EA former member of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s secret police was convicted Wednesday by a German court of facilitating the torture of prisoners in a landmark ruling that human rights activists hope will set a precedent for other cases.

Eyad Al-Gharib was convicted of accessory to crimes against humanity and sentenced by the Koblenz state court to four-and-a-half years in prison, the DPA news agency reported.

It was the first time that a court outside Syria ruled in a case alleging Syrian government officials committed crimes against humanity. German prosecutors invoked the principle of universal jurisdiction for serious crimes to bring the case that involved victims and defendants who were in Germany.

Details of the ruling were not immediately available, but Al-Gharib could have been sentenced to more than a decade behind bars. However, judges considered his defection and court testimony as mitigating factors.

The 44-year-old was accused of having participated in the arrest and incarceration in a secret detention centre of the regime, “branch 251” or Al-Khatib, of at least 30 demonstrators at the end of a rally in Douma, capital of Eastern Ghouta, in September or October 2011.

The evidence reviewed during the trial included photographs of thousands of alleged victims of torture by the Syrian government. The images were smuggled out of Syria by a police officer.

He was the first of the two defendants who appear since April 23 before the High Regional Court of Koblenz (west) to receive his sentence, the judges having chosen to split the proceedings in two.

The second accused, Anwar Raslan, 58, considered much more central in the vast Syrian security apparatus, is being prosecuted for crimes against humanity for the death of 58 people and the torture of 4,000 detainees in particular.

The trial of this former colonel is expected to last at least until the end of October.

To try them, Germany applies the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows the perpetrators of the most serious crimes to be prosecuted regardless of their nationality and where the crimes were committed.

Moreover, the influx of refugees from Syria’s conflict into the country since 2015 has provided prosecutors with first-hand evidence and access to witnesses.

Heiko Maas, Germany’s foreign minister, said it was a “historic verdict”.

“This is the first judgment that demands accountability from those responsible for torture in Syria,” he said.

“The decision has a high symbolic meaning for many people, not just in Syria.”

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Tourists in quarantine on the Caribbean island of Anguilla won’t be spending the whole time locked away in their room – in fact, they can hit the beach, go out for dinner at restaurants, or even enjoy some watersports.

Anguilla currently offers a resort bubble where visitors stay in one of the approved hotels, while they wait for the result of their Covid test at the end of a 10-14 day isolation period. (Travellers need to have proof of a negative Covid test taken within 72 hours of travel to enter the island at all, and will also receive a Covid test on arrival).

Until now, this resort bubble meant that guests could explore their hotel or the stretch of beach directly in front of the property – but Anguilla is now expanding the offering for visitors.

The new policy means that tourists will be able to not only access their hotel and beach, but they will be able to go exploring the other properties and stretches of beach which are part of the resort bubble programme.

Considering this scheme is in the resorts along Meads Bay Beach, it’s a pretty dreamy setting that comes with a white sand beach, swim-friendly waters and heaps of restaurants.

Tourists will be able to enjoy activities such as golf, kayaking, snorkeling and even boat trips, while also being able to dine at the other hotels’ restaurant.

All activities and restaurants will need to be booked via the hotel they are staying at. (You can find out more on the Anguilla Tourist Board’s website at ivisitanguilla.com/escape ).

Of course currently international travel is banned for Brits as part of national lockdowns across the UK. Boris Johnson recently unveiled the lockdown roadmap in England, which included that foreign travel may be allowed to resume from May 17, subject to a review in April. Until then, it remains illegal to travel abroad for leisure.

Anyone travelling will need to provide proof that it is for one of the legally permitted reasons (such as work or health) or risk being sent home or fined.

The roll out of Covid-19 vaccinations does offer light at the end of the tunnel. For a start, a number of countries have said they will lift quarantine rules for vaccinated travellers, including hotspots such as Cyprus and Iceland.

For those who really want a change of scenery, some countries – Anguilla included – have also launched new visas for remote workers who want to come and stay for up to a year.

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HOUSTON (AP) — A federal judge late Tuesday indefinitely banned President Joe Biden’s administration from enforcing a 100-day moratorium on most deportations.

U.S. District Judge Drew Tipton issued a preliminary injunction sought by Texas, which argued the moratorium violated federal law and risked imposing additional costs on the state.

Biden proposed the 100-day pause on deportations during his campaign as part of a larger review of immigration enforcement and an attempt to reverse the priorities of former President Donald Trump. Biden has proposed a sweeping immigration bill that would allow the legalization of an estimated 11 million people living in the U.S. illegally. He has also instituted other guidelines on whom immigration and border agents should target for enforcement.

Tipton, a Trump appointee, initially ruled on Jan. 26 that the moratorium violated federal law on administrative procedure and that the U.S. failed to show why a deportation pause was justified. A temporary restraining order the judge issued was set to expire Tuesday

Tipton’s ruling did not require deportations to resume at their previous pace. Even without a moratorium, immigration agencies have wide latitude in enforcing removals and processing cases.

But in the days that followed his ruling, authorities deported hundreds of people to Jamaica, Haiti and Central America. Haitians specifically have been deported at an alarming rate.

In early February, the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) and the Haitian Women for Haitian Refugees said that, since February 1, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency has deported roughly 300 Haitians.

Jamaican-American Congresswoman Yvette Clarke has called on the acting director of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, Tae Johnson, to immediately stop the “targeted” deportations of Haitians.

“As the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, I can confidently say, our immigration system is broken,” she said.

“The targeted deportation to Haiti illustrates the violence exacted on immigrant communities – particularly immigrant communities of colour.

It is not yet clear if the Biden administration will appeal Tipton’s latest ruling. The Justice Department did not seek a stay of Tipton’s earlier temporary restraining order.

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Last year, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s Archewell Foundation announced a new partnership with World Central Kitchen, a non-profit founded by chef José Andrés that helps feed communities worldwide, primarily in the aftermath of natural disasters.

The Sussexes pledged to fund four “Community Relief Centers” in regions frequently struck by climate disasters—and on Wednesday, World Central Kitchen announced that construction on the first center, built in Dominica, was complete.

Dominica suffered serious damage from Hurricane Erika in 2015 and Hurricane Irma in 2017; Hurricane Maria, which struck weeks after Irma, “destroyed over 90% of the island’s infrastructure,” World Central Kitchen said in a press release.

The new community relief center, developed in collaboration with non-profit the Resilient Dominica Project and the Ministry of Education, is located inside the reconstructed Soufriere Primary School, which was seriously damaged by Maria. The school “was constructed under Dominica’s climate resiliency plan to be a safe shelter against future hurricanes,” World Central Kitchen explained.

The Community Relief Center’s kitchen features solar powered refrigerators and freezers, enabling them to function outside of the electrical grid. School staff can use the kitchen to prepare food for students and the wider community, while World Central Kitchen will soon start a chef training program. “From this Community Relief Center, we anticipate being able to prepare thousands of meals per day in the direct aftermath of any future storm,” the nonprofit said in their press release.

The next Community Relief Center to be built in collaboration with the Archewell Foundation will be located in Puerto Rico. Planning has already begun on the project, World Central Kitchen said.

Last year, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex spoke to Bloomberg about their work with World Central Kitchen. “The health of our communities depends on our ability to connect to our shared humanity,” Meghan and Harry said via email. “When we think about Chef Andrés and his incredible team at World Central Kitchen, we’re reminded that even during a year of unimaginable hardship, there are so many amazing people willing—and working tirelessly—to support each other. World Central Kitchen inspires us through compassion in action.”

Andrés told the magazine, “We are more energized than ever to continue this vital work,” adding, “We’re proud that it will be hand in hand with Archewell Foundation and The Duke and Duchess of Sussex. I have come to know both of them well, and believe that their values are directly aligned with what we stand for at World Central Kitchen.”

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“Our country’s national motto, ‘One people, One nation, One destiny’, is the tripod upon which our independent and republican statehood rests. The elements of our national motto commit us to the pursuit of unity; it affirms our sovereignty and shapes our ambitions,” he said.

President Ali recently announced, in the National Assembly, the establishment of a One Guyana Commission that is aimed at “excising the vices of ethnic rancor, hatred and divisiveness; breaking down barriers of mistrust, suspicion, and stereotypes; and fostering greater tolerance and understanding”.

In his address on Tuesday, he said the establishment of that commission “attests to the inclusive approach which is necessary to realize the ambitions which we set ourselves both at Independence and upon becoming a Republic”.

Ali said the commission, which will be given legislative effect, “will harness the goodwill which exists in our society and to take the practical steps which are necessary and desirable to cement our society while respecting the diversity from which our oneness springs”.

He said the purpose of the commission would be to take practical steps to “cement our one society, encompassing and respecting the diversity from which our oneness springs”.

“The commission will foster the free contention of our people’s voices, honour our ancestral heritage while celebrating our multiculturalism,” President Ali added.

CMC

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Relatives of inmates gathered outside Guayaquil’s jail in the hope of getting any news

image copyrightReuters

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Officials ordered the containers to be emptied after noticing “clear irregularities”

image copyrightReuters

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