Headlines 05/08/2016

Headlines

• Britain Should be Offered Tough Brexit Deal, say Voters in EU

• More than 300,000 Children Going Hungry in Yemen: UN

• Pentagon Not to Pay Pakistan $300 Million in Military Reimbursements

Details

Britain Should be Offered Tough Brexit Deal, say Voters in EU

Voters in France, Germany, Spain and Italy are more likely to say the UK should be offered a tough Brexit deal, rather than favourable terms, according to a survey that reveals the gulf in expectations between Britain and the continent. A poll by Ipsos-Mori showed that 39% of French people think the EU should offer the UK unfavourable terms, compared with only 19% that wanted a favourable deal. This pattern was replicated in Germany, Italy, Spain and Belgium, albeit with those wanting tougher terms having a narrower lead. Unsurprisingly, Britons were the most likely to say the EU should offer a good deal (56%), although a striking minority (16%) thought the EU should offer unattractive terms. In contrast, only a quarter of voters in Spain, Italy and Germany think the UK should get favourable terms, a factor that is likely to influence national leaders as they prepare for divorce talks with the British. The poll also revealed mixed feelings about Britain’s decision to leave. Almost half of Swedes (48%) reported feeling sad about Brexit, a proportion only exceeded by Britons, where 49% were sad – a near-perfect overlap with remain voters. The French were the least likely to shed a tear: only 25% said they were sad about the result. Brexit may also have knocked Britain’s international appeal. A quarter of respondents on the continent said they were less likely to visit the UK after the decision to quit the EU, while a similar amount were less likely to buy British goods and services. But two-thirds of people said the Brexit vote made no difference on these issues. [Source: The Guardian]

As attitudes harden on the continent towards the UK, Brexit is proving to be a strategic mistake. When there is deep discord amongst European powers, the world usually witnesses major wars. Is Europe heading towards another world war?

More than 300,000 Children Going Hungry in Yemen: UN

More than 370,000 children are at risk of starvation in Yemen, the United Nations has said, 15 months into a devastating war. According to new UN figures, more than 14 million people, about half of the population, are going hungry and are in urgent need of food and medical aid.

Some 500,000 children under the age of five are suffering from malnutrition, with two thirds of them so sick they could die if they don't receive immediate assistance, the UN said. "At least 370,000 children are suffering from severe acute malnutrition," Mohammed al-Asaadi, a spokesman for the UN children's agency in Yemen told Al Jazeera on Wednesday. "We're talking about a 50 percent increase compared to the number we had earlier this year." Severe acute malnutrition is a major cause of death for children under the age of five, and is apparent when a child has a very low weight for their height and becomes visibly frail and skeletal. Yemen has been torn apart by conflict since 2014, when Houthi rebels, allied with troops loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, captured large swaths of the country, including the capital Sanaa. A coalition led by Saudi Arabia launched an air campaign against the rebels in March 2015. Since then, more than 9,000 people have been killed and 2.8 million driven from their homes. The cost of food has skyrocketed since the start of the war, Asaadi said, with dramatic inflation in food and fuel prices leaving the poor vulnerable. Humanitarian groups have struggled to deliver aid to large parts of the country due to the fighting and air strikes, with the medical aid charity Doctors Without Borders, calling the situation "extremely challenging." [Source: Al-Jazeera]

How many more Islamic countries have to be destroyed and children killed, before Muslims realise that the current political order in the Muslim world has to be overturned and Khilafah "Caliphate" Rashidah (Caliphate) upon the method of the Prophethood re-established?

Pentagon Not to Pay Pakistan $300 Million in Military Reimbursements

The Pentagon will not pay Pakistan $300 million in military reimbursements after U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter decided not to tell Congress that Pakistan was taking adequate action against the Haqqani network, a U.S. official said. Relations between the two countries have been frayed over the past decade, with U.S. officials frustrated by what they term Islamabad's unwillingness to act against Islamist groups such as the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network. "The funds could not be released to the Government of Pakistan at this time because the Secretary has not yet certified that Pakistan has taken sufficient action against the Haqqani network," Pentagon spokesman Adam Stump said on Wednesday. The $300 million comes under the Coalition Support Fund (CSF), a U.S. Defense Department program to reimburse allies that have incurred costs in supporting counter-terrorist and counter-insurgency operations. Pakistan is the largest recipient.

"This decision does not reduce the significance of the sacrifices that the Pakistani military has undertaken over the last two years," Stump said. According to Pentagon data, about $14 billion has already been paid to Pakistan under the CSF since 2002. The decision by the Pentagon is a sign that while it sees some progress by Pakistan in its military operations in North Waziristan, much work remains [Source: Reuters]

After 14 years of killing Muslims in the tribal areas, America is NOT satisfied with Pakistan’s performance and, decided to withhold $300 million. What does that tell you about the sincerity of Pakistan’s leadership towards Islam and Pakistan?