Outgoing Iran President Says Government Not Always Truthful

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August 1, 2021

Iran’s outgoing president on Sunday acknowledged his nation at times “did not tell part of the truth” to its people during his eight-year tenure, as he prepares to leave office.

He did not elaborate on what he meant by his remarks. However, during his tenure, Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard mistakenly shot down a commercial airliner and killed 176 people onboard in January 2020, which the government refused for days to acknowledge until Western nations went public with their suspicions.

Rouhani, a relative moderate within Iran’s theocracy, insisted he and his officials did their best.

He pointed to the country’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, which saw Iran agree to limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.

However, that deal now sits in tatters after then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the accord in May 2018.

President Hassan Rouhani’s comments, aired on state television, come as officials in his government have appeared rudderless in recent months amid a series of crises ranging from the coronavirus pandemic to parching droughts fueling public protests.

After appearing just days earlier to be lectured by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei about their failures in the nuclear negotiations, Rouhani’s remarks appeared aimed at acknowledging the problems his government faced in its waning hours.

President-elect Ebrahim Raisi, a protégé of Khamenei, will be inaugurated Thursday.

Myanmar Military Extends Emergency, Promises Vote In 2 Years

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Zoe Maven

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August 1, 2021

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Six months after seizing power from the elected government, Myanmar’s military leader on Sunday declared himself prime minister and said he would lead the country under the extended state of emergency until elections are held in about two years.

During a recorded televised address Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing said there have to be favourable conditions to hold a free and fair multiparty general election.

He said they must make preparations, adding that the state of emergency will achieve its objectives by August 2023.

In a separate announcement, the military government named itself “the caretaker government” and Min Aung Hlaing the prime minister.

The state of emergency was declared when troops moved against the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, an action the generals said was permitted under the military-authored 2008 constitution.

The military claimed her landslide victory in last year’s national elections was achieved through massive voter fraud but offered no credible evidence.

The military government officially annulled the election results last Tuesday and appointed a new election commission to take charge of the polls.

The military takeover was met with massive public protests that has resulted in a lethal crackdown by security forces who routinely fire live ammunition into crowds.

As of Sunday, 939 people have been killed by the authorities since Feb. 1, according to a tally kept by the independent Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. Casualties are also rising among the military and police as armed resistance grows in both urban and rural areas.

Kim’s Sister Warns S. Korea-US Drills Will Rekindle Tensions

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Zoe Maven

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August 1, 2021

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The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Sunday warned that next month’s annual military drills between South Korean and U.S. troops will undermine prospects for better ties between the Koreas.

Kim Yo Jong’s statement carried by state media targets only South Korea, and this could add credence to a theory that North Korea’s decision to restore the communication lines is mainly aimed at pushing Seoul to convince Washington to make concessions while nuclear diplomacy remains deadlocked.

She added that the North Korean government and army will closely follow whether the South Korean side stages hostile war exercises in August or makes other bold decision.

Regular drills between Seoul and Washington have been a long-running source of animosities on the Korean Peninsula, with North Korea calling them an invasion rehearsal and responding with missile tests. South Korea and the U.S. have repeatedly said their drills are defensive in nature.

In the past few years, South Korea and the U.S. have canceled or downsized some of their exercises to support diplomatic efforts to end the North Korean nuclear crisis or because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Asked about prospects for next month’s summertime drills, Boo Seung-Chan, a spokesman at South Korea’s Defense Ministry, told a briefing Thursday that Seoul and Washington were reviewing factors like the pandemic’s current status, efforts to achieve denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula and their combined military readiness.

Evacuations As Wildfires Rage Across Turkey, Greece, Italy

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Zoe Maven

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August 1, 2021

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Dozens of villages were evacuated in tourist hotspots in southern Turkey on Sunday as wildfires that have claimed six lives raged for the fifth day, while Greece, Italy and Spain were also hit by blazes.

Soaring temperatures, strong winds and climate change have caused this year’s fire season to be significantly more destructive than the previous average, EU data shows.

Turkey is suffering through its worst fires in at least a decade with nearly 95,000 hectares burnt so far this year, compared with an average of 13,516 at this point in the year between 2008 and 2020.

Turkey’s defence ministry released satellite images showing the extent of the damage, with forest areas turned black and smoke still visible.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been criticised after it emerged that Turkey had no firefighting planes despite one-third of its territory being forested and fires becoming an increasing problem.

According to EU figures, Turkey has been hit by 133 wildfires in 2021 so far compared with an average of 43 by this point in the year between 2008 and 2020.

Firefighters were also battling fires in Greece, after a major blaze broke out early Saturday near Patras in the west.Around 20 homes have been burnt down, according to a provisional figure from the fire brigade.

According to EU data, 13,500 hectares had been burnt in Greece, compared with an average of 7,500 at this point in the year from 2008-2020.

Elsewhere, Italy was again hit by fires after more than 20,000 hectares of forest, olive groves and crops were destroyed by a blaze in Sardinia last weekend.

More than 800 flare-ups were recorded this weekend, mainly in the south, Italy’s fire brigade said.

Ethiopia’s Tigray Rebels Issue Fresh Demands For Ceasefire

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Zoe Maven

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August 1, 2021

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Ethiopia’s Tigray rebels have issued a new list of demands which the group said must be met before engaging ceasefire talks with the government.

In a statement, the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front called for a transitional administration in Addis Ababa.

The statement said it had become increasingly obvious that the current regime has neither the legitimacy and the constitutional mandate nor the wherewithal to govern the country.

It continued, stating that in light of this, they are calling for the commitment of a transitional arrangement and an all-inclusive political process that includes the major political actors in the country in order to address the current political and constitutional problems afflicting the country.

The group also demanded the withdrawal of Eritrean forces from the region, the restoration of communication and banking services, as well as the removal of restrictions on humanitarian aid.

The rebels rejected a uniltaeral ceasefire offered by Addis Ababa at the end of June and kept fighting even after government forces withdrew from Mekelle.

The rebels have since attacked and seized towns in neighboring Amhara and Afar provinces.

There has been no word from Addis Ababa on the demands tabled by the TPLF.

The pre-conditions come as the head of USAID is expected to travel to Ethiopia next week.

Egypt, Algeria Foreign Ministers Meet In Cairo

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Zoe Maven

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August 1, 2021

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Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukry has met with his Algerian counterpart Ramtane Lamamra in Cairo.

Speaking at a joint news conference, Shukry told reporters that Egypt is closely following the political turmoil in Tunisia in the wake of its president’s decision to seize exceptional powers.

President Kais Saied suspended parliament, lifted the immunity of parliament members, fired the prime minister and took control of the executive branch.

He argued that the need to save the country amid public anger at the government over joblessness, rising prices and one of Africa’s worst coronavirus outbreaks.

Autocratic leaders from Egypt to Saudi Arabia hope the power grab spells doom for the region’s Islamists, but they also fear a reignited Arab Spring, like the region-wide uprisings kindled by Tunisia a decade ago.

Lamamra, meanwhile said that the dispute between Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt over the Nile dam is “passing through a critical stage and urged for the three nations to come to an agreement.

Egypt argues a decade of negotiations over the hydroelectric dam on the Blue Nile have failed to ensure that water will continue to flow downstream in sufficient amounts to Sudan and to Egypt, where 100 million people are dependent on the river as their sole source of water.

Today In History – August 1 – Slavery Abolition Act 1833 Abolishes Slavery Throughout British Empire

By

Angel Gimalo

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August 1, 2021

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527 Justinian I becomes the sole ruler of the Byzantine Empire

1086 Results of the Domesday inquiry presented to William the Conqueror in Salisbury (the date of compilation and the Great Domesday are historically contestable)

1774 English chemist Joseph Priestley discovers oxygen by isolating it in its gaseous state

1834 Slavery Abolition Act 1833 comes into effect, abolishes slavery throughout the British Empire

1958 US atomic submarine USS Nautilus begins 1st transit of North Pole “operation Sunshine”

Today in Film & TV
1981 MTV premieres at 12:01 AM

Today in Music
1971 George Harrison’s benefit concerts for Bangladesh (2 shows) take place at Madison Square Garden, NYC; performers include Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, Ravi Shankar, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, and Leon Russell

Today in Sport
1936 XI Summer Olympic Games are opened by Adolph Hitler in Berlin

Do you know this fact about today?
First Scout camp opens on Brownsea Island, in Poole Harbour, Dorset

Police Service Commission Suspends DCP Abba Kyari

By

Angel Gimalo

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August 1, 2021

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The Police Service Commission has suspended a Deputy Commissioner of Police and Head, Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the Nigeria Police Force, Abba Kyari from the exercise of the Powers and functions of his office.

Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba made this known in a statement.

It was earlier reported that the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, recommended the immediate suspension of DCP Abba Kyari, the Head of the Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT), from the Service of the Nigeria Police Force, pending the outcome of an ongoing internal investigation touching on him.

Mba said the Inspector-general of Police, Usman Alkali Baba made the recommendation to the Police Service Commission in a July 31 letter.

Mba said the suspension is also expected to create an enabling environment for the NPF Special Investigation Panel to carry out its internal investigations.

“The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, psc (+), NPM, fdc has recommended the immediate suspension of DCP Abba Kyari, the Head of the Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT), from the Service of the Nigeria Police Force, pending the outcome of an ongoing internal investigations touching on him.” the statement read in part.

Abba Kyari’s suspension was according to a statement by PSC’s Head, Press and Public Relations, Ikechukwu Ani.

“The Police Service Commission has suspended Abba Kyari, a Deputy Commissioner of Police and Head, Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the Nigeria Police Force from the exercise of the Powers and functions of his office .

“Abba Kyari’s suspension took effect from Saturday, July 31st 2021 and would subsist pending the outcome of the investigation in respect of his indictment by the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States .

“The Commission has also directed the Inspector General of Police to furnish it with information on further development on the matter for necessary further action.

“The Commission’s decision which was conveyed in a letter with reference, PSC/POL/D/153/vol/V/138 to the Inspector General of Police today, Sunday, August 1st, 2021, was signed by Hon. Justice Clara Bata Ogunbiyi, a retired Justice of the Supreme Court and Honourable Commissioner 1 in the Commission for the Commission’s Chairman, Alhaji Musiliu Smith, a retired Inspector General of Police who is currently on leave.”

Tunisia’s Ennahda Puts Off Party Meeting Amid Crisis

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Zoe Maven

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July 31, 2021

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The head of Tunisia’s biggest party, the moderate Islamist Ennahda, on Saturday postponed a meeting of its highest council after senior members called for his resignation over his handling of the political crisis.

The moves have caused the biggest crisis in Tunisian politics since the 2011 revolution that introduced democracy, with no announcement by Saied of a new prime minister or roadmap to end the emergency period.

Saied’s moves, which also included freezing parliament and dismissing the prime minister, have also thrown Ennahda into turmoil, leading to recriminations within the party over its strategy and leadership.

The party has been the most consistently powerful in Tunisia since the revolution, playing a role in backing successive coalition governments and has lost support as the economy stagnated and public services declined.

On Saturday Ghannouchi postponed a meeting of its Choura Council, the party’s highest internal authority, shortly before it was due to take place, three party sources said.

Dozens of younger party members and some of its leaders including Samir Dilou, a parliament member, had called on Ghannouchi to resign, the sources said.

Ghannouchi has led Ennahda for decades, including from exile in Britain before the revolution, after which he returned to a tumultuous welcome at Tunis airport. He stood for election for the first time in 2019, winning a parliament seat and becoming speaker.

Thousands Protest Against COVID-19 Health Pass In France

By

Zoe Maven

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July 31, 2021

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Thousands of people have protested in Paris and other French cities on Saturday against a mandatory coronavirus health pass for entry to a wide array of public venues, introduced by the government.

It was the third weekend in a row that people opposed to President Emmanuel Macron’s new COVID-19 measures have taken to the streets, in an unusual show of determination.

Visitors going to museums, cinemas or swimming pools are already denied entry if they cannot produce the health pass showing they have been vaccinated against COVID-19 or have had a recent negative test.

Parliament approved a new law this week that will make vaccinations mandatory for health workers and extend the health pass requirement to bars, restaurants, trade shows, trains and hospitals.

The number of demonstrators has grown steadily since the start of the protests, echoing the “yellow vest” movement that started in late 2018 against fuel taxes and the cost of living.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Twitter that 19 demonstrators were arrested, including 10 in Paris while a police spokesperson said Protesters injured three police officers in Paris.

An interior ministry official said 204,090 had demonstrated across France, including 14,250 in Paris alone. This is about 40,000 more than last week.

Protesters were also out in other cities like Marseille, Lyon, Montpelier, Nantes and Toulouse, shouting “Freedom!” and “No to the health pass!.”

About 3,000 police officers were deployed in the capital, with anti-riot officers striving to keep demonstrators on authorized routes.

Authorities sought to avoid a repeat of events last week, when scuffles between police and demonstrators broke out on the Champs-Elysees.