Thursday, 7 May 2020

Who is Mustafa al-Kadhimi, Iraq's new prime minister?


Al-Kadhimi is viewed as pragmatic as well as having good relations with main players across Iraqi political spectrum.
Who is Mustafa al-Kadhimi, Iraq's new prime minister?
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi is a former journalist and intelligence chief [Iraqi parliament/Handout]
Iraq's new Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi took office after the country's parliament approved a new government on Wednesday following nearly six months of political wrangling.
The parliament approved 15 ministers out of a prospective 22-seat cabinet in a vote of confidence. Five candidates were rejected while voting on two ministers was postponed, leaving seven ministries still empty, including the key oil and foreign affairs positions.

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Two previous nominees for the role of prime minister - Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi and Adnan al-Zurfi - failed to secure enough support among cabinet ministers.
This led to President Barham Salih appointing al-Kadhimi as prime minister-designate last month as the third candidate to form a cabinet, amidst a backdrop of anti-government protests.
The protests began in October 2019 after thousands of Iraqis took to the streets and called for the overhaul of what they said was the country's political and corrupt ruling elite.
Heavy-handed responses by the government security forces, which killed hundreds of protesters, forced then Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi to resign, although he remained in a caretaker role until Allawi was appointed in early February.
Before the voting session on the new cabinet on Wednesday, al-Kadhimi said his government would be a "solution-based, not a crisis government". He promised early elections and rejected the use of Iraq as a battleground by other countries.
The prime minister also pledged to address the repercussions of the economic crisis by rationalising spending and negotiating to restore Iraq’s share of oil exports.

Early life

Born Mustafa Abdellatif Mshatat in 1967 in the capital Baghdad, he left Iraq in 1985 to Iran, before moving to Germany and the United Kingdom, which he later became a citizen of.
He holds a bachelor's degree in law and is better known for his work as a journalist, where he chose the title of al-Kadhimi. 
He was known to oppose the rule of the late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. 
After the United States invasion of Iraq in 2003, al-Kadhimi returned to Iraq and cofounded the Iraqi Media Network, running in parallel with his work as executive director of the Iraq Memory Foundation, an organisation founded for the purpose of documenting the crimes under Hussein's Baath regime.
Al-Kadhimi also served as editor-in-chief of Iraq's Newsweek magazine for three years from 2010. He is also an opinions writer as well as the editor of the Iraq section of the US-based Al-Monitor website. 
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In June 2016, al-Khadhimi took over the role of director of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service, in light of the intensification of the battles against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS).
During his tenure, he forged links with dozens of countries and agencies operating within the US-led international coalition against ISIL.
During a rare visit to the Saudi capital, Riyadh, in 2017, accompanied by former Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, al-Kadhimi was seen in a long embrace with his friend Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). 
Al-Kadhimi is widely viewed by associates and politicians as having a pragmatic mentality in addition to cultivating relations with all the main players across the Iraqi political spectrum: a good relationship with the US, and another that has recently reached out to the Iranians.
Iran and its allied Iraqi Fatah political bloc had previously vetoed al-Kadhimi's appointment.
Last month, Kataeb Hezbollah, an armed group close to Iran and linked to the Popular Mobilization Units, issued a statement accusing al-Kadhimi of having blood on his hands for the deaths of its leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, and accused him of collaborating with the US.
However, with the oil price crash and the coronavirus pandemic, compromises were made between the Fatah bloc and al-Kadhimi who said he will uphold the muhasasa, or political apportionment system.
Introduced in Iraq after the 2003 US-led invasion in an attempt to provide proportional government representation among Iraq's various ethno-sectarian groups, many Iraqis believe the system is deeply flawed and acts as a conduit for corruption and political patronage. 
According to Iraqi political analyst Hisham al-Hashimi, al-Kadhimi faces no easy task in getting the country back on its feet again.
"I don't doubt his ability on the technical issues such as forming equitable laws and a fair commission," al-Hashimi told Al Jazeera.
"He will succeed in preparing for early elections, but the timing is not on his side due to the dire economic conditions and the spread of the coronavirus pandemic."
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Ahmaud Arbery's family calls for immediate arrests in his death


A video lawyers say shows Arbery's killing by two armed white men has ignited fury and calls for justice across the US.
A cross with flowers and a letter 'A' sits at the entrance to the Satilla Shores neighbourhood where Ahmaud Arbery was shot and killed [Sean Rayford/Getty Images/AFP]
A cross with flowers and a letter 'A' sits at the entrance to the Satilla Shores neighbourhood where Ahmaud Arbery was shot and killed [Sean Rayford/Getty Images/AFP]
The parents of an African-American man slain in a pursuit by two armed white men have called for the immediate arrest of those responsible instead of waiting a month or longer before a grand jury in Georgia could consider bringing charges as national outrage in the United States continued to swell. 
"I think no arrests have been made because of the title he carried as a retired police officer." Wanda Cooper-Jones, Arbery's mother, said in an appearance on Good Morning America on Thursday. 
One of the men alleged to have killed Ahmaud Arbery, Gregory McMichael, worked as an investigator in the Glynn County district attorney's office. He retired last year.

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An outside prosecutor in charge of the case said he wants a grand jury to decide whether criminal charges are warranted. That will not happen until at least mid-June, since Georgia courts remain largely closed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
George Barnhill, the district attorney for Waycross County, Georgia who has recused himself from the case, sent a letter to the Glynn County police chief in April explaining why he did not believe the incident warranted an arrest, local media Action News Jax reported.
The letter said it "appears" the intent of the men who killed Arbery "was to stop and hold this criminal suspect until law enforcement arrived". 
The men who pursued Arbery before shooting him told police they believed he had committed a recent burglary in the area.
Barnhill also said, "Arbery's mental health and prior convictions help explain his apparent aggressive nature and his possible thought pattern to attack an armed man."
Arbery's prior convictions did not include any violent offenses, according to Action News Jax. 
A swelling outcry over the February 23 shooting of Arbery - a former high school sports star remembered by friends and family as a kind young man - intensified this week after a mobile phone video, which lawyers for his family say shows the killing, surfaced online Tuesday.
Attorneys for Arbery's family said the father and son shooters, who have acknowledged in a police report that they grabbed guns and pursued Arbery in a truck after seeing him running in their neighbourhood, should be arrested now instead of awaiting an indictment from a grand jury, as often happens in criminal cases.
"These men were vigilantes, they were a posse, and they performed a modern lynching in the middle of the day," said Lee Merritt, a lawyer for Arbery's mother.
According to an incident report filed by Glynn County police, Arbery was shot after two men spotted him running in their neighbourhood on a Sunday afternoon.
McMichael told police that he and his adult son, Travis, thought the runner matched the description of someone caught on a security camera committing a recent break-in in the neighbourhood. They armed themselves with guns before getting in a truck to pursue him.
The McMichaels said they got out of the truck holding a shotgun, and Arbery "began to violently attack". Arbery was shot by Travis McMichael as the two men fought over the shotgun, according to the police report.
After Arbery was shot, the police report says, Gregory McMichael turned him onto his back to see if he was armed. The report does not say whether he had a weapon.

Macabre video

The mobile phone video, initially posted by a Brunswick radio station, shows an African-American man jogging along the left side of a road. A pickup truck is parked in the road ahead of him. One man is inside the truck's bed, and another is standing beside the open driver's side door.
The runner crosses the road to pass the truck on the passenger side, then crosses back in front of the truck. A gunshot sounds, and the video shows the runner grappling with a man in the street over what appears to be a shotgun or rifle.
A second shot can be heard, and the runner can be seen punching the man. A third shot is fired at point-blank range. The runner staggers a few feet and falls, face down.

Political outcry

Republican lawmakers Senator Kelly Loeffler and Representative Doug Collins, the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee - who are embroiled in a bitter re-election campaign against each other - both decried the video of the attack on Thursday. 
Officials at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) have assigned three supervisory-level agents to the case.
Merritt, the attorney for Arbery's mother, said the US Department of Justice (DOJ) should also investigate the death as a hate crime.
"The FBI has said it's assisting," said DOJ spokesman Matt Lloyd, "and as is standard protocol, we look forward to working with them should information come to light of a potential federal violation."
The killing has drawn calls for justice from state and national authorities across the political spectrum.
Republican Governor Brian Kemp late Tuesday threw his support behind the GBI probe. He tweeted: "Georgians deserve answers. State law enforcement stands ready to ensure justice is served."
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, also a Republican, spoke out as well.
"Based on the video footage and news reports that I have seen, I am deeply concerned with the events surrounding the shooting of Ahmaud Arbery," Carr said in a statement. "I expect justice to be carried out as swiftly as possible."
Former US Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, also weighed in. "The video is clear: Ahmaud Arbery was killed in cold blood," Biden tweeted, referring to the death as a "murder".
Jackie Johnson, the district attorney for Glynn County, recused herself from the case because Gregory McMichael worked as an investigator in her office.
George Barnhill, the first outside prosecutor on the case, stepped aside in mid-April at the urging of Arbery's family. Barnhill has a son who works as an assistant prosecutor for Johnson.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES
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US to remove Patriots, other military assets from Saudi Arabia


WSJ: four batteries of Patriot surface-to-air missiles sent to deter Iranians will be removed from Saudi oil facilities.
United States troops at a test range in Poland deploying Patriot missile systems [File: Czarek Sokolowski/AP Photo]
United States troops at a test range in Poland deploying Patriot missile systems [File: Czarek Sokolowski/AP Photo]
The United States is reportedly removing Patriot anti-missile systems, along with other military assets, from the kingdom of Saudi Arabia as it winds down a military build-up that began when tensions with Iran flared up last year.
The Wall Street Journal, citing anonymous US officials, reported on Thursday that four batteries of Patriot surface-to-air missiles, meant to protect ground assets from missile and aircraft attacks, will be removed from Saudi oil facilities. Dozens of military personnel deployed along with the batteries will also be reassigned, officials told the WSJ.

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The redeployment of the Patriot systems, which now is under way, has not been previously disclosed.
Two squadrons of US fighter jets have already left the region, and US officials are said to be considering a reduction in the US Navy presence in the Gulf. The reductions are said to be based on assessments by some officials that Tehran no longer poses an immediate threat to US strategic interests.
Saudi officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Reuters news agency. Iran has denied taking part in the attack on Saudi oil facilities.
US officials said they believe that a January strike that killed Iranian commander General Qassem Soleimani, along with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic that has hobbled Iran, have reduced Tehran's capabilities in the region. Pentagon planners are considering shifting the limited assets to deal with other priorities, including efforts to counter expanding Chinese military influence in Asia.
The traditionally warm relationship between the US and Saudi Arabia has been strainedin recent weeks, as the price of oil crashed because of a Saudi oil price war with Russia and cratering demand due to the coronavirus pandemic. Many US oil firms are facing bankruptcy, and US politicians from President Donald Trump on down are under pressure to help curtail imports from the kingdom.
According to a report from Reuters last week, Trump told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in early April that unless the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries started cutting oil production, he would be powerless to stop lawmakers from passing legislation to withdraw US troops from the kingdom.
Rising calls to block Saudi crude shipments to US (2:38)
Oil prices surged 11 percent on Thursday after Saudi Arabia announced that it would raise prices to boost the commodity's recovery. The increased prices are a reversal from earlier in the year, when Saudi Arabia was selling crude at huge discounts, initiating the price war.
A portion of the military hardware now being removed from Saudi Arabia was deployed last September following a series of attacks on Saudi oil facilities. At a news conference at the time announcing the move, US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said the move was needed to protect critical Saudi oil infrastructure, and called on other nations to condemn the attacks.
"The Iranian regime is waging a deliberate campaign to destabilize the Middle East and impose costs on the international economy," Esper said.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA NEWS
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Norway mosque attack and murder trial begins in Oslo


  • 8 hours ago
Philip Manshaus appears in courtImage copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Image captionPhilip Manshaus spouted a number of racist, anti-Semitic and conspiracy theories in court on Thursday
The trial of a 22-year-old Norwegian man accused of murder and terror charges has begun in Oslo.
Philip Manshaus allegedly shot dead his 17-year-old step-sister Johanne Ihle-Hansen last August. 
He then opened fire at the Al-Noor Islamic Centre west of Norway's capital, but was quickly overpowered.
He has pleaded not guilty to the terror and murder charges against him, but has admitted the facts of the case are true.
Appearing in court on Thursday, Philip Manshaus told Judge Annika Lindstrom he was invoking "emergency justice" - a defence in Norway that says a person had no choice but to commit a crime, and so cannot be punished.
At one point he launched into a tirade of conspiracy theories, anti-Semitism and homophobia.
Journalists and spectators are watching the trial by video link due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.

What is he accused of?

Police accuse him of shooting his step-sister Johanne dead at the family home on 10 August. They say there was a racist motive to the murder. 
Johanne Ihle-Hansen was adopted from China when she was just two years old. Her adoptive mother later married Philip Manshaus's father. 
The 22-year-old has admitted then taking a number of guns to the Al-Noor mosque in Baerum, near his home. Three people were inside at the time, who managed to overpower him. 
Media captionMohammad Rafiq tackled the gunman
The mosque's director said the attacker had gone into the building wearing a helmet and body armour. Several shots were fired but no-one was seriously hurt inside.
A retired Pakistani air force officer, Mohammad Rafiq, was praised for seizing the attacker, pinning him down and taking his weapons from him.

What happened on Thursday?

The 22-year-old told the court he was inspired by the Christchurch terror attack in New Zealand, which killed 51 people. 
He said he wished he had "planned the attack better", but said he was "proud to have had the opportunity to fight". 
The accused also spouted racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic conspiracy theories before the judge told him the courtroom was "not a pulpit".
In total 30 witnesses will speak at the trial. His father will testify, as will Johanne Ihle-Hansen's mother.
Media captionAfter the attack, Prime Minister Erna Solberg said that working against hate speech was a priority

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