Senegal top court upholds March 24 presidential vote

Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko speaks during a joint press conference with the presidential candidate he is backing in the March 24 election, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, a day after they were released from prison, in Dakar, Senegal March 15, 2024. (REUTERS)
Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko speaks during a joint press conference with the presidential candidate he is backing in the March 24 election, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, a day after they were released from prison, in Dakar, Senegal March 15, 2024. (REUTERS)
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Updated 16 March 2024
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Senegal top court upholds March 24 presidential vote

Senegal top court upholds March 24 presidential vote
  • President Macky Sall postponed the February election and tried to push it back to December at the last minute, sparking a crisis and deadly protests

DAKAR: Senegal’s top court on Friday upheld the holding of a deferred presidential election on March 24, rejecting an attempt by disqualified candidates to cancel the date.
The rejected candidates and allied lawmakers had called for presidential decrees temporarily suspending the date of the vote and the campaign’s duration.
If the Supreme Court had accepted the requests, the electoral process would have been called into question at the last minute.
The court said the issue did not fall within its purview, adding that the Constitutional Council had “full jurisdiction in electoral matters.”
President Macky Sall postponed the February election and tried to push it back to December at the last minute, sparking a crisis and deadly protests.
He was then forced to reset the date to March 24.
“This election is the most important we’ve ever had. Many people have died, life has become more expensive, and the Senegalese are tired. We need a new system,” said Hamza Soumboundou, a first-year applied arts student at Gaston Berger University in the northern city of Saint-Louis.
The 20-year-old wants the next president to create jobs, fight corruption and injustice, develop agriculture, and cancel foreign fishing agreements.
He also hopes for the re-establishment of the rule of law, which he says was flouted under outgoing President Sall.
UGB is the second largest in the country and was badly hit by the political crisis triggered by the delay to the February 25 presidential poll.
Two students were killed and several others injured in protests that left a total of four people dead across the country.
UGB has experienced less unrest than Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, but protests there are known to descend into violence.
Clashes over grant payments in 2018 left one student dead.

 


South Korean investigators question President Yoon in insurrection probe

South Korean investigators question President Yoon in insurrection probe
Updated 9 sec ago
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South Korean investigators question President Yoon in insurrection probe

South Korean investigators question President Yoon in insurrection probe
  • Yoon is the first sitting president in South Korean history to be arrested
  • His last month’s short-lived martial law order plunged the country into turmoil

Seoul: South Korean investigators began questioning President Yoon Suk-yeol on Wednesday after arresting him over accusations of insurrection following his briefly imposed martial law.

The arrest ended a standoff between investigators and Yoon’s presidential security team, which had prevented his detention earlier this month.

The Corruption Investigation Office announced it had “executed an arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk-yeol today at 10:33 am,” after which he was seen stepping out of the car wearing a white shirt and suit as he slipped through the CIO’s back entrance for high-ranking officials.

“I decided to answer to the CIO’s investigations in order to prevent unsavory bloodshed,” Yoon said in a pre-recorded video statement released by his lawyers following the arrest.

“That does not mean I recognize the CIO’s investigation as legitimate.”

The CIO is leading a joint probe — together with military investigators and police — to probe allegations against Yoon.

He is charged with insurrection and will be held at the Seoul Detention Center. Authorities now have 48 hours to question the president and seek a warrant to detain him for up to 20 days.

The probe coincides with Yoon’s impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court. The trial began on Tuesday, but hearings were adjourned minutes after it started due to Yoon’s absence.

The trial follows the National Assembly’s vote on Dec. 14 to impeach Yoon over the imposition of martial law on Dec. 3 — a move that lawmakers swiftly overturned hours after it was announced.

Yoon is the first sitting president in South Korean history to be arrested.

The CIO’s legitimacy in investigating Yoon has come under scrutiny as the president and his lawyers argue that it lacks the legal authority to investigate insurrection charges.

“The CIO does not have the right to investigate insurrection charges ... We strongly urge them to follow due legal processes,” Yoon’s lawyer and friend of 40 years, Seok Dong-hyun, said in a press conference after the president was taken into custody.

Prof. Hong Young-ki from the Korea University School of Law told Arab News it was a matter of interpreting the law, “but the court has already confirmed the legitimacy” by approving the arrest warrant.

“The court already recognized the CIO’s jurisdiction when it issued the arrest warrant. Then who can go against the court and say that the CIO is illegitimate? How can a third party do it?” he said.

“The president wants to say that, but how can someone who was merely a prosecutor say his interpretation is more correct than that of the court? I don’t really think his argument has that much persuasive power.”

Claiming that the CIO’s investigation was illegitimate, Yoon tried to evade arrest also during the eventually successful second attempt, which started at 4:10 a.m., with 3,000 officers surrounding his hillside house.

Buses and barbed wire were set up on the road leading to Yoon’s residence to prevent entry, while lawmakers from the president’s ruling People’s Power Party gathered at the site, tried to block the authorities, and shouted that “South Korea’s rule of law has collapsed” and that the “constitution has been destroyed.”

The opposition Democratic Party welcomed the arrest.

“A bit late, but it shows that South Korea’s governmental authority and justice is still alive,” floor leader Park Chan-dae said in a briefing.

“(Yoon’s arrest) is the first step in restoring liberal democracy and realizing the rule of law.”


Dense fog over Indian capital delays flights, trains

Dense fog over Indian capital delays flights, trains
Updated 15 January 2025
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Dense fog over Indian capital delays flights, trains

Dense fog over Indian capital delays flights, trains
  • Visibility at Delhi’s main airport was between zero to 100 meters, over 40 trains across northern India delayed 
  • Delhi was ranked as the world’s most polluted city in live rankings by Swiss group IQAir on Wednesday

Dense fog and cold weather delayed train and flight departures in several parts of northern India, including its capital New Delhi, on Wednesday.
India’s weather office issued an orange alert for Delhi, the second highest warning level, forecasting dense to very dense fog in many areas.
Visibility at Delhi’s main airport was between zero to 100 meters (328.08 ft), the weather office said, and more than 40 trains across northern India were delayed because of fog, local media reported.
Some aircraft departures from Delhi were delayed, airport authorities said on social media platform X, warning that flights lacking the CAT III navigation system that enables landing despite low visibility would face difficulties. Delhi’s main airport handles about 1,400 flights every day.
“Low visibility and fog over Delhi may lead to some delays,” the country’s largest airline IndiGo said in a social media post.
Local media showed images of vehicles crawling along highways through the fog, and people huddled indoors as the temperature dipped to 7 degrees Celsius (44.6 degrees Fahrenheit).
Delhi was ranked as the world’s most polluted city in live rankings by Swiss group IQAir on Wednesday, with a reading of 254, ranked as “very unhealthy.”
The Indian capital has been battling poor air quality and smog since the beginning of winter.


New IsDB financing plan to strengthen Bangladesh’s energy, food security

New IsDB financing plan to strengthen Bangladesh’s energy, food security
Updated 15 January 2025
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New IsDB financing plan to strengthen Bangladesh’s energy, food security

New IsDB financing plan to strengthen Bangladesh’s energy, food security
  • International Islamic Trade Finance Corp. offers $2.75bn support
  • For the first time financing extended for Bangladesh’s fertilizer imports

Dhaka: A new agreement on a $2.75 billion Islamic Development Bank financing loan for the Bangladeshi oil and agriculture sectors aims to boost the South Asian nation’s energy and food security by facilitating the import of petroleum products, liquified natural gas and fertilizers.

The International Islamic Trade Finance Corp., a division of the Jeddah-based IsDB, announced earlier this week that it had signed a “landmark annual financing plan with the Government of Bangladesh for US$2.75 billion to support the country’s energy and agriculture sectors.”

The plan will cover the period from July 2025 to June 2026 and will “facilitate the importation of petroleum products, Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) and fertilizers by Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC), Bangladesh Oil, Gas & Mineral Resources Corporation (Petrobangla) and Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) respectively,” the ITFC said in a statement.

Bangladesh imports most of its fuel and requires about 1.5 million metric tons of crude oil annually, according to BPC.

The IITFC loan will help the state-owned entity responsible for importing and marketing fuel oil meet its obligations to the suppliers. The two main ones are Saudi Aramco and the UAE’s Adnoc.

“Without the loan support from ITFC, it wouldn’t have been possible for us to ensure a smooth petroleum supply in the local market. For importing crude oil, we need a letter of credit support of around $80 million. Our state-owned banks can’t provide such a huge amount,” Mohammed Morshed Hossain Azad, BPC’s general manager of finance, told Arab News.

“ITFC pays this amount to Saudi Aramco and UAE-based Adnoc on behalf of Bangladesh Petroleum Corp. After six months, we repay this amount to ITFC in installments through our state-owned banks. This loan support from ITFC was crucial for Bangladesh’s energy security … For maintaining a smooth and uninterrupted supply of fuel in our market, there is no alternative in hand.”

While Bangladesh’s energy imports have been supported by ITFC financing before, it is the first time that fertilizer imports are too.

Bangladesh’s annual demand for chemical fertilizers is about 6 million metric tons, of which about 80 percent comes from abroad.

“The timely supply of fertilizer is very important for ensuring the food security of around 175 million people of Bangladesh,” Mohammed Moazzem Hossain, BADC accounts controller, told Arab News.

Under the ITFC deal, the BADC will import triple superphosphate and diammonium phosphate from Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Morocco.

“We import DAP and TSP fertilizer from these three Muslim countries,” Hossain said.

“This is the first time in the history of Bangladesh that we have received loan support for importing fertilizer. The interest rate is also convenient for us.”


Thousands to be evacuated after Mount Ibu eruption

Thousands to be evacuated after Mount Ibu eruption
Updated 15 January 2025
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Thousands to be evacuated after Mount Ibu eruption

Thousands to be evacuated after Mount Ibu eruption

TERNATE: Thousands of islanders are set to be evacuated after a volcano erupted in eastern Indonesia, spewing a towering column of smoke and ash into the atmosphere, officials said Wednesday.
Mount Ibu, located on the remote island of Halmahera, erupted for a fifth time this year on Wednesday, sending a column of smoke four kilometres (2.5 miles) into the sky.
The volcano's alert status was subsequently raised to the highest level by Indonesia's Geological Agency.
"Following the increase in Mount Ibu's (alert) level, today we will evacuate residents in five villages," said local disaster management head Wawan Gunawan Ali.
He added that local authorities were planning to evacuate approximately 3,000 residents from nearby villages on Wednesday evening.
Many residents had already gathered in a village hall, ready for evacuation, an AFP reporter on the ground reported.
Mount Ibu has shown a significant increase in volcanic activity since last June, following a series of earthquakes.
In the first weeks of January alone, the volcano, which is one of Indonesia's most active, erupted four times.
Residents living near Mount Ibu and tourists have been advised to avoid a five to six kilometre exclusion zone around the volcano's peak and to wear face masks in case of falling ash.
As of 2022, around 700,000 people were living on Halmahera island, according to official data.
Indonesia, a vast archipelago, experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity as it lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire.
Last November, Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, a 1,703-metre (5,587-foot) twin-peaked volcano on the tourist island of Flores erupted more than a dozen times in one week, killing nine people in its initial explosion.
Mount Ruang in North Sulawesi province erupted more than half a dozen times last year, forcing thousands from nearby islands to evacuate.


German minister says ‘historic opportunity’ to support new Syria

German minister says ‘historic opportunity’ to support new Syria
Updated 15 January 2025
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German minister says ‘historic opportunity’ to support new Syria

German minister says ‘historic opportunity’ to support new Syria
  • Schulze announced that Berlin was expanding an international hospital partnerships program to include facilities in Syria

Damascus: Germany’s Development Minister Svenja Schulze promised to support Syria’s “peaceful and stable development” as she visited Damascus on Wednesday to meet with the interim authorities.
“After over 50 years of dictatorship and 14 years of civil war, Syria now has the chance of peaceful and stable development,” Schulze said in a statement.
Her visit comes a little over a month after Islamist-led forces toppled longtime president Bashar Assad.
Schulze is due to meet with the new leadership as well as aid organizations “to identify how Germany can support the development of a peaceful, stable and inclusive Syria,” the minister’s statement said.
“It would be wrong of us not to use this historic window of opportunity to support Syria in embarking on a peaceful new beginning,” she said.
“Germany can do a lot to support the new beginning for... Syrian society.”
Germany is home to Europe’s largest Syrian diaspora community, having taken in nearly a million people from the war-ravaged country.
A German study last month said that if they returned home, Germany could face labor shortages, particularly in the health care industry.
Schulze announced that Berlin was expanding an international hospital partnerships program to include facilities in Syria.
The expansion is part of reconstruction efforts but also aims at retaining “vital” medical professionals in Germany, according to the statement.
Schulze said that while “Syria’s new rulers are keen to regain the skilled workers and professionals who fled the country” during the civil war since 2011, “Germany also has an interest in retaining them.”
Under the expanded program, “doctors from Germany can visit Syria to conduct medical training courses or to train their Syrian colleagues in using new equipment,” the minister said.
“And Syrian doctors can come to Germany for training on both medical and organizational issues.”
Syria has seen a flurry of diplomatic activity since Assad’s fall on December 8, with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also traveling to Damascus earlier this month.