EU offers $1 bln in economic, security support to Lebanon

EU offers $1 bln in economic, security support to Lebanon
Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati (C) poses for a picture with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides during their meeting at the Grand Serail government headquarters in Beirut. (AFP)
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Updated 03 May 2024
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EU offers $1 bln in economic, security support to Lebanon

EU offers $1 bln in economic, security support to Lebanon
  • The funds would be available from this year until 2027
  • Von der Leyen said the support package would help bolster basic services in Lebanon, including health and education

BEIRUT: The European Union has offered Lebanon a financial package of 1 billion euros ($1.07 billion) to support its faltering economy and its security forces, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday during a visit to Beirut.
Von der Leyen said the package would help bolster basic services, including health and education, though she added it was crucial for Beirut to “take forward economic, financial and banking reforms” to revitalize the business environment and banking sector.
Speaking alongside Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, she said support to the Lebanese army and other security agencies would be focused on providing training, equipment and infrastructure to improve border management.
Lebanon’s economy began to unravel in 2019 after decades of profligate spending and corruption. However, vested interests in the ruling elite have stalled financial reforms that would grant Lebanon access to a $3 billion aid package from the International Monetary Fund.
As the crisis has been allowed to fester, most Lebanese have been locked out of their bank savings, the local currency has collapsed and public institutions — from schools to the army — have struggled to keep functioning.
In parallel, Lebanon has seen a rise in migrant boats taking off from its shores and heading to Europe – with nearby Cyprus and increasingly Italy, too, as the main destinations, researchers say. Both Syrians and Lebanese are on board.
Both Von der Leyen and Christodoulides said they hoped Lebanon would conclude a “working arrangement” with Frontex, the EU’s border agency.
Lebanon is home to hundreds of thousands of Syrians fleeing the conflict in their homeland since 2011. Echoing other Lebanese officials, Mikati said on Thursday they were further straining Lebanon’s collapsed economy and that most of Syria was now safe enough for them to go back.
But the United Nations says Syria is still too dangerous for displaced nationals to return. Last year, Syrians were still being arrested or conscripted when they were being forcibly returned by Lebanese authorities.
Christodoulides said the protracted presence of Syrians in Lebanon needed to be addressed.
“Let me be clear, the current situation is not sustainable for Lebanon, it’s not sustainable for Cyprus and it’s not sustainable for the European Union. It hasn’t been sustainable for years,” he told reporters.


US arrests, deports hundreds of ‘illegal immigrants’ — Trump press chief

US arrests, deports hundreds of ‘illegal immigrants’ — Trump press chief
Updated 17 min 47 sec ago
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US arrests, deports hundreds of ‘illegal immigrants’ — Trump press chief

US arrests, deports hundreds of ‘illegal immigrants’ — Trump press chief
  • 538 illegal immigrant criminals arrested, “hundreds” deported by military aircraft
  • Trump had promised crackdown on illegal immigration during election campaign

WASHINGTON: US authorities arrested 538 migrants and deported hundreds in a mass operation just days into President Donald Trump’s second administration, his press secretary said late Thursday.
“The Trump Administration arrested 538 illegal immigrant criminals,” Karoline Leavitt said in a post on social platform X, adding “hundreds” were deported by military aircraft.
“The largest massive deportation operation in history is well underway. Promises made. Promises kept,” she said.
Trump promised a crackdown on illegal immigration during the election campaign and began his second term with a flurry of executive actions aimed at overhauling entry to the United States.
On Thursday Newark city mayor Ras J. Baraka said in a statement that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents “raided a local establishment... detaining undocumented residents as well as citizens, without producing a warrant.”
The mayor said one of those detained during the raid was a US military veteran, “this egregious act is in plain violation” of the US Constitution.
An ICE post on X said: “Enforcement update ... 538 arrests, 373 detainers lodged.”
New Jersey Democratic Senators Cory Booker and Andy Kim said they were “deeply concerned” about the Newark raid by immigration agents.
“Actions like this one sow fear in all of our communities — and our broken immigration system requires solutions, not fear tactics,” they said in a joint statement.
Trump has vowed to carry out “the largest deportation operation in American history,” impacting an estimated 11 million undocumented migrants in the United States.
On his first day in office he signed orders declaring a “national emergency” at the southern border and announced the deployment of more troops to the area while vowing to deport “criminal aliens.”
His administration said it would also reinstate a “Remain in Mexico” policy that prevailed during Trump’s first presidency, under which people who apply to enter the United States from Mexico must remain there until their application has been decided.
The White House has also halted an asylum program for people fleeing authoritarian regimes in Central and South America, leaving thousands of people stranded on the Mexican side of the border.
Earlier in the week the Republican-led US Congress green-lit a bill to expand pretrial incarceration for foreign criminal suspects.
Trump frequently invoked dark imagery about how illegal migration was “poisoning the blood” of the nation, words that were seized upon by opponents as reminiscent of Nazi Germany.


Iraqi president calls for more global action on desertification

Iraqi president calls for more global action on desertification
Updated 29 min 54 sec ago
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Iraqi president calls for more global action on desertification

Iraqi president calls for more global action on desertification
  • Iraq is the world’s fifth most vulnerable country to climate change

DAVOS: Iraq’s President Abdul Latif Rashid has called for more action on desertification, amid global concerns of land degradation that has affected agricultural productivity, caused pollution in waterways and resulted in increased frequency of droughts.

“We attend many conferences, joined many groups for solving desertification but unfortunately the actual achievement has been very little to show for. I appeal to you, once we make decisions for decreasing desertification, let us act on it,” Rashid said on Friday.

Speaking during a World Economic Forum panel “On Firmer Ground with Land Restoration,” the Iraqi leader told participants that land restoration was not just an environmental imperative but also a moral duty.

“In Iraq, we face the consequences of environmental challenges. Nearly 40 percent of our land is affected by desertification, and our water resources essential for agriculture and livelihood are under severe strain. These problems are made worse by climate change, rising temperatures, reduced river flows from our neighboring countries,” the president, a British-educated engineer, said.

Iraq is the world’s fifth most vulnerable country to climate change, and there are grave concerns regarding water and food security, according to the UN.

The depletion of water resources and the spread of desertification are exacerbating Iraq’s problems, leading to conditions including scorching temperatures exceeding 50°C — recorded in 2023 — coupled with water scarcity, desertification and reduced rainfall, the global body said.

Government figures show that desertification has ravaged 71 percent of the nation’s arable land, with an additional 10,000 hectares becoming barren each year. This degradation has reduced the amount of cultivable land to just 1.4 million hectares and has led to a 70 percent decline in agricultural output.

“Iraq is taking bold and good steps to combat these challenges,” according to Rashid, who was the Iraqi minister of water resources from 2003-2010.

One of these steps was the implementation of a 10-year program to combat desertification that prioritizes reforestation, soil preservation and sustainable agricultural practice, Rashid said.

Iraq needs to plant 15 billion trees to combat desertification, establish forests and reduce greenhouse gases, its agriculture ministry said, considering the country’s forest area is only 8,250 sq km, or just 2 percent of its total area.

“We are establishing a buffer zone around our cities to prevent desertification by planting native and drought-resistant vegetation. These efforts are not just environmental but economic. Land restoration is integral to Iraq’s long-term economic plan … (our) development particularly in agriculture, energy and water security,” Rashid said.

“Additionally, we are promoting smart agriculture, diversifying crops, encouraging organic and regenerating farming and mandating sustainable land use practices through legislation,” the Iraqi leader added.

“Sustainable development is key to growth without compromising our environmental health.”

The Iraqi leader also emphasized the need for cross-border cooperation and collaboration with its neighbors — Turkiye and Iran — particularly on water resource matters.

“Iraq is engaged with negotiations in upstream countries including Turkiye and Iran to secure (an) equitable water-sharing agreement for the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. These negotiations are essential for the future of our region,” he said.

Turkish and Iranian dams upstream on the shared Tigris and Euphrates rivers are cutting Iraq off from much-needed water relief. It is estimated that Turkiye’s various dam and hydropower construction projects have reduced Iraq’s water supply along the two rivers by 80 percent since 1975.

Meanwhile, Iran’s development push has led to the proliferation of dams, impacting Iraq, to about 647 in 2018 from only 316 in 2012.

“Iraq is working with many international organizations to adopt climate resilient agriculture … gaining access to expertise for funding need to succeed. Ultimately, we know that lasting solutions require local actions; mobilizing communities is at the heart of our strategy,” Rashid said.


UN denounces Israel’s use of ‘war fighting’ methods in West Bank

UN denounces Israel’s use of ‘war fighting’ methods in West Bank
Updated 34 min 4 sec ago
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UN denounces Israel’s use of ‘war fighting’ methods in West Bank

UN denounces Israel’s use of ‘war fighting’ methods in West Bank
  • ’We are deeply concerned by the use of unlawful lethal force in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank’

GENEVA: The United Nations voiced serious concerns Friday over the Israeli military’s use of force in its raid this week in the West Bank, including methods “developed for war fighting.”
“We are deeply concerned by the use of unlawful lethal force in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank. The deadly Israeli operations in recent days raise serious concerns about unnecessary or disproportionate use of force, including methods and means developed for war fighting, in violation of international human rights law, norms and standards applicable to law enforcement operations,” UN human rights office spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan told a media briefing in Geneva.


Emirates airline to resume flights to Beirut

Emirates airline to resume flights to Beirut
Updated 37 min 36 sec ago
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Emirates airline to resume flights to Beirut

Emirates airline to resume flights to Beirut

DUBAI: Emirates airline will resume flights to Beirut on Feb. 1 after a four-month suspension triggered by conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, a statement said on Friday.

The Middle East’s biggest airline will first offer a daily return flight and scale up to two services per day from April 1, the statement said.

Emirates will also resume a daily flight to the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, from Feb.1, it added.

The Dubai-based, state-owned carrier was one of several regional airlines to suspend Beirut services in late September as tensions soared between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah.

A truce came into effect on November 27, ending over a year of hostilities.
 


Pakistan demands accountability for Israeli crimes against Gazan children

Pakistan demands accountability for Israeli crimes against Gazan children
Updated 8 min 56 sec ago
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Pakistan demands accountability for Israeli crimes against Gazan children

Pakistan demands accountability for Israeli crimes against Gazan children
  • UN Human Rights Office has said nearly 70 percent of fatalities it had verified in Gaza were women and children
  • Over a million children live in makeshift tents, many families have been displaced over 15 months, UNICEF says

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Munir Akram, has demanded “strict accountability” for Israeli crimes against Gaza’s children, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported on Friday.

UN aid chief Tom Fletcher briefed the UN Security Council meeting on Thursday via video from Stockholm and bluntly assessing the past 15 months of war in Gaza said: “Children have been killed, starved, and frozen to death … They have been maimed, orphaned, separated from their family. Conservative estimates indicate that over 17,000 children are without their families in Gaza. A generation has been traumatized.”

The continued lack of basic shelter combined with winter temperatures pose serious threats to children. With more than a million children living in makeshift tents, and with many families displaced over the past 15 months, children face extreme risks, UNICEF has said. The UN Human Rights Office has said nearly 70 percent of fatalities it had verified in Gaza were women and children. 

“We must try to ensure that such brutal slaughter of children never happens again,” Munir said at the briefing to the UN Security Council this week. 

Palestinian health authorities say Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 47,000 people, with another 10,000 believed to be dead and uncounted under the rubble. A United Nations damage assessment released this month showed that clearing over 50 million tons of rubble left in the aftermath of Israel’s bombardment could take 21 years.

Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire deal to halt fighting in Gaza and exchange Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners on Jan. 15, opening the way to a possible end to a 15-month war that has upended the Middle East.