Pope urges end to Papua New Guinea tribal conflicts and fair, sustainable extraction of resources

Pope urges end to Papua New Guinea tribal conflicts and fair, sustainable extraction of resources
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Pope Francis receives a gift from an Indigenous woman on the day of his meeting with the authorities, civil society and the diplomatic corps at APEC Haus in Port Moresby on Sept. 7, 2024. (REUTERS)
Pope urges end to Papua New Guinea tribal conflicts and fair, sustainable extraction of resources
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Indigenous people wait for the arrival of Pope Francis at APEC Haus in Port Moresby on Saturday. (REUTERS)
Pope urges end to Papua New Guinea tribal conflicts and fair, sustainable extraction of resources
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Papua New Guinea's Governor General Sir Bob Dadae delivers a speech as Pope Francis looks on during a meeting at APEC Haus in Port Moresby on Sept. 7, 2024. (REUTERS)
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Updated 07 September 2024
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Pope urges end to Papua New Guinea tribal conflicts and fair, sustainable extraction of resources

Pope urges end to Papua New Guinea tribal conflicts and fair, sustainable extraction of resources
  • The pope appealed for a sense of civic responsibility and cooperation to prevail, to benefit everyone
  • Francis is on an 11-day, four-nation tour through Southeast Asia and Oceania, the longest and most challenging of his pontificate

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea: Pope Francis called Saturday for an end to tribal conflicts that have wracked Papua New Guinea for decades and appealed for equitable development of its natural resources during a visit that also surfaced its problem of violence against women.
Dancers in swishing grass skirts performed for Francis as he opened his first full day in the South Pacific country with a mix of political and church business. He met with the governor general and dignitaries from around the region, and then addressed government authorities before visiting with local priests, nuns and street children.
Francis is on an 11-day, four-nation tour through Southeast Asia and Oceania, the longest and most challenging of his pontificate. He landed on Friday evening in Port Moresby, the capital of the Commonwealth nation, from Jakarta, Indonesia to open the second leg of his journey.
During his speech to government authorities and diplomats, Francis marveled at the diversity of Papua New Guinea’s people – there are some 800 languages spoken here – saying their variety must be “a challenge to the Holy Spirit, who creates harmony amid differences!”




An Indigenous man waits for the arrival of Pope Francis at APEC Haus in Port Moresby on Saturday. (REUTERS)

But he also noted that such diversity has long created conflict here, a reference to the tribal violence over land and other disputes that have long characterized the country’s culture but have grown more lethal in recent years. Francis appealed for a sense of civic responsibility and cooperation to prevail, to benefit everyone.
“It is my particular hope that tribal violence will come to an end, for it causes many victims, prevents people from living in peace and hinders development,” he said.
If people agree to sacrifice their personal interests for the common good, he said, “the necessary forces can be used to improve infrastructure, address the health and educational needs of the population and increase opportunities for dignified work.”
The poor, strategically important Commonwealth nation is home to more than 10 million people, most of whom are subsistence farmers.
Papua New Guinea’s governor general, Bob Bofeng Dadae, referred to the violence in his remarks, calling in particular for the need to protect women and respect their rights. It was a reference to the gender violence that has been normalized in a country where allegations of sorcery are common.
According to UN Women, 60 percent of the country’s women have experienced physical and or sexual violence from an intimate partner at some time in their lives, double the global average. Papua New Guinea ranked 160 out of 161 countries on a UN gender inequality index in 2021.
“We want to acknowledge the role of the woman and air the need for protection,” Bofeng Dadae said. “We also recognize the physical and the spiritual care that the church continues to give to those that are being abused, neglected or rejected by families and communities.”




Pope Francis hands a gift to a traditional dancer as he arrives at APEC Haus in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, on Sept. 7, 2024. (AP)

Francis amended his remarks to pick up on the theme, saying women “are the ones who carry the country forward, they give life, build and grow a country, let us not forget the women who are on the front line of human and spiritual development.”
Francis also called for fair and environmentally sustainable extraction of country’s vast natural resources, which include gold, nickel and natural gas. Disputes over how wealth should be distributed and who is entitled to mining royalties which have often led to conflicts.
Francis, who has written entire encyclicals about the environment, has long insisted that development of natural resources must benefit local people, not just the multinational companies that extract them, and be pursued in an environmentally responsible way to preserve them for future generations.
He made that argument again Saturday, saying Papua New Guinea’s resources “are destined by God for the entire community.”
“Even if outside experts and large international companies must be involved in the harnessing of these resources, it is only right that the needs of local people are given due consideration when distributing the proceeds and employing workers,” he said.
“These environmental and cultural treasures represent at the same time a great responsibility, because they require everyone, civil authorities and all citizens, to promote initiatives that develop natural and human resources in a sustainable and equitable manner,” he said.
Finally, Francis called for a “definitive solution” to the question of Bougainville, an island region whose people voted overwhelmingly to become independent from Papua New Guinea in 2019. The outcome of the nonbinding referendum has not been implemented.
Later Saturday, Francis was visiting with charity workers who care for street children and then meeting with Papua New Guinea’s clergy and religious sisters at a Marian sanctuary. On Sunday, he travels deep into the jungle to meet with Argentine missionaries.
Despite the rigors of the trip and jet lag (Papua New Guinea is eight hours ahead of Rome time), the 87-year-old Francis appeared in relatively good form, though he coughed through his speech. He smiled as he handed out candies to young children dressed in traditional clothes who had performed for him.
Francis is the second pope to visit Papua New Guinea, after St. John Paul II visited first in 1984, then in 1995 to beatify Peter To Rot, a Catholic layman who was declared a martyr for the faith after he died in prison during World War II.
 


Fifteen inmates killed in new Ecuador jail massacre

Fifteen inmates killed in new Ecuador jail massacre
Updated 12 November 2024
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Fifteen inmates killed in new Ecuador jail massacre

Fifteen inmates killed in new Ecuador jail massacre
  • “Serious incidents were reported between inmates, resulting in a preliminary toll of 15 dead and 14 wounded,” the prison service said
  • The prison service said that a “significant contingent” of troops and police had been deployed to restore order at the prison, which was now under the “full control” of the authorities

GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador: At least 15 inmates were killed and 14 injured in clashes Tuesday at a prison in the Ecuadoran port of Guayaquil, the latest in a series of massacres blamed on a war between drug cartels.
Once seen as a beacon of stability in South America, Ecuador has become one of the world’s most violent nations and a major drug trafficking hub in recent years.
Much of the violence has taken place in prisons where more than 460 inmates have been killed since February 2021, often in gruesome fashion, with their bodies dismembered and burnt.
The latest bloodshed took place in Litoral penitentiary, the country’s biggest, where 119 inmates were killed in September 2021 in Ecuador’s worst prison massacre.
“This morning, in a pavilion of the Litoral penitentiary, serious incidents were reported between inmates, resulting in a preliminary toll of 15 dead and 14 wounded,” the prison service said.
AFP drone images of the prison yard showed inmates in orange prison garb placing a body on the ground next to a dozen corpses wrapped in blankets.
In another part of the prison, dozens of prisoners could be seen sitting in rows, guarded by security force members.
The prison service said that a “significant contingent” of troops and police had been deployed to restore order at the prison, which was now under the “full control” of the authorities.
The violence in Ecuador’s prisons has spilled over onto the streets.
The Andean country registered a record 47 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in 2023, up from a rate of six per 100,000 in 2018.
In January, the violence reached a new peak following the jailbreak of a powerful narco boss, Jose Adolfo Macias.
In the most dramatic incident, gunmen stormed the studios of a television station in Guayaquil and held a presenter at gunpoint live on air.
Gang members also took scores of prison guards hostage and set off explosions prompting President Daniel Noboa to declare war on organized crime and deploy the army to combat the gangs.
Tuesday’s massacre is the first at a prison since then.
But tit-for-tat gang attacks left at least 17 dead near Guayaquil last month and prison officials continue to be targeted.
Five penitentiary staff were shot dead in the space of a month between late August and late September.
The victims included the director of Litoral, who was shot dead after her car was ambushed while traveling near Guayaquil and the head of another prison in the Amazonian province of Sucumbios, who too was shot dead while traveling by car.
Noboa claims his offensive against organized crime is nonetheless yielding results.
Between January and September, 4,236 murders were reported, down from 5,112 for the same period in 2023.


Spanish flood-hit towns brace for another storm

Spanish flood-hit towns brace for another storm
Updated 12 November 2024
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Spanish flood-hit towns brace for another storm

Spanish flood-hit towns brace for another storm
  • AEMET forecasts as much as 120 mm of rain in 12 hours
  • While the storm is not expected to be as powerful, it could be devastating for the towns that are still recovering

MADRID: Flood-hit towns near the eastern city of Valencia were rushing on Tuesday to clear the sewage system of mud and debris, pile sandbags and cancel school classes as they prepared for another approaching storm.
Two weeks after the worst floods in Spain’s modern history killed more than 200 people, national weather service AEMET issued an orange alert, the second-highest, for strong or torrential rains expected on Wednesday in the same area.
AEMET forecasts as much as 120 mm (4.7 inches) of rain in 12 hours. While the storm is not expected to be as powerful, it could be devastating for the towns that are still recovering.
The impact of the rain could be severe because of the quantities of mud already on the ground and because of the condition of the sewage system, Rosa Tauris, a spokesperson for Valencia’s emergency committee, told reporters.
Thousands of workers are cleaning buildings while removing the mud that accumulated on roads and sidewalks and clogged the sewage pipes and drains in towns and suburbs around Valencia.
The emergency committee issued a special warning requesting that municipalities and organizations take preventive measures, including closing schools.
Tauris recommended citizens work remotely when possible, avoid non-essential travel and follow emergency services’ updates.
The town council of Chiva, one of the worst-hit sites, canceled classes and sports activities, while in nearby Aldaia, workers piled up sandbags to protect the town.
“We are placing sandbags to replace the floodgates that the previous floods tore down,” municipal worker Antonio Ojeda said, hoping this would prevent the Saleta ravine from overflowing again.
They are also cleaning the ditches and drains that are obstructed with trees, tires and car parts.
On Monday, 10,000 tons of furniture, appliances and clothing were removed, almost as much waste as Valencia disposes of in a year.
Valencian authorities suspended classes and activities at recreational centers in the flood-hit suburbs, advising volunteers who flocked to the area to help clean up to avoid travel.
The AEMET’s weather alerts cover much of the Mediterranean coast of Catalonia, Valencia and Andalusia and the Balearic Islands.


Court delays decision on sentencing Trump to November 19

Court delays decision on sentencing Trump to November 19
Updated 12 November 2024
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Court delays decision on sentencing Trump to November 19

Court delays decision on sentencing Trump to November 19
  • Ahead of election, Trump’s lawyers moved to have case thrown out
  • Trump’s legal team almost certain to seek to oppose or delay any sentencing

NEW YORK: The judge in Donald Trump’s New York criminal case has delayed to November 19 a decision on potentially throwing out the US president-elect’s conviction, the court said Tuesday.
Trump was convicted of 34 felony counts in May after a jury found he had fraudulently manipulated business records to cover up an alleged sexual encounter with a porn star ahead of the 2016 election.
The president-elect is due to be sentenced on November 26, may receive a reprieve if Judge Juan Merchan decides to dismiss the case following the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on presidential immunity.
That landmark ruling saw the court, with a 6-3 conservative majority, decide that presidents have sweeping immunity from prosecution for a range of official acts committed while in office.
Ahead of the election, Trump’s lawyers moved to have the case thrown out in light of the Supreme Court decision, a move that prosecutors have firmly rejected.
If the judge throws out the case on that basis, there will be no sentencing of Trump, 78.
If he does not, Trump’s legal team would almost certainly seek to oppose or delay any sentencing, insisting it would interfere with Trump’s role as commander-in-chief once he is sworn in on January 20.
“The joint application for a stay of the current deadlines... until November 19, is granted,” the court wrote in an email to parties in the case, seen by AFP.
Alongside the New York case, brought by state-level prosecutors, Trump faces two active federal cases, one related to his effort to overturn the 2020 election and the other connected to classified documents he allegedly mishandled after leaving office.
However, as president, he would be able to intervene to end those cases, and Jack Smith, the special counsel handling both cases, has reportedly begun to wind them down.
A Trump-appointed federal judge already threw out the documents case, but Smith had sought to appeal that decision.
“Trump’s victory means he is unlikely to be held accountable for any of his alleged criminal misconduct,” said former prosecutor Randall Eliason in an article on Substack.
“That’s a severe blow to the ideal of the rule of law.”
The New York conviction, coming just months before an election that Trump won convincingly, was one of several dramatic developments in the race for the White House.
In July, Trump survived an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania when a bullet grazed his ear.
Later that month, President Joe Biden stepped aside as the Democratic Party’s candidate following a disastrous performance against Trump in a televised debate.
That paved the way for Vice President Kamala Harris to become the first woman of color from a major US party to stand for president.


Driver rams his car into crowd in China, killing 35, as police say he was upset about his divorce

Driver rams his car into crowd in China, killing 35, as police say he was upset about his divorce
Updated 45 min 56 sec ago
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Driver rams his car into crowd in China, killing 35, as police say he was upset about his divorce

Driver rams his car into crowd in China, killing 35, as police say he was upset about his divorce
  • Police detained the 62-year-old man, who is being treated for wounds thought to be self-inflicted, shortly after the attack
  • He was dissatisfied with the split of financial assets in his divorce, according to a preliminary investigation, police said

ZHUHAI, China: A man who authorities said was upset over his divorce settlement rammed his car into a crowd of people exercising at a sports complex in southern China, killing 35 and severely injuring dozens of others, police said Tuesday.
Police detained the 62-year-old man, who is being treated for wounds thought to be self-inflicted, shortly after the attack Monday night in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai. The city is hosting the People’s Liberation Army’s annual aviation exhibition, which opened Tuesday, and searches for what happened were heavily censored for users behind China’s Great Firewall.
Outside of the controls, however, videos circulated on the social media platform X. In several, dozens of people could be seen lying on the track at the sports complex, which is regularly used by hundreds of residents to run, play soccer or dance.
In one, shared by news blogger and dissident Li Ying, a woman says “my foot is broken.” That same video showed a firefighter performing CPR on a person, as others were told to leave. Li, who is known on X as Teacher Li, posts daily news based on user submissions
In addition to the 35 people killed, police said 43 were injured.
China has seen a number of attacks in which suspects appear to target members of the public at random.
In October, a man was detained after he allegedly attacked children with a knife at a school in Beijing. Five people were wounded. In September, three people were killed in a knife attack in a Shanghai supermarket, and another 15 were injured. Police said at the time that the suspect had personal financial disputes and came to Shanghai to “vent his anger.”
In May, two people were killed and 21 injured in a knife attack in a hospital in Yunnan province.
Police identified the man detained in Monday’s attack only by his family name of Fan, as is typical, and said he was unconscious and receiving medical care after being found in his car with a knife and wounded.
He was dissatisfied with the split of financial assets in his divorce, according to a preliminary investigation, police said.
Chinese authorities appeared to be tightly controlling information about the incident. Internet censors tend to take extra care to scrub social media ahead of and during major events, such as the aviation exhibition or the annual meeting of the National People’s Congress.
For almost 24 hours after the attack, it was unclear what the death or injury toll was. On Tuesday morning, a search on the Chinese social media platform Weibo for the sports center turned up just a few posts, with only a couple referring to the fact something had happened, without pictures or details. Articles by Chinese media from Monday night about the incident were taken down.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping called for the “strict” punishment of the perpetrator according to law in a statement Tuesday evening.
He also called on all local governments “to strengthen prevention and control of risks at the source, strictly prevent extreme cases from occurring, and to resolve conflicts and disputes in a timely manner,” according to the official Xinhua news agency.


Indian travel agents record surge in outbound tourism to Middle East

Indian travel agents record surge in outbound tourism to Middle East
Updated 12 November 2024
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Indian travel agents record surge in outbound tourism to Middle East

Indian travel agents record surge in outbound tourism to Middle East
  • There has been an increase of at least 30% in trips to Middle East from Indian city of Ahmedabad alone, agent says
  • Indian travelers are drawn to ‘less explored’ Middle East region, which is increasingly becoming top choice

NEW DELHI: An increasing number of Indian travelers are visiting the Middle East this year, tour operators said on Tuesday after recording a significant surge to the region during the Diwali holiday season.

The Middle East has become an increasingly popular foreign destination for many Indian travelers, with Saudi Arabia and the UAE often cited as the top two countries in demand.

As the festive Diwali season and the long holidays that came with it concluded earlier this month, tourism players in India say there was a notable increase in trips to Arab countries.

“In this festival season, there was a huge demand,” Jyoti Mayal, president of the Travel Agents Association of India, told Arab News on travel from India to the UAE, citing Saudi Arabia and Qatar as particularly popular destinations.

“These countries in the Middle East are less explored and that’s why more and more people are traveling (to them).”

Travelers from the western Indian state of Gujarat were drawn to new and affordable packages offered to Gulf destinations like Dubai, said tour agent Manish Sharma.

“From Ahmedabad, I can say that compared to the past, there has been an increase of 30 to 35 percent in the outbound travels to the Middle East this time,” Sharma, who runs his business in the Gujarati capital, told Arab News.

Their top choices were UAE cities such as Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Dubai, he added.

“The reasons for the growth are manifold — it’s cheap, easy connectivity, it’s near, you get good food,” he added.

Members of the Gujarati middle class “take at least one or two vacations every year,” he said. “During Diwali and summer vacation, they prefer to go to Dubai.”

Many Indians appear to be taking advantage of the increasing number of direct flights to the UAE. There are at least 14 daily flights to Dubai from Ahmedabad alone.

“There has been an increase in Dubai travel in the last 10 years, (and) in the last three years tourism has grown greatly. But this year, tourism to UAE has gone phenomenally and the reason is the increase in the number of flights,” Sharma said.