Monday 30 November 2015

Pope Francis: 'Christians and Muslims are brothers'

Pope Francis has told worshippers in a mosque in the Central African Republic that "Christians and Muslims are brothers and sisters".
Pope Francis (C) shakes the hands of children upon his arrival to the Central Mosque in the PK5 neighborhood on November 30, 2015 in BanguiImage copyrightAFP
Image captionPope Francis said Christians and Muslims should turn their back on revenge and hatred
He was speaking to Muslims who had sought shelter in the capital Bangui after nearly three years of violence between Christians and Muslims.
The mosque visit was seen as perhaps the most difficult part of his Africa tour, a BBC correspondent says
Pope Francis then held the final Mass of his Africa trip in Bangui.
More than 100,000 Muslims left the capital as a result of the fighting but 15,000 are left in an area called PK5, according to the campaign group Human Rights Watch.
Imam Tidiani Moussa Naibi thanked the Pope for his visit and said it was "a symbol which we all understand", the AP news agency reports.
On Sunday, the Pope called on fighting factions in the CAR to lay down their weapons.
About half of CAR's population is Christian and 15% are Muslim.
Image copyrightAP
Image captionThe Pope was welcomed to the mosque by Imam Tidiane Moussa Naibi
Children wait for the arrival of Pope Francis on the occasion of his visit at the Central Mosque in BanguiImage copyrightAP
Image captionChildren waited to greet Pope Francis at the mosque in Bangui
Pope Francis greets people as he arrives at the central mosque in the mostly Muslim PK5 neighbourhood of the capital Bangui, Central African RepublicImage copyrightReuters
Image captionCrowds turned out to see the Pope as he drove into the PK5 neighbourhood
Celebrating Mass in Bangui, he said they should instead arm themselves "with justice, love, mercy and authentic peace".
Earlier, he said he hoped next month's election in the CAR would open a "new chapter" for the country.
The trip to the CAR is the pontiff's first visit to a conflict zone and the final stop on his three-nation African tour that also took in Kenya and Uganda.
CAR map with Uganda and Kenya
Conflict has blighted the CAR for decades but it was only in 2013 that the fighting took on a religious form.
President Francois Bozize was ousted in a coup in March 2013 and a group of mostly Muslim rebels from the north, the Seleka, marched on Bangui, briefly taking control of the country.
Their rebellion tapped into a feeling northerners had of being excluded and unrepresented by the central government, correspondents say.
They targeted churches and Christian communities, which triggered the creation of the anti-Balaka - meaning anti-violence - militias, and led to a downward spiral of tit-for-tat violence which continues.
Towns and villages are divided, with hundreds of thousands of people displaced into camps divided along religious lines.

Saturday 28 November 2015

Turkey-Russia jet downing: Erdogan 'saddened' over plane

Turkey's president has said he is "saddened" by the downing of a Russian combat jet by Turkish forces on the Syrian border last Tuesday.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaking at a rally in Bayburt - 27 November
Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he wished the incident had not happened and hoped it would not happen again. He has so far refused to apologise to Russia, accusing Moscow of "playing with fire" in its Syria operations. The president's remarks came as Turkey warned its citizens against non-essential travel to Russia. The Foreign Ministry said visits should be avoided "until the situation becomes clear", citing problems such as anti-Turkish demonstrations outside the country's embassy in Moscow.
On Friday Russia suspended its visa-free arrangement with Turkey and is planning to introduce a wide range of economic sanctions.Mr Erdogan has asked for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but Mr Putin wants an apology from Turkey before he will agree to talks.
The Turkish president again defended the incident and criticised Russia's operations in Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad, whom Ankara opposes.
But he renewed his call for a meeting with Mr Putin on the sidelines of the Paris Climate talks next week, saying that both sides should approach the issue more positively.
Map of Syria showing approximate location of Russian Su-24 crash site
"We wish it hadn't happened, but it happened," he said, quoted by the Associated Press. "I hope something like this doesn't happen again."Mr Erdogan was addressing supporters in Balikesir, western Turkey, following the murder of a senior Kurdish lawyer, Tahir Elci, in the south-eastern city of Diyarbakir earlier on Saturday.Mr Elci was shot dead by an unknown gunman as he called for an end to violence between Turkey and the Kurdish rebel PKK group, which resumed in July.
Russian S-400 air defence missile systems at Hemeimeem air base in Syria on 27 November 2015Image copyrightAP
Image captionThe S-400, Russia's most advanced missile defence system, will provide cover for its aircraft in Syria
Russia has sent troops and aircraft to Syria to back up the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad in the civil war.Turkey, which is a member of Nato and of a US-led coalition in the region, insists Mr Assad must step down before any political solution to the Syrian conflict is found.Both countries say they are trying to rid the region of the so-called Islamic State (IS) group, which claimed the recent attacks on Paris, Ankara and also on a Russian airliner. And on Friday Russia said it had strengthened its anti-aircraft defences by moving a cruiser towards the coast and deploying new missiles at its main base.
Image copyrightAP
Image captionAnti-Putin demonstrators turned out in Istanbul on Friday
The Moskva cruiser's long-range air defence system will provide cover for Russian aircraft, as will the S-400 missiles which arrived on Thursday.Turkey says the Russian plane had intruded into its airspace and ignored warnings to leave. Moscow maintains that the downed SU-24 fighter jet was downed by a missile fired from a Turkish jet inside Syria.
Mr Putin has also firmly rejected any suggestion Turkey did not recognise the plane as Russian. He said it was easily identifiable and its co-ordinates had been passed on to Turkey's ally, the US.
Russia on Thursday said it was drafting a wide-ranging list of economic sanctions against Turkey that would hit food imports and joint investment projects among other things. Turkey and Russia have important economic links. Russia is Turkey's second-largest trading partner, while more than three million Russian tourists visited Turkey last year.

Tuesday 3 November 2015

Jeremy Hunt makes pay offer in junior doctor row

Doctors protestingImage copyrightAP
But he wants to curb other elements including guaranteed pay rises.
The British Medical Association said it had not seen the proposals. It is preparing to send ballot papers out on Thursday ahead of possible industrial action in a fraught pay dispute.
Mr Hunt says just 1% of NHS junior doctors would lose out under his plans.

'Salaries protected'

The health secretary's proposed rise to basic pay would see a new doctors' salary rise from £22,636 to £25,500.
But guaranteed annual pay rises are being scrapped and instead pay will be directly linked to progress through dedicated training stages.
Mr Hunt said the changes would mean three-quarters of junior doctors will get pay rises, while most of the rest will see their salaries protected.
The government said the doctors who lose out are the ones who work extra hours and therefore are entitled to extra payments.
Thousands of doctors have taken to the streets in recent weeks to protest about the contract offer, which they say could put patient safety at risk because of longer hours and lead to pay cuts of up to 15% for some.
The details being sent out by Mr Hunt to medical schools include a concession on what constitutes unsociable hours.

Analysis

DoctorImage copyrightPA
The timing of this letter - the day before the ballot opens - is no coincidence. Mr Hunt has provided more detail on the contract plus some concessions in an attempt to get junior doctors to step back from the brink.
Union leaders and many others in the medical profession will now spend the next few days poring over the details.
The 11% basic pay rise seems attractive, but that is tempered by the plan to end guaranteed annual pay rises and curbing what constitutes anti-social hours.
And while the pledge that only 1% of doctors will lose out may seem positive on paper, those in the profession worry that that figure could increase in years to come as the full impact of the changes filters through the system.
The ballot closes in two weeks. We won't have to wait long for a verdict on the health secretary's latest salvo in this long-running dispute.

The original plan included classing Saturday working from 7am to 10pm as normal hours, but that has now been reduced to 7am to 7pm. Currently the whole weekend is classed as anti-social working and therefore attracts extra payments.
The deal is due to come in next August with ministers warning they will impose it if need be.
The Care Quality Commission is also being asked to monitor how many hours junior doctors are doing as part of its inspection regime to make sure trusts are not overworking medics.

'Varying percentages'

Mr Hunt said: "I appeal to the BMA to do the right thing and come back to the table to negotiate for its members."
Dr Johann Malawana, the BMA's junior doctors leader, told BBC Breakfast: "I haven't actually seen the proposals because it's all been released via the media overnight."
He added: "Throughout the last month or so the government has had varying different percentages that they claim that they are going to increase basic pay by. And every time we have seen the detail of this, it's unravelled."
Scotland and Wales have said they do not want to introduce the changes, while Northern Ireland has yet to make a decision.

Taiwan and China to hold historic summit in Singapore

Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou will meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Singapore on Saturday - the first ever meeting between leaders of the two sides.
Composite image of China's President Xi Jinping and Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeouImage copyrightAFP
Image captionXi Jinping (left) and Ma Ying-jeou will discuss stronger ties, Taiwan says
Both said the talks would focus on relations across the Taiwan Straits.
China has claimed sovereignty over Taiwan since 1949, when the Nationalist government fled to the island after defeat by the Communists.
However, ties have improved since President Ma took office in 2008.
The Chinese government threatens to use military force against Taiwan if it attempts to gain outright independence.
Taiwanese spokesman Chen Yi-hsin said President Ma's aim was "to promote peace cross the Taiwan Strait and maintain status quo".
Grey line
Analysis: Cindy Sui, BBC News, Taipei
This meeting, less than three months before Taiwan's elections, is a sign of how concerned China is that the significantly improved ties of recent years could be jeopardised if the pro-independence opposition party's candidate becomes president. Opinion polls show Tsai Ing-wen is leading - a big worry for Beijing.
Ms Tsai has said she welcomes dialogue with Chinese leaders, but Beijing has refused to meet her, indicating it does not trust her.
She was a minister in charge of developing policy toward mainland China under the previous administration, which angered Beijing by trying to work towards formal independence.
Mr Xi may believe he can sway Taiwanese voters but this could backfire. While some voters who want to maintain stable relations may heed his words, they may offend Taiwanese voters who are already worried that Beijing will have increasing influence over Taiwan if the candidate from President Ma's party is elected.
And this could hurt, rather than help, the party favoured by Beijing.
The two leaders are expected to handle the meeting in a delicate manner. Mr Ma's office has emphasised no agreements will be signed and no joint statement will be issued.
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Students protester over cross-strait trade agreement with China. 30 March 2014 in Taipei, Taiwan.Image copyrightGetty Images
Image captionThousands of Taiwanese students protested in 2014 against a trade agreement with China
"No agreement will be signed, and no statement issued," he said, adding that Mr Ma would hold a news conference on Thursday to explain his decision to hold the talks.
Taiwan's mainland affairs council is also to hold a news conference on the meeting later on Wednesday, officials said.
China's official Xinhua news said the two sides would "exchange views on promoting the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations".
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the US welcomed any steps to reduce tensions and improve relations, but added: "We'll have to see what actually comes out of the meeting."
The BBC's John Sudworth in Beijing says Saturday's meeting will mark a significant break with the long established diplomatic stance.
Contact of any kind between the two sides has been extremely limited and China has resisted anything that might be seen to be giving Taiwan equal status, he says.
In a sign of how politically sensitive the meeting is, the leaders will address each other as Mr Xi and Mr Ma, rather than president, one Chinese government official has said.
Ties with China have improved under President Ma, whose Kuomintang (KMT) party is seen as pro-Beijing.
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Taiwan-China key dates

  • 1949: Chiang Kai-shek's Kuomintang (KMT) nationalists form their own government in Taiwan after Mao Zedong's communists take power in Beijing
  • 1971: Taiwan loses its seat at the UN to China
  • 1979: The US establishes diplomatic relations with China while at the same time committing itself to defending Taiwan
  • 1993: First direct talks between the two sides take place in Singapore
  • 2005: Beijing brings in a law that makes secession by Taiwan illegal, at the risk of military action
  • 2008: High-level talks between the two sides resume after Ma Ying-jeou is elected president
Grey line
In July 2009 the two leaders exchanged direct messages for the first time in more than 60 years, albeit in their respective party functions, and not as national leaders.
A year later, the two countries signed a historic trade pact.
However, correspondents say growing fears over China's influence has led to widespread dissatisfaction in Taiwan.
The KMT suffered a crushing defeat in local elections last year, a result that was widely seen as a rejection of President Ma's push for closer ties with China.
President Ma steps down next year having served two terms and earlier this month the KMT dropped its candidate for January's presidential election following a series of poor ratings in opinion polls.
Analysts say China is likely to see a meeting between the two leaders as a final chance to press its case for improved ties, in case the KMT loses the election.
China has insisted that countries cannot have official relations with both China and Taiwan, with the result that Taiwan has formal diplomatic ties with only 21 UN member states.
Taiwan also has no seat at the UN, having lost it to China in 1971. Repeated attempts to regain representation at the UN have been blocked.