Oct. 12, 2020- The Shifting Middle East Axis; China Holds Military Invasion Drill
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EU won’t give PA more aid as they refuse Israel-collected tax funds
The EU turned down requests from Ramallah for additional aid, as long as the Palestinians refuse to accept their own money because it is collected by Israel. “No stopgap extra funding should be expected… if they do not accept their own money,” an EU diplomat said on Wednesday. The PA will, however, continue to get the aid it usually receives from the EU. EU High Commissioner for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell called Abbas last Wednesday to tell him that he will not be getting any more aid money in light of the situation, Walla News reported. Borrell also called on Abbas to renew cooperation with Israel. The EU, Germany, the UK and Norway told the Palestinians to take the tax money Israel collected, in light of the fact that Israel stopped its plan to apply its laws in the West Bank. The Palestinians said they would only renew cooperation if there is a written commitment from Israel not to annex territory, Walla reported.
Oct. 8, 2020
Israel signs deal with Jordan to open airspace
Israel has signed an aviation agreement with Jordan that will allow flights from the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to fly through Israeli airspace, it said on Thursday. The deal had been discussed for years, but the neighbors were only able to finalize it after Israel and the two Gulf Arab states signed a historic agreement last month to normalize ties, Israel’s Transportation Ministry said. Jordanian officials had no immediate comment. With commercial planes now able to fly through the Israel-Jordan corridor, flight times for some routes between Asia and Europe and North America, including flights from Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, will be shorter, the Israeli ministry said.
Oct. 9, 2020
Israel, Hamas said to be on verge of six-month Gaza truce
Abbas meets World Jewish Congress head on Israel talks
Israel and Hamas are said to be close to an agreement on a six-month ceasefire along the Gaza border, Channel 12 news reported Sunday. According to the report, the coronavirus crisis has led to a severe and growing economic and humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, prompting the terror-group to agree to a six-month settlement with Israel. In exchange for halting attacks on Israel from the Hamas-run coastal enclave, Qatar will transfer $100 million to the terror group. According to the report, the main Israeli officials behind the agreement were IDF Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, Major General Kamil Abu Rukun, and Mossad Director Yossi Cohen. The two were engaged in direct discussions with Qatari officials, with the aim of resuming financial aid reaching Gaza. Qatar has long provided financial aid to impoverished Palestinians, handing over millions of dollars on a regular basis.
***Please also see Turkey below
Oct. 11, 2020
Interpol asked to arrest captain, ship owner over Beirut explosion
At least four dead, many injured as another blast rocks Beirut
At least four people have died in an explosion that rocked Beirut’s Tariq al-Jadideh neighborhood, the Lebanese Daily Star reported Friday night, citing the secretary-general of Lebanon’s Red Cross. According to the media source, the deadly blast was the result of a diesel tank explosion in a local bakery. Initial reports placed the number of dead at two with multiple casualties. Citing Lebanese channel Al-Jadid, the Russian RIA Novosti agency reported that at least 50 were injured in the explosion. Contrary to the Daily Star‘s report, RIA reports the explosion took place in a warehouse storing generator fuel. A major blast took place in the Beirut Port two months ago, killing 203 people and injuring at least 6,500 others. A large stockpile of ammonium nitrate is believed to have been the cause of the deadly explosion.
Oct. 10, 2020
Saudi ban on Turkish products impacts brands as rivalry between Riyadh & Ankara intensifies
Saudi Arabia: We, Too, Are Fed Up with the Palestinians
Saudi Arabia has forbidden all Turkish-made goods from being brought into the country, Spanish clothing group Mango has told its suppliers in a letter seen by the Financial Times. Riyadh insists that it is committed to free trade. Effectively, Saudi Arabia has “banned all imports for products made in Turkey”, a Mango employee wrote in an email to the company’s partners in Turkey, which is one of the prime textile producers in Europe and the Middle East. With the Turkish goods stuck at customs, the Spanish retailer said it was looking for alternative solutions to fill the shelves of its almost 50 Saudi stores. But Mango wasn’t the only one to be affected, as “all global brands that have stores in Saudi Arabia, produce in Turkey and sell over there” have been suffering from the ban, Mustafa Gultepe, head of the Istanbul Apparel Exporters’ Association (IHKIB), told the Financial Times. Last week, eight leading Turkish business groups issued a joint statement, complaining about “discriminatory treatment” of the country’s companies in Saudi Arabia. They pointed out that “any official or unofficial initiative to block trade” would harm bilateral relations and the economies of both nations, urging Riyadh to resolve the issue.
Oct. 12, 2020
Assad: Return of Golan Heights is precondition to Israel-Syria peace
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said during an interview with Russian state media Thursday that any future agreement with Israel must entail a return of the Golan Heights to Syrian sovereignty. Assad made the remarks during an interview with Russia’s Rossiya Segodnya news agency, which was also noted in Syria’s official SANA news agency. Our stance has been very clear since the beginning of peace talks in the 1990s … when we said peace for Syria is related to rights and our right is our land,” Assad said. Assad stressed during the interview that Syria can only establish normal relations with Israel “only when we regain our land.” “We have seen no Israeli official who is ready to move one step forward toward peace,” Assad said. Assad also noted that negotiations are not currently taking place between Syria and Israel.
Oct. 9, 2020
Iran-backed militias offer truce for US pullout from Iraq
Iraqi militias backed by Iran have agreed to temporarily halt attacks targeting the American presence in Iraq, on the condition that US-led coalition troops withdraw from the country in line with a parliamentary resolution, three militia officials have said. The militia officials spoke on Sunday, just hours after a roadside bomb targeted a convoy that was transporting equipment for the US-led coalition, damaging one vehicle, an Iraqi army statement said. The attack on a highway south of Baghdad prompted questions over whether such a truce could hold across all militia factions. The militia factions offered a truce and will refrain from targeting the US in Iraq, including the embassy, on the condition that all American-led forces withdraw within an “acceptable timeframe,” said Mohammed Mohie, a spokesman for the powerful Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah. “If it does not withdraw, the resistance factions will resume their military activities with all the capabilities available to them,” he said. Two other factions from different Iran-backed groups echoed Mohie’s comments, without specifying a length for the truce, and said it was open-ended. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to give statements.
Oct. 12, 2020
Turkish ship at center of Greece row to return to Mediterranean
UAE says Turkey’s army in Qatar is an element of instability in region
Analysis: Why Turkey is becoming a regional threat
The Turkish navy has said a research ship at the centre of an energy rights row with Greece will be sent back to disputed waters in the Mediterranean. Tensions flared in August when the vessel was sent to survey an area claimed by Greece, Turkey and Cyprus. Turkey withdrew its ship, the Oruc Reis, in September ahead of diplomatic attempts to resolve the dispute. Now, Ankara has said that the ship will again spend 10 days conducting seismic research in the eastern Mediterranean. The vessel will also be accompanied by two other ships, Ataman and Cengiz Han. Meanwhile, the UAE’s minister of state for foreign affairs said on Saturday, “The Turkish military presence in the Arab Gulf is an emergency… It reinforces polarization, and it does not take into account the sovereignty of states and the interests of the Gulf countries and its peoples. The statement of the Turkish President during his visit to Qatar, in which he indicates that his army is working toward the stability of all Gulf states, is inconsistent with Turkey’s regional role, and the evidence (for this) is numerous,” the minister said. Gargash added that the statement is an attempt to divert attention away from the economic reasons for the president’s visit.
***Please also see Armenia below
Oct. 12, 2020
Iran sanctions: US moves to isolate ‘major’ banks
IAEA: Iran Lacks Sufficient Uranium for Nuclear Bomb
North Korea’s massive new missile could help Iran threaten Israel
The Trump administration has imposed sanctions on 18 “major” Iranian banks in one of the most extensive such moves by Washington against Tehran in months. The order will also penalise non-Iranian institutions trading with them, effectively cutting the banks off from the international financial system. The US says it is seeking to choke off Iran’s access to funds to pursue what it regards as aggressive activities. The latest punitive measure comes weeks after the US declared the return – or “snapback” – of UN sanctions on Iran that were lifted under a 2015 international deal over Iran’s nuclear programme, accusing Tehran of having breached that agreement. Other members of the UN Security Council, however, are not in agreement with the US, saying Washington cannot trigger the snapback mechanism because it abandoned the nuclear deal in 2018.
Oct. 12, 2020
Libya is the Sixth Arab Country Refusing to Chair Arab League
Egypt rallies Arab League to counter Turkey’s regional policies
Erdogan and His ‘Arab Brothers’
The Arab League Wednesday came under growing criticism by the Arab social media after six countries refused to chair the rotating presidency of the league. The Arab League includes 22 countries in its membership. The choice of countries to chair the current session of the Arab League procede according to the alphabetical order of their names and based on the text of Article VI. Article 6 stipulates that “if the council president at the ministerial level is unable to carry out the work of the presidency, the temporary presidency is assigned to the delegate of the country that has the presidency of the next session.” Palestine presided over its current session (No. 154), but it gave up its right to do so after the League, on September 9, dropped a decision it submitted at a meeting of foreign ministers condemning the normalization agreement between the UAE and Israel. On September 25, Qatar apologized for assuming the presidency of the current session of the Arab League, which it then relinquished. On September 30, media sources said that the State of Kuwait apologized for assuming the presidency of the current session of the League of Arab States Council at the ministerial level. On October 6, Libya was the last country to apologize for presiding over the current session of the Arab League at the ministerial level. In addition to Palestine, Qatar, Kuwait and Libya, media reported that both Comoros and Lebanon refused to take over the presidency of the League Council session, but no official statements were issued explaining its reasons. So far, no statement is issued by the Arab League on the issue. The Arab social media came down hard on the Arab countries with activists calling to mourn the Arab League after one third of its member-states refused to chair the rotating Arab League presidency.
***Written by ETRM: While the information above seems straight-forward on the surface, we need to ask ourselves if the Palestinian issue is truly the reason six countries have refused to chair the Arab League. After much research, our answer is no. The Abraham Accords are the official reason given by the Palestinian Authority. The reasons of the other countries appear to have more to do with a shifting axis uniting against Turkey and Iran in protection of their own countries and natural resources, as the Arab League has no mechanism to compel members’ compliance with its resolutions.
Oct. 12, 2020
Erdogan Seeks to Upend Kremlin-Backed Status Quo in Nagorno-Karabakh
Turkey tells Russia that Armenia must leave Azeri lands -ministry
Armenia, Azerbaijan say Nagorno-Karabakh truce violated
Armenians Fight Back Against Azerbaijani Advance, Strike Key Oil Pipeline
Turkey and Azerbaijan may have jointly planned the Azerbaijani offensive to contest Armenia’s control of Nagorno-Karabakh that reignited that simmering conflict. Tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the disputed, Armenian-held region of Nagorno-Karabakh escalated into conventional combat on September 27. International media coverage has largely portrayed the ongoing conflict as the result of a spontaneous escalation. But Turkish-Azerbaijani military cooperation, drone sales, and force mobilization indicate Azerbaijan prepared – with Turkish support – to dispute Armenia’s presence in Nagorno-Karabakh prior to September 27. Turkey additionally likely began deploying Syrian National Army forces to Azerbaijan before the Azerbaijani announcement of its offensive into Nagorno-Karabakh. Ankara mobilized at least 1,500 Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) members to reinforce Azerbaijani forces. Turkish President Erdogan likely seeks to shape the ongoing conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh to expand Turkish influence in its near abroad, among other objectives. Turkey and Russia have emerged as the primary international actors in the conflict – with Erdogan militarily supporting Azerbaijan and Putin seeking to negotiate an end to the fighting in support of his ally Armenia. Erdogan likely views Azerbaijan’s advance into Nagorno-Karabakh as an opportunity to upend the status quo and increase Turkish military and political influence in the Caucasus. Erdogan likely assesses he has a low cost means to expand Turkish influence through support and encouragement to Azerbaijan as long as Russian President Vladimir Putin remains unwilling fully to back Armenia and determined to find a diplomatic means of de-escalating the conflict. A Kremlin-brokered ceasefire has so far failed to halt hostilities, but the Kremlin is positioned to control a potential political process. Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar told Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu in a phone call Monday that Armenian forces must immediately be removed from Azeri lands they occupy and halt attacks on civilians, Turkey’s ministry said. Azerbaijan would not wait another 30 years for a solution to the conflict and Turkey supported the Azeri offensive to “retake its occupied lands,” the defense ministry said in a statement after the call.
Oct. 12, 2020
Denver shooting at protest leaves 1 dead
Wisconsin protesters face ‘heavy dose of tear gas, pepper balls’
Portland protesters topple Lincoln, Roosevelt statues during ‘Day of Rage’
One person was shot and killed in Denver on Saturday after opposing rallies between far-right and far-left groups turned violent, police said. A local news station’s private security guard was in custody Saturday evening in connection with the shooting of a man who was a part of a pro-police “Patriot Rally” at Denver’s Civic Center Park, the Denver Post reported. The shooting happened just after 3:30 p.m. near the courtyard of the Denver Art Museum as the protests were coming to an end, officials said. Denver police said on Twitter that they had one suspect in custody and were investigating the incident as a homicide, but did not announce any charges on Saturday. Police added that “further investigation” determined that the suspect is a private security guard “with no affiliation with Antifa.” Local Denver news station 9NEWS said the private security guard had been hired by the station to protect staff reporting on the rallies.
Oct. 12, 2020
Kyrgyz president declares new state of emergency
Kyrgyzstan president calls in military as protesters clash in streets
Kyrgyzstan unrest: Ex-president rearrested as power struggle deepens
Kyrgyzstan’s president on Monday ordered a new, week-long state of emergency in the country’s capital after parliament failed to consider and approve his previous order within the legally required three days. Jeenbekov’s previous decree declaring a state of emergency in Bishkek was signed Friday, when a protest in the city turned violent and gunshots were fired at several political leaders. It became void Monday, as lawmakers didn’t consider it within three days. Kyrgyzstan, a country of 6.5 million located on the border with China, plunged into chaos last week after mass protests erupted the day after a parliamentary election appeared to show parties connected to the ruling elite winning. Protesters stormed and seized government buildings, looting some offices, and the Central Election Commission responded by nullifying Sunday’s balloting. Members of some opposition parties announced plans to oust Jeenbekov and form a new government. An emergency parliament session Tuesday named former lawmaker Sadyr Zhaparov as a new prime minister, but the move was immediately contested by other opposition groups. Lawmakers voted on Saturday to seal Zhaparov’s appointment, but Jeenbekov, who said he may consider stepping down only after the political situation in the country stabilizes, is yet to sign a decree confirming it. Protests in Bishkek continued most of last week, with supporters of rival factions occasionally clashing with each other.
Oct. 12, 2020
Belarus protests: Lukashenko holds meeting with opponents in jail
Belarus allows police to use lethal weapons at mass protests
EU to sanction Lukashenko over Belarus’ contested election
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has held an unexpected meeting with political opponents in the jail where they are currently detained. State media reported that the president called the meeting to discuss constitutional reform with his imprisoned opponents. Opposition figures said the meeting was a sign of weakness on his part. Mr Lukashenko claimed a landslide win in August elections widely seen as fraudulent, sparking mass protests. A violent crackdown on unrest in the days following the disputed poll saw thousands of people detained, and hundreds beaten by police. The EU and the US have refused to recognise Mr Lukashenko’s new term.
Oct. 12, 2020
China Holds Military Invasion Drill Amid Tensions With Taiwan
China staged a large-scale island invasion military exercise during Taiwan’s National Day as President Tsai Ing-wen called for “meaningful dialogue” with Beijing. The simulated night attack drill Saturday included drones, special forces and airborne troops moving from multiple locations, according to a report by state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV). It was the first time in recent years that Chinese media had disclosed the entire process of a staged military landing in Taiwan. “The exercise, with the effective integration of multiple new combat forces, increased the actual combat capability of the troops in joint landing and three-dimensional assault,” the report said. Tensions over Taiwan have risen sharply in recent weeks as Beijing has ramped up military pressure with its warplanes almost daily crossing the sensitive “median line” of the Taiwan Strait that normally serves as an unofficial buffer zone.
Oct. 11, 2020
840,000 Americans Filed For First-Time Unemployment Benefits Last Week
Bank of England asks banks on readiness for negative rates
U.S. states saw another 840,000 jobless claims filed last week, as the number of Americans applying for first-time unemployment insurance benefits each week continues to hover at a historically high level. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) released its weekly jobless claims report at 8:30 a.m. ET Thursday. Here were the main metrics from the report, compared to Bloomberg estimates:
- Initial jobless claims, week ended Oct. 3:840,000 vs. 820,000 expected and 849,000 during the prior week
- Continuing claims, week ended Sept. 26: 976 million vs. 11.4 million expected and 11.979 million during the prior week
New weekly unemployment insurance claims have held below the psychologically important 1 million mark for the past six consecutive weeks, but have so far failed to break below 800,000 since the start of the pandemic. At 840,000 last week’s new claims remained at a level still handily above the pre-pandemic record high of 695,000 from 1982.
Oct. 12, 2020
Gov’t report says COVID-19 pandemic led to price hikes for food
Less than a year after the coronavirus pandemic reached the United States, its drastic effects can already be seen in the lives of many Americans. A new report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed how COVID-19 has impacted the prices of consumer goods across the supply chain. In particular, the pandemic led to a sharp uptick in food price indexes, and disruptions in production and distribution resulted in price volatility. “These shocks rippled through the economy and affected the prices consumers pay in the grocery store,” added the report. The Food and Agriculture Organization also reported a similar trend in global food prices, with the main drivers for the increase being coarse grains, vegetable oils and sugar. The food agency’s food price index for August averaged at 96.1, over two points higher than that of the previous month.
Oct. 12, 2020
South Korea’s Central Bank to Test Digital Currency in 2021
Central banks detail CBDC expectations in massive joint document
The Pandora’s Box of Central Bank Digital Currencies
BOJ Joins Fed And ECB In Preparing Rollout Of Digital Currency
As reported by The Korea Herald Wednesday, the move follows the progress of research to the technical phase in the summer and will see testing of distribution and circulation of the digital coin. Originally saying it saw no need for a CBDC, the central bank has quickly shifted gear on the project: Phase one – designing and reviewing the technology – was completed in several months and phase two – looking at the likely infrastructure with an outside partner – started at the end of August. While China has been testing its digital yuan with other entities, the BoK will test the blockchain-based CBDC in a virtual environment initially, said The Herald. According to the Korea Times, the BoK said it will simulate transactions on a blockchain platform that would be similar to those for cash or traditional means of payment. “The CBDC will be issued and circulated in the virtual world and we are going to test a number of transaction scenarios under a variety of circumstances,” an official said.
Oct. 9, 2020
Did The WHO Just (Accidentally) Confirm COVID Is No More Dangerous Than Flu?
Staggering 86% who tested Covid positive in lockdown had NONE of the official symptoms
The World Health Organization has finally confirmed – the coronavirus is no more deadly or dangerous than seasonal flu. The WHO’s top brass made this announcement during a special session of the WHO’s 34-member executive board on Monday October 5th, it’s just nobody seemed to really understand it. At the session, Dr Michael Ryan, the WHO’s Head of Emergencies revealed that they believe roughly 10% of the world has been infected with Sars-Cov-2. This is their “best estimate”, and a huge increase over the number of officially recognised cases (around 35 million). Dr. Margaret Harris, a WHO spokeswoman, later confirmed the figure, stating it was based on the average results of all the broad seroprevalence studies done around the world. The global population is roughly 7.8 billion people, if 10% have been infected that is 780 million cases. The global death toll currently attributed to Sars-Cov-2 infections is 1,061,539. That’s an infection fatality rate of roughly or 0.14%. Right in line with seasonal flu and the predictions of many experts from all around the world. 0.14% is over 24 times LOWER than the WHO’s “provisional figure” of 3.4% back in March. This figure was used in the models which were used to justify lockdowns and other draconian policies. In fact, given the over-reporting of alleged Covid deaths, the IFR is likely even lower than 0.14%, and could show Covid to be much less dangerous than flu.
Oct. 11, 2020
September 25, 2020 – Half a ton of dead fish found along 3km of beach in Alagoas, Brazil. Link
September 26, 2020 – Hundreds of dead fish found floating in lake, ‘a mystery’ in California, America. Link
September 26, 2020 – Hundreds of dead fish wash up on beach in Karachi, Pakistan. Link
September 27, 2020- Dead squirrels washing up on Lake Michigan beach, US. Link
September 27, 2020 – Die-off of birds, ‘a mystery’ along the coast of Rome, Italy. Link
October 2, 2020 – Thousands of dead fish wash up on beach in Beirut, Lebanon. Link
October 2, 2020 – Hundreds of dead cattle due to drought and fires in Formosa, Argentina. Link
October 5, 2020 – Over 300,000 birds killed due to avian flu in Kazakhstan. Link
October 5, 2020 – Dead turtles found washed up in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Link
October 6, 2020 – Thousands of dead fish appear in a dam in Chiapas, Mexico. Link
October 7, 2020- Thousands of dead octopuses, starfish and other marine life wash up in Kamchatka, Russia. Link
October 7, 2020 – Hundreds of dead fish found washed up on dam, ‘never seen anything like it’ in Evora, Portugal. Link
October 8, 2020- Tons of fish die in a lake in Dong Thap, Vietnam. Link
Wildfires rage across South America, causing ‘total destruction’
Wildfires have been tearing through parts of South America this year, particularly Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay, causing ‘total destruction’ in some parts of the continent. The main areas affected are the Gran Chaco forest that touches Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, the Brazilian and Bolivian Amazon, the Pantanal wetlands shared by Brazil and Paraguay, and Argentina’s Parana Delta wetlands. In Argentina, a dozen provinces are suffering the worst fires in decades, causing health issues in citizens from a number of smoke-invaded cities. Wildlife has also been destroyed, affecting endangered monkeys, jaguars, birds, and reptiles. Parts of the heavily deforested northern Gran Chaco are burning, as well as the eastern Parana Delta wetlands. In Paraguay, the congress has declared a national emergency on October 1 as more than 12 000 outbreaks were recorded, ripping through wide swaths of the Chaco dry forest. In Bolivia, the land-locked country next to Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay, a state of emergency was declared last month as flames ripped through 1.1 million hectares (2.7 million acres). As much as 40 percent of the Brazilian Amazon is almost turning from a forest into a savannah. Further south, more than a quarter of the Pantanal– the world’s biggest tropical wetlands– has been on flames this year, driven by arson and drought.
Oct. 12, 2020
Statistics: Sharp increase in natural disasters over the past 20 years
A new United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) report confirms how extreme weather events have come to dominate the disaster landscape at the beginning of 21st century. Floods and storms were the most prevalent disaster events, followed by earthquakes, extreme temperatures, landslides, droughts, wildfires, volcanic activity and dry mass movement. UNDRR used statistics from the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) maintained by the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) which records disasters which have killed ten or more people, affected 100 or more people, resulted in a declared state of emergency, or a call for international assistance. There were 7 348 major natural disaster events from 2000 to 2019, with 1.23 million lives lost and 4.2 billion people affected, resulting in approximately US$2.97 trillion in global economic losses. This is a sharp increase over the previous 20-year period (1980 – 1999) when EM-DAT recorded 4 212 natural disasters worldwide, 1.19 million lives lost, 3.25 billion people affected, and approximately US$1.63 trillion in economic losses. On average, there were 367 disaster events each year from 2000 to 2019, the majority of which were floods and storms (44% and 28%, respectively).
Oct. 12, 2020
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