resigns Archives

Australian Archbishop Philip Wilson resigns in wake of child abuse cover-up

July 30, 2018 By administrator

Archbishop Philip Wilson resigns

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Archbishop Philip Wilson, who was convicted of covering up child sex abuse by a pedophile priest. It was the second resignation the pope has accepted in the last three days.

Australian Archbishop Philip Wilson, the most senior Catholic official in the world to be convicted of concealing child sex abuse, has stepped down, the Vatican confirmed on Monday.

Wilson, 67, was convicted in May for failing to report to police the repeated abuse of two altar boys by a pedophile priest in the Hunter Valley region north of Sydney during the 1970s.

The Adelaide archbishop refused to resign while his case was pending appeal. He acknowledged as recently as last week that calls for his firing were increasing. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was one of those voices, urging Pope Francis to sack Wilson earlier this month.

Francis accepted Wilson’s resignation on Monday night Australia time, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference said in a statement.

Turnbull welcomed Wilson’s decision to quit, which “belatedly recognizes the many calls, including my own, for him to resign.”

“There is no more important responsibility for community and church leaders than the protection of children,” Turnbull said in a statement.

Crackdown on child abuse

Wilson is the second church official to resign in the last three days. US Cardinal Theodore McCarrick resigned from the College of Cardinals on Saturday.

The pope stripped the former archbishop of Washington of his rank as cardinal and ordered him to live in seclusion. McCarrick, 88, has been accused of fondling a 16-year-old teenager nearly a half century ago, an accusation he has denied.

The sex abuse scandal is expected to dominate Pope Francis’ visit to Ireland next month, the first papal visit to the country in almost 40 years. The pontiff is under increasing pressure to sanction bishops who have botched handling abuse cases or otherwise covered them up.

One of those bishops is Chilean Cardinal Ricardo Ezzati, the archbishop of Santiago who prosecutors recently summoned to testify about his role in the alleged cover-up of years of abuse by Reverend Oscar Munoz. Ezzati has said he knew nothing of the abuse before Munoz came forward.

Ezzati had already offered his resignation when he turned 75 last year. Francis hasn’t moved on Ezzati’s resignation yet, supposedly waiting to find the right candidate to replace Ezzati as leader of Chile’s most important archdiocese.

dv/kms (AP, dpa, Reuters)

Jordan’s Prime Minister Hani Mulki resigns amid protests

June 4, 2018 By administrator

Jordan’s embattled prime minister has reportedly stepped down from his post during a meeting with King Abdullah II. The move follows days of anti-government protests that were sparked by anger over economic policies.

Jordanian Prime Minister Hani Mulki resigned from his post during a meeting with King Abdullah II on Monday, according to an official website linked to Jordan’s military.

Mulki had been summoned by the monarch following five days of protests against planned austerity measures to implement by the government of the desert kingdom.

What we know so far:

Mulki’s resignation was accepted by the king.
Omar al-Razzaz, a former World Bank economist and the current education minister, was asked by the monarch to form a new government, according to government sources.

Sixty people were arrested for rioting and carrying bladed weapons during the protests, according to Major General Fadel al-Hamoud, director of public security with the police. Around 45 police officers were wounded from gunshots or fireworks, he told reporters.

Middle East analyst James Dorsey warned that Mulki’s departure may not be enough to satisfy protesters. “Jordanians may this time round not be pacified by cosmetic measures like Mulki’s resignation and the temporary rescinding of price and tax hikes,” he said.

Anti-austerity protests in Jordan: Widespread anger over the government’s recent austerity policies prompted mass protests in recent days against a tax hike as well as the abolition of bread subsidies. Around 60 people were detained during the protests with 42 security personnel injured. Both measures were pushed for by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to get Jordan’s rising public debt under control.

Income tax law: Last month, the government adopted a draft law which would increase taxes on employees by around 5 percent and on companies by as much as 40 percent. The measures have yet to be approved by parliament, however most lawmakers opposed the proposed taxation.

How long did Muli serve as prime minister? Mulki, a business-friendly politician, was appointed prime minister in May 2016. He was tasked with boosting the country’s sluggish economy that has been hit by instability in the region.

Economic downturn: Jordan’s economy has suffered in recent years, affected by high unemployment and an influx of refugees from regional conflicts, particularly in neighboring Iraq and Syria. Jordan also hosts almost half of the roughly five million Palestinian refugees and their descendants in the region.

In 2016, Jordan secured a three-year loan, amounting to 723 million dollars, from the IMF, with the aim of lowering the country’s public debt from about 94 percent of GDP to 77 percent by 2021. Fuel prices have increased five times in the kingdom since January and electricity bills have gone up 55 percent since February.

The government stood firm on the proposed income tax law, saying it aims to fight tax evasion. Critics said a proposed lowering of the annual tax-free allowance to 8,000 dinars (€9,629, $11,283) from 12,000 dinars could have a negative impact on working and middle class families. Trade unions said a strike planned for Wednesday will go ahead.

rs, kw/kms (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)

Breaking News: The parliament speaker of Iraq’s Kurdistan first to resigns amid fatal protests against the (KRG).

December 20, 2017 By administrator

Who Is the Next?

The parliament speaker of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan resigns amid fatal protests against the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

Sources within leading Kurdish opposition movement Gorran said on Wednesday that its member Yousif Mohamed had resigned as parliament speaker. The party also withdrew its ministers from the KRG.

The Kurdistan Islamic Group (Komal), another opposition party with a smaller presence in parliament, also quit the government.

The news comes after Kurdish security forces fatally shot five protesters as demonstrations continued for the second day on Tuesday amid widespread anger over unpaid salaries and corruption.

UN denounces violence in Kurdistan protests

The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) expressed its deep concern about violence and clashes during the demonstrations, urging all sides to show restrain.

“The people have the right to partake in peaceful demonstrations, and the authorities have the responsibility of protecting their citizens, including peaceful protesters,” UNAMI said in a statement on Wednesday.

During the protests, people attacked several offices of the main political parties in Sulaymaniyah.

“Security forces also are urged to exercise maximum restraint in dealing with the demonstrators. UNAMI also calls on the demonstrators to avoid any act of violence, including the destruction of public and private properties,” the statement said.

UNAMI also urged the KRG to respect media freedoms after Kurdish Asayish security forces on Tuesday raided the offices of Kurdish private broadcast NRT in Sulaymaniyah, and cut its transmissions.

Frustration over unpaid salaries to teachers and other civil servants, in addition to the deterioration of basic services and widespread corruption, have been described as the main reasons behind mass protests in Iraq’s Kurdistan region.

The Kurdistan region has been suffering from financial and economic hardships as a result of disagreement with the central government in Baghdad over distribution of crude oil revenues extracted from the northern oilfields.

Tensions have been running high between Baghdad and the KRG after the Kurds held a controversial referendum on the independence of Kurdistan on September 25.

Greek deputy finance minister resigns over debt deal

July 15, 2015 By administrator

Greek Deputy Finance Minister Nadia Valavani (Photo from wikipedia.org)

Greek Deputy Finance Minister Nadia Valavani has resigned ahead of the key vote in the Greek parliament on a third bailout agreed between Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and the country’s creditors. She described the deal as Greek agony. Report RT

“Alexis, I am ready to serve in any capacity to the end during challenges. However, when our delegation returned with liabilities that are ‘stillborn measures’ and at such a price [by the creditors in fulfilling the reforms program], once again when the dilemma appears of retreating or Grexit, it will be impossible for me to remain a member of the government,” Valavani’s letter reads.

She called the debt deal reached Monday a “capitulation” by the government, that’ll hit the Greek people.

“This ‘capitulation’ is so overwhelming that it will not allow a regrouping of forces. With your signature there will be a deterioration in the status of an already suffering population, and this will be a tombstone around their necks for many years with little potential of redemption,” she wrote.

The letter was made public by the Greek finance ministry on Wednesday. Valavani was one of two deputy finance ministers, and was in charge of taxation and overseeing privatization.

The Greek parliament is going to vote on Wednesday on the austeritydealmade between the creditors and Tsipras. There is no unanimity within Tsipras’ Syriza party. The vote can break up Syriza’s anti-austerity coalition with right-wing ANEL. This could lead to new elections in Greece.

Since the agreement Alexis Tsipras has been expected to reshuffle the government, with the resignation of Syriza members who refuse to support the agreement with European creditors.

Greek Finance Minister Abruptly Resigns

July 6, 2015 By administrator

Yanis Varoufakis, Greece’s combative finance minister, who took a strong stand in demanding that creditors write off some of his country’s debts, abruptly resigned on Monday morning.
Mr. Varoufakis had played a key role in rallying votes for a resounding “no” on a referendum on Sunday that asked Greeks whether they were willing to accept an arrangement with creditors that would require considerable further austerity, such as pension cuts. Mr. Varoufakis had threatened last week to resign if a “yes” vote passed, and his decision to resign after he and his allies prevailed in the referendum was unexpected.

Turkish govt resigns, Erdogan seeks to form 1st coalition after 12 yrs majority rule

June 9, 2015 By administrator

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accepted the government’s resignation on Tuesday, asking Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to stay on in his post until a new Cabinet is formed.

The prime minister’s resignation is a standard procedure after Sunday’s parliamentary election before the new government starts operating, the Turkish president’s office said.

“The president thanked the government for its work to date. [The acting] Cabinet will continue working until the new government is put together,” Erdogan’s office said in a statement, Tass reported.

After a swearing-in ceremony on June 25, the new Turkish parliament members will have 45 days to agree on the composition of the cabinet.

If they fail to form a government by that deadline, Erdogan has the power to call a new parliamentary election.

After the announcement of the preliminary results of Turkey’s parliamentary election it became clear that Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) had fallen short of a majority for the first time in 12 years.

According to Turkey’s NTV channel, AKP claimed some 41 per cent of the votes, a loss of 9 percentage points, which will only allow it to occupy 258 seats in the country’s 550-seat Grand National Assembly.

Erdogan’s party will now face the prospect of entering a coalition with one of the three opposition parties that passed the 10 percent barrier necessary to enter parliament.

The Republican People’s Party (CHP) has preliminarily garnered about 25 percent of the vote (a rise of 4 percentage points), taking about 130 seats in parliament.

The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) took about 17 percent (an increase of 3 percentage points), claiming a little over 80 seats.

For the time in Turkish history a pro-Kurdish party, the People’s Democratic Party (HDP), has made it into the parliament, with around 13 percent of the vote.

The official results of the election are set to be announced 11 or 12 days after Sunday’s vote.