Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 19 december 2019
Lebanon's caretaker PM no longer candidate for post

By ZEINA KARAM to the traditional Christmas
Associated Press tree.
BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon's The violence indicated that
caretaker prime minister tensions that have recently
said Wednesday he's no gripped the Lebanese
longer a candidate for the capital, Beirut, fueled by
post, eliminating himself an online video deemed
from consideration on the offensive to the country's
eve of scheduled consul- Shiite Muslims, are spread-
tations between the presi- ing to Tripoli, the country's
dent and parliamentary second-largest city. The
blocs for naming a new city is predominantly Sunni.
premier. The military said a mob of
The move by Saad Hariri men on motorcycles gath-
comes amid much un- ered outside the home of
certainty and heightened Sunni Mufti Sheik Malek
tensions following recent al-Shaar and rioted, "used
violence. There were sev- profanity" and smashed
eral days of confrontations property. The mob then
involving security forces moved to the square and
and anti-government pro- threw fire bombs at the
testers as well as supporters Christmas tree, setting it on
of Lebanon's two main Shi- fire. The military said it ar-
ite groups, Hezbollah and In this Oct. 25, 2019 file photo, an anti-government protester holds up a Lebanese national flag rested four men and confis-
Amal. They torched cars, during a protest in Beirut, Lebanon. Associated Press cated their motorcycles.
smashed window shops On Tuesday, anger boiled
and burned trees in cen- to unprecedented, nation- unity government that was of the scheduled consulta- over in Beirut after the of-
tral Beirut. Police have re- wide protests. Those dem- brought down. tions with President Michel fensive video was widely
sponded with tear gas and onstrations were sparked "It has become clear to me Aoun, to determine who circulated online. It showed
rubber bullets. by a tanking economy that, despite my categori- it will name as their candi- a Sunni resident of Tripoli
The violence threatened and united the Lebanese cal commitment to forming date for PM. railing against the leaders
to plunge Lebanon fur- against their leaders. a government of special- A mob attacked the office of the country's two main
ther into chaos and ignite The western-backed Hariri ists, the positions ... are not of a Sunni Muslim religious Shiite groups, Hezbollah
sectarian strife amid two has insisted on a govern- changing, I therefore an- leader in the northern city and Amal, and religious
months of anti-government ment of specialists to deal nounce that I will not be a of Tripoli, smashing in win- Shiite figures and using
protests and a spiraling fi- with the economic and fi- candidate to form the next dows early Wednesday, expletives. Their supporters
nancial crisis. Politicians nancial crisis, while others government," Hariri said in Lebanon's official news descended on a protest
meanwhile, have been including Hezbollah de- a statement Wednesday. agency and the military camp in Beirut as security
unable to agree on a new mand a government that The statement said Hariri's said. The assailants then forces intervened to push
government since Hariri re- includes all major political bloc in parliament will meet moved to one of the city's them back, setting off hours
signed Oct. 29 in response parties — much like Hariri's Thursday morning, ahead main squares and set fire of pitched street battles. q
Rights group slams Greek migrant camp conditions for minors

By ELENA BECATOROS for themselves, sleeping on panied children in precari-
Associated Press mats and cardboard box- ous housing an care," said
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — es, exposed to worsening Pandiri, who is responsible
Hundreds of unaccompa- and dangerous weather for unaccompanied chil-
nied children are living in conditions," Human Rights dren's housing for Arsis. The
"inhuman and degrading" Watch quoted its Greece group currently provides
conditions in a migrant researcher, Eva Cosse, as housing for more than 600
camp on the Greek island saying in a statement. "The children.
of Lesbos, putting their Greek authorities need to Under a deal between the
mental and physical well- urgently make sure these European Union and Turkey
being at risk, an interna- children are safe and to stop migrant flows into
tional human rights organi- cared for." Europe, those who arrive
zation said Wednesday. Iris Pandiri, a social worker on Greek islands from the
Human Rights Watch re- with the non-governmental nearby Turkish coast are
searchers visited the Moria organizations Arsis Associa- held in island camps pend-
camp in mid-October and tion for the Social Support ing deportation unless they
interviewed 22 of the 1,061 In this Thursday, Oct. 3, 2019 file photo a Syrian boy plays with of Youth, said official fig- successfully apply for asy-
a toy car at the Moria refugee and migrant camp on the Greek
unaccompanied chil- island of Lesbos. ures showed about 5,300 lum in Greece.
dren who were registered Associated Press unaccompanied children Only asylum-seekers con-
there at the time. The chil- were in Greece by the end sidered to be in vulnerable
dren they interviewed, the section for minors who ar- eral population or just out- of November, of which only groups are eligible to be
youngest of whom were rived without adult guard- side the camp in an olive 1,932 were in specialized moved to facilities on the
age 14, described having ians. Because of over- grove where migrants and housing for lone children. mainland. Continued arriv-
little or no access to care crowding, most of the chil- refugees have set up their "I think the truth is that we als coupled with a back-
and specialized services. dren Human Rights Watch own tents. are experiencing one of the log in asylum applications
The camp on the Aegean interviewed were living "Hundreds of lone children most dramatic times, with a has led to dramatic over-
Sea island has a separate either among Moria's gen- on Lesbos are left to fend huge number of unaccom- crowding of the camps.q