Month: October 2018

President Tayyip Erdogan opened a new $11.7 billion airport outside Istanbul on Monday that officials say will be one of the world’s busiest, though delays mean it will not be fully operational until January.

The airport will be able to handle 90 million passengers a year, and can be expanded to accommodate as many as 200 million, Erdogan said.

For the first two months, however, it will be used for just a few flights within Turkey and to Azerbaijan and northern Cyprus — a setback for authorities hailing it as a centrepiece of the construction boom that has driven breakneck economic growth under Erdogan’s 15-year-old rule.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Erdogan said the hub would be called “Istanbul Airport,” and that it would further Turkey’s role in the integration of global economies.

“With the operation of Istanbul Airport, European air space will have to be restructured,” he said, adding that he expected it to be used for a large number of intercontinental flights.

The airport has been dogged by criticism over working conditions and safety standards. In February, the labor ministry said 27 workers had died since construction started in 2015, and last month police detained hundreds of protesting workers.

Former transport minister Ahmet Arslan originally said that all flights to and from Istanbu’s Ataturk Airport — one of Europe’s five busiest — would transfer to the new airport within 48 hours of Monday’s opening.

But the flagship carrier, Turkish Airlines, now says only some flights to Ankara, Izmir and Antalya, as well as international flights to northern Cyprus and Azerbaijan, will be using the new airport for now. Its other routes will remain at Ataturk for the rest of this year.

Ataturk Airport will be closed to commercial flights once operations move the new airport but it will retain its airport status and be used for aviation fairs, Erdogan said, adding the unused land would be turned into a park.

Istanbul is a major hub for transit flights, attracting lucrative transfer traffic this year from major airports in the Gulf as Turkey recovers from security worries, according to the travel data analysis company Forward Keys.

 
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The World Health Organization says air pollution kills hundreds of thousands of children every year and puts the physical health and neurological development of hundreds of millions of other youngsters at serious risk. The WHO is issuing a report titled “Air pollution and child health: Prescribing clean air” on the eve of the U.N. agency’s first-ever Global Conference on Air pollution and Health.

The World Health Organization reports more than 90 percent, or nearly 2 billion children under the age of 15, breathe toxic air every day. The WHO says debilitating problems associated with air pollution begin at conception and continue until adolescence.  

The report notes pregnant women exposed to polluted air are likely to give birth prematurely and have low-weight babies. A WHO scientist and expert on air pollution, Marie Noel Brune Drisse, warns that many babies will have neurodevelopment problems, resulting in lower IQs. 

“The fact is that air pollution is stunting our brains, even before we are born,” said Drisse. “The fact that it is leading to diseases that we may not be able to see immediately but look at much later in life like adult diseases. Our lung function and our respiratory systems are being altered during our development.” 

Drisse says this can lead to chronic respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, as well as certain types of cancers later in life. In 2016, the report estimated that 600,000 children died from acute lower respiratory infections caused by polluted air. It said the heaviest toll is paid by children in low- and middle-income countries. The report found that the highest death rates among children between the ages of 5 and 14 from both ambient and household air pollution occur in the African region.

The report says switching to clean cooking and heating fuels and technologies could save the lives of many children. It says other measures for reducing the toxic impact of air pollution include moving away from fossil fuels.

The report recommends the use of cleaner, renewable energy sources, less dependence on private cars in favor of public transportation, and better waste management systems. WHO officials say the benefits from implementing such measures will be felt almost immediately.
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For the second time in a month, voters in a regional election in Germany have rebuffed Chancellor Angela Merkel’s governing coalition, further confirming that the political landscape in the country is transforming rapidly.Merkel has announced she will not seek reelection as chair of her party and said her current term as chancellor will be her last.

Voters in a regional election in the prosperous state of Hesse deserted in droves both Merkel’s Christian Democrats and the junior partner in her Berlin government, the Social Democrats (SPD).

Coming on the heels of an electoral setback for the governing coalition in Bavaria earlier this month, the trouncing in Hesse, which saw the Greens the biggest beneficiary, prompted questions about whether this defeat will ultimately spell the end of Angela Merkel. “Of course, we in the Christian Democrats are not happy. We need a new work culture in the governing coalition and a regeneration of the Christian Democrats,” said Annegret Kamp-Karrenbauer, the CDU’s secretary-general.

Pressure from within the Christian Democratic Party, CDU, was already mounting on Merkel before Sunday with internal critics saying at the very least she should not stand for reelection as the leader of the CDU in party elections scheduled for December. On Monday, Merkel acceded, confirming she will not seek reelection in December although she would stay on as chancellor until her current term ends in 2021.”I will not be seeking any political post after my term ends,” she said.

Merkel, 64, has led her party for 18 years and served five terms as Germany’s chancellor since 2005.

While Merkel’s CDU emerged as the leading vote-getter in Hesse, a state the party has dominated for two decades, it was expected to secure just 27 percent of the vote — more than 10 percent less than in an election five years ago. According to exit polls and projections from the provisional stages of the count, the Social Democrats are expected to lose as much as 11 percent from their previous total, and secure around 20 percent of the vote.

Sunday’s election is adding to the picture of a fragmentation of German politics, testimony to the continued resonance of the 2015 migration crisis. It confirms the country’s once traditional parties are in decline and are seen by a swathe of the electorate as no longer representing them adequately. In Hesse, the Greens’ share of the vote jumped from 8 percent to 20 percent; and the far-right Alternative for Germany, AfD, appeared to be on track to garner a 12 percent share.

The Hesse vote is demonstrating how Germany has become “politically adrift and fragmented with its political center, commonly known as Volksparteien, imploding,” said Frederick Kempe, president of the Atlantic Council, the Washington-based think tank. On the eve of the count he said the Hesse vote “could be the final blow for Merkel, who has been Europe’s glue and most influential leader for more than a decade.”

Known by some as the “Iron Lady” of German politics, Merkel is increasingly beleaguered and even her most faithful supporters are not convinced she will be able to see out her full electoral term due to end in 2021.  

Since the CDU’s poor performance in last year’s national parliamentary elections, Merkel has been beset by one crisis after another. Last month she lost her key parliamentary henchman, Volker Kauder when he was ousted by disgruntled coalition lawmakers. Merkel’s grand coalition has come close to collapse this year over migration issues and a scandal involving the country’s spy chief.

Sunday’s election is likely to have far-reaching consequences by adding further pressure on all the partners in Merkel’s national government to assess the viability of a coalition that is doing none of them any electoral good.

One third of SPD members were against joining Merkel’s coalition in the first place after last year’s federal elections.

“The state of the governing coalition is not acceptable,” SPD leader Andrea Nahles said to party members Sunday after the results were announced.

The problem for the traditional parties is how to halt the electoral fragmentation as the center ground of German politics erodes. As Germany’s old political guard cracks, it is compounding Merkel’s immediate problem of keeping intact her fragile coalition government, formed in March after four months of testy negotiations.

“Where there are losses, there have to be consequences,” said Helge Braun, Merkel’s chief of staff, told the German public broadcaster ARD. But he did not elaborate on the repercussions.

The electoral setback for the governing coalition in Hesse is all the more remarkable considering the state’s prosperity. Voters leaving polling stations expressed deep dissatisfaction with the condition of Merkel’s national coalition and complained about the constant infighting.

On Sunday, Hesse’s conservative governor, Volker Bouffier, told supporters, “The message this evening to the parties in the government in Berlin is clear: people want less argument, more objectivity, more solutions.”

The Hesse vote confirms the Greens’ growing electoral appeal. The party leader in the state, Tarek Al-Wazir, whose parents are Yemeni, said before the vote that anyone who wanted to send a message of rejection to the far-right AfD they “could do no worse than vote for a party led by someone like me.”

The Greens came second in the Bavaria election earlier this month.
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Pope Francis has strongly condemned the attack on a synagogue in Pittsburgh after celebrating the closing mass of the Synod of Bishops on Youth in Saint Peter’s Basilica.

After reciting the Angelus prayer in Saint Peter’s Square on Sunday, Pope Francis led prayers for Pittsburgh, the day after what he describedas the “terrible” massacre inside a synagogue during Sabbath services in which 11 people were killed and six others injured. 

The pope expressed what he called his closeness to the city of Pittsburgh, and in particular to the Jewish community stricken yesterday by a terrible attack on the synagogue.  

He said everyone is in reality wounded by this inhumane act of violence and asked God to help put out the hotbeds of hate that flare up in society and to help strengthen a sense of humanity, respect for life, moral and civil values.”

Earlier, several thousand people, including hundreds of priests, nuns, and young people took part in the final ceremony of a month-long synod titled “Young People, Faith and Discernment of Vocation”.

In his homily, Pope Francis asked young people to forgive adults if they have not listened to youth or opened their hearts.

The pope also said young people could not wash their hands of the problems of their neighbors, but should “dirty” them if they really want to imitate Jesus.

Pope Francis attended every session of the synod, which were held on a daily basis during October.

A 60-page final document was issued at the end of the synod late Saturday and will be used by Pope Francis in writing his Apostolic Exhortation.  

Women played an active role in this synod and although they did not vote the final text called on women to have greater recognition and say in the Church’s decision-making processes.  But the document stopped short of making a common apology for decades of clerical sexual abuse and cover-ups.   

 
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The helicopter of a British soccer club owner has crashed outside a stadium moments after taking off.

Police have not confirmed if Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, owner of Leicester City of Britain’s Premier League, was on board when the aircraft went down in the parking lot near King Power Stadium after a Saturday night match.

Video footage from the scene showed balls of flames engulfing the wreckage.

“Leicestershire Police, East Midlands Ambulance Service and Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service all responded to the incident last night and enquiries continue at the scene today [Sunday 28 October], led by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch [AAIB]. These enquiries are expected to continue over the coming days,” said a local police statement.

British media reports have said the 60-year-old Thai owner and a group of others had boarded the helicopter.

The Leicester City soccer club said it was assisting police with a “major incident.”

Leicester is about 143 kilometers north of London.

 
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Pope Francis is grieving with Pittsburgh’s Jewish community following the massacre at a synagogue there, denouncing the “inhuman act of violence” and praying for an end to the “flames of hatred” that fueled it.

Francis led prayers for Pittsburgh on Sunday in St. Peter’s Square, a day after a gunman who had expressed hatred of Jews opened fire in the synagogue during Sabbath services, killing 11 people.

Francis prayed for the dead, the injured and their families. He says “all of us are wounded by this inhuman act of violence.” He prayed for God “to help us to extinguish the flames of hatred that develop in our societies.”

Francis has frequently spoken out against religiously inspired violence and has denounced the easy availability of guns, calling arms manufacturers the “merchants of death.”
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A synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh on Saturday, which left 11 people dead, is “likely the deadliest” such attack in US history, an American civil rights group said.

Here is a list of major attacks on synagogues around the world over recent years, and of attacks on other places of Jewish community life.

Tunisia

On April 11, 2002, 21 people died in a suicide attack on the Ghriba synagogue, on the island of Djerba, in the south of the country. Among the dead were 14 Germans, five Tunisians and two French citizens. A tank truck driven by a Tunisian and filled with inflammable gas blew up outside the synagogue, which is the oldest place of Jewish worship in Africa. The attack was claimed by al-Qaida.

Turkey

On Nov. 15, 2003, vehicles filled with explosives were used against two synagogues in Istanbul, Neve Shalom and Beth Israel, killing 30 and injuring 300. Five days later, the British consulate and an HSBC building came under attack. A Turkish cell of al-Qaida claimed responsibility for the four attacks, which claimed a total of 63 lives.

Israel

On Nov. 18, 2014, an attack by two Palestinians against a synagogue in western Jerusalem claimed five: three Israeli-Americans, one Israeli-Briton and a Druze policeman. The Har Nof neighborhood, where the attack took place, is considered to be a bastion of the ultra-orthodox Shas party. The attack was the first against a Jewish place of worship in Jerusalem. Both attackers were shot dead by police.

Denmark

On Feb. 14, 2015, a Danish citizen of Palestinian origin, having pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, opened fire on a cultural center in Copenhagen, which was hosting a freedom of speech conference, and killed a filmmaker.

Later that night, he also killed a 37-year-old Jewish man who was standing guard outside a synagogue where a bar mitzvah was being held.

The attacker was then killed in a shootout with police.

Not just synagogues

In addition to synagogues, many other places of Jewish community life have been attacked over the years.

In France, on March 19, 2012, a 23-year-old French-Algerian Islamist killed three children and a teacher in a Jewish school in the southwest of the country.

In the U.S., on April 13, 2014, a white supremacist known for his anti-Semitic views attacked a Jewish community center and retirement home in Kansas, killing three people, none of whom were actually Jewish.

In Belgium, on May 24, 2014, a man opened fire in the lobby of the Jewish Museum in Brussels, killing four. The alleged killer, French-Algerian Mehdi Nemmouche, was arrested in France in June of this year and extradited to Belgium for trial.

In France, on Jan. 9, 2015, four Jews were killed during a hostage-taking in a Jewish supermarket in Paris by a Jihadist.
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Thousands of Rome residents gathered in the main square in front of city hall on Saturday to call for a new dignity for their city and to protest against what they say has been the failure of city authorities to deal with the rubbish, potholes and fallen trees. The rally was organized by a group called “Rome Says Enough.”

It was a peaceful protest with a clear message: Enough to the current state of affairs in one of the great capitals of the world. Hundreds of city residents of all ages gathered in front of the Renaissance city hall to voice their unhappiness with the public transport system, the lack of efforts in cleaning the filth off streets and buildings, and the dreadful state of the many roads and parks in the city.

The event was launched on social media by six young local women, with different jobs, who created the “Rome Says Enough” civic group. They are appealing for a capital city that must return to being livable and have a vision for the future.

Addressing the large crowd gathered on Saturday, one of the organizers said, “From this square which for us Romans, and for the whole world that watches us in shock, is the symbol of the eternal city, we have come to say ‘enough’ but also to shout ‘let’s start over.’”

Residents who turned out for the sit-in pointed the finger at the current city administration run by 5-Star-Movement Mayor Virginia Raggi. She was elected in 2016 promising a fresh start. Instead, she currently is under investigation for abuse of office and false testimony. They called for her to resign because they say Rome has never before been in such a poor state.

Miriam Klein has lived in Rome all her life. She arrived early in the morning for the protest wearing a white T-shirt sporting the “Rome Says Enough” slogan.

She explained that she lives in quite a central area of the city, Gregorio Settimo, near the Vatican, and her building looks onto a large parking area for tourist buses. It is surrounded, she added, by huge quantities of garbage and there is no proper collection. She said, “I am ashamed for the tourists that come off those buses.”

Organizers added that the ancient Roman Empire’s capital, with its iconic Colosseum and Trevi Fountain, has suffered too many years of neglect and corruption, and it is now urgent that something be done to remedy the situation. They say no other European capital is in such a poor state and tourists visit once but have no desire to come back.

 
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Ratings agency Fitch said Friday it no longer assumed that Britain would leave the European Union in a smooth transition and said an acrimonious and disruptive “no deal” Brexit could lead to a further downgrade of its sovereign credit rating.

“In Fitch’s view, an intensification of political divisions within the UK … has increased the likelihood of an acrimonious and disruptive ‘no deal’ Brexit.

“Such an outcome would substantially disrupt customs, trade and economic activity, and has led Fitch to abandon its base case on which the ratings were previously predicated.”

Previously Fitch had assumed Britain would leave the EU in March next year with a transition deal in place and the outline of a future trade deal with the bloc.

But Prime Minister Theresa May has struggled to agree to a deal that can secure the backing of Brussels and her own lawmakers in the Conservative Party.

The ratings agency currently rates British government debt at AA with a negative outlook, which means a further lowering of the rating is possible. Fitch cut its top-notch AAA rating on Britain in 2013, citing the outlook for weaker public finances.

Ratings downgrades up to now have had little impact on investors’ appetite for British government debt, which is still seen as a safe asset at times of political or economic turmoil.

But downgrades are embarrassing for May’s Conservative government, which emphasized preserving the country’s AAA rating when it embarked on an austerity program in 2010.
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A Turkish court on Oct. 12 freed American Pastor Andrew Brunson, who had been convicted on terror charges — charges he denies — and imprisoned for two years. Brunson, who is now back in the U.S. with his family, and his wife, Norine Brunson, spoke with Mehmet Toroglu about his time in prison and how it felt to be released.
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