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world news Diasabra 7 November 2020

EU slaps sanctions on Belarus leader, son and 13 others

(AP) — The European Union try have been arrested. The offi-
imposed sanctions Friday on the cial results returned Lukashenko
president of Belarus and 14 oth- to power with 80% of the vote and
er officials over their roles in the were widely seen as rigged, includ-
security crackdown launched ing by the EU. About 200 disabled
during protests of the country's people rallied in the capital Minsk
contested August presidential on Thursday.
election.
In its sanctions listing, the EU said
EU headquarters said in a statement that President Lukashenko “is re-
that Belarusian President Alexander sponsible for the violent repression
Lukashenko was put on the sanc- by the State apparatus carried out
tions list along his son and national before and after the 2020 presiden-
security adviser, Viktor Lukashenko. tial election, in particular with the
The sanctions ban listed individuals dismissal of key opposition candi-
from traveling within the European dates, arbitrary arrests and ill-treat-
Union and a freeze on their assets. ment of peaceful demonstrators as
EU citizens and companies also well as intimidation and violence
are forbidden from providing them against journalists.”
with funds.
The addition of Lukashenko and
Protests have rocked Belarus ever his associates means that a total of
since the Aug. 9 election, and more 59 Belarusian officials are subject to
than 15,000 people in the coun- the EU sanctions.

Protester killed in southern Iraq as tensions flare again

(AP) — Iraqi security tor and wounding several some of the protesters tried Square and in other southern More than 500 people were
forces opened fire during others as tensions flared to set up tents in a public cities that have seen major killed during the months-
clashes with hundreds of once again, hospital offi- square, a week after similar, protests throughout the past long protest movement
protesters in the southern cials said. previously erected protest year. that began in October 2019
city of Basra on Friday, tents in Basra and Baghdad in Baghdad and across the
killing one demonstra- The clashes erupted after had been removed. The removal of the tents has mainly Shiite south, many of
led to tensions and protest- them demonstrators shot by
Dozens of young Iraqis were ers in Basra have been trying Iraqi security forces.
seen running away in panic to erect them again, holding
after the shots were fired in demonstrations in the city for Despite reaching unprec-
Basra. The slain protester was the past three days. They are edented numbers in late 2019
identified as Omar al-Thiabi, also demanding the sacking and successfully mounting
a 29-year-old unemployed of the governor and an inves- pressure on the country's
Iraqi. tigation into previous killings elites, the anti-government
of protesters. protests have been largely
Last Saturday, Iraqi forces dormant in the wake of the
cleared out sit-in tents from The hospital officials said coronavirus pandemic. Ac-
Baghdad's central Tahrir seven protesters were tivists also blamed the drop in
Square that had been the epi- wounded in Friday's clashes. numbers on a violent crack-
center of anti-government They spoke on condition of down by Iraqi security forces
mass protests that erupted anonymity in line with regu- and militia groups, as well as
last year. They also removed lations. kidnappings and targeted as-
tents in Basra's Bahriya sassinations.

Friday prayers held in newly opened Athens mosque

(AP) — Friday prayers community, which largely issues that have to be solved,” in Greece currently have been nationwide, which will mean
were held for the first time consists of migrants and visi- including a small capacity, restricted due to the corona- churches and mosques only
in the Greek capital’s first tors. Muslims in Athens had “but this is a very solid start.” virus pandemic. As of Satur- can hold services without the
state-sponsored mosque, been using informal prayer day morning, lockdown-type presence of the faithful.
which opened this week rooms set up in places such Stamou estimated Athens’ measures are being imposed
after years-long delays. as unused stores and base- Muslim population at around
ments, which sometimes led half a million people, and said
The project to build a mosque to tension and protests from the new mosque’s capacity, at
in Athens took about 14 years other local residents. Mem- 300 men and 50 women, was
and was dogged by protests, bers of the Muslim commu- too small.
political controversy and de- nity said the new mosque,
lays in this heavily Orthodox while far from perfect, was at “But this is like a symbolic
Christian country. Parlia- least a start. foundation and establish-
ment eventually approved ment that is an official one,”
construction in August 2016. “All this time we have been Stamou said. It will not pro-
praying underground. This is vide the services for every-
The mosque, located in a a great day for us,” said Anna body, we already know that.
mainly industrial area of the Stamou, a representative of But this is a good start.”
capital, was intended to pro- the Muslim Association of
vide an official place of wor- Greece. She said the mosque The number of people al-
ship for the city's Muslim had “many disadvantages and lowed in all places of worship