france24--2020-04-16--North Korean defector wins in Gangnam, South Korea's ritziest seat

Thae Yong Ho , North Korea 's highest-ranking defector , celebrates after winning a majority of votes in his Gangnam constituency on April 16 , 2020 .
A former North Korean diplomat has won a parliamentary seat in South Korea 's swankiest district Gangnam , four years after fleeing a London embassy and becoming Pyongyang 's highest-ranking official to defect to the South .
Thae Yong Ho was Pyongyang 's deputy ambassador to the United Kingdom where he had managed secret funds for leader Kim Jong-un until he fled to the democratic , wealthy South with his family in 2016 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of three constituencies in Seoul 's glittering Gangnam district for the main opposition conservative party in Wednesday 's parliamentary elections , beating a former four-term ruling party lawmaker by nearly a 20 % margin .
`` I was dearly afraid if the Gangnam residents would take a guy from the North , '' a smiling Thae said in an acceptance speech shared on his YouTube channel , as crowds of voters gathered in his campaign office , chanting his name and cheering .
`` But so many people here gave me strength — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Gangnam and promised to vote for me , '' he said in a hoarse voice after weeks-long rallies .
Gangnam , a wealthy , conservative district known for its boutiques , high-end bars and luxury homes , shot to international renown through musician Psy 's 2012 K-pop hit `` Gangnam Style '' .
Thae , who had worked in South Korea as a foreign policy expert before launching a bid for parliament in February , is the first North Korean refugee to become a lawmaker representing a constituency in South Korea .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ professor , served in parliament from 2012-16 on a party endorsement but without any constituency .
Wednesday 's parliamentary elections saw a record turnout of 66.2 % , despite voting taking place in the middle of a virus outbreak .
The party of President Moon Jae-in — the Democratic Party — won a resounding victory on the back of its successful handling of the epidemic .
The election also drew unprecedented levels of participation from North Korean defectors challenging what they saw as the president 's flawed cross-border policy .
Defector groups have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ignored human rights and suppressed anti-Pyongyang activism in favour of pursuing reconciliation with the Kim regime .
Ji Seong-ho , a defector invited to Washington in 2018 to attend US President Donald Trump 's State of the Union address , was also elected to the parliament as a proportionate representative .
'No roots in the South' But Thae 's political foray was far from easy , facing a backlash from some citizens and even his party 's campaign chief , Kim Chong-in , who said Thae was not suitable to represent the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the South '' .
Kim later apologised and endorsed Thae .
`` His landslide victory means the people of Gangnam did n't really care that he 's a defector .
They seem to believe that he 's more loyal to the South , not the North , '' said Lim Seong-ho , a professor of political science at Kyung Hee University in Seoul .
Critics also raised questions about Thae 's rapidly accrued wealth when he listed more than 1.8 billion won ( $ 1.5 million ) in assets .
Thae has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and writing books and papers , and paid more than 100 million won ( $ 81,000 ) in taxes every year .
His two memoirs were big hits .
The first of them , in which he described how Pyongyang covertly amassed foreign currency via diplomatic missions as well as the duplicity of its denuclearisation commitment , sold more than 200,000 copies in South Korea and was published in several languages .
North Korea 's state media has criticised Thae 's defection , calling him a `` human scum '' and criminal who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a minor .
Thae has flatly denied those claims and vowed to continue his political activities even after police stepped up security due to safety concerns .
`` I had risked my life to come to the Republic of Korea seeking free democracy and values in market economy , '' Thae said .
`` I will solve regional issues with the market principles , '' he added , vowing to push for a `` North Korea policy that better reflects the reality there and matches the pride of the South Korean citizens .
@

A former North Korean diplomat has won a parliamentary seat in South Korea's swankiest district Gangnam, four years after fleeing a London embassy and becoming Pyongyang's highest-ranking official to defect to the South.
Thae Yong Ho, North Korea's highest-ranking defector, celebrates after winning a majority of votes in his Gangnam constituency on April 16, 2020.
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Thae Yong Ho was Pyongyang's deputy ambassador to the United Kingdom where he had managed secret funds for leader Kim Jong-un until he fled to the democratic, wealthy South with his family in 2016.
Thae, 55, won one of three constituencies in Seoul's glittering Gangnam district for the main opposition conservative party in Wednesday's parliamentary elections, beating a former four-term ruling party lawmaker by nearly a 20% margin.
"I was dearly afraid if the Gangnam residents would take a guy from the North," a smiling Thae said in an acceptance speech shared on his YouTube channel, as crowds of voters gathered in his campaign office, chanting his name and cheering.
"But so many people here gave me strength — they held my hand, welcomed me to Gangnam and promised to vote for me," he said in a hoarse voice after weeks-long rallies.
Gangnam, a wealthy, conservative district known for its boutiques, high-end bars and luxury homes, shot to international renown through musician Psy's 2012 K-pop hit "Gangnam Style".
Thae, who had worked in South Korea as a foreign policy expert before launching a bid for parliament in February, is the first North Korean refugee to become a lawmaker representing a constituency in South Korea. Cho Myung-chul, a former North Korean professor, served in parliament from 2012-16 on a party endorsement but without any constituency.
Wednesday's parliamentary elections saw a record turnout of 66.2%, despite voting taking place in the middle of a virus outbreak. The party of President Moon Jae-in — the Democratic Party — won a resounding victory on the back of its successful handling of the epidemic.
The election also drew unprecedented levels of participation from North Korean defectors challenging what they saw as the president's flawed cross-border policy.
Defector groups have complained that Moon's administration cut funding, ignored human rights and suppressed anti-Pyongyang activism in favour of pursuing reconciliation with the Kim regime.
Ji Seong-ho, a defector invited to Washington in 2018 to attend US President Donald Trump's State of the Union address, was also elected to the parliament as a proportionate representative.
'No roots in the South'
But Thae's political foray was far from easy, facing a backlash from some citizens and even his party's campaign chief, Kim Chong-in, who said Thae was not suitable to represent the district because he had "no roots in the South".
Kim later apologised and endorsed Thae.
"His landslide victory means the people of Gangnam didn't really care that he's a defector. They seem to believe that he's more loyal to the South, not the North," said Lim Seong-ho, a professor of political science at Kyung Hee University in Seoul.
Critics also raised questions about Thae's rapidly accrued wealth when he listed more than 1.8 billion won ($1.5 million) in assets.
Thae has said he made the money giving lectures and writing books and papers, and paid more than 100 million won ($81,000) in taxes every year.
There will be no plaudits from me for Tae Yong-Ho. In 2016, the Park Geun-Hye administration is now publicly known to have weaponized the country's intelligence agencies to encourage high level defections from North Korea for her own political gain. Tae was one of those. — Tom Fowdy (@Tom_Fowdy) April 15, 2020
His two memoirs were big hits. The first of them, in which he described how Pyongyang covertly amassed foreign currency via diplomatic missions as well as the duplicity of its denuclearisation commitment, sold more than 200,000 copies in South Korea and was published in several languages.
North Korea's state media has criticised Thae's defection, calling him a "human scum" and criminal who had embezzled state funds and sexually assaulted a minor.
Thae has flatly denied those claims and vowed to continue his political activities even after police stepped up security due to safety concerns.
"I had risked my life to come to the Republic of Korea seeking free democracy and values in market economy," Thae said.
"I will solve regional issues with the market principles," he added, vowing to push for a "North Korea policy that better reflects the reality there and matches the pride of the South Korean citizens."
(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS)
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france24--2020-04-15--Covid-19: G20 endorses temporary debt relief for the poorest countries

A handout photo released by the Saudi Energy Ministry on April 10 , 2020 shows Saudi Arabia 's Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman ( 3rd-L ) chairing a virtual extraordinary meeting of G20 Oil ministers , in the capital Riyadh .
The Group of 20 nations announced support Wednesday for a temporary halt to debt payments by the world 's poorest nations as they struggle to deal with the coronavirus pandemic .
`` We support a time-bound suspension of debt service payments for the poorest countries that request forbearance , '' the G20 finance ministers and central bankers said in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` All bilateral official creditors will participate in this initiative . ''
The group , which brings together the world 's largest economies , also called on private creditors , working through the Institute of International Finance , to participate in the initiative that extends to the world 's 76 poorest countries .
The International Monetary Fund and World Bank had been calling on the governments to provide six months of debt relief to the countries most in need , and finance ministers from the Group of Seven advanced economies agreed to do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including China and Russia , was in favor .
`` This is a powerful , fast-acting initiative that will do much to safeguard the lives and livelihoods of millions of the most vulnerable people , '' the leaders of the IMF and World Bank said in a joint statement .
The IMF on Monday approved a six month standstill on debt payments from 25 nations , mostly in Africa .
The G20 officials also reiterated their commitment to deploy `` available tools '' to deal with the health and economic crisis caused by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and be amplified , '' the communique said .

The Group of 20 nations announced support Wednesday for a temporary halt to debt payments by the world's poorest nations as they struggle to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.
A handout photo released by the Saudi Energy Ministry on April 10, 2020 shows Saudi Arabia's Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman (3rd-L) chairing a virtual extraordinary meeting of G20 Oil ministers, in the capital Riyadh.
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"We support a time-bound suspension of debt service payments for the poorest countries that request forbearance," the G20 finance ministers and central bankers said in a communique following their virtual meeting. "All bilateral official creditors will participate in this initiative."
The group, which brings together the world's largest economies, also called on private creditors, working through the Institute of International Finance, to participate in the initiative that extends to the world's 76 poorest countries.
The International Monetary Fund and World Bank had been calling on the governments to provide six months of debt relief to the countries most in need, and finance ministers from the Group of Seven advanced economies agreed to do so on Tuesday providing the G20, including China and Russia, was in favor.
"This is a powerful, fast-acting initiative that will do much to safeguard the lives and livelihoods of millions of the most vulnerable people," the leaders of the IMF and World Bank said in a joint statement.
The IMF on Monday approved a six month standstill on debt payments from 25 nations, mostly in Africa.
The G20 officials also reiterated their commitment to deploy "available tools" to deal with the health and economic crisis caused by COVID-19.
"Our efforts must continue and be amplified," the communique said.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-01-07--Putin makes rare visit to Syria, meets Assad

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Syria on Tuesday and met with officials including President Bashar Assad , Syrian state media and a Kremlin spokesman reported .
Putin ’ s visit is the second to the war-torn country where his troops have been fighting alongside Syrian government forces since 2015 .
The visit comes amid heightened tensions between Iran , a key Syrian ally , and the United States , following the killing of a top Iranian general in a U.S. airstrike in neighboring Iraq .
Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani ’ s death has sparked calls across Iran for revenge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in eastern Syria , making the country a potential site of conflict with Iran .
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin visited the Russian command post in Damascus and met President Bashar Assad there .
The two leaders were presented with military reports on the situation in different regions of Syria .
In his conversation with Assad , Putin said that “ a huge distance has been covered in terms of restoring Syria ’ s statehood and territorial integrity , ” Peskov said .
State news agency SANA gave no further details about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he met with Assad in a Russian military base in the capital .
The last time Putin visited Syria was in 2017 when he declared that mission for Russian troops has been accomplished .
Russia has been a main backer of Assad and has tipped the balance of power in his favor over the past four years with government forces now in control in most of the country .
Syria ’ s conflict that began in March 2011 has left more than 400,000 people dead .
Last week U.S. warplanes attacked bases of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eastern Syria killing 25 and wounding dozens others .
The U.S. government warned ships of an unspecified threat from Iran across all the Mideast ’ s waterways , crucial routes for global energy supplies .
Meanwhile , the U.S. Air Force launched a drill with 52 fighter jets in Utah , just days after President Donald Trump threatened to hit 52 sites in Iran .

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Syria on Tuesday and met with officials including President Bashar Assad, Syrian state media and a Kremlin spokesman reported.
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Putin’s visit is the second to the war-torn country where his troops have been fighting alongside Syrian government forces since 2015.
The visit comes amid heightened tensions between Iran, a key Syrian ally, and the United States, following the killing of a top Iranian general in a U.S. airstrike in neighboring Iraq.
Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani’s death has sparked calls across Iran for revenge against America.
U.S. troops are based in eastern Syria, making the country a potential site of conflict with Iran.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin visited the Russian command post in Damascus and met President Bashar Assad there. The two leaders were presented with military reports on the situation in different regions of Syria.
In his conversation with Assad, Putin said that “a huge distance has been covered in terms of restoring Syria’s statehood and territorial integrity,” Peskov said.
State news agency SANA gave no further details about Putin’s visit only saying that he met with Assad in a Russian military base in the capital.
The last time Putin visited Syria was in 2017 when he declared that mission for Russian troops has been accomplished. Russia has been a main backer of Assad and has tipped the balance of power in his favor over the past four years with government forces now in control in most of the country.
Syria’s conflict that began in March 2011 has left more than 400,000 people dead.
Last week U.S. warplanes attacked bases of Iran-backed Iraqi fighters in western Iraq and eastern Syria killing 25 and wounding dozens others.
The U.S. government warned ships of an unspecified threat from Iran across all the Mideast’s waterways, crucial routes for global energy supplies.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Air Force launched a drill with 52 fighter jets in Utah, just days after President Donald Trump threatened to hit 52 sites in Iran.
(AP)
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france24--2020-01-07--Iran stampede 'kills dozens' as huge crowds attend funeral for slain general

Coffins bearing the bodies of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis are carried by mourners in Tehran on January 6 , 2019 .
Iranian media say at least 40 people have been killed and scores more injured in a stampede that erupted during the final stage of funeral processions for late General Qassem Soleimani , who was killed in a US strike in Iraq last week .
The stampede took place in Kerman , Soleimani 's hometown , as the procession got underway , said the Fars and ISNA news agencies , citing Pirhossein Koulivand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emergency medical services .
There was no information as to what had set off the stampede .
Initial videos posted online showed people lying lifeless on a road and others shouting and trying to help them .
Soleimani 's funeral was later delayed but no new timing was given .
“ Unfortunately as a result of the stampede , some of our compatriots have been injured and some have been killed during the funeral processions , '' Koulivand said .
In delaying Soleimani ’ s burial , authorities cited concerns about the massive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agency said .
The massive number of mourners in the hometown of the slain commander of the elite Quds Force appeared to match the huge turnout seen in the cities of Tehran , Qom , Mashhad and Ahvaz in recent days .
A hugely popular figure in the Islamic republic , Soleimani was killed outside Baghdad airport on Friday in a drone strike ordered by US President Donald Trump , ratcheting up tensions with arch-enemy Iran which has vowed `` severe revenge '' .
`` The martyr Qassem Soleimani is more powerful ... @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said the Revolutionary Guards ' top general , Major General Hossein Salami .
`` The enemy killed him unjustly , '' he told the sea of black-clad mourners .
Schoolgirls joined chants of `` Death to Trump '' from the crowd , an AFP correspondent reported .
The assassination of Soleimani set off an escalating war of words between Iran and the United States .
> > ‘ A more dangerous world ’ : US killing of Iran 's Soleimani stokes fears of regional conflict In Tehran on Monday , President Hassan Rouhani @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iran , after the US leader issued a US strike list of 52 targets in the Islamic republic .
People converged from afar on Azadi Square where two flag-draped coffins were on display , with the second one reportedly containing the remains of Soleimani 's closest aide , Brigadier General Hossein Pourjafari .
`` We 're here today to pay respects to the great commander of the holy defence , '' said one of the mourners who came from the southern city of Shiraz to attend the funeral in Kerman .
`` Haj @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , or Iran , but also the whole world , '' Hemmat Dehghan told AFP .
`` The security of the whole world , Muslims , Shiites , Iraq , Syria , Afghanistan and especially Iran , all owe it to him , '' said the 56-year-old war veteran .
Another mourner said Soleimi 's assassination `` boils the blood of the Iranian people '' .
`` He was seen as a great man who was ready to serve his people both then in the war and now .
He must certainly be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an 18-year-old student .
Friday 's assassination of the 62-year-old Soleimani heightened international concern about a new war in the volatile Middle East and rattled financial markets .
Iraq 's parliament has demanded the government expel the 5,200 American troops stationed in the country in response to the drone attack which also killed top Iraqi military figure Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis .
Baghdad requested in a letter to the UN -- seen by AFP -- that the Security Council condemn the US drone strike , so that `` the law of the jungle '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ operation represented `` a dangerous escalation that could lead to a devastating war in Iraq , the region and the world , '' wrote the Iraqi ambassador to the UN , Mohammed Hussein Bahr-Aluloom .
World financial markets have been on edge over the crisis .
`` The new year has started with a bang in so far as volatility is concerned , '' said Fawad Razaqzada at Forex.com .
`` This is mainly due to the escalation of tensions between the US and Iran after Trump ordered the assassination of Iranian military @ @ @ @ @ @ @ night , the United States mistakenly notified the Iraqi government of an imminent troop pullout in a letter that sparked confusion in Washington .
`` We respect your sovereign decision to order our departure , '' said the letter , whose authenticity was confirmed to AFP by both Iraqi and US defence officials .
In the letter , US Brigadier General William Seely said the US-led coalition would `` be repositioning forces '' .
But Pentagon Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley said the letter was a mere `` draft '' and `` should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It was a mistake , an honest mistake , a draft unsigned letter , because we are moving forces around , '' Milley told reporters in Washington .
US Defence Secretary Mark Esper said the letter was `` inconsistent '' with Washington 's position and denied there had been a decision to leave Iraq .
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg warned on Monday that Iran must avoid `` further violence and provocations '' after the alliance held emergency talks on the crisis .
The European Union , whose foreign ministers will hold emergency talks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was in both Iran and Iraq 's interests to `` take the path of sobriety and not the path of escalation '' .
Saudi Arabia -- an oil-rich US ally seen as vulnerable to Iranian counter strikes -- also appealed for calm after a `` very dangerous '' escalation .
Soleimani is expected to be buried at the martyrs ' cemetery in Kerman between 2:00 and 4:00 pm ( 1030 and 1230 GMT ) .

Iranian media say more than 50 people have been killed and scores more injured in a stampede that erupted during the final stage of funeral processions for late General Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a US strike in Iraq last week.
Coffins bearing the bodies of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis are carried by mourners in Tehran on January 6, 2019.
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The stampede took place in Kerman, Soleimani's hometown, as the procession got underway, said the Fars and ISNA news agencies, citing Pirhossein Koulivand, the head of Iran’s emergency medical services.
There was no information as to what had set off the stampede. Initial videos posted online showed people lying lifeless on a road and others shouting and trying to help them. Soleimani's funeral was later delayed but no new timing was given.
“Unfortunately as a result of the stampede, some of our compatriots have been injured and some have been killed during the funeral processions," Koulivand said. In delaying Soleimani’s burial, authorities cited concerns about the massive crowd that had gathered, ISNA news agency said.
The massive number of mourners in the hometown of the slain commander of the elite Quds Force appeared to match the huge turnout seen in the cities of Tehran, Qom, Mashhad and Ahvaz in recent days.
A hugely popular figure in the Islamic republic, Soleimani was killed outside Baghdad airport on Friday in a drone strike ordered by US President Donald Trump, ratcheting up tensions with arch-enemy Iran which has vowed "severe revenge".
03:53
"The martyr Qassem Soleimani is more powerful... now that he is dead," said the Revolutionary Guards' top general, Major General Hossein Salami.
"The enemy killed him unjustly," he told the sea of black-clad mourners.
Schoolgirls joined chants of "Death to Trump" from the crowd, an AFP correspondent reported.
The assassination of Soleimani set off an escalating war of words between Iran and the United States.
>> ‘A more dangerous world’: US killing of Iran's Soleimani stokes fears of regional conflict
In Tehran on Monday, President Hassan Rouhani warned Trump to "never threaten" Iran, after the US leader issued a US strike list of 52 targets in the Islamic republic.
People converged from afar on Azadi Square where two flag-draped coffins were on display, with the second one reportedly containing the remains of Soleimani's closest aide, Brigadier General Hossein Pourjafari.
"We're here today to pay respects to the great commander of the holy defence," said one of the mourners who came from the southern city of Shiraz to attend the funeral in Kerman.
"Haj Qasem was not only loved in Kerman, or Iran, but also the whole world," Hemmat Dehghan told AFP.
"The security of the whole world, Muslims, Shiites, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and especially Iran, all owe it to him," said the 56-year-old war veteran.
'Boils the blood'
Another mourner said Soleimi's assassination "boils the blood of the Iranian people".
"He was seen as a great man who was ready to serve his people both then in the war and now. He must certainly be avenged," said Sara Khaksar, an 18-year-old student.
Friday's assassination of the 62-year-old Soleimani heightened international concern about a new war in the volatile Middle East and rattled financial markets.
Iraq's parliament has demanded the government expel the 5,200 American troops stationed in the country in response to the drone attack which also killed top Iraqi military figure Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
Baghdad requested in a letter to the UN -- seen by AFP -- that the Security Council condemn the US drone strike, so that "the law of the jungle" was not allowed to prevail.
The operation represented "a dangerous escalation that could lead to a devastating war in Iraq, the region and the world," wrote the Iraqi ambassador to the UN, Mohammed Hussein Bahr-Aluloom.
Markets on edge
World financial markets have been on edge over the crisis.
"The new year has started with a bang in so far as volatility is concerned," said Fawad Razaqzada at Forex.com.
"This is mainly due to the escalation of tensions between the US and Iran after Trump ordered the assassination of Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani."
On Sunday night, the United States mistakenly notified the Iraqi government of an imminent troop pullout in a letter that sparked confusion in Washington.
"We respect your sovereign decision to order our departure," said the letter, whose authenticity was confirmed to AFP by both Iraqi and US defence officials.
In the letter, US Brigadier General William Seely said the US-led coalition would "be repositioning forces".
But Pentagon Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley said the letter was a mere "draft" and "should not have been sent."
"It was a mistake, an honest mistake, a draft unsigned letter, because we are moving forces around," Milley told reporters in Washington.
US Defence Secretary Mark Esper said the letter was "inconsistent" with Washington's position and denied there had been a decision to leave Iraq.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg warned on Monday that Iran must avoid "further violence and provocations" after the alliance held emergency talks on the crisis.
The European Union, whose foreign ministers will hold emergency talks on the crisis Friday, said it was in both Iran and Iraq's interests to "take the path of sobriety and not the path of escalation".
Saudi Arabia -- an oil-rich US ally seen as vulnerable to Iranian counter strikes -- also appealed for calm after a "very dangerous" escalation.
Soleimani is expected to be buried at the martyrs' cemetery in Kerman between 2:00 and 4:00 pm (1030 and 1230 GMT).
(FRANCE 24 with AP, AFP)
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france24--2020-01-06--US military has no plans to leave Iraq, Pentagon says after letter 'mistake'

US Army paratroopers assigned to the 1st Brigade Combat Team , 82nd Airborne Division , walk towards an awaiting aircraft prior to departing for the Middle East from Fort Bragg , North Carolina , on January 5 , 2020 .
US Defence Secretary Mark Esper denied Monday that US forces would pull out of Iraq , after a US general ’ s letter told the Iraqi government that troops were preparing to depart “ in due deference to the sovereignty ” of the country .
“ There is no decision whatsoever to leave Iraq ...
There has been no decision @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Esper said , one day after the Iraqi parliament voted in favor of ordering the US military out .
“ That letter is inconsistent with where we are right now , ” Esper added .
Pentagon Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley said Monday the letter was “ genuine ” but not intended to be sent at this time .
“ This was a mistake from McKenzie , ” Milley told reporters , referring to US Central Command commander General Frank McKenzie .
“ It shouldn ’ t have been sent , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ military had appeared to inform its counterparts in Baghdad on Monday it was preparing for “ movement out of Iraq , ” a day after the Iraqi parliament urged the government to oust foreign troops .
The head of the US military ’ s Task Force Iraq , Brigadier General William Seely , had sent a letter to the head of Iraq ’ s joint operations command , a copy of which was seen by AFP .
The letter said forces from the US-led coalition in Iraq would “ be repositioning forces over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weeks to prepare for onward movement ” .
“ In order to conduct this task , Coalition Forces are required to take certain measures to ensure that the movement out of Iraq is conducted in a safe and efficient manner , ” said the letter , dated Monday .
As the letter was signed by a US official , it was not immediately clear whether it applied to forces from the 76 countries which make up the international coalition .
A US defence official and an Iraqi defence official confirmed the letter was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said helicopters would be travelling in and around the Green Zone as part of the preparations .
AFP could hear helicopters flying low over Baghdad throughout the night on Monday .
Some 5,200 US soldiers are stationed across Iraqi bases to support local troops preventing a resurgence of the Islamic State group .
They make up the bulk of the broader coalition , invited by the Iraqi government in 2014 to help combat the jihadists .
On Sunday , Iraq ’ s parliament voted in favour of rescinding that invitation and ousting all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a US precision drone strike on Baghdad that killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and top Iraqi commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis , among others .
On Monday , Iraqi premier Adel Abdel Mahdi met with the US Ambassador Matthew Tueller , telling him it was “ necessary to work together to withdraw foreign forces from Iraq ” .
Tehran has vowed to avenge the death of Soleimani , whose slaying prompted Iran 's supreme leader to weep over his casket on Monday as a crowd said by police to be in the millions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iran ’ s foreign minister said the US had declined to issue him a visa to attend United Nations meetings in New York amid escalating tensions sparked by the American drone strike that killed Soleimani The US State Department has not commented on Mohammad Javad Zarif ’ s visa request .
The US as the host of the UN headquarters is supposed to allow foreign officials to attend such meetings .

US Defence Secretary Mark Esper denied Monday that US forces would pull out of Iraq, after a US general’s letter told the Iraqi government that troops were preparing to depart “in due deference to the sovereignty” of the country.
US Army paratroopers assigned to the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, prepare for departure for the Middle East from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, United States on January 5, 2020.
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“There is no decision whatsoever to leave Iraq... There has been no decision made to leave Iraq. Period,” Esper said, one day after the Iraqi parliament voted in favor of ordering the US military out.
“That letter is inconsistent with where we are right now,” Esper added.
01:20
Pentagon Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley said Monday the letter was “genuine” but not intended to be sent at this time.
“This was a mistake from McKenzie,” Milley told reporters, referring to US Central Command commander General Frank McKenzie.
“It shouldn’t have been sent,” Milley said.
BREAKING: @EsperDoD says memo on withdrawal is not accurate “there’s been no decision whatsoever to leave Iraq.” pic.twitter.com/52DDhSIIQ2 — Tara Copp (@TaraCopp) January 6, 2020
Earlier, the US military had appeared to inform its counterparts in Baghdad on Monday it was preparing for “movement out of Iraq,” a day after the Iraqi parliament urged the government to oust foreign troops.
The head of the US military’s Task Force Iraq, Brigadier General William Seely, had sent a letter to the head of Iraq’s joint operations command, a copy of which was seen by AFP.
The letter said forces from the US-led coalition in Iraq would “be repositioning forces over the course of the coming days and weeks to prepare for onward movement”.
“In order to conduct this task, Coalition Forces are required to take certain measures to ensure that the movement out of Iraq is conducted in a safe and efficient manner,” said the letter, dated Monday.
As the letter was signed by a US official, it was not immediately clear whether it applied to forces from the 76 countries which make up the international coalition.
A US defence official and an Iraqi defence official confirmed the letter was real and had been delivered.
It said helicopters would be travelling in and around the Green Zone as part of the preparations.
AFP could hear helicopters flying low over Baghdad throughout the night on Monday.
Some 5,200 US soldiers are stationed across Iraqi bases to support local troops preventing a resurgence of the Islamic State group.
They make up the bulk of the broader coalition, invited by the Iraqi government in 2014 to help combat the jihadists.
On Sunday, Iraq’s parliament voted in favour of rescinding that invitation and ousting all foreign troops.
It came in reaction to a US precision drone strike on Baghdad that killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and top Iraqi commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, among others.
On Monday, Iraqi premier Adel Abdel Mahdi met with the US Ambassador Matthew Tueller, telling him it was “necessary to work together to withdraw foreign forces from Iraq”.
Tehran has vowed to avenge the death of Soleimani, whose slaying prompted Iran's supreme leader to weep over his casket on Monday as a crowd said by police to be in the millions filled Tehran streets.
On Tuesday, Iran’s foreign minister said the US had declined to issue him a visa to attend United Nations meetings in New York amid escalating tensions sparked by the American drone strike that killed Soleimani
The US State Department has not commented on Mohammad Javad Zarif’s visa request. The US as the host of the UN headquarters is supposed to allow foreign officials to attend such meetings.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
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france24--2020-01-07--Five years after Charlie Hebdo attack: 'What has changed is the way people see cartoonists'

Five years after Charlie Hebdo attack : 'What has changed is the way people see cartoonists' Anything a cartoonist draws @ @ @ @ @ published , assuming it abides by the law .
That 's the view of Nicolas @ @ @ @ @ Peace Foundation , who spoke to FRANCE 24 on the fifth anniversary of the Charlie @ @ @ @ @ were killed in that rampage , many of them regular cartoonists of the French satirical @ @ @ @ @ who carried out the shocking attack were angered by Charlie Hebdo 's satirical take on @ @ @ @ @ free speech is vital and young people should be educated to accept it , even @ @ @ @ @ like it .

Five years after Charlie Hebdo attack: 'What has changed is the way people see cartoonists'
07:45 PERSPECTIVE FRANCE 24
Anything a cartoonist draws is acceptable and can be published, assuming it abides by the law. That's the view of Nicolas Vadot of the Cartooning for Peace Foundation, who spoke to FRANCE 24 on the fifth anniversary of the Charlie Hebdo attack. Twelve people were killed in that rampage, many of them regular cartoonists of the French satirical magazine. The two terrorists who carried out the shocking attack were angered by Charlie Hebdo's satirical take on religion. Vadot tells us free speech is vital and young people should be educated to accept it, even if they don’t like it.


france24--2020-01-07--Japan issues arrest warrant for Carlos Ghosn's wife

Carlos Ghosn pictured with his wife Carole at their Tokyo residence in March 2019 .
Tokyo prosecutors issued an arrest warrant Tuesday for the wife of Nissan 's former chairman , Carlos Ghosn , on suspicion of perjury , hours after the Japanese carmaker said it was still pursuing its former head for “ serious misconduct ” .
The move against Carole Ghosn , who is not in Japan , followed her husband 's flight to Lebanon last week while he was out on bail awaiting trial for alleged financial misconduct .
Details on the allegations against Carole Ghosn were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said anyone caught helping a fugitive escape will face legal consequences .
Carole Ghosn was banned from meeting with her husband while he was out on bail because she was seen as someone who might help his escape .
A spokesperson for the Ghosn family said the issuance of the warrant was `` pathetic '' .
In a statement , the spokesperson implied it was a response to a press conference Ghosn plans to give in Lebanon on Wednesday -- his first since skipping bail in Japan .
`` Last time Carlos Ghosn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
This time , the day before he is announced to speak out freely for the first time , they issued an arrest warrant for his wife Carole Ghosn , '' the spokesperson said .
Earlier Tuesday , Ghosn 's former employer , Nissan Motor Co. , said it was still pursuing legal action against him despite his escape from Japan to Lebanon .
The Japanese automaker said in a statement that Ghosn engaged in serious misconduct while leading the Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi alliance .
“ The company will continue to take appropriate legal action @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that his misconduct has caused to Nissan , ” it said without giving details .
Japan 's chief government spokesman told reporters Tokyo has told Lebanon that Ghosn left the country illegally and was seeking cooperation in finding out what happened .
Japan and Lebanon do not have an extradition treaty .
Experts have said it would be difficult to bring Ghosn back to stand trial in Tokyo and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the situation had to be handled carefully .
The foreign ministry said the Japan 's ambassador to Beirut @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Aoun later in the day .
He managed to skip bail and leave the country despite heavy surveillance while he was staying at a home in Tokyo .
Japanese news reports Tuesday gave new details of that escape , saying he left his residence alone , met two men at a Tokyo hotel , and then took a bullet train to Osaka before boarding a private jet hidden inside a case for musical equipment .
Prosecutors are investigating why the cargo was not inspected before it was loaded , the broadcaster NHK and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sources .
The jet used , made by Canada 's Bombadier , is designed to allow easy access between its passenger and cargo compartments .
The Nikkei report said dozens of people in various countries helped to plan his clandestine departure .
Nissan 's statement was the first word from the company since Ghosn 's flight last week .
The automaker and Japanese prosecutors allege Ghosn misstated his future compensation and diverted company assets for personal gain .
He says he is innocent .
Ghosn has not appeared in public since arriving in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his side of the story in a news conference planned for Wednesday in Beirut .
Earlier , he said the allegations against him were concocted by Nissan , Japanese authorities and others who wanted to block efforts toward a fuller merger between Nissan and its French alliance partner Renault SA .
Ghosn said in a statement last week that he wanted to escape “ injustice.
” Critics of the Japanese judicial system say his case exemplifies its tendency to move too slowly and keep suspects in detention for too long .
Nissan said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ongoing in France , and the US Securities and Exchange Commission has found some wrongdoing .
Ghosn has not been charged in France or the US .
Japan 's Justice Minister Masako Mori said Japan would tighten border control precautions to prevent a recurrence .
She did not confirm reports that Ghosn left via the Kansai Airport in Osaka , hidden inside a musical equipment box as he was brought aboard a private jet and flown first to Turkey and then to Lebanon .
Mori told reporters Tuesday that all airports will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including items destined for private jets .
She reiterated her defence of the justice system and denounced Ghosn 's escape as an “ unjustifiable '' crime .
She said each nation 's system has its own way of making arrests and granting bail .
The scandal over Ghosn 's case has tarnished Nissan 's image and created a leadership vacuum at a time when the automaker 's profits and sales are tumbling .
Ghosn ’ s successor Hiroto Saikawa also resigned last year amid financial misconduct allegations related to questionable income .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ right thing by cooperating with judicial and regulatory authorities wherever necessary , ” the Yokohama-based company said .
Although Ghosn is unlikely to face trial in Japan , Greg Kelly , another Nissan former executive , is still facing charges of under-reporting Ghosn 's future compensation .
He says he is innocent .
Kelly , an American , who is out on bail , has not been charged with the breach of trust allegations Ghosn is also facing .
Nissan has also been charged as a corporate entity .
The company says it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pay the required fines .

Tokyo prosecutors issued an arrest warrant Tuesday for the wife of Nissan's former chairman, Carlos Ghosn, on suspicion of perjury, hours after the Japanese carmaker said it was still pursuing its former head for “serious misconduct”.
Carlos Ghosn pictured with his wife Carole at their Tokyo residence in March 2019.
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The move against Carole Ghosn, who is not in Japan, followed her husband's flight to Lebanon last week while he was out on bail awaiting trial for alleged financial misconduct.
Details on the allegations against Carole Ghosn were not immediately available. Japanese officials have said anyone caught helping a fugitive escape will face legal consequences.
Carole Ghosn was banned from meeting with her husband while he was out on bail because she was seen as someone who might help his escape.
A spokesperson for the Ghosn family said the issuance of the warrant was "pathetic".
In a statement, the spokesperson implied it was a response to a press conference Ghosn plans to give in Lebanon on Wednesday -- his first since skipping bail in Japan.
"Last time Carlos Ghosn announced a press conference and got RE-arrested. This time, the day before he is announced to speak out freely for the first time, they issued an arrest warrant for his wife Carole Ghosn," the spokesperson said.
Earlier Tuesday, Ghosn's former employer, Nissan Motor Co., said it was still pursuing legal action against him despite his escape from Japan to Lebanon.
The Japanese automaker said in a statement that Ghosn engaged in serious misconduct while leading the Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi alliance.
“The company will continue to take appropriate legal action to hold Ghosn accountable for the harm that his misconduct has caused to Nissan,” it said without giving details.
Japan's chief government spokesman told reporters Tokyo has told Lebanon that Ghosn left the country illegally and was seeking cooperation in finding out what happened.
Japan and Lebanon do not have an extradition treaty. Experts have said it would be difficult to bring Ghosn back to stand trial in Tokyo and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the situation had to be handled carefully.
The foreign ministry said the Japan's ambassador to Beirut planned to meet with Lebanese President Michel Aoun later in the day.
He managed to skip bail and leave the country despite heavy surveillance while he was staying at a home in Tokyo.
Japanese news reports Tuesday gave new details of that escape, saying he left his residence alone, met two men at a Tokyo hotel, and then took a bullet train to Osaka before boarding a private jet hidden inside a case for musical equipment.
>> Questions surround former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn’s brazen escape from Japan
Prosecutors are investigating why the cargo was not inspected before it was loaded, the broadcaster NHK and financial newspaper Nikkei said, citing unnamed sources.
The jet used, made by Canada's Bombadier, is designed to allow easy access between its passenger and cargo compartments.
The Nikkei report said dozens of people in various countries helped to plan his clandestine departure.
Japan to tighten border controls
Nissan's statement was the first word from the company since Ghosn's flight last week. The automaker and Japanese prosecutors allege Ghosn misstated his future compensation and diverted company assets for personal gain. He says he is innocent.
Ghosn has not appeared in public since arriving in Lebanon. He is expected to give his side of the story in a news conference planned for Wednesday in Beirut.
Earlier, he said the allegations against him were concocted by Nissan, Japanese authorities and others who wanted to block efforts toward a fuller merger between Nissan and its French alliance partner Renault SA.
Ghosn said in a statement last week that he wanted to escape “injustice.” Critics of the Japanese judicial system say his case exemplifies its tendency to move too slowly and keep suspects in detention for too long.
Nissan said in its statement that an investigation is ongoing in France, and the US Securities and Exchange Commission has found some wrongdoing.
Ghosn has not been charged in France or the US.
Japan's Justice Minister Masako Mori said Japan would tighten border control precautions to prevent a recurrence. She did not confirm reports that Ghosn left via the Kansai Airport in Osaka, hidden inside a musical equipment box as he was brought aboard a private jet and flown first to Turkey and then to Lebanon.
Mori told reporters Tuesday that all airports will be required to check all cargo and luggage, including items destined for private jets.
She reiterated her defence of the justice system and denounced Ghosn's escape as an “unjustifiable" crime. She said each nation's system has its own way of making arrests and granting bail.
The scandal over Ghosn's case has tarnished Nissan's image and created a leadership vacuum at a time when the automaker's profits and sales are tumbling. Ghosn’s successor Hiroto Saikawa also resigned last year amid financial misconduct allegations related to questionable income.
“Nissan will continue to do the right thing by cooperating with judicial and regulatory authorities wherever necessary,” the Yokohama-based company said.
Although Ghosn is unlikely to face trial in Japan, Greg Kelly, another Nissan former executive, is still facing charges of under-reporting Ghosn's future compensation. He says he is innocent.
Kelly, an American, who is out on bail, has not been charged with the breach of trust allegations Ghosn is also facing.
Nissan has also been charged as a corporate entity. The company says it won't fight the charges and will pay the required fines.
(FRANCE 24 with AP)
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france24--2020-01-07--France commemorates Charlie Hebdo terror attack, five years on

The 2015 attack on the Charlie Hebdo offices led to an international wave of support .
`` Nothing will ever be as before '' , predicted Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo after two gunmen massacred cartoonists at the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine in Paris five years ago .
The attack on the weekly -- with its long history of mocking Islam and other religions -- was the first in a series of assaults that have claimed more than 250 lives since January 7 , 2015 , mostly at the hands of young French-born jihadists .
It sent shockwaves through France , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and sparking an intense debate about Muslim integration and press freedom .
The Kouachi brothers who killed 12 people in their strike on Charlie Hebdo claimed to be avenging the magazine 's publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed deemed offensive by many Muslims .
`` We avenged the Prophet Mohammed .
We killed Charlie Hebdo !
`` , they shouted triumphantly as they ran through the streets .
Within three days , the death toll in the rampage of the al-Qaeda-affiliated siblings and accomplice Amedy Coulibaly had risen to 17 , including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three police officers .
The Kouachis failed in their bid to `` kill '' Charlie Hebdo ; despite losing its top talent the magazine remained afloat thanks to an outpouring of solidarity .
`` I wanted the paper to continue to exist .
For me it could n't just stop like that because of what happened , '' said Pierrick Juin , a cartoonist who joined the magazine just months after the attack .
This week the magazine published a defiant anniversary issue remembering the attack and also denouncing what it said was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by those who `` believe themselves to be the kings of the world behind their keyboard and smartphone . ''
But the attacks did expose deep divisions in France : even a nationwide minute of silence observed by four million people under the slogan `` Je suis Charlie '' ( I am Charlie ) could not project a nation united in mourning .
Students at around 200 schools , many of them in neighbourhoods with big immigrant populations , boycotted the tribute , accusing Charlie Hebdo of Muslim-baiting .
Then prime minister Manuel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rise of extremism to France 's `` geographical , social and ethnic apartheid '' .
President Emmanuel Macron reprised the theme during his 2017 election campaign .
But despite his talk of ending the `` house arrest '' of young people trapped in high-rise suburban housing projects , the breeding grounds of several of the jihadists who have attacked France since 2015 , their conditions remain largely unchanged .
A major Odoxa survey in November showed a majority of residents in housing projects still feeling abandoned by the state and discriminated against by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in January 2015 culminated in a deadly hostage-taking by Coulibaly at the Jewish supermarket , confirming fears that French Jews had become a top target for homegrown Islamist radicals .
Coming three years after an Islamist gunman shot dead a teacher and three children at a Jewish school in Toulouse , the attack compounded the feeling that `` everywhere , at any time , we were a target , '' France 's chief rabbi Haim Korsia told AFP .
For Korsia it marked `` a sort of loss of innocence '' in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ largest , which had until then seen the biggest threat as being from the far right .
Jewish emigration to Israel hit a peak in 2014-15 , years which also saw an exodus from the multi-ethnic French suburbs where Jews of north African origin had lived alongside Muslims for decades .
As the year wore on the attacks grew broader in scope , randomly targeting French people in November 2015 , when Islamic State bombers and gunmen slaughtered 130 people in Paris .
But although departures for Israel have since declined , anti-Semitism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the desecration of more than 100 graves at a Jewish cemetery in Alsace showed last month .
In the aftermath of the January 2015 attacks , then president Francois Hollande sent troops into the streets to guard vulnerable sites and patrol tourist hotspots .
Over the past five years , troops from the Sentinelle anti-terrorism operation have become part of the landscape in French cities .
The military presence was stepped up after the bloodshed of November 2015 and remains at a high level , with around 10,000 troops deployed .
France remains @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sporadic attacks by individuals accused of having become radicalised continuing to claim lives .
In the latest deadly incident , a 22-year-old convert to Islam with psychological problems went on a stabbing rampage in a park near Paris on January 3 , killing one man and injuring two women .

"Nothing will ever be as before", predicted Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo after two gunmen massacred cartoonists at the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine in Paris five years ago.
The 2015 attack on the Charlie Hebdo offices led to an international wave of support.
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The attack on the weekly -- with its long history of mocking Islam and other religions -- was the first in a series of assaults that have claimed more than 250 lives since January 7, 2015, mostly at the hands of young French-born jihadists.
It sent shockwaves through France, exposing divisions in the multicultural modern Republic and sparking an intense debate about Muslim integration and press freedom.
The Kouachi brothers who killed 12 people in their strike on Charlie Hebdo claimed to be avenging the magazine's publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed deemed offensive by many Muslims.
"We avenged the Prophet Mohammed. We killed Charlie Hebdo!", they shouted triumphantly as they ran through the streets.
Within three days, the death toll in the rampage of the al-Qaeda-affiliated siblings and accomplice Amedy Coulibaly had risen to 17, including four people at a kosher supermarket and three police officers.
'I am Charlie'
The Kouachis failed in their bid to "kill" Charlie Hebdo; despite losing its top talent the magazine remained afloat thanks to an outpouring of solidarity.
"I wanted the paper to continue to exist. For me it couldn't just stop like that because of what happened," said Pierrick Juin, a cartoonist who joined the magazine just months after the attack.
03:36
This week the magazine published a defiant anniversary issue remembering the attack and also denouncing what it said was a new kind of politically correct censorship by those who "believe themselves to be the kings of the world behind their keyboard and smartphone."
But the attacks did expose deep divisions in France: even a nationwide minute of silence observed by four million people under the slogan "Je suis Charlie" (I am Charlie) could not project a nation united in mourning.
Students at around 200 schools, many of them in neighbourhoods with big immigrant populations, boycotted the tribute, accusing Charlie Hebdo of Muslim-baiting.
Then prime minister Manuel Valls drew widespread criticism by linking the rise of extremism to France's "geographical, social and ethnic apartheid".
President Emmanuel Macron reprised the theme during his 2017 election campaign.
But despite his talk of ending the "house arrest" of young people trapped in high-rise suburban housing projects, the breeding grounds of several of the jihadists who have attacked France since 2015, their conditions remain largely unchanged.
A major Odoxa survey in November showed a majority of residents in housing projects still feeling abandoned by the state and discriminated against by employers.
'Loss of innocence'
The three days of attacks in January 2015 culminated in a deadly hostage-taking by Coulibaly at the Jewish supermarket, confirming fears that French Jews had become a top target for homegrown Islamist radicals.
Coming three years after an Islamist gunman shot dead a teacher and three children at a Jewish school in Toulouse, the attack compounded the feeling that "everywhere, at any time, we were a target," France's chief rabbi Haim Korsia told AFP.
For Korsia it marked "a sort of loss of innocence" in the 500,000-strong French Jewish community, Europe's largest, which had until then seen the biggest threat as being from the far right.
Jewish emigration to Israel hit a peak in 2014-15, years which also saw an exodus from the multi-ethnic French suburbs where Jews of north African origin had lived alongside Muslims for decades.
As the year wore on the attacks grew broader in scope, randomly targeting French people in November 2015, when Islamic State bombers and gunmen slaughtered 130 people in Paris.
But although departures for Israel have since declined, anti-Semitism is still on the rise, as the desecration of more than 100 graves at a Jewish cemetery in Alsace showed last month.
Soldiers in the streets
In the aftermath of the January 2015 attacks, then president Francois Hollande sent troops into the streets to guard vulnerable sites and patrol tourist hotspots.
Over the past five years, troops from the Sentinelle anti-terrorism operation have become part of the landscape in French cities.
The military presence was stepped up after the bloodshed of November 2015 and remains at a high level, with around 10,000 troops deployed.
France remains on its second-highest alert level, with sporadic attacks by individuals accused of having become radicalised continuing to claim lives.
In the latest deadly incident, a 22-year-old convert to Islam with psychological problems went on a stabbing rampage in a park near Paris on January 3, killing one man and injuring two women.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-01-07--Nine million American pensioners forced to work into old age

Nine million American pensioners forced to work into old age As strikes continue in France over pension reform , we @ @ @ @ @ the United States .
US pensions are based on a public pay-as-you-go system , which @ @ @ @ @ level and is much less generous than in France .
But only 26 percent of @ @ @ @ @ pension plan .
This means that many of them have to put money aside , @ @ @ @ @ forced to keep working beyond the legal retirement age of 65 to make ends meet @ @ @ @ @ .

Nine million American pensioners forced to work into old age
05:59 FOCUS FRANCE 24
As strikes continue in France over pension reform, we focus on the situation in the United States. US pensions are based on a public pay-as-you-go system, which is managed at the federal level and is much less generous than in France. But only 26 percent of Americans have a complementary private pension plan. This means that many of them have to put money aside, and an increasing number are forced to keep working beyond the legal retirement age of 65 to make ends meet. Our Washington correspondents report.


france24--2020-01-07--Iran drops espionage charges for jailed French acadamic

A specialist in Shia Islam , researcher Fariba Adelkhah is being held by Iranian authorities .
Iran has dropped espionage charges brought against French-Iranian academic Fariba Adelkhah , who has been detained in the Islamic republic since June last year , her lawyer said on Tuesday .
`` The espionage charge has been dropped '' for Sciences Po University academic Adelkhah , lawyer Said Dehghan told AFP .
She still faces three other charges .
Iran has accused France of `` interference '' in the case of the Iranian-French academic , saying she is considered an Iranian national .
France @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protest the imprisonment of Adelkhah and another academic , Roland Marchal of France , saying their detention was `` intolerable '' .
Their imprisonment has added to distrust between Tehran and Paris at a time when French President Emmanuel Macron is seeking to play a leading role in defusing tensions between Iran and its arch-foe the United States .
Iran does not recognise dual nationality and has repeatedly rebuffed calls from foreign governments for consular access to those it has detained during legal proceedings .
A specialist in Shiite Islam and a research @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Adelkhah 's arrest for suspected `` espionage '' was confirmed in July .
Her colleague Marchal was arrested while visiting Adelkhah , according to his lawyer .
The university and supporters said last week that Adelkhah and another detained academic , Australian Kylie Moore-Gilbert , had started an indefinite hunger strike just before Christmas .
Tehran is still holding several other foreign nationals in high profile cases , including British-Iranian mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Iranian-American businessman Siamak Namazi and his father Mohammad Bagher Namazi .

Iran has dropped espionage charges brought against French-Iranian academic Fariba Adelkhah, who has been detained in the Islamic republic since June last year, her lawyer said on Tuesday.
A specialist in Shia Islam, researcher Fariba Adelkhah is being held by Iranian authorities.
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"The espionage charge has been dropped" for Sciences Po University academic Adelkhah, lawyer Said Dehghan told AFP. She still faces three other charges.
Iran has accused France of "interference" in the case of the Iranian-French academic, saying she is considered an Iranian national.
France had previously summoned Iran's ambassador to protest the imprisonment of Adelkhah and another academic, Roland Marchal of France, saying their detention was "intolerable".
Their imprisonment has added to distrust between Tehran and Paris at a time when French President Emmanuel Macron is seeking to play a leading role in defusing tensions between Iran and its arch-foe the United States.
Iran does not recognise dual nationality and has repeatedly rebuffed calls from foreign governments for consular access to those it has detained during legal proceedings.
A specialist in Shiite Islam and a research director at Sciences Po University in Paris, Adelkhah's arrest for suspected "espionage" was confirmed in July.
Her colleague Marchal was arrested while visiting Adelkhah, according to his lawyer.
The university and supporters said last week that Adelkhah and another detained academic, Australian Kylie Moore-Gilbert, had started an indefinite hunger strike just before Christmas.
Tehran is still holding several other foreign nationals in high profile cases, including British-Iranian mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Iranian-American businessman Siamak Namazi and his father Mohammad Bagher Namazi.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
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france24--2020-01-07--Harvey Weinstein hit with new sex crime charges as criminal trial under-way

Harvey Weinstein was hit with new sex crimes charges in Los Angeles on Monday just as his high-profile trial in a separate case opened in New York , kicking off proceedings key to the # MeToo movement .
The case in California stems from a two-year investigation into allegations from several women that the disgraced Hollywood mogul assaulted them in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills .
Weinstein has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and his attorney could not immediately be reached for comment .
According to the charge sheet , Weinstein allegedly went to a Los Angeles area hotel on February 18 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pushing his way into her room .
The woman alleges she did not immediately disclose the assault as Weinstein threatened her life if she did so .
The next day , he allegedly assaulted a woman at a hotel suite in Beverly Hills after she unwittingly followed him into the bathroom .
Neither woman has been identified .
`` We believe the evidence will show that the defendant used his power and influence to gain access to his victims and then commit violent crimes against them , '' Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I want to commend the victims who have come forward and bravely recounted what happened to them , '' she added .
`` It is my hope that all victims of sexual violence find strength and healing as they move forward . ''
Earlier Monday , Weinstein entered the New York state courthouse looking frail in a dark suit and using a walker , more than two years after a slew of allegations against him triggered a global reckoning over sexual assault in the workplace , leading to the downfall of dozens of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rose McGowan and Rosanna Arquette , two of Weinstein 's most prominent accusers , gathered outside the Manhattan court wielding signs with slogans like `` Justice for survivors . ''
`` Time 's up on sexual harassment in all workplaces , '' Arquette said .
`` Time 's up on empty apologies without consequences .
And time 's up on the pervasive culture of silence that has enabled abusers like Weinstein . ''
The first day in court was largely technical and lasted just over an hour , with Justice James Burke rejecting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sequestered .
Burke said pre-screening would begin Tuesday and proper jury selection could be delayed until January 14 with proceedings expected to last six to eight weeks .
Weinstein did not speak during the hearing or to reporters outside and is unlikely to testify .
The co-founder of Miramax Films faces life in prison if convicted of his crimes in New York and 28 years if convicted in Los Angeles .
He is also the subject of criminal investigations in several other countries , including Britain , France and Italy .
Almost 90 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Paltrow , have accused the 67-year-old of sexual misconduct since The New York Times detailed claims against him in October 2017 .
But Weinstein is being tried in New York on charges related to just two women , highlighting the difficulty of building cases around years-old incidents .
Former production assistant Mimi Haleyi alleges that the `` Pulp Fiction '' producer forcibly performed oral sex on her in his New York apartment in July 2006 .
The second alleged victim is anonymous .
She says Weinstein raped her in a New York hotel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sopranos '' actress Annabella Sciorra will also give evidence as the prosecution seeks to convince the jury of a pattern of predatory sexual behavior .
Almost all the men targeted in the deluge of # MeToo allegations , be it in entertainment or business , have escaped prosecution .
The only other trial on the horizon is that of R & B singer R. Kelly , charged last year with several assaults on young women , but allegations of sexual impropriety have dogged him for years .
American comedian Bill Cosby was sentenced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in September 2018 , but those proceedings started two years before the Weinstein allegations .
On Monday , Sarah Ann Masse , an actress who says Weinstein sexually assaulted her when she interviewed for a job as a nanny in 2008 , voiced support for those testifying , sending them `` so much strength and courage . ''
`` The man has spent 30-plus years assaulting over 100 women -- it 's incredibly clear what happened , '' she told AFP .
Weinstein has always maintained his sexual relationships were consensual and his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allegations of the two New York accusers .
They have produced emails and text messages which they say show Weinstein and his alleged victims remained in friendly contact for months after the alleged events .
In a weekend interview with CNN , Weinstein suggested he may be able to rebuild his career if acquitted .
`` If I can get back to doing something good and building places that help heal and comfort others , I intend to do so , '' he wrote .
Masse voiced hope for a far different outcome @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to jail for the rest of his life . ''

Harvey Weinstein was hit with new sex crimes charges in Los Angeles on Monday just as his high-profile trial in a separate case opened in New York, kicking off proceedings key to the #MeToo movement.
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The case in California stems from a two-year investigation into allegations from several women that the disgraced Hollywood mogul assaulted them in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills.
Weinstein has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and his attorney could not immediately be reached for comment.
According to the charge sheet, Weinstein allegedly went to a Los Angeles area hotel on February 18, 2013 and raped a woman after pushing his way into her room. The woman alleges she did not immediately disclose the assault as Weinstein threatened her life if she did so.
The next day, he allegedly assaulted a woman at a hotel suite in Beverly Hills after she unwittingly followed him into the bathroom.
Neither woman has been identified.
"We believe the evidence will show that the defendant used his power and influence to gain access to his victims and then commit violent crimes against them," Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey said in a statement.
"I want to commend the victims who have come forward and bravely recounted what happened to them," she added. "It is my hope that all victims of sexual violence find strength and healing as they move forward."
'Time's up'
Earlier Monday, Weinstein entered the New York state courthouse looking frail in a dark suit and using a walker, more than two years after a slew of allegations against him triggered a global reckoning over sexual assault in the workplace, leading to the downfall of dozens of powerful men.
Demonstrators anchored by actresses Rose McGowan and Rosanna Arquette, two of Weinstein's most prominent accusers, gathered outside the Manhattan court wielding signs with slogans like "Justice for survivors."
"Time's up on sexual harassment in all workplaces," Arquette said. "Time's up on empty apologies without consequences. And time's up on the pervasive culture of silence that has enabled abusers like Weinstein."
The first day in court was largely technical and lasted just over an hour, with Justice James Burke rejecting a defense request that the jury be sequestered.
Burke said pre-screening would begin Tuesday and proper jury selection could be delayed until January 14 with proceedings expected to last six to eight weeks.
Weinstein did not speak during the hearing or to reporters outside and is unlikely to testify.
Watershed moment?
The co-founder of Miramax Films faces life in prison if convicted of his crimes in New York and 28 years if convicted in Los Angeles.
He is also the subject of criminal investigations in several other countries, including Britain, France and Italy.
Almost 90 women, including Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow, have accused the 67-year-old of sexual misconduct since The New York Times detailed claims against him in October 2017.
But Weinstein is being tried in New York on charges related to just two women, highlighting the difficulty of building cases around years-old incidents.
Former production assistant Mimi Haleyi alleges that the "Pulp Fiction" producer forcibly performed oral sex on her in his New York apartment in July 2006.
The second alleged victim is anonymous. She says Weinstein raped her in a New York hotel room in March 2013.
"The Sopranos" actress Annabella Sciorra will also give evidence as the prosecution seeks to convince the jury of a pattern of predatory sexual behavior.
A Weinstein conviction would signal a watershed moment.
Almost all the men targeted in the deluge of #MeToo allegations, be it in entertainment or business, have escaped prosecution.
The only other trial on the horizon is that of R&B singer R. Kelly, charged last year with several assaults on young women, but allegations of sexual impropriety have dogged him for years.
American comedian Bill Cosby was sentenced to at least three years in prison in September 2018, but those proceedings started two years before the Weinstein allegations.
'Strength and courage'
On Monday, Sarah Ann Masse, an actress who says Weinstein sexually assaulted her when she interviewed for a job as a nanny in 2008, voiced support for those testifying, sending them "so much strength and courage."
"The man has spent 30-plus years assaulting over 100 women -- it's incredibly clear what happened," she told AFP.
Weinstein has always maintained his sexual relationships were consensual and his defense team has sought to undermine the allegations of the two New York accusers.
They have produced emails and text messages which they say show Weinstein and his alleged victims remained in friendly contact for months after the alleged events.
In a weekend interview with CNN, Weinstein suggested he may be able to rebuild his career if acquitted.
"If I can get back to doing something good and building places that help heal and comfort others, I intend to do so," he wrote.
Masse voiced hope for a far different outcome: "I am hoping he goes to jail for the rest of his life."
(AFP)
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france24--2020-01-07--Spain’s Sanchez faces narrow vote to confirm left-wing government

Spain 's caretaker prime minister lost a first confidence vote on Sunday after failing to win backing from an absolute majority in the 350-seat parliament .
Spain 's parliament will vote Tuesday on whether to confirm Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez as prime minister at the helm of a left-wing coalition government .
Sanchez , who has stayed on as a caretaker premier since inconclusive elections last year , is seeking to be reappointed for another term .
He wants to form a minority coalition government with hard-left party Podemos this time around .
On Sunday Sanchez lost a first confidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an absolute majority in the 350-seat parliament .
He now faces a second vote on Tuesday when he needs just a simple majority – more yes votes than no – to remain prime minister .
While the political math works in his favour after the Socialists struck a deal last week with the 13 lawmakers from Catalan separatist party ERC to abstain , the numbers still look tight .
At the latest count Sanchez , 47 , could win on Tuesday by a margin of just two votes after the sole lawmaker from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ranks at the weekend to say she would vote against him instead of abstaining .
Spain , the eurozone 's fourth-largest economy , has been in political gridlock without a proper government for most of the past year after two inconclusive elections in April and November .
Sanchez 's Socialists won a repeat November 10 poll but were weakened , taking 120 seats – three fewer than in April – in an election which saw upstart far-right party Vox surge into third place .
> > Challenge to Catalonia : Spain ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sanchez quickly struck a deal with Podemos to form what would be the first post-dictatorship coalition government in Spain , despite having previously said that a coalition with the far-left party would keep him up at night .
The two parties are pledging to lift the minimum wage , raise taxes on high earners and large businesses , and repeal elements of Spain 's controversial 2012 labour market reforms that made it easier to fire workers – measures which have alarmed business leaders who warn they will hurt job creation .
With the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seats still falling short of a majority , Sanchez has also secured the support or abstention of several smaller regional parties including the ERC which could let him squeak by in Tuesday 's second confidence vote .
As part of the deal with the ERC , Sanchez has agreed that the national government should hold talks with Catalonia 's separatist regional government to resolve the `` political conflict '' over the future of the wealthy northeastern region .
The political situation in Catalonia remains in flux following a 2017 independence referendum which Madrid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the best antidote against this coalition of the apocalypse , '' Sanchez said Sunday in a reference to Spain 's conservative parties – the Popular Party ( PP ) , Ciudadanos and Vox – who accuse him of putting national unity at risk with his deal with Catalan separatists .
PP leader Pablo Casado accused Sanchez of forming a `` Frankenstein government '' made up of `` communists '' and `` separatists '' who `` want to put an end to Spain '' , and warned that what the government the Socialist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ govern and not last the full four years .
Sanchez came to power in June 2018 , also at the helm of a minority government , after ousting his scandal-ridden PP predecessor Mariano Rajoy in a no-confidence vote .
But the Socialist leader was forced to throw in the towel after less than a year when Catalan separatists including the ERC refused to back his draft budget .
`` The new government would be a minority government , the Catalan tensions could flare up again ... and the fiscal situation makes it difficult @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he added .

Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez narrowly won parliamentary backing on Tuesday for Spain’s first coalition government in decades, ending a long political stalemate but leaving him reliant on a fragile patchwork of alliances to pass laws.
Spain's caretaker prime minister lost a first confidence vote on Sunday after failing to win backing from an absolute majority in the 350-seat parliament.
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After nearly a year of caretaker governments, Sanchez won the simple majority he needed by two votes thanks to the support of lawmakers from smaller regional parties.
He and coalition ally Pablo Iglesias, the leader of left-wing Unidas Podemos, now want to roll back some of the labour reforms passed by a previous conservative government and push for tax increases on high-income earners and companies.
But the two parties between them hold just 155 of the 350 seats in a deeply fragmented parliament, where antagonism between left and right was further inflamed by a deal the Socialists struck with Catalan nationalists to get the coalition voted through.
“I trust that we can overcome the atmosphere of irritation and tension and that we can recover a space for consensus and for agreement,” Sanchez told parliament prior to the vote.
The session was interrupted by shouts and insults, with politicians from the right accusing Sanchez of betraying Spain over Catalonia, whose independence drive has triggered a political crisis.
In the run-up to the vote, politicians also accused each other of pressuring lawmakers, in particular from small regional parties that said they would back Sanchez, to change their minds.
Tensions
But in the end, the vote to install Spain’s first coalition government since its return to democracy in the late 1970s passed off as expected.
Sanchez won the backing of 167 of the 350 legislators, while 165 voted against.
The remaining 18 abstained, including the lawmakers of Catalan separatist party Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC), after Sanchez agreed to hold a dialogue over the future of Catalonia and submit its conclusions to voters in the region.
Mainstream right-wing parties have steadfastly refused to hold any such talks on the future of Catalonia, where a botched independence declaration in 2017 led to the jailing of separatist leaders, galvanising an at times violent protest movement.
The rise of new parties in Spain over the past five years has ended decades of dominance by the Socialists and conservative People’s Party over Spanish politics, making the process of forming governments and keeping them in power far harder.
The Socialists came first in two inconclusive national elections in 2019, and Sanchez has led a caretaker government that had little margin to push through policies. The minority government he previously headed was forced to throw in the towel after less than a year when Catalan separatists withdrew their support.
Portfolios in his new government have yet to be officially announced but will include Iglesias and Sanchez’s economy minister Nadia Calvino as vice-presidents.
How the Socialists and Podemos will work together also remains an open question, as the parties were at odds for much of 2019.
“The hard part starts tomorrow,” said Aitor Esteban, a lawmaker and spokesman for the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), who voted for Sanchez.
(REUTERS)
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france24--2020-01-07--Venezuela opposition leader Guaido vows to lead parliament despite having been blocked from building

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido , who many nations have recognised as the country 's rightful interim ruler speaks next to Venezuela 's National Assembly first Vice President Juan Pablo Guanipa and second Vice President Carlos Berrizbeitia during a news conference in Caracas , Venezuela January 6 , 2020 .
Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido on Monday branded a rival claimant to the post of speaker of the National Assembly an `` accomplice of the dictatorship '' of President Nicolas Maduro amid a deepening political impasse .
Police prevented Guaido from entering the National Assembly he heads on Sunday and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , declared himself parliament speaker in his absence , setting the stage for the latest confrontation in crisis-wracked Venezuela .
Guaido later held a separate parliamentary session at the offices of an opposition-leaning newspaper in which he was re-elected president of the National Assembly .
It was as National Assembly president that Guaido proclaimed himself acting president of Venezuela nearly a year ago , launching a direct challenge to Maduro .
Guaido said he would lead a parliamentary session in the National Assembly on Tuesday , despite having been denied access to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as `` an accomplice to the dictatorship . ''
Parra , a former Guaido ally who was kicked out of his opposition party last month after being accused of graft , dismissed Sunday 's events outside parliament as `` a show . ''
He said Guaido knew he `` did n't have enough votes '' to be re-elected and so fabricated the story of his being denied entry to the National Assembly .
`` He preferred to stay outside , ( and ) take the path of a show , '' said Parra @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be welcome in parliament but as just `` another deputy . ''
Video and photographic images , however , showed Guaido trying to climb over a metal railing to gain access to the National Assembly compound only to be pushed back by police with riot shields .
The United States , as well as the European Union , Brazil , Colombia and the Lima Group -- a dozen Latin American countries and Canada -- congratulated Guaido on his re-election .
`` Told him estamos con usted ( we are with you ) and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people of Venezuela until your # libertad is restored ! ''
US Vice President Mike Pence tweeted , saying he 'd spoken to Guaido on the phone .
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed `` concern '' over Parra 's self-proclaimed victory , an act that the Organization of American States ( OAS ) denounced as `` null and void and devoid of any legal value . ''
Sunday 's events left Venezuelan politics in a state of confusion once again .
A year ago , Guaido declared himself acting president after parliament @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his controversial 2018 re-election in a poll widely denounced as fraudulent .
That left Venezuela with two presidents .
Maduro holds actual presidential power but Guaido 's claim to the presidency is recognized by more than 50 countries , including the United States and many European nations .
Now the country also has two claimants for the leadership of the National Assembly , the only government branch in opposition hands .
Parra 's support mainly comes from deputies loyal to Maduro while the opposition holds 112 of the 167 seats in the assembly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had the support of enough deputies to be elected president of the legislature .
Prior to Sunday 's vote , Guaido charged that the Maduro regime bribed some opposition deputies to vote against him .
It remains to be seen who will take the top seat in parliament on Tuesday , but Parra held his press conference there on Monday while Guaido held his in a private conference hall in the east of Caracas .
On Sunday , Guaido said 100 of the National Assembly 's 167 deputies had voted for him while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 81 of those lawmakers .
Guaido vowed to `` enforce '' the constitution in his dual role as parliament speaker and acting president .
In a televised address on Sunday , President Maduro gave his backing to Parra as the new speaker , adding that `` Guaido was kicked out of the National Assembly by the votes of his own opposition . ''
But left-wing allies Argentina and Uruguay joined the chorus of voices denouncing Maduro and the treatment of lawmakers that were blocked from entering parliament .
Police claiming to be carrying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around a dozen other lawmakers from entering the National Assembly , while allowing in deputies from Maduro 's party and opposition lawmakers who had broken with Guaido .
The National Assembly has been effectively sidelined since 2017 , when the Supreme Court , made up of Maduro loyalists , declared it in contempt .
The court has since annulled its every decision .
Maduro then controversially set up a Constituent Assembly -- also made up exclusively of loyalists -- with power to legislate in its place .

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido on Monday branded a rival claimant to the post of speaker of the National Assembly an "accomplice of the dictatorship" of President Nicolas Maduro amid a deepening political impasse.
Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who many nations have recognised as the country's rightful interim ruler speaks next to Venezuela's National Assembly first Vice President Juan Pablo Guanipa and second Vice President Carlos Berrizbeitia during a news conference in Caracas, Venezuela January 6, 2020.
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Police prevented Guaido from entering the National Assembly he heads on Sunday and a corruption-tainted opposition lawmaker, Luis Parra, declared himself parliament speaker in his absence, setting the stage for the latest confrontation in crisis-wracked Venezuela.
Guaido later held a separate parliamentary session at the offices of an opposition-leaning newspaper in which he was re-elected president of the National Assembly.
It was as National Assembly president that Guaido proclaimed himself acting president of Venezuela nearly a year ago, launching a direct challenge to Maduro.
Guaido said he would lead a parliamentary session in the National Assembly on Tuesday, despite having been denied access to the building on Sunday.
He repudiated Parra as "an accomplice to the dictatorship."
Parra, a former Guaido ally who was kicked out of his opposition party last month after being accused of graft, dismissed Sunday's events outside parliament as "a show."
He said Guaido knew he "didn't have enough votes" to be re-elected and so fabricated the story of his being denied entry to the National Assembly.
"He preferred to stay outside, (and) take the path of a show," said Parra, who added that Guaido would still be welcome in parliament but as just "another deputy."
Video and photographic images, however, showed Guaido trying to climb over a metal railing to gain access to the National Assembly compound only to be pushed back by police with riot shields.
The United States, as well as the European Union, Brazil, Colombia and the Lima Group -- a dozen Latin American countries and Canada -- congratulated Guaido on his re-election.
"Told him estamos con usted (we are with you) and we will stand with you and the people of Venezuela until your #libertad is restored!" US Vice President Mike Pence tweeted, saying he'd spoken to Guaido on the phone.
Spoke today with @jguaido and congratulated him on his re-election as Interim President of Venezuela. Told him estamos con ustedes and we will stand with you and the people of Venezuela until your #libertad is restored! — Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) January 6, 2020
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed "concern" over Parra's self-proclaimed victory, an act that the Organization of American States (OAS) denounced as "null and void and devoid of any legal value."
Political confusion
Sunday's events left Venezuelan politics in a state of confusion once again.
A year ago, Guaido declared himself acting president after parliament branded Maduro a "usurper" over his controversial 2018 re-election in a poll widely denounced as fraudulent.
That left Venezuela with two presidents.
Maduro holds actual presidential power but Guaido's claim to the presidency is recognized by more than 50 countries, including the United States and many European nations.
Now the country also has two claimants for the leadership of the National Assembly, the only government branch in opposition hands.
Parra's support mainly comes from deputies loyal to Maduro while the opposition holds 112 of the 167 seats in the assembly.
Both men claimed on Sunday they had the support of enough deputies to be elected president of the legislature.
Prior to Sunday's vote, Guaido charged that the Maduro regime bribed some opposition deputies to vote against him.
Two parliaments
It remains to be seen who will take the top seat in parliament on Tuesday, but Parra held his press conference there on Monday while Guaido held his in a private conference hall in the east of Caracas.
On Sunday, Guaido said 100 of the National Assembly's 167 deputies had voted for him while Parra claimed to have been backed by 81 of those lawmakers.
Guaido vowed to "enforce" the constitution in his dual role as parliament speaker and acting president.
In a televised address on Sunday, President Maduro gave his backing to Parra as the new speaker, adding that "Guaido was kicked out of the National Assembly by the votes of his own opposition."
But left-wing allies Argentina and Uruguay joined the chorus of voices denouncing Maduro and the treatment of lawmakers that were blocked from entering parliament.
Police claiming to be carrying out a security operation prevented Guaido and around a dozen other lawmakers from entering the National Assembly, while allowing in deputies from Maduro's party and opposition lawmakers who had broken with Guaido.
The National Assembly has been effectively sidelined since 2017, when the Supreme Court, made up of Maduro loyalists, declared it in contempt. The court has since annulled its every decision.
Maduro then controversially set up a Constituent Assembly -- also made up exclusively of loyalists -- with power to legislate in its place.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-01-06--'There is still a place for diplomacy', says France's Le Drian in wake of Soleimani killing

France ’ s foreign minister said Monday that Tehran must not retaliate over the killing of top general Qasem Soleimani in a US air strike , amid an escalating war of words between Iranian officials and President Donald Trump .
“ It is essential that Iran renounce any reprisals or retaliations , ” Jean-Yves Le Drian told BFM television , adding that “ there is still a place for diplomacy , fortunately.
” “ In all the talks I ’ ve held with other officials , no one wants a war , ” he added , while deploring “ bad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ dangerous escalation ” of tensions between Tehran and Washington .
Le Drian said any counterstrikes against the US would jeopardise the viability of the coalition fighting the Islamic State group threat in Iraq and Syria , which he said must remain the region ’ s priority .
He also urged Tehran to refrain from further steps to undo the 2015 accord curtailing its nuclear activities , ahead of an emergency meeting by EU foreign ministers on the Iran crisis this week .
Paris will decide “ in the coming days ” whether @ @ @ @ @ @ @ walking away from the deal , Le Drian said , after months of trying to uphold the deal despite Trump ’ s decision to abandon it .

France’s foreign minister said Monday that Tehran must not retaliate over the killing of top general Qasem Soleimani in a US air strike, amid an escalating war of words between Iranian officials and President Donald Trump.
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“It is essential that Iran renounce any reprisals or retaliations,” Jean-Yves Le Drian told BFM television, adding that “there is still a place for diplomacy, fortunately.”
“In all the talks I’ve held with other officials, no one wants a war,” he added, while deploring “bad choices on all sides” for the “dangerous escalation” of tensions between Tehran and Washington.
Le Drian said any counterstrikes against the US would jeopardise the viability of the coalition fighting the Islamic State group threat in Iraq and Syria, which he said must remain the region’s priority.
He also urged Tehran to refrain from further steps to undo the 2015 accord curtailing its nuclear activities, ahead of an emergency meeting by EU foreign ministers on the Iran crisis this week.
Paris will decide “in the coming days” whether it will renew sanctions against Iran for walking away from the deal, Le Drian said, after months of trying to uphold the deal despite Trump’s decision to abandon it.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-01-06--Forces loyal to Haftar enter Libyan city of Sirte

Libyan forces loyal to eastern-based commander Khalifa Haftar said on Monday they had entered Sirte and had taken control of large parts of the coastal city .
Capturing Sirte would be an important strategic gain for Haftar , who since April has been waging a military offensive on the capital , Tripoli , home to Libya ’ s internationally recognised Government of National Accord ( GNA ) .
Sirte lies in the centre of Libya ’ s Mediterranean coast , and has been controlled by GNA-aligned forces since they ejected Islamic State from the city with the help of U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s self-styled Libyan National Army ( LNA ) said they had taken areas surrounding Sirte including al-Qardabiya air base , before moving towards the city centre .
“ The army forces control all the districts surrounding the city of Sirte , and we are heading towards the heart of the city to complete its liberation , ” said Khaled al-Mahjoub , an LNA spokesman .
An LNA military source said forces from the city of Misrata had retreated .
Misrata led the campaign against Islamic State and is a key source of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resident in Sirte city centre told Reuters by phone : “ We can see convoys of LNA inside Sirte city ... they control large parts of the city now .
We also hear gunfire.
” There was no immediate comment from GNA forces .
The LNA advance comes as Turkey prepares to send military advisors and experts to Libya to help shore up the GNA , part of a trend of rising international involvement in Libya ’ s conflict .
Haftar ’ s LNA has received material and military support from countries including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Egypt , according U.N. experts and diplomats .
In recent weeks there has been an escalation of fighting , shelling and air strikes around Tripoli .
On Saturday evening a military college in the capital was hit , killing at least 30 people , a day after the only functioning airport in Tripoli faced its latest closure due to shelling and rocket fire .
Sirte , the birthplace of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi , was taken over by Islamic State in early 2015 , becoming the jihadist group ’ s most important @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city is just to the west of Libya ’ s oil crescent , a strip of coastline along which several key oil export terminals are located .
Haftar ’ s forces seized the oil ports in 2016 .

Libyan forces loyal to eastern-based commander Khalifa Haftar said on Monday they had entered Sirte and had taken control of large parts of the coastal city.
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Capturing Sirte would be an important strategic gain for Haftar, who since April has been waging a military offensive on the capital, Tripoli, home to Libya’s internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA).
Sirte lies in the centre of Libya’s Mediterranean coast, and has been controlled by GNA-aligned forces since they ejected Islamic State from the city with the help of U.S. air strikes in late 2016.
Haftar’s self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) said they had taken areas surrounding Sirte including al-Qardabiya air base, before moving towards the city centre.
“The army forces control all the districts surrounding the city of Sirte, and we are heading towards the heart of the city to complete its liberation,” said Khaled al-Mahjoub, an LNA spokesman.
An LNA military source said forces from the city of Misrata had retreated. Misrata led the campaign against Islamic State and is a key source of military power for the GNA.
A resident in Sirte city centre told Reuters by phone: “We can see convoys of LNA inside Sirte city ... they control large parts of the city now. We also hear gunfire.”
There was no immediate comment from GNA forces.
Turkey sending military advisors
The LNA advance comes as Turkey prepares to send military advisors and experts to Libya to help shore up the GNA, part of a trend of rising international involvement in Libya’s conflict.
Haftar’s LNA has received material and military support from countries including the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Egypt, according U.N. experts and diplomats.
In recent weeks there has been an escalation of fighting, shelling and air strikes around Tripoli. On Saturday evening a military college in the capital was hit, killing at least 30 people, a day after the only functioning airport in Tripoli faced its latest closure due to shelling and rocket fire.
Sirte, the birthplace of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, was taken over by Islamic State in early 2015, becoming the jihadist group’s most important base outside the Middle East.
The city is just to the west of Libya’s oil crescent, a strip of coastline along which several key oil export terminals are located. Haftar’s forces seized the oil ports in 2016.
(REUTERS)
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