Thousands attend tense pro-Gaza march in Paris

July 23, 2014

PARIS (AP) — Days after two banned pro-Gaza protests degenerated into violence, several thousands of demonstrators marched Wednesday through Paris under the eye of hundreds of riot police, this time in a legal protest.

With banners featuring slogans such as "Boycott Israel" and "Israel Murderer," demonstrators tested a government grappling with how best to allow freedom of expression while containing violence — and hate speech against France's Jews.

Jewish leaders say vocal anti-Semitic chants in previous demonstrations and several attacks on synagogues reflect rising anti-Semitism in Europe. France has Western Europe's largest Jewish and Muslim populations, and the Middle East conflict often means rocketing tensions in France.

"Today we are here for Palestine, because we find Israel shameful, because children are dying, and it's unbearable to see all this," said Fatima El Fetoui, 56. Wednesday's demonstrators said they were not anti-Semitic — they simply opposed Israel's actions against Gaza.

"You just need to differentiate between Jews and Israel. What we are fighting is the Zionist state. I am not fighting the Israelis," said Vincent Santoro, 24. In two banned demonstrations last weekend, in Paris and the northern suburb of Sarcelles, groups of youths pillaged stores and attacked police.

Two synagogues in Paris were attacked July 13.

French youth, police clash at anti-Israeli protest

July 20, 2014

SARCELLES, France (AP) — Pro-Palestinian French youth defying a ban on a protest against Israel's Gaza offensive clashed with police Sunday, setting fire to cars, pillaging stores and attacking two synagogues in Paris suburbs.

Police, backed by a helicopter overhead, responded with tear gas and shots from non-lethal guns during hours of unrest in the northern suburb of Sarcelles, home to a large Jewish community. The unrest was the second time in two days that pro-Palestinian demonstrations in France turned violent. The demonstration, like the one in Paris on Saturday, had been banned to ensure peace.

France has Western Europe's largest Muslim and Jewish populations, and crises in the Middle East, like the one triggered by the Gaza offensive, often spill into France. An umbrella group representing French Jews, known as CRIF, said Sunday night that the Sarcelles synagogue was attacked. The group said that in nearby Garges les Gonesse, Molotov cocktails were thrown at another synagogue, starting a small fire that was quickly extinguished.

CRIF denounced "fanatic groups" behind the attacks and said anti-Semitic violence "is growing by the day." "It is time to treat it as a 'form of terrorist deviation and treat it as such," the group said in a statement.

The clashes came hours after France honored some 13,000 Jews rounded up 72 years ago, most kept in a cycling stadium before being sent to Auschwitz. Prime Minister Manuel Valls denounced a "new form of anti-Semitism" on the Internet that he said was spreading among youth in working-class neighborhoods.

"France will not allow provocations to feed ... conflicts between communities," Valls said in a speech. That message was echoed by President Francois Hollande as he decorated Serge and Beate Klarsfeld, who were famous for tracking down old Nazis, as Grand Officer and Commander of the Legion of Honor respectively.

France "will tolerate no act, no words that could give rise to anti-Semitism," Hollande said. The words by the French leaders were ignored by Sunday's events. In Sarcelles, several hundred young protesters broke away from a calm pro-Palestinian gathering to riot and clash with police. Some went after the synagogue, CRIF said. Scores of Jewish youth — some armed with iron bars — then encircled a synagogue to "protect" it, watched by a cordon of police.

Authorities banned protest marches after a riot in Paris a week ago saw pro-Palestinian youth attacking two synagogues and Jewish stores. In Paris on Saturday, pro-Palestinian youth burned cars and broke shop windows in a neighborhood dominated by immigrants.

Ganley reported from Paris. Thibault Camus in Sarcelles contributed to this report.

French police and pro-Palestinian protesters clash

July 19, 2014

PARIS (AP) — Police clashed on Saturday with thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters who defied a ban on a Paris demonstration over the Israeli offensive in Gaza. More than 30 people were arrested and it wasn't immediately clear if there were injuries.

Some protesters threw stones and other objects at riot police, who responded with tear gas in an hours-long confrontation in a working class neighborhood, which had been designated as the starting point of the banned march.

Hundreds of riot police stopped the protesters from marching, but several demonstrators climbed onto a building under construction and burned an Israeli flag. Others waved a Palestinian flag from atop a street sign.

The protest degenerated into running battles with police, and at least 33 protesters were arrested, a figure likely to increase, police said. French authorities had banned the planned pro-Palestinian march after a protest on July 13 turned violent, with two synagogues attacked.

A group of protesters dispersed by the tear gas still managed to hang banners reading "Palestine Will Live" and "Israel Assassins" in front of Montmartre's famed basilica. Fighting in the Middle East has inflamed tensions in France, home to Western Europe's largest Muslim and Jewish populations. Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius was in the Mideast on Saturday in a bid to help open the way to a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, the Islamic militant group which runs the Gaza Strip.

European carriers suspend more Tel Aviv flights

July 24, 2014

BERLIN (AP) — Air France and Germany's two largest airlines on Wednesday canceled more flights to Tel Aviv because of safety concerns amid the fighting between Israel and Hamas.

Lufthansa and Air Berlin extended their cancellations through Thursday and Air France said it was suspending its flights "until further notice." The European Aviation Safety Agency late Tuesday said it "strongly recommends" that airlines refrain from operating flights to and from Tel Aviv. It said it would "monitor the situation and advise on any update as the situation develops."

EASA acted after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration prohibited American-based airlines from flying to the airport following a Hamas rocket explosion nearby. The FAA dropped the ban just before midnight Wednesday.

Lufthansa said its decision applies also to its subsidiaries Germanwings, Austrian Airlines, Swiss and Brussels Airlines. In all, 20 flights from Frankfurt, Berlin, Munich, Zurich, Vienna and Brussels were cancelled for Thursday.

The airline initially had suspended flights for 36 hours through the end of Wednesday. Those cancellations were extended because "at the current time there is no sufficiently reliable new information that would justify a resumption of air operations," Lufthansa said.

Air Berlin said it is continuing to evaluate the situation to determine whether further cancellations are necessary. KLM, Alitalia and Scandinavian Airlines were among other European airlines that also canceled flights Tuesday and Wednesday. Polish airline LOT said it would suspend flights to Israel through July 28. Iberia said it had cancelled its Wednesday night and Thursday morning flights to Tel Aviv, and UK-based budget airline easyJet cancelled its Thursday services between its European bases and Tel Aviv.

British Airways, however, said Wednesday it hasn't canceled any of its twice-a-day Tel Aviv flights and had no immediate plans to do so. A spokesman stressed that British Airways wouldn't fly to Israel if it thought it was unsafe, adding that "each airline draws its own conclusion" on safety.

Aviation security expert Chris Yates said British Airways would have assessed the situation with input from the intelligence services and ultimately concluded there was an acceptable level of risk. He said this may be because the rockets from Gaza "are fairly rudimentary and can't be targeted easily at planes in flight."

Yates said other airlines might have cancelled flights fearing the possibility that rockets could strike their plane on approach or take off, but that Israel's Iron Dome defense system makes that very unlikely.

Forest nursery school in London lets kids explore

July 19, 2014

LONDON (AP) — In the heart of north London lies the ancient Queens Wood, a green forest hidden away in a metropolis of more than 8 million residents. The sounds of the city seem to fade away as a group of children plays in a mud kitchen, pretending to prepare food and saw wood.

These aren't toddlers on a play date — it's an unusual outdoor nursery school, the first of its kind in London, following a trend in Scandinavia, Germany and Scotland. It allows local children to learn, and let their imagination run free, completely surrounded by nature.

"I knew it would be a really great environment for him and great for him to have focused time outdoors with teachers who are trained in forest school ideology." said Zoe Slotover, as she dropped off her 2-year-old son Hector.

The "Into the Woods" nursery was opened in April by primary school teacher Emma Shaw for children from two-and-a-half to five years in age. She said the natural environment works wonders. "Children learn through movement and from doing things," she said. "So everything is practical and hands on outside, so the learning comes a lot more naturally as we don't have to set up opportunities for them to problem solve and risk take because they are all here and they can set their own challenges, which boosts their self-esteem."

Each morning a group of children gather at the Queens Wood camp, which the nursery team prepares each morning before the children arrive. A circle of logs provides a place to gather for snacks, stories and songs. The mud kitchen provides an opportunity to make a proper mess and have a sensory experience, a rope swing provides some excitement and a challenge, and several tents are set up for naps and washing up.

In a clearing in the woods, a fallen tree trunk can be transformed by imagination into a rocket train, calling at the beach and the moon, with leaves for tickets. A 2-year-old, Matilda, finds a stick — but in her mind it's not a stick. It's a wand. She says she is a magic fairy who can fly. Then suddenly the stick has become a drum stick, and a gnarled tree stump her drum. She taps away contentedly, the rhythm all her own.

Experts call this "child-led learning" — the child finds an object, uses creativity to explore the world, imagination in full flight. The children, who wear fluorescent reflective vests, are encouraged to use items they find in the woods like leaves, conkers and sticks to count and draw.

Forest schools are increasing in popularity in the United Kingdom, with many schools offering short courses for children to spend time outdoors, building dens, climbing trees and exploring. University of Reading Professor Helen Bilton, who advocates more outdoor play, said the benefits are clear.

"In terms of health it is to do with exercise, and things like that, but in terms of education it is to do with cognitive development, linguistic development, social, emotional," she said. "It covers the lot."

South Sudanese rebels launch offensive to retake key town

2014-07-20

JUBA - South Sudanese rebels launched an offensive to retake a key town near the border with Ethiopia on Sunday in what the United Nations said was a clear violation of a truce agreement.

"This attack represents the most serious resumption of hostilities" since President Salva Kiir and his former deputy, rebel leader Riek Machar, met in May and recommitted to a January ceasefire, the UN mission said in a statement.

The fighters loyal to Machar struck Nasir, their former headquarters, located 500 kilometers north of Juba and close to Ethiopia, which was retaken by government forces in May.

UNMISS, the UN mission, laid the blame squarely for the truce violation with Machar's forces. "The attack is a clear violation of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement," it said.

But a spokesman for Machar's forces, Lul Kuang, defended their moves as an act of "self-defense" after what he described as several government attempts to arrest their military commander.

"The fall of Nasir now paves the way for military resources to be refocused on Poloich Oil Fields, Maban and Malakal", Kuang said in a statement, referring to the main remaining oil field still in activity.

South Sudanese army spokesman Philip Aguer denied Nasir had fallen, describing fighting as "still ongoing".

Aguer said army forces had staged nine offensives on Nasir on Sunday.

Only days earlier mediators had pressed the rival sides to resume peace talks being held in Ethiopia, or face increased sanctions.

Those talks, moderated by East African leaders, are designed to lead to a transitional government and ceasefire but have yielded little progress so far.

Fighting had abated since May in part due to heavy rains and poor roads that hampered troop and equipment movements.

Meanwhile, the violence in South Sudan has left thousands dead and displaced 1.5 million people, and aid agencies warn of a looming famine.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://middle-east-online.com/english/?id=67209.

Thai junta defends strong powers under new charter

July 23, 2014

BANGKOK (AP) — A senior army official said Wednesday that the leader of Thailand's ruling junta is allowed to serve as interim prime minister under a new temporary constitution that gives the military government sweeping powers in the run-up to a planned 2015 election.

Thailand adopted an interim constitution on Tuesday, taking its first step toward the return of an electoral democracy after two months of military rule. But the charter's clauses allow the junta to continue to hold substantial power even after an interim Cabinet and legislature take office.

The army staged a coup on May 22 following months of deep-rooted political conflict that virtually paralyzed the machinery of Thailand's government. The new 48-article charter will allow an interim legislature and Cabinet to begin governing the country in tandem with the military in September. It also lays out the process by which a new permanent constitution will be drafted and adopted.

Although the interim charter is supposed to pave the way for civilian rule, it gives the junta — officially called the National Council for Peace and Order — what amounts to supreme power over political developments. It also legalizes all actions the junta has taken since the coup, as well as the takeover itself.

While the charter gives the military rulers almost supreme authority over politics, Wissanu Krea-ngam, a legal adviser to the junta, said Wednesday that the military would handle only peacekeeping and security matters, even though the interim constitution clearly gives it the final word on all important issues.

"There are not any provisions in the interim charter that give the power for the NCPO to oust the Cabinet or the prime minister, as people alleged," Wissanu told reporters. "The NCPO will only exist to share the burdens of the Cabinet on security matters and peacekeeping, so that the Cabinet can run the country without getting distracted with other problems that could arise."

According to deputy army commander Gen. Paiboon Kumchaya, junta leader and army commander-in-chief Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha can serve as interim prime minister under the new rules. "Personally, I don't see that Gen. Prayuth lacks any qualifications. At this period, it's like he's already working as the prime minister," Paiboon said, adding that the junta had not discussed the matter at its meetings. "In the past few months, Gen. Prayuth has been doing the job thoroughly, chairing every meeting by himself and running every ministry smoothly."

Wissanu said that even though the constitution allows Prayuth to become prime minister, it will be up to the National Legislative Assembly to choose the interim premier. The junta previously said the interim prime minister and Cabinet would continue to work until a general election is held by October 2015.

The new charter's Article 44 gives Prayuth, as junta chief, the power "to order, suspend or do any actions he sees necessary for the benefits of the reforms, the unity and reconciliation of people in the country, or to prevent, suspend or suppress any actions that will destroy the peace and order, the national security and monarchy, the country's economy or the country's governance, no matter if such actions are taking place in or outside the kingdom." It declares that such actions are automatically legal.

The constitution's clauses have raised concerns among critics about the enormous powers granted to the junta chief. "This gives the power for the NCPO to commit any actions that might contradict or even go beyond the power given under this constitution," said Ekachai Chainuvati, a law lecturer at Bangkok's Siam University. "It states explicitly that he can perform any actions, such as reshuffling civil servants, drafting any laws or even punishing people judicially."

Abhisit Vejjajiva, the leader of the Democrat Party, which is normally aligned with the establishment and the military, called for the junta leader to quickly clarify how he will exercise the power under the constitution's Article 44, in order to "prevent conflict or chaos that could arise."

"While I believe the society can accept the existence of the special powers in case there is going to be any chaos, it is not clear how necessary it is to extend the special authority to include legislative and judicial powers, or to claim that the power will be used for reforms or reconciliation," Abhisit, a former prime minister, wrote in a Facebook post.

40 bodies from jet solemnly returned to Dutch soil

July 23, 2014

EINDHOVEN, Netherlands (AP) — Victims of the Malaysian jetliner shot down over Ukraine returned at last Wednesday to Dutch soil in 40 wooden coffins, solemnly and gently carried to 40 identical hearses, flags at half-staff flapping in the wind.

The carefully choreographed, nearly silent ceremony contrasted sharply with the boom of shells and shattered glass in eastern Ukraine as pro-Russian rebels fought to hang onto territory and shot down two Ukrainian fighter jets. The bold new attack showed the separatists are not shying away from shooting at the skies despite international outrage and grief at the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17.

Even though they are still unidentified, the corpses that arrived on two military transport planes in Eindhoven were embraced by a nation unmoored by the loss of so many people caught in someone else's faraway war.

Boys going to visit their grandparents, a flight attendant hurrying to get home, a bouncer heading to see his sweetheart were among the 298 victims of the jetliner that was blown out of the sky on July 17, intensifying anger at the separatists suspected of bringing it down with a surface-to-air missile.

Nearly a week later, international investigators still don't have unfettered access to the crash site, some remains have yet to be recovered, and armed men roam the region, defying their government. Investigators in a lab in southern England began studying the plane's "black boxes" Wednesday in hopes of learning about the Boeing 777's final minutes. The Dutch Safety Board, which has taken control of the investigation, said the cockpit voice recorder suffered damage but showed no sign of manipulation, and its recordings were intact. Specialists will start studying the flight data recorder Thursday.

Families of passengers moved to a new stage of grief as the bodies began arriving in the Netherlands, the country that bore the heaviest death toll. The families had spent days agonizing in wait while their loved ones' remains lay in sweltering fields in eastern Ukraine before being gradually shifted by truck, train and plane.

"If I have to wait five months for identification, I can do it," said Silene Fredriksz-Hoogzand, whose son, Bryce, and his girlfriend Daisy Oehlers died in the crash. "Waiting while the bodies were in the field and in the train was a nightmare."

On a day of national mourning, flags flew at half-staff on Dutch government buildings and family homes around this nation of 17 million. Church bells rang out around the country as the Dutch and Australian military transport planes taxied to a standstill. King Willem-Alexander clasped the hand of his wife, Queen Maxima, as the couple grimly watched uniformed pallbearers carry the coffins slowly from the planes to a fleet of waiting hearses.

Almost the only sound was of boots marching across the ground and flags flapping in the wind. Then as the last hearses drove away, applause briefly broke out. Along the route, there was more applause from people gathered along the roadsides. Some tossed flower petals at the motorcade.

From the airport, they drove under military police escort to the central city of Hilversum where forensic experts waited at a military barracks to carry out the painstaking task of identifying the remains. Prime Minister Mark Rutte says many bodies could be identified quickly, but some families may have to wait weeks.

Two more planeloads of victims will be flown Thursday to Eindhoven to a similar ceremony, the Dutch government said. The rebels, undeterred, fought to hold onto territory and said they attacked two Ukrainian air force jets in the same area where the passenger plane fell.

Ukraine's Defense Ministry said the Su-25s were shot about 30 kilometers (20 miles) south of the wreckage from the Malaysian jet. The separatist group Donetsk People's Republic said on its website that one of the pilots was killed and another was being sought by rebel fighters.

The attack revived questions about the rebels' weapons capabilities — and how much support and training they are getting from Russia. The U.S. accuses Russia of backing the separatists and fueling Ukraine's conflict, which has brought Russia's relations with the West and key trading partners in Europe to a two-decade low.

White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said the downing of the fighter jets "speaks to the pattern we've seen over the last several weeks, which is Russian-backed separatists armed with Russian anti-aircraft posing risk to aircraft in Ukraine."

Rhodes added: "The only aircraft they're not taking responsibility for is MH-17," referring to the Malaysian jetliner. He said the U.S. believes it has a "pretty clear case" that responsibility for downing the Malaysian plane lies with the Russian-backed separatists. He acknowledged that the U.S. does not know who "pulled the trigger" and said that would be the hardest thing to determine.

While the insurgents deny having missiles capable of hitting a jetliner at cruising altitude, rebel leader Alexander Borodai has said his fighters do have Strela-10M missile systems, which are capable of hitting targets up to an altitude of 3,500 meters (11,500 feet). They have shoulder-fired missiles with a smaller range.

The rebels also say they shot down an Antonov-26 early last week with a shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missile. The Kiev government is hinting that the Antonov was flying too high for the rebels to hit it, suggesting Russian involvement.

Rebel leader Pavel Gubarev wrote on his Facebook page that 30 rebels were injured and his men retreated from the villages of Chervona Zorya and Kozhevnya, on the Russian border about 45 kilometers (30 miles) from the sunflower fields where the Malaysia Airlines plane fell.

The battles are complicating the investigation into the passenger jet crash. Ukraine and Western nations are pressing the rebels who control the crash site to allow an unfettered investigation, something Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would use his influence to achieve. Though confident that a missile brought down the passenger jet, U.S. officials say Russia's role remains unclear. Russia denies involvement.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf laid direct responsibility on Putin. "These Russian separatists, who we strongly believe fired this missile, would not be there operating without the support of President Putin and the Russian government, would not have been trained without the support of President Putin and the Russian government, would not be armed without the support of President Putin and the Russian government," she said. "They would not be there doing what they're doing, period, so they could fire an SA-11, without the support of President Putin and the Russian government."

The Dutch Safety Board, which is leading an international team of 24 investigators, said unhindered access to the crash site was critical. Spokesman Tjibbe Joustra told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that about 25 investigators are in Kiev analyzing photos, satellite images and radar information, but have not yet gained access to the crash site.

Body parts were still seen at the crash site Wednesday, said Michael Bociurkiw, spokesman for the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine. He also described "significant puncture marks to the fuselage, almost a piercing mark."

Independent military analysts said the size, spread, shape and number of shrapnel impacts visible in an AP photograph of a piece of the wreckage all point to a missile system like the SA-11 Buk. U.S. analysts have also concluded that an SA-11 was the likely weapon.

Konrad Muzyka, an analyst at IHS Jane's, said the high number of shrapnel holes in the debris meant that only a fragmentary warhead like the SA-11 could have been used. The fact the shrapnel holes are folded inwards confirmed that the explosion came from outside the plane, he added.

Justin Bronk, military sciences research analyst at the Royal United Services Institute, said "the size of shrapnel holes is fairly broad, in keeping with what you would expect from a large missile like the SA-11."

Residents in the rebel-held city of Donetsk swept up broken glass and tried to repair apartments damaged from shelling in recent days. "The solution I see is to stop shooting. Then Europe and Russia should step in to help start talks," said resident Alexander Litvinenko. "Nothing will be resolved by force."

Chernov contributed from Snizhne, Ukraine. Mike Corder in The Hague, Netherlands, Matthew Lee and Julie Pace in Washington and Jona Kallgren in Kharkiv, Ukraine, contributed to this report.

Bodies of Malaysia jet victims leave Ukraine

July 23, 2014

KHARKIV, Ukraine (AP) — Two military aircraft carrying the first bodies of victims of the Malaysia Airlines crash left the embattled plains of eastern Ukraine Wednesday, bringing some consolation to grieving relatives who still must wait for positive identifications and answers about who caused the disaster.

The Dutch government declared a day of national mourning as the country prepared for the arrival of the first bodies in the afternoon. The crash on Thursday killed all 298 people — most of them Dutch citizens — aboard Malaysia Airlines Flight 17.

Ukraine and western nations are pressing the pro-Russian rebels who control the crash site to allow an unfettered an investigation, something Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would use his influence to achieve. Though confident that a missile brought down the aircraft, U.S. officials say Russia's role remains unclear.

Two military transport planes, one Dutch and one Australian, departed at midday, heading for Eindhoven air base, to be met by Dutch King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima, Prime Minister Mark Rutte and hundreds of relatives.

For one grieving mother, the arrival of the bodies marked a new stage of mourning and brought to an end the pain of seeing television images of victims lying in the undulating fields or in body bags being loaded into a train.

"If I have to wait five months for identification, I can do it," Silene Fredriksz-Hoogzand, whose son, Bryce, and his girlfriend Daisy Oehlers died in the crash, said before setting off for Eindhoven. "Waiting while the bodies were in the field and in the train was a nightmare."

Dutch government spokesman Lodewijk Hekking said about 60 coffins were expected, but the number wasn't immediately confirmed. There was confusion as well about how many of the 282 corpses which the rebels said they have found were on the train which arrived in Kharkiv, a government-controlled city, on Tuesday.

Jan Tuinder, the Dutch official in charge of the international team dealing with the dead, said that at least 200 bodies were aboard the train and that more remains could be found once the body bags are examined fully.

Britain's Air Accidents Investigation Branch said Wednesday that Dutch authorities had delivered the plane's two "black boxes" to the agency's base at Farnborough, southern England, where information from the data and voice recorders will be downloaded.

The Dutch Safety Board announced that it will lead an international team of 24 investigators, and said unhindered access to the crash site is critical. "At the moment, there are no guarantees for the investigators' safety" at the scene, the board said, adding that it "and other parties" are working to get access to the site and to secure it.

Wreckage of the Boeing 777 fell on territory controlled by pro-Russian separatists who have been battling the Kiev government since April. U.S. officials say the plane was probably shot down by a missile, most likely by accident.

The European Union on Tuesday imposed sanctions against more Russian individuals but refrained from targeting entire sectors of the Russian economy while waiting for clearer evidence of Moscow's role in the disaster.

Senior U.S. intelligence officials said Tuesday that Russia was responsible for "creating the conditions" that led crash, but they offered no evidence of direct Russian government involvement. The officials, who briefed reporters Tuesday under ground rules that their names not be used, said the plane was likely shot down by an SA-11 surface-to-air missile fired by Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. The officials cited intercepts, satellite photos and social media postings by separatists, some of which have been authenticated by U.S. experts.

The intelligence officials were cautious in their assessment, noting that while the Russians have been arming separatists in eastern Ukraine, the U.S. had no direct evidence that the missile used to shoot down the passenger jet came from Russia.