Pope reveals team picked to organise anti-paedophilia summit

ChannelNewsAsia - AFP, 23 Nov 2018

Pope Francis has picked his team to organise next February's conference on
child protection. (Photo: AFP/Filippo Monteforte)

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis on Friday (Nov 23) revealed the organising team for a special meeting on the protection of children to be held in February, in response to the paedophilia scandals that have rocked the Catholic Church worldwide.

His hand-picked team are all close associates: the archbishop of Malta Charles Scicluna, Father Hans Zollner, US cardinal Blase Cupich and Indian cardinal Oswald Gracias.

Archbishop Scicluna spent 10 years as a Vatican prosecutor investigating cases of paedophilia among the priesthood.

Zollner, a Jesuit priest, is an academic and psychotherapist who has travelled widely as part of his work in child protection. He is already part of the committee of experts advising the pope on the issue.

"The February meeting is unprecedented, and one that shows Pope Francis has made the protection of minors a fundamental priority for the Church," said Vatican spokesman Greg Burke.

"This is about keeping children safe from harm worldwide. Pope Francis wants Church leaders to have a full understanding of the devastating impact that clerical sexual abuse has on victims."

Two women with senior positions inside the Vatican will also help organise the event and survivors of abuse will have a role, he said. The event will run from Feb 21 to 24.

"The meeting is primarily one for bishops and they have much of the responsibility for this grave problem," said Burke.

Burke was speaking a day after a French priest was handed a two-year jail term for abusing children - and his superior, the former bishop of Orleans, 83-year-old Andre Fort, received a suspended sentence for having covered up the offences.

The meeting is expected to attract 180 participants, including the presidents of 113 episcopal conferences from around the world.

The Church has had to contend with a wave of scandals involving paedophile priests which have hit the Catholic faith in countries worldwide from Ireland and the United States to Australia.

Trump, Putin absent for leaders' symbolic walk in Paris rain

Yahoo – AFP, Katy Lee, November 11, 2018

French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte arrived at the Arc de 

Triomphe with other world leaders (AFP Photo/Ludovic MARIN)

French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte arrived at the Arc de Triomphe with other world leaders (AFP Photo/Ludovic MARIN)

Paris (AFP) - United in the rain, world leaders walked slowly up the Champs-Elysees in Paris to mark a century since the end of World War I -- but there were two notable absences, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

The line of black-clad leaders was reminiscent of another moment of unity: after the 2015 Charlie Hebdo jihadist attack, when senior officials from more than 40 countries marched through Paris to denounce terrorism.

But on Sunday both the US and Russian presidents arrived separately for the solemn ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe, skipping the bus ride and symbolic walk with other leaders.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Trump, who wore a cornflower -- France's war remembrance flower -- in his lapel, had arrived separately "due to security protocols".

His trademark bright red tie stood out among the dark coats in the front row as he and Putin stood either side of Macron.

The French president walked alone through the rain to greet veterans to the strains of the national anthem, La Marseillaise.

The moment stood in contrast to Trump's much criticised decision Saturday to call off a US cemetery visit because of rainy weather.

In another stark contrast with Trump, Macron went on to deliver a forceful speech against fear-mongering and isolationism, calling on fellow leaders to fight together for peace.

"Nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism," Macron said.

"Let us build our hopes rather than playing our fears against each other."

Around 70 leaders including US and Russian Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin 

marked the centenary of the 1918 Armistice in Paris (AFP Photo/ludovic MARIN)

'Will we ever learn?'

The ceremony, to remember the millions who died in the war, including colonial troops fighting for European powers, had a deliberately international flavour.

The superstar Chinese-American cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed alongside Beninese singer Angelique Kidjo and a European youth orchestra led by a Russian conductor.

High-school students read letters from soldiers at the front in English, French, German and Chinese.

"Am I dreaming?" read one letter from a French soldier upon learning that four years of brutal trench warfare were coming to an end in November 1918.

"I'm so happy, I can hardly believe that the news is true," he wrote.

Another letter, from a British soldier, read: My darling parents, today has been perfectly wonderful. We got news of the armistice at 9.30 this morning... The streets were packed with wildly cheering civilians."

The crowds who braved the rain for the ceremony along the famed Champs-Elysees boulevard in Paris also came from far afield.

Nevan Lancaster, a 47-year-old from New Zealand, extended a work trip to Europe to pay his respects to a grandfather who fought in the war.

"I'm here for him. He didn't speak about the war -- it was his job, it was his duty," Lancaster told AFP.

Keith Evans, a 70-year-old Scot, said he had come "to remember the sacrifice, and the cost" of a conflict that claimed up to 20 million lives.

"I hope that with this event, the leaders here will learn the lesson of what President Macron has just said," Evans said, a remembrance poppy pinned to his raincoat.

"We should do better for peace," he added. "Will we ever learn? I hope so."

After the ceremony, which ended with Macron lighting anew the flame at the Arc de Triomphe's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the leaders headed for lunch at the presidential palace.

As Trump made his way towards his limousine, there was some booing from the crowd.

1915: Europe in the grip of war pic.twitter.com/NKp5goVxD4

— AFP news agency (@AFP) November 11, 2018

America's pink wave: women win Congress record

Yahoo – AFP, Jennie MATTHEW, November 7, 2018

Democratic rising star Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made history as the youngest
woman elected to Congress, riding a wave of minority women taking office
 (AFP Photo/Don EMMERT)

New York (AFP) - The US election has swept a record number of women into Congress, fired up by disgust of Donald Trump, emboldened by the #MeToo movement and making the Democratic Party more diverse and younger than ever.

The class of 2019 includes the youngest congressional women in history, 29-year-olds Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from New York and Abby Finkenauer from Iowa, as well as the first two Native American women, and the first two Muslim women, Palestinian-American Rashida Tlaib and Somali-American Ilhan Omar.

With results still trickling in, at least 120 women will serve in Congress, a record 98 in the House of Representatives and 22 in the Senate, says the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University.

The previous House record was 85. The wins bump up female representation in the lower house to at least 23 percent, still dismal in the world rankings.

"The more Americans who vote, the more our elected leaders look like America," said former president Barack Obama, praising the record number of women, a surge in minority lawmakers and record voter turnout.

More women in office wil likely blaze a trail for others to follow in the future -- 

particularly those from non-traditional backgrounds -- but currently they still 

only make up less than a quarter of Congress (AFP Photo/Gal ROMA)

The vast majority of newly elected women are Democrats. They include veterans, a former CIA operative, a teacher who grew up the daughter of a drug addict, a one-time bartender and dozens of first-time candidates.

Many jumped into politics, outraged that Trump defeated Hillary Clinton, often considered the most qualified presidential candidate in history, while boasting of grope and accused of sexual misconduct.

Many were appalled by what they consider Trump administration abuses -- attempts to roll back health care, restrict abortion rights, separate migrant families at the border and threaten environmental protections.

'Injustices'

"Until this heartless administration is held accountable for their numerous injustices, we will not stop," tweeted Donna Shalala, a former Clinton cabinet minister who defeated a Republican woman in a Florida congressional seat by championing public education, health care and social security.

Distinctive is the success of women of color. Connecticut and Massachusetts each elected their first African American women into Congress.

Distinctive is the success of women of color, with Connecticut and Massachusetts 

electing their first African American women into Congress, the first two Latinas 

elected from Texas, and Muslim Somali refugee Ilhan Omar elected from 

Minnesota (AFP Photo/Kerem Yucel)

Another two Democrats made history as the first Latinas elected to Congress from Texas, a deeply red state. Omar, elected from Minnesota, emigrated to the United States as a child after fleeing war-torn Somalia.

These are totally new voices "that have never been at the federal policy level and federal policy making table," says Kelly Dittmar, associate professor of political science at Rutgers University and a scholar at CAWP.

Women of color "see the benefits of being in office as outweighing the potential costs and challenges," she told AFP.

"Particularly, they see the cost of not being at the table as greater than the cost of mounting the challenges."

Women were also elected governors in Iowa, Maine and South Dakota for the first time, as well as in the territory of Guam. Democrat women flipped Michigan and Kansas, defeating male Republican incumbents.

But what will more women in office mean?

'Temper expectations'

It means that women are better represented. Research shows that women are more likely to raise policies related to women's health and family than men.

Michigan governor elect Gretchen Whitmer on Wednesday attributed her success and that of other women to outworking their opponents and "staying focused on the dinner table issues that really matter to families."

"Health care and clean drinking water in my state. Infrastructure. I know that resonated because it's the most obvious challenge we have as a state and we need a governor that will fix it," she told CNN.

Michigan governor-elect Gretchen Whitmer attributed her success and that of other

 women to outworking their opponents and "staying focused on the dinner table 

issues that really matter to families" (AFP Photo/BILL PUGLIANO)

Women are also harder working. A 2010 study by researchers from the universities of Stanford and Chicago found that female legislators brought back $49 million more for their districts per year than male counterparts.

More women in office will likely blaze a trial for others to follow in the future -- particularly those from non-traditional backgrounds.

While notable Republican successes include the first female senator elected from Tennessee and the first female governor of South Dakota, there are concerns that the overt Democrat disparity could fan the partisan divide.

And despite the gains, a 2015 Pew report ranked the United States a dismal 33rd among 49 "high-income" countries and 83rd among a larger group of 137 countries when it came to representation in national legislatures.

"We have to temper our expectations a little bit," cautioned Dittmar. "They will still be less than a quarter than of Congress," she added. "Male Republican leadership is still guiding the agenda."

Saudi rights record under fire at UN

Yahoo – AFP, Nina LARSON, November 5, 2018

The murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi caused an international furore (AFP
Photo/Yasin AKGUL)

Geneva (AFP) - Saudi Arabia insisted at the UN Monday that its investigation into the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi would be "fair", amid a barrage of criticism from countries over the brutal murder.

The half-day public debate at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva comes just over a month after the royal insider-turned-critic was murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Turkey confirmed last week that Khashoggi was strangled as soon as he entered the consulate on October 2 as part of a planned hit, and his body was then dismembered and destroyed.

The so-called Universal Periodic Review -- which all 193 UN countries must undergo approximately every four years -- came as a Turkish official charged Monday that Saudi Arabia had sent experts to Turkey to cover up the journalist's murder before allowing Turkish police in to search the consulate.

The murder has placed huge strains on Saudi Arabia's relationship with the United States and other western countries and has tarnished the image of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's de facto ruler.

During Monday's review, Western countries especially voiced outrage at the killing, with many calling for a "credible" and "transparent" investigation, and some, like Iceland and Costa Rica, going further and demanding an international probe.

'Gravely concerned'

British Ambassador Julien Braithwaite told the council his country was "gravely concerned about the deteriorating human rights situation in Saudi Arabia," pointing to women's rights, mass arrests of rights defenders and extensive use of the death penalty.

"But most concerning is the murder of Jamal Khashoggi," he said, urging Saudi Arabia to "ensure comprehensive and transparent investigations into the murder" and to make sure "those responsible are held to account, and that measures are put in place to prevent any possibility of recurrence."

The US representative, Mark Cassayre, meanwhile said his country strongly condemned "this premeditated killing."

"A thorough, conclusive and transparent investigation carried out in accordance with due process with results made public is essential," he insisted.

The Saudi delegation meanwhile barely mentioned the case, choosing instead to highlight the "progress made towards the protection and promotion of human rights", including reforms that among other things have allowed women to drive in the ultra-conservative country.

But the delegation chief and head of the Saudi Human Rights Commission, Bandar Al Aiban, did touch on the case briefly, stressing at the end of the review that "our country is committed to carry out a fair investigation."

"All persons involved in that crime will be prosecuted," he said, stressing that "the investigation is continuing in line with our domestic laws."

Diplomats urged Saudi Arabia Monday to take concrete steps to promote freedom of expression and protect human rights defenders and journalists.

Death penalty

The review also focused heavily on the use of the death penalty in the country, especially for alleged crimes committed when the perpetrator was under the age of 18.

The kingdom has one of the world's highest rates of execution, with suspects convicted of terrorism, homicide, rape, armed robbery and drug trafficking facing the death penalty.

Many countries urged Saudi Arabia to introduce a moratorium on the death penalty or to abolish it altogether, and to explicitly ban its use for juvenile offenders.

Women's rights were also high on the agenda. While many countries hailed some progress in this area, including the fact that the country now permits women to drive, they warned that much more reform was needed.

The country especially faced criticism over its male guardianship system which allows men to exercise arbitrary authority to make decisions on behalf of their female relatives.

Saudi Arabia's role in Yemen's brutal civil war also faced criticism, with a number of countries urging it to halt the devastating bombing campaign there.

The Saudi delegation meanwhile highlighted that it has provided more than $11 billion in aid to Yemen since it and its allies intervened in the war in 2015 to bolster Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi after Iran-backed Huthi rebels took over the capital Sanaa.

According to the UN, nearly 10,000 people have been killed in the conflict, which has also created the world's biggest humanitarian crisis and left millions of people on the brink of famine.

AFP charts showing how Saudi Arabia fares in international rankings on press freedom, corruption perception and gender gap@AFPgraphics pic.twitter.com/NffRWYWF1R

— AFP news agency (@AFP) November 5, 2018

UN rejects US bid to criticize Cuba and calls for end to embargo

Yahoo – AFP, Laura BONILLA CAL, Carole LANDRY, November 1, 2018

United States ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, pictured at a Security Council
meeting in New York on August 28, 2018, dismissed the vote calling for an end
 to the US embargo on Cuba as a "waste of everyone's time" (AFP Photo/
DOMINICK REUTER)

United Nations (United States) (AFP) - The UN General Assembly on Thursday called for an end to the decades-old US embargo on Cuba, adopting a resolution by an overwhelming majority and rejecting US moves to criticize Havana's human rights record.

It was the 27th time that the 193-nation assembly has issued the call to lift the embargo imposed in 1962.

The resolution presented by Cuba was adopted by a vote of 189 to 2 with no abstentions. The US and its ally Israel voted against while Ukraine and Moldova did not vote.

The United States failed to win support for eight amendments criticizing Cuba's human rights record. Only the US, Israel and Ukraine voted in favor of those amendments. The Marshall Islands joined them in one vote.

At least 65 countries including many European nations abstained and at least 113 voted against the proposed US call to Cuba to fully uphold its citizens' rights.

President Donald Trump's administration points to Cuba's repression of political opponents and curbs on freedom of expression as a reason for maintaining the economic embargo.

US Ambassador Nikki Haley dismissed the vote on the US embargo, which has been an annual exercise since 1992, as a "waste of everyone's time" because it did not address Cuba's human rights situation.

"It's one more time that countries feel they can poke the United States in the eye," Haley told the assembly.

Cruel policies

Applause broke out in the chamber after the adoption that highlighted Washington's isolation on its Cuba policy. The resolution is non-binding but carries political weight.

Haley declared that the United Nations had "rejected the opportunity to speak on behalf of human rights" and described the outcome of the vote as a reminder of "why so many people believe that faith in the United Nations is often misplaced."

In a 35-minute address ahead of the vote, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez slammed the Trump administration as a "government of millionaires that imposes cruel policies," citing US treatment of migrant children separated at the border with Mexico and "locked in cages."

"The US government does not have the least moral authority for criticizing Cuba or anyone else with regards to human rights," said the foreign minister, urging countries to back his measure.

Rodriguez argued that the embargo was a "flagrant, massive and systematic violation" of human rights in Cuba, notably by denying access to US-produced medicines and medical technology.

Last year, the resolution was adopted by a vote of 191 to 2. The United States and Israel were the only two countries that voted "no."

That vote took place after Washington for the first time abstained in the vote in 2016 as former president Barack Obama pursued a thaw in relations with Havana.

Ties between Cuba and the US have been in decline under Trump, who has rejected the previous administration's moves to improve ties with Havana.