World

The war in Ukraine made its mark on Paris’s traditional Bastille Day military parade on Thursday as France honoured its eastern European NATO allies.

French troops deployed close to Ukraine since the Russian assault in February had a special place at the event, attended by President Emmanuel Macron, his government and French and foreign dignitaries.

“The parade is marked by, and takes account of, the strategic context,” an official in Macron’s office said. 

“The idea is to highlight the strategic solidarity with our allies.”

Almost five months after Russia invaded Ukraine, the parade on the Champs-Elysees opened with the presentation of the national flags of nine allied guest countries, most of them neighbours of Ukraine or Russia: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria.

Troops representing France’s contingent on NATO’s eastern flank were next. Paris expedited the deployment of 500 troops to Romania days after the Russian attack on Ukraine, and has signalled its readiness to boost numbers if needed.

France also participates in ground and air operations in Estonia, and has sent Rafale fighter jets to bolster Poland’s air defences.

Macron’s increased military commitment to eastern Europe coincides with a reduction in French troops in Africa’s Sahel region. Paris will have no more than 2,300 troops stationed there by the end of the summer, down from more than 5,000 a year ago.

— ‘Meet the challenge’ —

In the light of the Ukraine conflict and inflationary pressures, Macron has announced an increased defence budget for the coming years “to match the means to the threats”.

On Wednesday, Macron asked the defence ministry to come up with a revision of the next procurement plan running to 2030.

“At a time when conflicts are intensifying, we must raise our targets,” he said at a defence ministry event.

“Our operational target for 2030 must be revised to improve our capacity to meet the challenge of any return of a high-intensity conflict,” he said.

The ongoing war in Ukraine has revealed gaps in the military capabilities of France which, like several other western countries, has been sending aid and hardware to Ukraine which, however, says it needs far more.

The current shift to artillery warfare in Ukraine especially has highlighted France’s lacking capacity to produce large amounts of ammunition quickly.

The July 14 parade marks the anniversary of the 1789 assault by rebels on the Bastille, then a prison, an event that is credited with kicking off the French Revolution.

It is an annual opportunity to showcase France’s latest military hardware, in a spectacular setting attended by many thousands of spectators lining the Champs-Elysees, and viewed by millions more on TV.

Some 6,300 took part in Thursday’s parade, 5,000 of whom were on foot.

There was a respite from a severe heatwave engulfing France in recent days, with temperatures dropping to a manageable 25 Celsius in central Paris, much to the relief of the marchers in full uniform.

The show involved 64 planes, 25 helicopters, 200 horses and 181 motorised vehicles.

The air force demonstration, the parade’s most spectacular part, included aircraft from European allies and the Patrouille de France fighter jet squadron — already seen flying over the Cannes Film Festival this year for the world premiere of “Top Gun: Maverick” starring Tom Cruise.

Their roar could be heard even from far away as they released smoke, drawing the French flag’s blue-white-red colours across the sky.

The Reaper drone, used in the Sahel in the hunt for jihadists, made its first Bastille Day appearance.

Like countless other cities across France, Paris has scheduled gigantic fireworks after nightfall.

But some, like Nimes in southwestern France, have cancelled the event because of a high fire risk brought on by unseasonal heat.

burs-jh/spm

Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has authorised a reorganisation of the country’s Jewish community, a “component” of national culture in the North African country, according to the royal palace.

The measures were presented to a council of ministers meeting attended on Wednesday by the country’s monarch and crown prince, at Rabat’s royal palace.

Acting on “royal instruction”, Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit proposed the establishment of new representative bodies, acknowledging the Jewish tradition as “a component of the rich Moroccan culture”, according to the official news agency MAP.

The measures came the same day US President Joe Biden touched down in Israel on his first presidential visit to the Middle East.

In a speech at Ben Gurion Airport, near Tel Aviv, he  promised to “advance Israel’s integration into the region.”

Morocco established diplomatic ties with the Jewish state in 2020.

The kingdom’s Jewish community is estimated to number 3,000 people, the largest in North Africa.

Following consultations with Jewish leaders King Mohammed’s initiative will establish a National Council of the Moroccan Jewish Community, a Foundation of Moroccan Judaism tasked with protecting the community’s heritage, and a Commission of Moroccan Jews Abroad.

The kingdom’s Jewish community dates to antiquity and grew in the 15th century with the expulsion of Spain’s Jews. 

By the 1940s its number had grown to 250,000, representing 10 percent of the country’s population, but mass emigration followed Israel’s founding in 1948.

Approximately 700,000 Israelis claim Moroccan descent and maintain strong ties with their country of origin.

This new organisation of Moroccan Judaism comes alongside growth across a range of spheres in the ties between Morocco and Israel. 

Israel and Morocco established diplomatic relations in December 2020 as part of the US-backed Abraham Accords, which saw several Arab countries normalise ties with the Jewish state. 

King Mohammed’s presence at the meeting was his second public appearance in three days, accompanied by Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan, amid public interest in the monarch’s health following two heart operations since 2018 and a June Covid-19 diagnosis.

On Sunday, the king led prayers at a royal residence in Sale, near Rabat, during the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha.

Sri Lanka’s anti-government demonstrators said Thursday they were ending their occupation of official buildings, as they vowed to press on with their bid to bring down the president and prime minister in the face of a dire economic crisis.

Protesters overran President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s palace at the weekend, forcing him to flee to the Maldives on Wednesday, when activists also stormed the office of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Rajapaksa, 73, flew onwards Thursday to Singapore from Male, but there was still no announcement of his resignation, despite his earlier promise to step down on Wednesday.

He is expected to look to stay in the city-state for some time, according to Sri Lankan security sources, before potentially moving to the United Arab Emirates. 

As president, Rajapaksa enjoys immunity from arrest, and he is believed to have wanted to go abroad before stepping down to avoid the possibility of being detained. 

Hundreds of thousands of people have visited his compound since it was opened to the public after he fled and his security guards backed down.

At the site, business owner Gihan Martyn, 49, accused him of “playing for time”.

“He’s a coward,” he said. “He ruined our country along with the Rajapaksa family. So we don’t trust him at all. We need a new government.”

Security sources in Colombo said Rajapaksa’s resignation letter had already been prepared. 

“No sooner he gives the green light, the Speaker will issue it,” a source told AFP.

But Wickremesinghe, whom Rajapaksa named as acting president in his absence, demanded the evacuation of occupied state buildings and instructed security forces to do “what is necessary to restore order”, as a nationwide state of emergency and curfew were declared.

A spokeswoman for the protesters announced Thursday: “We are peacefully withdrawing from the Presidential Palace, the Presidential Secretariat and the Prime Minister’s Office with immediate effect, but will continue our struggle.”

A top Buddhist monk who has supported the protests had earlier called for the more than 200-years-old presidential palace to be handed back to authorities and ensure its valuable art and artefacts were preserved.

“This building is a national treasure and it should be protected,” monk Omalpe Sobitha told reporters. “There must be a proper audit and the property given back to the state.”

The curfew was lifted at dawn on Thursday before being reimposed in the capital later in the day.

Police said a soldier and a constable were injured in overnight clashes with protesters outside the national parliament.

The attempt on the legislature was beaten back, unlike at other locations where the protesters had spectacular success. 

The main hospital in Colombo said about 85 people were admitted with injuries on Wednesday, with one man suffocating to death after being tear-gassed at the premier’s office.

But student Chirath Chathuranga Jayalath, 26, said: “You cannot stop this protest by killing people. They’ll shoot our heads but we do this from our hearts.”

– Jeers –

According to Maldivian media, Rajapaksa was jeered and insults thrown at him at Male airport on Wednesday, while another group staged a demonstration in the capital urging authorities not to allow him safe passage.

Maldivian media reported that he had spent the night at the Waldorf Astoria Ithaafushi super luxury resort.

They contrasted the opulent accommodation with the economic plight of his compatriots — four out of five Sri Lankans skipping meals because of the country’s dire economic crisis.

Rajapaksa is accused of mismanaging the economy to a point where the country has run out of foreign exchange to finance even the most essential imports, leading to severe hardships for its 22 million people.

Sri Lanka defaulted on its $51-billion foreign debt in April and is in talks with the IMF for a possible bailout.

The island has nearly exhausted its already scarce supplies of petrol with the government ordering the closure of non-essential offices and schools to reduce commuting and save fuel.

Diplomatic sources said Rajapaksa’s attempts to secure a visa to the United States had been turned down because he had renounced his US citizenship in 2019 before running for president.

US President Joe Biden and Israel’s Prime Minister Yair Lapid will sign a security “declaration” on Thursday affirming their united front against Iran, an American official said, as Biden holds bilateral talks in Jerusalem.

“This declaration is pretty significant and it includes a commitment to never allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon and to address Iran’s destabilising activities, particularly threats to Israel,” said a Biden administration official, who requested anonymity.

Biden touched down at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv on Wednesday for the first Middle East tour of his presidency, which will see him meet Israeli and Palestinian leaders before flying to Saudi Arabia.

Lapid, Israel’s caretaker leader ahead of an election in November, had previously said Iran would top the agenda in his talks with the US president.

The declaration they sign would reaffirm “unbreakable bonds between our countries and expanding on the long standing security relationship between the United States and Israel”, said the US official.

An Israeli official, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said the document was “going to be a living testimony to the unique quality, health, scope, depth and intimacy of the US-Israel relationship.”

Israel is staunchly opposed to a nuclear deal Iran signed with world powers in 2015 and which Biden is trying to get back on track after his predecessor Donald Trump withdrew US support.

Biden said pulling out of the landmark accord was a “gigantic mistake”.

Iran is “closer to a nuclear weapon now than they were before”, the US president said in an interview aired Wednesday by Israel’s Channel 12.

Asked whether the United States would use force to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, Biden said: “If that was the last resort, yes.”

– Saudi oil talks –

The president’s meeting with Lapid will be followed by multilateral talks on investment with India and the United Arab Emirates, which will join remotely.

In addition to meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Biden will hold brief talks with Israeli opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu.

The right-wing former prime minister is readying for another election campaign, with Israelis set to go to the polls for the fifth time in less than four years on November 1.

Biden is marking his tenth visit to Israel and is well-acquainted with Netanyahu.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will remain a top priority for the Biden administration during his regional tour, with volatile oil prices due to be the focus of talks with Saudi officials.

The president will seek to persuade Saudi Arabia to pump more oil in order to drive down prices, which have fuelled US inflation to the highest levels in decades.

Israel has sought a delicate balance towards the Ukraine war, conscious of Russian forces in neighbouring Syria, its million citizens with ties to the former Soviet Union, and its firm US alliance.

Israeli officials have condemned the conflict in broad terms but the government has refused to send weapons to the Ukrainian army.

– No ‘top down peace plan’ –

The president on Wednesday renewed Washington’s long-standing call for a two-state solution, but has not reversed Trump’s controversial decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Biden is due to meet Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Friday in Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank, and pledge US financial support.

The US official that would include “a significant funding package” for hospitals that serve Palestinians in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, which Palestinians claim as their future capital.

Biden’s administration will also announce measures towards providing 4G internet access in the West Bank and Israeli-blockaded Gaza strip, the US official said, addressing a long-standing Palestinian frustration.

But, with Israel in political limbo ahead of the November 1 election, Biden is not expected to push Lapid for significant policy changes regarding the Palestinians.

“We are not going to come in with a top down peace plan because we don’t believe that would be the best approach,” the US official said.

But, “if the two parties are prepared to talk, we will be there, and we will be there to help,” the official added.

aue-rsc/bs/dv

Less than a year after winning the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to protect free speech, Philippine journalist Maria Ressa is fighting to stay out of jail while her news site Rappler faces possible closure.

But the spirited veteran reporter — a vocal critic of former president Rodrigo Duterte and his deadly drug war — refuses to be cowed into silence.

“This is a newsroom that’s been under attack for six years and we’ve prepared ourselves,” Ressa, 58, told AFP this week at Rappler’s office in suburban Manila.

“We will not voluntarily give up our rights.”

Rappler, which Ressa co-founded a decade ago, had to battle for survival under Duterte as his government accused it of violating a constitutional ban on foreign ownership, as well as tax evasion.

Days before Duterte’s term ended on June 30, the company received a shutdown order from the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). 

Less than two weeks later, Ressa lost an appeal against a 2020 conviction for cyber libel, putting her one step closer to serving up to nearly seven years behind bars.

Drawing on decades of experience working as a journalist across Asia, including in conflict zones, Ressa said she had to be “ready for anything”. 

“This is something I do as a person, whatever it is I’m most afraid of, I think about the worst-case scenario and then I plan it out,” said the former CNN correspondent, who is on bail.

Ressa is facing seven court cases, including the cyber libel conviction, while Rappler faces eight. 

Their lawyers describe the cases as “state-sponsored legal harassment”.

Trouble for Ressa and Rappler started in 2016 when Duterte came to power and launched a drug war in which more than 6,200 people died in police anti-narcotics operations, official data show.

Rights groups estimate tens of thousands were killed.

Rappler was among the domestic and foreign media outlets that published shocking images of the killings and questioned the crackdown’s legal basis.

Local broadcaster ABS-CBN — also critical of Duterte — lost its free-to-air licence, while Ressa and Rappler endured what press freedom advocates say was a grinding series of criminal charges, probes and online attacks. 

Duterte’s government said previously it had nothing to do with any of the cases against Ressa.

After the SEC shutdown order, Ressa said the online harassment increased “exponentially” and has continued since the son and namesake of former Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos succeeded Duterte.

“This was the largest spike for sure. It hasn’t stopped, it’s been pretty much non-stop,” said Ressa.

“The attacks are always connected to a defence of the Marcos administration.” 

– ‘Make or break’ – 

Ressa became a journalist in 1986, the same year that the elder Marcos was ousted in a popular revolt and his family chased into exile in the United States.

Ferdinand Marcos Jr won the May 9 presidential polls by a landslide, completing a remarkable comeback for the clan, helped by relentless online whitewashing of their past and powerful alliances with rival elite families.  

Ressa said she was hopeful Marcos Jr would rule differently to his father, who presided over human rights abuses, corruption and the shuttering of independent media. 

But the pattern in the past three weeks, including the social media attacks, “bodes ill for press freedom and for Filipino journalists”, she said.

“It hasn’t been magnanimity in victory,” said Ressa.

“This is not one or two people not being nice — these are concerted information operations.”

Some of her colleagues at Rappler, where the average age of staff, including reporters, is about 25, have also been targeted.

As Ressa and the company fight to have the SEC and cyber libel decisions overturned, their future is uncertain.  

She had hoped that winning the Nobel Peace Prize in October, which she shared with Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov, would shield her and other journalists in the Philippines.

While Marcos Jr has given few clues about his views on Rappler and the broader issue of freedom of speech, activists fear he could make the situation worse.

Ressa said the outcome of the cases against her and Rappler could have broader implications for Filipinos and their rights.

She points to the controversial cyber libel law, which she has been accused of violating. It was introduced in 2012 and applied to an article published by Rappler months before the law took effect.

“This is make or break,” Ressa said.

“What’s at stake goes beyond my freedom or Rappler. It really will determine where this country will go.” 

Sri Lanka’s anti-government demonstrators said Thursday they were ending their occupation of official buildings, as they vowed to press on with their bid to bring down the president and prime minister in the face of a dire economic crisis.

Protesters overran President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s palace at the weekend, forcing him to flee to the Maldives on Wednesday, when activists also stormed the office of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Rajapaksa had promised to resign on Wednesday, but there was no announcement he had done so.

The premier, whom Rajapaksa named as acting president in his absence, had demanded the evacuation of state buildings and instructed security forces to do “what is necessary to restore order”.

“We are peacefully withdrawing from the Presidential Palace, the Presidential Secretariat and the Prime Minister’s Office with immediate effect, but will continue our struggle,” a spokeswoman for the protesters said.

A top Buddhist monk supporting the campaign had earlier called for the more than 200-years-old presidential palace to be handed back to authorities and ensure its valuable art and artefacts were preserved.

“This building is a national treasure and it should be protected,” monk Omalpe Sobitha told reporters. “There must be a proper audit and the property given back to the state.”

Hundreds of thousands have visited the compound since it was opened out to the public after Rajapaksa fled and his security guards backed down.

In a televised address after thousands of people captured his office in Colombo, Wickremesinghe declared: “Those who go to my office want to stop me from discharging my responsibilities as acting president.

“We can’t allow fascists to take over. That is why I declared a nationwide emergency and a curfew,” he added.

The curfew was lifted at dawn on Thursday, but police said a soldier and a constable were injured in overnight clashes with protesters outside the national parliament.

The attempt on the legislature was beaten back, unlike at other locations where the protesters had spectacular success. 

The main hospital in Colombo said about 85 people were admitted with injuries on Wednesday, with one man suffocating to death after being tear-gassed at the premier’s office.

– Jeers –

Rajapaksa remained in the Maldives on Thursday, reportedly awaiting a private jet to take him, his wife Ioma and two bodyguards to Singapore. 

Local media reports said he had refused to take a commercial flight with other passengers after receiving a hostile reception when he arrived in the Maldives early Wednesday.

He was jeered and insults thrown at him as he walked out of the Velana International airport, and another group staged a demonstration in the capital in the afternoon urging Maldivian authorities not to allow him safe passage.

Maldivian media reported that he had spent the night at the Waldorf Astoria Ithaafushi super luxury resort.

They contrasted the opulent accommodation with the economic plight of his compatriots — four out of five Sri Lankans skipping meals because of the country’s dire economic crisis.

Security sources in Colombo said Rajapaksa was most likely to leave the Maldives Thursday and his resignation could be announced after he was airborne.

“The resignation letter has been prepared,” the source told AFP. “No sooner he gives the green light, the Speaker will issue it.”

Diplomatic sources said Rajapaksa’s attempts to secure a visa to the United States had been turned down because he had renounced his US citizenship in 2019 before running for president.