UK king criticized for staying silent

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Updated 09 August 2024
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UK king criticized for staying silent

  • “I am surprised that the king as head of state hasn’t come out more forcefully, given that it’s a perilous moment for the United Kingdom,” said historian and royal commentator Ed Owens
  • According to constitutional law expert Craig Prescott “the monarchy does not comment on current political events“

LONDON: Britain’s King Charles III has faced criticism for remaining silent on the near-daily riots seen since early last week following a deadly knife attack that killed three children.
While the monarch and his wife Camilla conveyed their condolences to the families of the three girls killed in the mass stabbing on July 29, Buckingham Palace has not commented on the riots which ensued.
“I am surprised that the king as head of state hasn’t come out more forcefully, given that it’s a perilous moment for the United Kingdom,” said historian and royal commentator Ed Owens.
However, according to constitutional law expert Craig Prescott “the monarchy does not comment on current political events.”
“Once the riots have subsided, you might expect members of the royal family to visit places affected and perhaps to see them more in multicultural settings,” Prescott said in a post on X.
“If the king speaks out about this, then what about the next big issue, and the one after that.”
Charles’s silence is in keeping with his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, who remained similarly quiet during the last wave of riots which shook England in 2011.
It is typically explained by the expectation that British monarchs avoid commenting on anything deemed political.
Owens argued Charles, who has gradually resumed public duties after a cancer diagnosis earlier this year, may not have publicly reacted due to two main reasons.
On the one hand, he may have been “advised by his government that it would be unwise at this stage of intervene directly.”
On the other, the monarch might himself have deemed the issue too “combustible.”
“To court controversy can lead to the alienation of certain sections of the British public,” Owens told AFP.
Officials have blamed the riots, which have seen mosques and immigration-linked sites targeted, on far-right elements and “thugs.”
They are accused of trying to use the stabbing tragedy and growing mainstream right-wing concern over immigration levels to further their extreme cause.
Owens noted the monarch has previously celebrated the benefits of legal migration as well as multiculturalism.
But his current silence is also “characteristic of a deeper silence on this very specific topic of illegal migration,” which remains politically divisive, he added.
Another complicating factor is that many involved in the riots are “people that pretend that they wrap themselves in the (British) flags and call themselves patriots,” Owens said.
“Some of these individuals would be the natural supporters of the (royal) institution.”
However, that could merit the monarch “taking a stand and saying, ‘not in our name, this isn’t the kind of behavior we expect of anybody in this country,’” Owens argued.
Part of the surprise in some quarters at Charles’s silence could stem from the sovereign having been vocal on social issues and topics like climate change over the years.
Since becoming king he is seen as having presented himself as more accessible than his predecessors, including by opening up about his health.
As heir, he visited areas affected by riots in north London in 2011.
Meanwhile, Charles reportedly expressed private concerns in June 2022 over the then-government’s plan to send failed asylum seekers to Rwanda, calling the proposals “appalling.”
But for Graham Smith, head of Republic, a pressure group which campaigns for an elected UK head of state to replace the monarch, the lack of a response to the riots “goes further than Charles.”
“It is about the institution being a failure because it provides for someone who isn’t able to speak really,” he told AFP.
Charles, who is currently on the monarch’s annual summer holiday in Scotland, has like his mother in 2011 requested daily updates about the situation, according to royal sources reported by British media.
“The fact that that has been made public is important, because what the monarchy is trying to show is that he’s not an uninterested party, that he is taking an active interest in this,” Owens said.
However, Smith is unimpressed by that argument.
“We’re told that the monarchy unites the country, and I don’t think that’s the case. They can’t even speak up when the country is facing far-right riots,” he said.
“There’s no value in a billionaire sitting in his holiday home being updated about what’s happening. I mean, it’s easy to be updated — switch the TV on.”

Britain’s King Charles III has faced criticism for remaining silent on the near-daily riots seen since early last week following a deadly knife attack that killed three children. (Reuters/File)


UK welcomes ‘progress’ by Trump toward Russia-Ukraine ceasefire

Updated 7 sec ago
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UK welcomes ‘progress’ by Trump toward Russia-Ukraine ceasefire

“This process must lead to a just and lasting peace for Ukraine,” a spokesperson said

LONDON: The British government on Tuesday welcomed the “progress” made by US President Donald Trump toward negotiating a ceasefire in Ukraine following a call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
“This process must lead to a just and lasting peace for Ukraine,” a spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer said after Trump spoke Putin about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“We will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes to ensure Russia can never launch an illegal invasion again.”

Fear at Antarctica base as researcher assaults colleague and makes threats

Updated 10 min 13 sec ago
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Fear at Antarctica base as researcher assaults colleague and makes threats

  • ‘His behavior has escalated to a point that is deeply disturbing,’ said an email sent to South Africa’s Sunday Times newspaper

CAPE TOWN: A member of a South African research team that is confined for more than a year at an isolated Antarctica base was put under psychological evaluation there after he allegedly assaulted and sexually harassed colleagues, government officials said.

The problems at the SANAE IV base were first reported by South Africa’s Sunday Times newspaper, which said it had seen an email from a team member to authorities last month claiming the man had attacked the base leader and made threats.

The email pleaded for help.

“His behavior has escalated to a point that is deeply disturbing,” the email said, according to The Sunday Times. “I remain deeply concerned about my own safety, constantly wondering if I might become the next victim.” The report said the man allegedly made a death threat.

South Africa’s Ministry of Environment, which oversees the research missions, said in a statement that the alleged assault on the base leader was reported on Feb. 27, and officials and counselors intervened remotely “to mediate and restore relationships at the base.” They were speaking with team members almost daily, it said.

“The alleged perpetrator has willingly participated in further psychological evaluation, has shown remorse and is willingly cooperative,” the ministry said, adding that he had written a formal apology to the victim of the alleged assault. It said the allegations were being investigated. No one was identified.

The nine-member team, which includes scientists, a doctor and engineers, is expected to stay at the base for about 13 months until next year, authorities said, living in close quarters through the hostile Antarctic winter, whose six months of darkness begin in June.

The base is on a cliff in Queen Maud Land and is surrounded by a glacial ice sheet, more than 4,000 km, from South Africa.

The next planned visit by a supply ship is in December, according to the South African National Antarctic Program. It takes the ship around 10 days to travel from Cape Town.

Authorities said they had decided not to evacuate anyone from SANAE IV, where the onset of unpredictable weather conditions meant the team was now confined to the base.

The ministry said all team members had undergone evaluations ahead of the trip to ensure they can cope with the “extreme nature of the environment in Antarctica” and the isolation and confinement, and no problems were identified.

“It is not uncommon that once individuals arrive at the extremely remote areas where the scientific bases are located, an initial adjustment to the environment is required,” it said.

Previous problems have been reported at another of South Africa’s remote research bases on Marion Island, a South African territory near Antarctica.

In 2017, a member of a research team there smashed a colleague’s room with an ax over an apparent love triangle, according to a report to South Africa’s parliament. Lawmakers said it appeared the researchers were living in highly stressful conditions.

The National Science Foundation, the federal agency that oversees the US Antarctic Program, published a report in 2022 in which 59 percent of women in the US program said they’d experienced harassment or assault while on research trips in Antarctica.


Ukraine would back ceasefire on energy attacks, Zelensky says

Updated 9 min 18 sec ago
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Ukraine would back ceasefire on energy attacks, Zelensky says

  • “Our side (would) support this,” Zelensky told reporters
  • Zelensky said he would back any proposal that led to a “stable and just peace“

KYIV: President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday Ukraine would support a US proposal to stop its attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, but warned that Russia was trying to delay the US-led negotiations and weaken Kyiv by making new demands.
The White House said earlier that Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to US President Donald Trump’s proposal for a month-long halt on strikes against Ukrainian energy infrastructure, as the two leaders spoke by phone on Tuesday.
“Our side (would) support this,” Zelensky told reporters during a quickly-organized online briefing, when asked about the idea of a moratorium on energy strikes.
Ukraine has used long-range combat drones to pound Russian oil infrastructure such as refineries in an effort to hurt its much larger foe, which has rained down missiles and drones far behind the front lines in Ukraine since the February 2022 full-scale invasion.
In particular, Russian strikes have hammered Ukrainian power stations, causing large-scale blackouts, and more recently also natural gas production sites.
Zelensky said he would back any proposal that led to a “stable and just peace.”
Moscow stopped short of giving Washington the full unconditional 30-day ceasefire it had sought.
Zelensky said he believed Russia was clearly opposed to the proposal, which Kyiv agreed to in principle at last week’s talks with US officials in Jeddah.
Zelensky told reporters that Russia had launched more than 1,300 guided bombs, eight missiles and nearly 600 long-range strike drones at Ukraine since the talks in Saudi Arabia.
Ukraine itself proposed the idea of ceasefire on energy infrastructure during the talks, he added.
“This was part of our proposal for the sky and for the sea. With the mediation of the American side, if they are the guarantors of control over the implementation of this ceasefire,” he said.

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Zelensky said after the Putin-Trump phone call he spoke by telephone with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, both key European allies.
“I think it will be right that we will have a conversation with President Trump and we will know in detail what the Russians offered the Americans or what the Americans offered the Russians,” he said.
He also told reporters that he hoped Kyiv’s partners would not cut vital military assistance for Ukraine.
“We are in constant communication. I am confident that there will be no betrayal from our partners and that the assistance will continue,” he said.
He made the remark when asked about an earlier comment by Putin, who emphasized that any resolution of the conflict would require an end to all military and intelligence assistance to Ukraine.
Zelensky said the demand by Putin, as well as another seeking to curtail Ukraine’s campaign to draft civilians into the armed forces, looked aimed at weakening Ukraine.


Peru declares an emergency and deploys the army as violence surges in the capital

Updated 28 min 47 sec ago
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Peru declares an emergency and deploys the army as violence surges in the capital

  • Authorities will restrict freedom of assembly and movement during the 30 days state of emergency

LIMA: Peru’s president declared a state of emergency in the capital Monday and ordered the deployment of soldiers to help police address a surge of violence, amid widespread outcry a day after the killing of a popular singer.
President Dina Boluarte’s government published a decree saying that the state of emergency will last 30 days, and authorities will restrict some rights, including the freedom of assembly and movement. That means the police and the army would be able to detain people without a judicial order.
Peru has seen an increase of killings, violent extortion and attacks on public places in recent months. Police reported 459 killings from Jan. 1 to March 16, and 1,909 extortion reports in January alone. But outrage crested after the killing Sunday of Paul Flores, the 39-year-old lead singer of the cumbia band Armonia 10.
In Congress, opposition lawmakers requested a vote of no confidence against Interior Minister Juan José Santiváñez for what they say is a lack of a plan to fight rising violence. The vote is expected to be discussed in the Congress’ plenary later this week.
Flores was shot to death early Sunday when assailants attacked the bus he and bandmates were traveling after a concert in Lima. Cumbia is a Latin music style that people dance to the rhythm of drums, maracas and other instruments.
The attack against the popular singer was not the only violent event over the weekend. On Saturday, an object exploded at a restaurant in the capital, injuring at least 11 people.
Boluarte’s government previously decreed a state of emergency in an attempt to stem the violence between September and December.


Indonesia lawmakers to pass bill allowing more military in government

Updated 33 min 49 sec ago
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Indonesia lawmakers to pass bill allowing more military in government

  • The new draft adds more state agencies to the list, including the attorney general’s office, the state secretariat, the counter-terrorism agency and the narcotics agency

JAKARTA: Indonesia is set to pass revisions to a military law this week that will allow armed forces personnel to hold more civilian posts.

The changes were approved on Tuesday by the house committee overseeing military, defense and foreign policy and according to lawmakers will be put to a wider vote on Thursday of parliament, which is controlled by President Prabowo Subianto’s coalition.

Prabowo, a former defense minister and special forces commander who served under Suharto and was once his son-in-law, has expanded the armed forces’ role since taking power in October after winning the presidential election by a big margin. The bill includes a change introduced into a later draft requiring military officers to resign before assuming civilian roles, said Gavriel Putra Novanto, who presided over the committee’s meeting.

Current laws allow active soldiers to hold posts in organizations such as the defense ministry and state intelligence agency.

The new draft adds more state agencies to the list, including the attorney general’s office, the state secretariat, the counter-terrorism agency and the narcotics agency, Gavriel said. It also extends sitting officers’ retirement age.

The latest draft of the bill has not been made available to the public. Prabowo’s office has denied it could usher in a second “New Order” era.

Law Minister Supratman Andi Agtas said the revision was necessary due to current domestic and geopolitical challenges. 

Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, parliament’s deputy speaker, denied the bill was being rushed through and said lawmakers had been transparent.