Britain braces for Brexit

On Friday, a giant clock will project onto the British prime minister’s residence at No. 10 Downing Street, London, and count down to 11 p.m., when the United Kingdom is scheduled to officially leave the European Union. The Union Jack will also fly in Parliament Square, and the U.K. will unveil a commemorative coin to usher in the much-delayed departure.

The European Council last week signed off on the withdrawal agreement, and Queen Elizabeth II gave her royal assent, putting the nation on track to be the first country to leave the bloc. But Friday’s exit only marks the first step. The U.K. and the EU will enter a transition phase to hash out their future relationship, which will likely prove as contentious as the rest of the discussions up to this point.

The U.K. held a referendum on Brexit on June 23, 2016, with the “leave” option capturing 52 percent of the vote. Brexit was supposed to happen on March 29, 2019, but former Prime Minister Theresa May struggled to craft a separation plan that both Parliament and the EU would support. It took several snap elections and a change in Conservative Party leadership before the new prime minister, Boris Johnson, had enough backing in Parliament to get a deal approved.

The border between the EU nation of Ireland and Northern Ireland, which is part of the U.K., proved a major sticking point. Originally, a so-called “backstop” plan would have disallowed any border controls between the two. But pro-Brexit lawmakers argued an open border with Ireland could keep the U.K. tied to the EU indefinitely.

Johnson’s deal will keep Northern Ireland within the EU single market for goods and eliminate custom checks at its border with Ireland. Only goods deemed “at risk” of entering Ireland will face taxes. After four years, Northern Ireland will get the chance to vote on whether to continue the arrangement.

“What these taxes will be, and what constitutes ‘at risk,’ have yet to be determined,” said Christopher Strafford, a doctoral researcher in the school of politics and international relations at the University of Nottingham in England.

The Freight Transport Association (FTA) last week complained that a “straightforward” document Northern Irish businesses will need to fill out before sending goods to Britain is a complex form with 29 mandatory data elements.

“It’s the hauler who must complete the paperwork,” said Seamus Lehany, head of the FTA in Belfast, Northern Ireland. “The concern is if a mistake is made and a load refused on board a ferry, it could then miss its sailing, which would have a big impact on ‘just-in-time’ loads, especially for the retail trade.”

With the deal approved, the U.K. and the EU are set to begin talks in early March on trade and their future relationship amid a transition period slated to last until Dec. 31.

The EU has said it will expect the British government to keep to domestic labor and environmental standards “to encourage trade and investment.” Both sides are working to wrap up a new framework for fishing rights by July 1. The discussions will also extend to data sharing, security, and law enforcement.

Strafford said the chances of resolving all the issues by December is quite low, but added that he expects the British government to try to avoid an extension: “The governing Conservative Party would likely lose a lot of supporters if they [extend the process], having been elected on a promise to ‘get Brexit done.’”

Isabel dos Santos Associated Press/Photo by Paulo Duarte (file)

Africa’s richest woman faces fraud accusations

Isabel dos Santos, the wealthy daughter of the former president of Angola, used her father’s position and inside deals to amass her wealth, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists reported last week. The research, dubbed “Luanda Leaks” after Angola’s capital city, included 715,000 emails, audits, and contracts, among other documents, showing how dos Santos increased the value of her businesses to $2 billion.

Dos Santos’ father, José Eduardo dos Santos, was president of Angola from 1979 to 2017.

Toward the end of the 1990s, Isabel dos Santos’ mobile technology company won a public contract for the country’s second mobile license. Unitel is now Angola’s largest mobile phone provider. In 2016, she accepted an appointment to chair the state-owned oil company, Sonangol, from which she is accused of embezzling more than $130 million. João Lourenço, who replaced her father as president in 2017, dismissed her when he launched an anti-corruption campaign.

Dos Santos and her husband, art collector Sindika Dokolo, own a huge penthouse in Lisbon, Portugal, and three homes in a single-gated development in London’s Kensington district. They bought a $55 million luxury flat in Monte Carlo, Monaco, through a Maltese holding company, among other businesses and shareholdings.

Angola’s attorney general is investigating dos Santos. In December, a civil court froze her assets, accusing her of enriching herself at the expense of the state. EuroBic, a Lisbon-based branch of an Angolan bank, where dos Santos is the largest shareholder, said it was ending its “commercial relationship” with her and would investigate transfers worth tens of millions of dollars.

Dos Santos has denied any wrongdoing and insisted she got her wealth through hard work and business acumen. She called the investigation a “witch-hunt” by Angola’s current administration. In Angola, an estimated two-thirds of the country’s population lives on less than $2 a day. —O.O.

Isabel dos Santos Associated Press/Photo by Paulo Duarte (file)

UN admonishes Myanmar

The UN International Court of Justice issued an emergency order last week telling Myanmar to prevent the genocide of Rohingya Muslims and stop destroying evidence of crimes against them. The order puts the nation, also known as Burma, on notice that the international community disapproves of its actions, but the court lacks the power to enforce the order.

At the court in The Hague, Netherlands, Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi denied genocide took place, calling it an “internal armed conflict.” Myanmar’s government accused the court of presenting a “distorted” picture of the situation.

Rohingya refugees who fled the violence in 2017 dismissed Myanmar’s defense. “No one trusts Myanmar’s government anymore, because it has lied so much and continues to do so,” Hossain Johur, a refugee and former teacher, told UCA News. “It can deny genocide, but the world knows the crackdown was intended to eliminate Rohingya as a whole.”

Rohingya leaders expressed hope after the court’s decision. “The scenes coming out of The Hague made us feel stronger and even more united,” a group of Rohingya women said in a statement.

Tun Khin of the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK called the ruling “a crucial moment for Rohingya justice, and vindication for those of us who have lived through this genocide for decades.” —Julia A. Seymour

Isabel dos Santos Associated Press/Photo by Paulo Duarte (file)

Citizenship changes move forward in India

India’s Supreme Court last week refused to halt the implementation of an unpopular citizenship law. Instead, the court gave the Hindu nationalist government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi four weeks to reply to the 143 petitions filed against the Citizenship Amendment Act.

The measure, passed by the Indian Parliament, will fast-track the naturalization of Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jains, Parsis, and Sikhs who fled Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan because of religious persecution before 2015. Protesters criticize the law for making religion a basis for citizenship and for not including Muslims, especially Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, also known as Burma. Nearly 30 people have died in protests over the legislation. The demonstrations continued across India on Sunday as the nation celebrated the 70th anniversary of its democratic constitution. —O.O.