino whale, adding: "When talk came about, I realised it could be something quite rare if it is the white whale. It would mean I witnessed something incredible without knowing it at the time."

Photographs and genetic sampling to determine whale's identity

Migaloo - a male humpback estimated to have been born in 1986 - has been missing for the last two years after losing his tracking chip.

Marine experts have said the location of the whale lines up with Migaloo's migration pattern.

Scientists are currently attempting to determine if the whale is Migaloo through the use of photographs and genetic sampling.

Wildlife scientist Dr Vanessa Pirotta who is part of the team investigating the incident tweeted: "Currently working with other scientists to identify this individual. This may or may not be #Migaloo. Nothing confirmed yet. #watchthisspace".

Mr Coles has said he's not sure if the creature could be Migaloo, pointing to its size, and telling Sky News: "I think people are quite hesitant to call it Migaloo as many thought the whale would have been bigger."

Migaloo is understood to be around 15m long, and about 40-tonnes.

People have been warned not to touch or interfere with the dead whale, and Victoria's environment department (DELWP Victoria) has said significant penalties will apply to anyone attempting to take unauthorised samples - such as teeth - as a souvenir.

Migaloo means "white fellow" in Aboriginal, and he is the only known all-white humpback whale in the world.

In 2010 Migaloo was filmed 1.2 miles from Green Island near the Great Barrier Reef in North Queensland, the first time such a creature had ever been captured on film.

Humpback whales have an expected lifespan of around 45 - 50 years. If estimates are correct, Migaloo would be around 36 years old now.

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2022-07-16 14:57:36Z
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'Narcos' drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero captured in Mexico - as 14 killed in Black Hawk helicopter crash during operation - Sky News

Mexican military forces have captured notorious drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero, who was behind the torture and murder of a US drug enforcement agent in 1985.

Caro Quintero, 69, was arrested after a search dog named Max, a bloodhound, flushed him out of hiding in shrubland in the town of San Simon in Sinaloa state during a joint operation by the navy and the attorney general's office, according to a statement from the Mexican navy.

Meanwhile, a Blackhawk helicopter carrying 15 people crashed near the coastal city of Los Mochis during the operation, killing 14 of those on board, the statement said. The one survivor is said to have been seriously injured.

Photos on social media showed the wreckage of the helicopter in a field.

Red Cross paramedics stand next to the wreckage of a Black Hawk military helicopter that crashed in Los Mochis, Sinaloa state, Mexico
Soldiers stand next to the wreckage of a Black Hawk military helicopter that crashed in Los Mochis, Sinaloa state, Mexico

The navy said the helicopter suffered an "accident" and the cause has not yet been determined.

Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said in a tweet that the helicopter crashed shortly before landing after supporting those who conducted the capture of Caro Quintero. He said the crash would be investigated.

Footage of the arrest released by the navy showed Caro Quintero, his face blurred, dressed in jeans, a soaking wet blue shirt and a baggy khaki jacket. He was being held by men wearing camouflage uniforms and equipped with assault rifles.

Caro Quintero was one of the primary suppliers of heroin, cocaine and marijuana to the US in the late 1970s and rose to prominence as a co-founder of the Guadalajara cartel, one of Latin America's most powerful drug trafficking organisations during the 1980s - a story dramaised in the Narcos: Mexico series in 2018.

He had walked free in 2013 after 28 years in prison on a technicality by a Mexican judge, who overturned his 40-year sentence for the 1985 kidnapping and killing of US Drug Enforcement Administration agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena.

Caro Quintero was arrested after a search dog named Max found him hiding in shrubland. Pic: AP
Image: Caro Quintero was arrested after a search dog named Max found him hiding in shrubland. Pic: AP

However, the Supreme Court upheld the sentence - by which point Caro Quintero had already been spirited off in a waiting vehicle.

He went underground and is said to have returned to drug trafficking, unleashing bloody turf battles in the border state of Sonora.

FBI's most wanted

Caro Quintero was on the FBI's most wanted list. Pic: AP
Image: Pic: AP

Caro Quintero was on the FBI's most wanted list, with a $20m (£16.9m) reward offered for his capture.

The US government hailed the arrest, and said it would waste no time in requesting his extradition.

"This is huge," White House senior Latin America adviser Juan Gonzalez wrote on Twitter.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement: "There is no hiding place for anyone who kidnaps, tortures, and murders American law enforcement.

"Today's arrest is the culmination of tireless work by DEA and their Mexican partners to bring Caro Quintero to justice for his alleged crimes, including the torture and execution of DEA Special Agent Enrique 'Kiki' Camarena.

"We will be seeking his immediate extradition to the United States so he can be tried for these crimes in the very justice system Special Agent Camarena died defending."

Mexico's president has previously maintained he is not interested in detaining drug lords and prefers to avoid violence. However, the arrest comes just days after he met US President Joe Biden at the White House.

Depiction in Narcos

Tenoch Huerta as Rafael Caro Quintero in Narcos: Mexico. Pic: Carlos Somonte/Netflix
Image: Tenoch Huerta as Caro Quintero in Narcos: Mexico. Pic: Carlos Somonte/Netflix

Mexico's drug wars were depicted in Netflix's Narcos: Mexico, the spin-off series of the hit show based on the story of Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, which launched in 2018.

Caro Quintero is played by Mexican actor Tenoch Huerta in the show, with Diego Luna starring as his business partner Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo, the leader of the Guadalajara cartel - and Michael Peña playing DEA agent Kiki Camarena.

The series explores the early origins of the Mexican drug wars and the cartel's rise in the 1980s, dramatising the story of how several factions united and increased operations from low-level dealers into a sophisticated multinational business.

In 2017, a filmmaker scouting locations for the hit series was found dead in his car with multiple bullet wounds in a remote area of central Mexico.

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2022-07-16 07:35:22Z
1503405415

Jumat, 15 Juli 2022

Mexico captures infamous drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero as 14 killed in Black Hawk helicopter crash - Sky News

Mexican military forces have captured notorious drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero, who was behind the torture and murder of a US DEA agent in 1985.

Caro Quintero, 69, was arrested after a search dog named Max found him hiding in shrubland in the town of San Simon in Sinaloa state during a joint operation by the navy and the Attorney General's Office, according to a statement from the Mexican navy.

Meanwhile, a Blackhawk helicopter carrying 15 people crashed near the coastal city of Los Mochis during the operation, killing 14 of those onboard, the statement said.

Photos on social media showed the wreckage of the helicopter in a field.

The navy said the helicopter suffered an "accident", the cause of which has not yet been determined.

Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador tweeted that the helicopter crashed shortly before landing after supporting those who conducted the capture of Caro Quintero. He said the crash would be investigated.

Footage of the arrest released by the navy showed Caro Quintero, his face blurred, dressed in jeans, a soaking wet blue shirt and a baggy khaki jacket. He was being held by men wearing camouflage uniforms and equipped with assault rifles.

More on Mexico

Caro Quintero rose to prominence as a co-founder of the Guadalajara cartel, one of Latin America's most powerful drug trafficking organisations during the 1980s.

He had walked free in 2013 after 28 years in prison on a technicality by a Mexican judge, who overturned his 40-year sentence for the 1985 kidnapping and killing of US Drug Enforcement Administration agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena.

However, the Supreme Court upheld the sentence, but Caro Quintero had already been spirited off in a waiting vehicle.

Caro Quintero was arrested after a search dog named Max found him hiding in shrubland. Pic: AP
Image: Caro Quintero was arrested after a search dog named Max found him hiding in shrubland. Pic: AP

He went underground and is said to have returned to drug trafficking, unleashing bloody turf battles in the border state of Sonora.

The events were dramatised in the 2018 Netflix series Narcos: Mexico.

Red Cross paramedics stand next to the wreckage of a Black Hawk military helicopter that crashed in Los Mochis, Sinaloa state, Mexico
Image: Red Cross paramedics stand next to the wreckage of a Black Hawk military helicopter that crashed in Los Mochis, Sinaloa state, Mexico
Soldiers stand next to the wreckage of a Black Hawk military helicopter that crashed in Los Mochis, Sinaloa state, Mexico

Caro Quintero was on the FBI's most wanted list, with a $20m (£16.9m) reward offered for his capture.

The US will seek his immediate extradition, Attorney General Merrick Garland said.

Caro Quintero was on the FBI's most wanted list. Pic: AP
Image: Caro Quintero was on the FBI's most wanted list. Pic: AP

"There is no hiding place for anyone who kidnaps, tortures, and murders American law enforcement," Mr Garland said in a statement.

"Today's arrest is the culmination of tireless work by DEA and their Mexican partners to bring Caro Quintero to justice for his alleged crimes, including the torture and execution of DEA Special Agent Enrique 'Kiki' Camarena.

"We will be seeking his immediate extradition to the United States so he can be tried for these crimes in the very justice system Special Agent Camarena died defending."

Mexico's president has maintained he is not interested in detaining drug lords and prefers to avoid violence, but the arrest came days after Mr Lopez Obrador met US President Joe Biden in the White House.

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2022-07-16 02:27:26Z
1503405415

Europe heatwave: Thousands escape wildfires in France, Spain and Greece - BBC

Firefighters tried to stop the flames reaching La Teste-de-Buch and thousands of residents were told to leaveSDIS33/French fire service

Residents and holidaymakers have fled towns and villages in France, Spain and Portugal as fires are whipped up by high winds and tinder-dry conditions.

More than 11,000 people have been forced to leave France's south-western Gironde region in the past few days.

Dozens of fires are burning in Portugal and Spain where temperatures have surged above 40C.

At least 281 deaths in both countries were linked to the heat and several towns in western Spain were evacuated.

Portuguese villagers were also told to flee when flames crossed the border from Spain.

The head of France's firefighters' federation has warned of the impact global warming is having on civil protection. "It's firefighters, civil security who deal with the effects on a daily basis - and these effects aren't in 2030, they're right now," said Grégory Allione.

Heatwaves have become more frequent, more intense, and last longer because of human-induced climate change. The world has already warmed by about 1.1C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions.

Firefighters in Spain fought to protect the town of Monsagro as fires erupted further south in the Monfragüe national park, home to rare species of birds. The main N-5 route in Cáceres just east of the park was cut off when a forest fire reached the road.

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In Portugal, 47C was recorded at Pinhão in the north on Thursday, a record high for July in mainland Portugal.

The Carlos III Health Institute said on Thursday that at least 43 people had died during the first two days of the latest heatwave, on Sunday and Monday, because of the heat.

Health officials in Portugal recorded 238 deaths more than normal since 7 July which they attributed to the very hot and very dry conditions. The worst affected are the elderly, children and people with chronic diseases. Emergency officials said 187 had been injured because of the fires in the past week.

More than 30 fires were active in Portugal on Friday, including one in a forest at Pombal in the central region of Leiria which has lasted a week. More than 300 sq km have been torched this year, a bigger area than in all of 2021.

The EU's Copernicus emergency management service tweeted a map showing the biggest fire risks across Southern Europe and Morocco.

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Police in south-west France went from door to door in an effort to evacuate 4,000 residents from the Cazaux district south-west of Bordeaux. Smoke could be seen close to the town of La Teste-de-Buch and there were long queues of traffic as people tried to leave and police blocked entrances to stop drivers getting in.

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said an electric car was responsible for the fire at La Teste-de-Buch but prosecutors said a second fire at Landiras in the Gironde region was being classified as criminal.

One holidaymaker, Matthias, told BFMTV how he and his son had been told to escape immediately: "We started packing our things but the lady told us, no, you have to leave everything as it is. You try to keep calm but it's hard not to be scared because it happens so fast."

Firefighters were deployed to stop blazes spreading in the Cáceres in western Spain
Civil protection Spain

An estimated 73 sq km of pine forest has burned down in recent days, including around Arcachon and Landiras. Temperatures hit 40C in several areas of the south on Friday, including Béziers and Nîmes, and the head of the national firefighters' federation warned there were still two months of summer to go.

"The situation is highly complex. Our morale is still good but fatigue sets in fast. That's why we're calling for a target of 250,000 volunteer firefighters," Mr Allione told RMC TV.

Italy and Croatia have also reported forest fires this week, and eight people had to jump into the sea at Bibione on the Adriatic coast to escape the fire and smoke.

Strong winds have greatly increased the risk of wildfires in five regions in Greece, civil protection officials have warned.

Central Greece, Attica and Crete are among the areas most at risk and the fire brigade said they had counted 51 forest fires in the past 24 hours.

Fires were reported in Crete and on the mainland in Attica on Friday. Emergency services issued an urgent appeal to residents south-east of Athens to flee the village of Feriza Saronikos for the coast.

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Across the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain, toxic wildfires have also been ripping through parts of Morocco.

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2022-07-15 17:47:22Z
1487844719

Sri Lanka seeks way forward after president quits - BBC

People offer food to army soldiers to celebrate the resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa as president of Sri Lanka, outside the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo, Sri Lanka, 15 July 2022EPA

Sri Lanka is seeking a way out of political and economic chaos after its President Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigned and fled the country.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as temporary leader on Friday and has the ruling party's backing to take the role permanently.

This makes him the favourite when a new president is chosen next week, but may prove unacceptable to protesters.

Mr Rajapaksa fled to Singapore, sparking celebrations in the street.

He and his family have been blamed for a deep economic crisis, with Sri Lankans facing acute shortages of food, fuel and other basic supplies.

Businesses and shops reopened in the capital, Colombo, on Friday morning after a curfew was lifted, but soldiers could still be seen on major roads.

At the same time, thousands of people were back in long queues outside petrol stations.

The process of parliament electing a new president will begin on Saturday, with MPs expected to take a vote on 20 July.

After being sworn in as interim leader, Mr Wickremesinghe promised to act quickly to put a democratically elected president in place.

"I will take immediate steps to establish the rule of law and peace in the country. I accept 100% the right to peaceful protests. But some are trying to do acts of sabotage," he said.

Given the governing party has a majority, MPs are thought likely to back Mr Wickremesinghe, who has close links with the Rajapaksa family.

But whether Sri Lanka's public would accept this is another matter, because Mr Wickremesinghe's resignation as PM was a key demand of protesters.

Earlier this week, crowds stormed the former prime minister's compound, clashing with security forces.

A demonstrator, Manuri Pabasari, told the BBC at the time that a protest rally against Ranil Wickremesinghe was expected in the coming days.

"He has no people's mandate [and] is a well known Rajapaksa supporter," she added. "I mean the new president and the new prime minister should be not a Rajapaksa supporter."

Meanwhile, Singapore says the ousted president Gotabaya Rajapaksa did not ask for political asylum when he arrived there.

The former president, who arrived with his wife and two bodyguards, no longer has legal immunity as a head of state and his position is now more precarious as he tries to find a safe country to shelter in.

He is expected to stay in Singapore for some time before possibly moving to the United Arab Emirates, Sri Lankan security sources told AFP news agency.

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Sri Lanka: The basics

  • Sri Lanka is an island nation off southern India: It won independence from British rule in 1948. Three ethnic groups - Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim - make up 99% of the country's 22 million population.
  • One family of brothers has dominated for years: Mahinda Rajapaksa became a hero among the majority Sinhalese in 2009 when his government defeated Tamil separatist rebels after years of bitter and bloody civil war. His brother Gotabaya, who was defence secretary at the time and later became president, fled the country after mass unrest.
  • Presidential powers: The president is the head of state, government and the military in Sri Lanka, but does share a lot of executive responsibilities with the prime minister, who heads up the ruling party in parliament.
  • Now an economic crisis has led to fury on the streets: Soaring inflation has meant some foods, medication and fuel are in short supply, there are rolling blackouts and ordinary people have taken to the streets in anger, with many blaming the Rajapaksa family and their government for the situation.

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2022-07-15 14:25:07Z
1485373155

Italian debt market flashes warning as Draghi government teeters - Financial Times

Investors are demanding a higher premium to hold Italian debt after prime minister Mario Draghi offered his resignation in response to a major rift with a key constituent in his cross-party national unity government.

Draghi’s resignation was rejected by the country’s president late on Thursday, sparking uncertainty about whether the former head of the European Central Bank will remain in office, or whether early elections are around the corner.

The prime minister is due to address parliament next Wednesday.

Against that backdrop of political turmoil, the gap in 10-year borrowing costs between Italy and Germany, seen as a key measure of risk, hit a one-month high on Friday morning. The spread widened as German Bunds, a regional haven asset, rallied strongly, pushing yields lower.

The widening Italy-Germany spread — which hit 2.19 percentage points on Friday morning — highlights investors’ growing worries over politics in Rome at a time when the country also faces rising economic risks.

The ECB is expected on Thursday to lift interest rates for the first time in a decade. The prospect of higher borrowing costs has raised concerns over so-called fragmentation risk in the eurozone — a divergence in the yields of heavily indebted southern European economies with their northern peers.

The gap still remains below the highs reached in June before the ECB announced that it is working an “anti-fragmentation” programme, but Rabobank analysts said Italian spreads have now entered “the ‘danger zone’ of 2-2.5 percentage points that has prompted verbal interventions from the ECB in the past.”

Italy’s political crisis erupted on Thursday after the populist Five Star party boycotted a parliamentary vote on a €26bn package to help families hit by rising food and energy prices.

Although the measure was adopted by parliament with a comfortable majority, Draghi had always said that he was only willing to lead a broad, cross-party national unity government to ensure support for an economic and social reform programme intended to lift Italy’s long-term growth trajectory.

Italy has committed to carrying out the reform agenda in order to access its €200bn share of the EU’s €750bn Covid-recovery fund. Lifting Italy’s long-term growth trajectory is also critical for ensuring the sustainability of its government debt, which is over 150 per cent of its GDP.

“Draghi’s departure from the political scene and snap elections would be a clear negative for Italy and the EU,” said Ludovico Sapio, economist at Barclays. He added that Italy would not benefit from the ECB’s anti-fragmentation tool “if its financial conditions deteriorate due to political developments”.

Members of Italy’s business community are also aghast at the developments, which come at a time when the country’s economic prospects have dimmed due to the fallout from the war on Ukraine.

Italy’s next elections are due in spring, but early elections, following a government collapse, would complicate the preparation of the new budget in the autumn.

“Regardless of the internal disagreements, pulling the plug on a government that was at the end of the road is simply nonsensical from a business standpoint,” said a Milan-based chief executive who spoke on condition of anonymity.

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2022-07-15 11:00:27Z
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