News

US warships may join EU in patrolling waters off Libya

Meeting of G5 proposes EU and Nato work together off Libyan coast to shut down networks smuggling refugees from Africa

▻http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/25/us-warships-may-join-eu-in-patrolling-waters-off-libya?CMP=share_btn_tw
#Méditerranée #Libye #frontières #militarisation_des_frontières #asile #migrations #réfugiés #guerre_aux_frontières

’No victors, no vanquished’ : UN sees Assad staying, post-conflict
▻http://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2016/4/25/no-victors-no-vanquished-un-sees-assad-staying-post-conflict
▻https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/file/getimagecustom/b72fbb5c-e11e-4dca-bf67-c4afb4a71156/600/338

President Bashar al-Assad should remain in power in the immediate aftermath of Syria’s war, as the Damascus government, opposition and civic society groups form a transitional authority, according to the UN envoy’s peace plan, The New Arab can exclusively reveal.

Assad would, however, be stripped of authority over the military and security apparatus as the first step in a multi-stage transition designed to draw a line under the war that has killed at least 400,000 people in the past five years.

The proposal is mentioned in a draft communique from Geneva, believed to have been authored by UN envoy Staffan de Mistura as the framework for negotiations. The document has been leaked exclusively to The New Arab and its sister Arabic-language publication.

#Syrie
#Assad
#Transition
#poker

LIBYA : Five Migrants Dead, 15 Injured After Detention Centre Escape

At least five African migrants are dead and 15 injured, some of them seriously after guards at a detention in the coastal town of #Zawiya opened fire during a mass escape early on Saturday morning.

http://migrantreport.org/wp-content/uploads/IMG_3552.jpg

Turkey does a U-turn, imposes entry visas on Syrians

Turkey has imposed new entry visa requirements on Syrian nationals wishing to travel to Turkey, effective on January 8, 2016, according to a leaked statement from the Turkish Foreign Ministry obtained by The New Arab’s Arabic service.

▻http://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2015/12/29/turkey-does-a-u-turn-imposes-entry-visas-on-syrians
#visas #fermeture_des_frontières #Syrie #Turquie #asile #migrations #réfugiés #réfugiés_syriens #frontières

Selon Masdar News, site très pro-régime mais semble-t-il fiable pour ce qui concerne la situation militaire, une « frappe » aérienne de la coalition américaine près de Deïr az-Zour vient de tuer un soldat syrien et d’en blesser plusieurs autres qui ont été atteints alors qu’ils étaient dans un camp militaire syrien.
▻http://www.almasdarnews.com/article/us-led-isis-coalition-hits-a-syrian-army-camp-in-deir-ezzor-1-soldier-

Information à confirmer par d’autres sources...

Syrian rebels to administer Homs district after ceasefire deal
▻http://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2015/12/4/syrian-rebels-to-administer-homs-district-after-ceasefire-deal

The second stage
will see all heavy and medium weapons stored at the al-Birr hospital under the supervision of the committee, and they will be decommissioned and unavailble for use in fighting.

Eventually, these weapons will be handed over the regime.

Next, roads leading to public institutions will be made accessible.

A map of all tunnels and mines in the Waer district will then be handed over, except for those in the Jasira al-Sabiaa area.

Displaced families from Waer will be allowed to return home, and both the rebels and regime will release prisoners who have not been tried.
– See more at: ▻http://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2015/12/4/syrian-rebels-to-administer-homs-district-after-ceasefire-deal/#sthash.2idK2VvS.dpuf

Syrian opposition calls on al-Nusra to cut al-Qaeda ties (il y a quelques jours déjà, mais je ne crois pas qu’on l’ait signalé)
▻http://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2015/11/23/syrian-opposition-calls-on-al-nusra-to-cut-al-qaeda-ties

One of Syria’s leading political opposition bodies, the Syrian National Coalition, has called on al-Nusra Front to dissociate itself from the radical jihadi group al-Qaeda.

“We call on honest Syrian revolutionaries [in the Nusra Front] to return to the broad umbrella of the revolution, and on all Syrian factions to adopt the path that started the revolution, emphasising the supreme national identity that accommodates all Syrians,” said Khaled al-Khoja, head of the SNC in a press conference in Istanbul on Monday

Syrian opposition ’congress’ excluding figures consenting to Assad survival
▻http://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2015/11/24/syrian-opposition-congress-excluding-figures-consenting-to-assad-survival

The conference would not only put together a delegation to take part in the Vienna talks, he said, but would also propose a unified vision for Syria’s transition and future.

Several political, religious and military figures will be invited to the conference alongside the two main opposition bodies, the SNC and the National Coordination Committee [NCC].

However, it appears that Saudi Arabia will exclude any figure that accepts Bashar al-Assad to remain in power during the transitional period of afterwards, a Saudi government source told SNC figures who spoke to al-Araby al-Jadeed.

Dans le flux de Naharnet :

Information obtained by LBCI: Russia has asked Lebanon to “divert civilian flights from the Lebanese airspace to the international airspace” as of midnight and the request was made to several countries.

Authorities at Beirut’s airport said they have been informed by Russia that it intends to stage a naval drill that will affect aviation in Lebanon’s airspace.

Russia demands ’no fly zone’ over Lebanon and Cyprus
▻http://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2015/11/20/russia-demands-no-fly-zone-over-lebanon-and-cyprus

Lebanon may close its airspace for three consecutive days after receiving an official request from the Russians, say senior aviation officials.
Passenger flights must avoid Lebanon’s airspace for three days, according to an official request from Russia to Lebanese aviation authorities.

The temporary suspension of civil aviation would likely begin at midnight on Friday, but officials are reportedly discussing alternative flight paths over Cyprus, according to reports.

Tu sais que j’apprécie beaucoup les usages créatifs des guillemets dans les journaux. Ici, Al Araby al Jadeed innove avec un très beau « “avancent” » entre guillemets : Syrian army and allied fighters ‘advance’ south of Aleppo
▻http://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2015/10/18/syrian-army-and-allied-fighters-advance-south-of-aleppo

(Alors quoi, ils avancent ou ils avancent pas ?)

UAE says 15 coalition troops killed in Yemen attack
▻http://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2015/10/6/yemen-uae-says-15-troops-killed-in-aden-attack

UAE says 15 coalition troops killed in Yemen attack

By: Al-Araby al-Jadeed & agencies
Date of publication: 6 October, 2015
Tags
Yemen, Aden, Bahah, Qasr, Palace, hotel, attack, car bomb, Hadi, UAE, troops, Emirati, missile, casualties, Houthi, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia
The United Arab Emirates says 15 members of the Saudi-led coalition battling rebels in Yemen have been killed in an assault on the port city of Aden on Tuesday.
The United Arab Emirates has said that 15 Arab troops were killed on Tuesday, and blamed Yemen’s Houthi rebels and their allies for the deaths. 

It did not provide nationalities for those killed.

Palestinian artist booted from Banksy’s Dismaland for anti-Israel protest
▻http://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2015/8/25/palestinian-artist-booted-from-banksys-dismaland-for-anti-israel-protest
▻http://www.alaraby.co.uk/File/GetImageCustom/feb7b5d1-9b9a-400b-b62e-107c2dbd3eb3/471/265

“I found out when arrived at the show that three Israeli artists were taking part, one of whom served in the IDF. I got upset that I hadn’t been informed and tried to complain to the organisers. I was told someone would meet with me but after over an hour of waiting no one came to meet with me,” Zaqzouq told al-Araby al-Jadeed.

“I decided I had to protest in some way so I went and got a bed sheet from my hotel room and wrote ‘R.I.P Gaza: Boycott Israel’ on it in coal and hung it over my artwork and laid down like a corpse in front of my two paintings on display,” the 34-year-old said.

After half an hour security guards approached Zaqzouq to inquire about what was going on, who then called Holly Cushing - believed to be Banksy’s manager.

After explaining to Cushing the reason for his protest, she told him it was too “ugly” for the dark show and that an American art collector was going to buy his art - and that America and Israel were one and the same, according to Zaqzouq.

Cushing then claimed that Banksy wanted the Palestinian artist’s work to be taken down from display.

Zaqzouq said that two of the show’s organisers were polite and understanding.

“I didn’t pull out of the show. I just wanted to send the message that I was protesting - but they didn’t like it and said they would take it down,” the artist said.

“I respect all that Banksy did, especially in Gaza. He was my hero for a long time and gave some hope to us. I just tried to send him a message - in a very Banksy kind of way - that I objected, and then I was told it would be taken down. I am surprised,” he added.

Two of Zaqzouq’s works are on display in the “bemusement” park, After Washing #3 depicts a young woman wearing a bandana over her face holding up a pair of men’s underwear inscribed with the Arabic word “irhal” (leave) – a popular chant by street protesters during the Arab Spring, demanding the ousting of dictators.

The other piece, Rock Me All Night Long shows googly-eyed children throwing brightly coloured rocks and shoes with a stencil in the background of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, wearing the famous make-up of the fictional supervillain, the Joker.

Zaqzouq was born to Palestinian parents in the Libyan city of Benghazi. He lived in Libya, Gaza and Egypt before settling in France in 2007. It is clear from his art that that revolution and discontent are the primer for each of his canvases.

Last Friday, Banksy opened his large scale group show lampooning Disneyland in the southern UK seaside resort of Weston-super-Mare. Since Dismaland opened it has been plagued with reports of thousands of people struggling to buy tickets and long queues.

UPDATE: Al-Araby al-Jadeed has learnt that the organisers of Dismaland have not removed Shadi Alzaqzouq’s artwork as they said would happen and have instead kept his protest art up with a note saying, “The artist has decided to cover his work to protest being exhibited alongside artists from Israel. We are hoping to resolve the situation as soon as possible and apologise for any disappointment."

““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““
Un artiste expulsé du Dismaland de Banksy après un geste anti-Israël
▻http://fr.timesofisrael.com/un-artiste-expulse-du-dismaland-de-banksy-apres-un-geste-anti-isra

(...)Les organisateurs, après avoir expulsé l’artiste, ont cependant décidé de laisser le drap en place avec une note expliquant que « l’artiste a décidé de couvrir son travail pour protester contre le fait d’être exposé aux côtés d’artistes venant d’Israël. Nous espérons résoudre la situation dès que possible et nous présentons des excuses pour toute déception », a indiqué le site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed mardi. (...)

L’exposition réunit des œuvres de Banksy et de 58 artistes, tels que les britanniques Damien Hirst et David Shrigley, les espagnols Escif et Paco Pomet ou encore l’américaine Jenny Holzer. Banksy les a lui-même tous choisis, dont trois artistes d’Israël et des Territoires palestiniens, un Egyptien, deux artistes syriens et un Iranien.

« J’ai découvert quand je suis arrivé à l’exposition que trois artistes israéliens y avaient pris part, dont l’un a servi dans l’armée israélienne », a expliqué Alzaqzouq au le site, basé à Londres. « Cela m’a fâché de ne pas avoir été informé et j’ai essayé de me plaindre auprès des organisateurs ».

Lorsque personne n’est venu écouter sa plainte, Alzaqzouq a décidé de prendre les choses en main.

« J’ai décidé que je devais protester par n’importe quelle manière, je suis allé et j’ai pris un drap de lit de ma chambre d’hôtel et j’ai écrit : ‘RIP Gaza : Boycott Israël’ avec du charbon et je l’ai accroché sur mon œuvre et je me suis allongé comme un cadavre devant mes deux tableaux exposés », a déclaré Alzaqzouq, qui est né en Libye de parents palestiniens et qui vit maintenant en France.

Une demi-heure plus tard, les agents de sécurité sont arrivés sur place et lui ont demandé ce qui se passait avant de contacter Holly Cushing, souvent décrite comme la manager ou la gardienne de Banksy qui reste insaisissable.

Alzaqzouq dit qu’après avoir écouté son explication, Cushing lui a dit que le travail de protestation était trop « laid » pour le site, puis a affirmé qu’un collectionneur d’art américain allait acheter son art.

Selon l’article, après avoir passé un appel téléphonique à Banksy, Cushing a ordonné à Alzaqzouq de partir et lui a dit que ses peintures allaient être retirées.

Et pourtant, les œuvres et le drap placé en protestation sur elles sont restées en place.

Dismaland et Cushing ne pouvaient pas être immédiatement joints pour commenter cette affaire. Selon le site Web du sombre et déprimant « parc de la perplexité », les seules choses qui sont interdites sont « les bombes de peinture, les marqueurs, les couteaux et les représentants juridiques de la Walt Disney Corporation ».

for my records
Civil rights granted to children of Jordanians and foreigners
▻http://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2014/11/11/civil-rights-granted-to-children-of-jordanians-and-foreigners

Civil rights granted to children of Jordanians and foreigners

By: Mohammad al-Fadilat
Date of publication: 9 November, 2014
Tags
Jordan, women’s rights, passports, Abdallah Ensour
Children born to Jordanian women married to foreign men will be given some state privileges, but won’t adopt nationality of the Hashemite kingdom.
Jordanian women married to foreigners achieved a limited victory on Sunday, when Prime Minister Abdallah Ensour announced an easing of restrictions faced by children in mixed-nationality marriages.

Jordan, however, will not ease its strict citizenship rules to allow female citizens to pass their nationality on to their children or partners.

Hundreds of thousands of children of Jordanian mothers and foreign fathers, including many who have lived in the kingdom their whole lives, will now enjoy basic civil rights. But the move falls short of the demands of campaigners to grant automatic citizenship.

Interior Minister Hussein Majali said that the law would benefit 355,923 children of 88,983 mothers.

Partial rights

Children of Jordanian mothers will now have free education in government schools until secondary level, free healthcare in state hospitals, and the right to work in jobs previously restricted to Jordanian citizens. They will also be able to invest in the kingdom and own property, obtain a private driver’s licence, and be granted a special national ID card.

Mothers who want to claim these rights for their children must have been residents in the country for at least six months.

There are 52,660 Jordanian women married to Palestinian men - as well as 8,486 married to Egyptians, 7,731 to Syrians, 4,549 to Saudis, 2,822 to Iraqis, 2,516 to Americans and 2,048 to Lebanese, according to the latest official statistics.

Demographic imbalance

Demographics appear to be the main motive for denying Jordanian women the same citizenship rights as men. The official justification is that any easing of the law would encourage an influx of Palestinians into the kingdom. Jordanian officials also say that it could lead to Israel expelling Palestinians to Jordan.
[Changing nationality laws] could change the demographic balance and might lead to depopulating Palestine
– Prime Minister Abdallah Ensour
“[Changing nationality laws] could change the demographic balance and might lead to depopulating Palestine… the eases in restrictions will take into account meeting the needs of the children and not neglecting the rights of Palestinians,” said Ensour. 
“The eases to restrictions for the children of these women are a culmination of joint efforts between the government and the efforts of those pushing for a parliamentary initiative to ease restrictions, showing the continuous cooperation between the executive and the legislative branches.”

Jordan tightened nationality restrictions for Palestinians after the first intifada in 1989, when it severed its residual administrative and financial ties to the West Bank, amid sweeping popular support for the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO). 

MP Mostafa Hamarneh, who has led the campaign for civil rights of children in parliament, told al-Araby al-Jadeed: “This was a landmark decision and is an important step towards equality between men and women.”

Falling short

Activists welcomed this as a first step in what they hoped would be changes that could eventually lead to granting full citizenship rights for their children.

“The decision is an important step forward to attaining rights for the children of Jordanian women,” said campaigner Nima al-Habashneh. “The statements of officials are an explicit recognition of the rights of women and their children… the ease in restrictions is only the starting point to obtaining more rights that will hopefully culminate in granting nationality.”

Habashneh’s “My mother is Jordanian and her nationality is a right for me” campaign started in 2006 - though critics have argued that, if successful, it would turn Jordan into an alternative homeland for Palestinians.

Although Ensour stressed that the new move would not grant nationality, he did say officials will not deny the rights of those who have already applied for Jordanian citizenship.