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Japan Emperor's Brother Proclaimed 1st in Line to Throne

In this photo provided by the Imperial Household Agency of Japan, Crown Prince Akishino, second from left, attends a ceremony formally proclaiming him first in line to the throne with Emperor Naruhito, center left, at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Nov. 8, 2020. (AP)
In this photo provided by the Imperial Household Agency of Japan, Crown Prince Akishino, second from left, attends a ceremony formally proclaiming him first in line to the throne with Emperor Naruhito, center left, at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Nov. 8, 2020. (AP)
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Japan Emperor's Brother Proclaimed 1st in Line to Throne

In this photo provided by the Imperial Household Agency of Japan, Crown Prince Akishino, second from left, attends a ceremony formally proclaiming him first in line to the throne with Emperor Naruhito, center left, at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Nov. 8, 2020. (AP)
In this photo provided by the Imperial Household Agency of Japan, Crown Prince Akishino, second from left, attends a ceremony formally proclaiming him first in line to the throne with Emperor Naruhito, center left, at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Nov. 8, 2020. (AP)

Japanese Emperor Naruhito's younger brother, Crown Prince Fumihito, was formally sworn in as first in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne in a traditional palace ritual Sunday that has been postponed for seven month and scaled down due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The ceremony for the 54-year-old crown prince, better known as Prince Akishino, concludes a series of imperial succession rituals that began in May last year when Naruhito ascended to the throne after their 86-year-old father Akihito abdicated.

Inside the palace’s most prestigious Pine Room, Naruhito, 60, declared that his younger brother is now officially the crown prince who is first in line to succeed the throne of the world's oldest monarchy.

“I hereby declare in and outside of the country that prince Fumihito is now the crown prince,” said Naruhito, in his reddish brown robe and a headdress. Fumihito, in an orange robe and accompanied by his wife, Crown Princess Kiko, pledged in response: “I deeply acknowledge my responsibilities as crown prince and carry out my duties.”

The approximately 15-minute ceremony, initially scheduled for April 19, was postponed after Japan’s government issued a state of emergency earlier that month due to the pandemic.

Sunday’s ritual was scaled down from the original 350 to about 50 attendants that included Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and other top government officials, as well as prefectural representatives and select foreign dignitaries.

In a separate, closed ceremony later Sunday, Fumihito inherited an imperial sword symbolizing his status as crown prince.

Palace banquets and other events including public signing of congratulatory messages have been canceled as part of anti-virus measures.

Sunday's proclamation for the crown prince paves the way for the government to start discussing what to do with the dire shortage of heirs.

Naruhito's succession left only two younger men in line for the throne — Fumihito and his 14-year-old son, Hisahito. Naruhito’s 18-year-old daughter, Aiko, and the crown prince's two daughters Mako and Kako are not in line because they are women.

Japan's Imperial House Law, largely based on pre-war constitution, does not allow a female emperor and bars women when they marry commoners.

The government in 2005 considered the possibility of female emperors, but the discussion halted as soon as Hisahito was born the following year. Surveys have shown that most Japanese support having female emperors, as Aiko has become increasingly popular.

Suga recently said his government will begin studying ways to secure a stable imperial succession after the crown prince's proclamation.

Official duties increased during the reign of hugely popular former emperor Akihito, who actively interacted with the public, including visiting disaster-hit areas to console residents.

Fumihito, one of the outspoken members of the imperial family, has expressed his views on how the family should adapt to modern times. He has said he believed royal duties can be shared equally regardless of gender, though he declined to comment on whether female emperors should be allowed.

The imperial family currently has 13 women, including six who could marry and lose their royal status in coming years.

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World

Maduro Elusive on US Attack, Open to Dialogue

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro says the door is open to dialogue with Washington. STRINGER / AFP/File
Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro says the door is open to dialogue with Washington. STRINGER / AFP/File
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Maduro Elusive on US Attack, Open to Dialogue

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro says the door is open to dialogue with Washington. STRINGER / AFP/File
Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro says the door is open to dialogue with Washington. STRINGER / AFP/File

President Nicolas Maduro Thursday dodged a question about an alleged US attack on a dock in Venezuela but said he was open to cooperation with Washington after weeks of American military pressure.

"Wherever they want and whenever they want," Maduro said of the idea of dialogue with the United States on drug trafficking, oil and migration in an interview on state TV.

Maduro's government has neither confirmed nor denied what President Donald Trump announced Monday: a US attack on a docking facility that served Venezuelan drug trafficking boats.

Asked point-blank if he confirmed or denied the attack, Maduro said Thursday "this could be something we talk about in a few days."

The attack would amount to the first known land strike of the US military campaign against drug trafficking from Latin America.

Trump on Monday said the United States hit and destroyed a docking area for alleged Venezuelan drug boats.

Trump would not say if it was a military or CIA operation or where the strike occurred, noting only that it was "along the shore."

"There was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs," he told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

"So we hit all the boats and now we hit the area, it's the implementation area, that's where they implement. And that is no longer around."

In the interview, Maduro insisted that Venezuela has defended itself well as the US carried out its military campaign at sea.

"Our people are safe and in peace," he said.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro fueled rumors about the location of the attack, saying "Trump bombed a factory in Maracaibo" where "they mix coca paste to make cocaine."

That led some to speculate on social media that a fire at wholesale chemical distributor Primazol's warehouses in Maracaibo may have been related to the attack.

Primazol chief Carlos Eduardo Siu denied those rumors, saying "President Petro, not here -- we neither package nor manufacture any kind of narcotics."

Unpleasant evolution

Maduro said he has not spoken to Trump since a conversation they had on November 12, which he described as cordial and respectful.

"I think that conversation was even pleasant, but since then the evolution has not been pleasant. Let's wait," he said.

"If they want to talk seriously about an agreement to fight drug trafficking, we are ready," the Venezuelan leader said.

The Trump administration has accused Maduro of heading a drug cartel and says it is cracking down on trafficking, but the leftist leader denies any involvement in the narcotics trade, saying the US seeks a coup because Venezuela has the largest known reserves of oil on Earth.

Washington has ramped up pressure on Caracas by informally closing Venezuela's airspace, imposing more sanctions and ordering the seizure of tankers loaded with Venezuelan oil.

For weeks Trump has threatened ground strikes on drug cartels in the region, saying they would start "soon," but this is the first apparent example.

US forces have also carried out numerous strikes on boats in both the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since September, targeting what Washington says are drug smugglers.

The deadly maritime campaign has killed at least 107 people in at least 30 strikes, according to information released by the US military.

The administration has provided no evidence that the targeted boats were involved in drug trafficking, however, prompting debate about the legality of these operations.

International law experts and rights groups say the strikes likely amount to extrajudicial killings, a charge that Washington denies.

World

Swiss Investigators Rush to Identify Victims of New Year's Fire

Investigators are racing to identify the victims of a fire at a New Year's celebration in the Swiss Alps town of Crans-Montana. MAXIME SCHMID / AFP
Investigators are racing to identify the victims of a fire at a New Year's celebration in the Swiss Alps town of Crans-Montana. MAXIME SCHMID / AFP
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Swiss Investigators Rush to Identify Victims of New Year's Fire

Investigators are racing to identify the victims of a fire at a New Year's celebration in the Swiss Alps town of Crans-Montana. MAXIME SCHMID / AFP
Investigators are racing to identify the victims of a fire at a New Year's celebration in the Swiss Alps town of Crans-Montana. MAXIME SCHMID / AFP

Investigators raced on Friday to identify the victims of a fire that ripped through a bar in the Swiss Alps town of Crans-Montana, turning a New Year's celebration into one of the country's worst tragedies.

It is not yet clear what set off the blaze at Le Constellation, killing around 40 people and injuring about 115 others, many seriously.

Bystanders described scenes of panic and chaos as people tried to break the windows to escape and others, covered in burns, poured into the street, reported AFP.

Swiss police warned it could take days or even weeks to identify everyone who perished, an agonizing wait for family and friends.

"We've tried to reach our friends. We took loads of photos and posted them on Instagram, Facebook, all possible social networks to try to find them," said Eleonore, 17. "But there's nothing. No response."

"Even the parents don't know," she added.

The exact number of people who were at the bar when it went up in flames remains unclear, and police have not specified how many are still missing.

Le Constellation had a capacity of 300 people, plus another 40 people on its terrace, according to the Crans-Montana website.

Swiss President Guy Parmelin, who took over on Thursday, called the fire "a calamity of unprecedented, terrifying proportions", and announced that flags would be flown at half mast for five days.

"Behind these figures are faces, names, families, lives brutally cut short, completely interrupted, or forever changed," Parmelin said at a press conference.

"Given the international nature of the Crans resort, we can expect foreign nationals to be among the victims," local police commander Frederic Gisler said.

'The apocalypse'

The fire broke out around 1:30 am (0030 GMT) Thursday at Le Constellation, a bar popular with young tourists.

"We thought it was just a small fire -- but when we got there, it was war," Mathys, from neighboring Chermignon-d'en-Bas, told AFP. "That's the only word I can use to describe it: the apocalypse."

Nathan, who was in the bar before the blaze, saw burned people streaming out of the site.

"They were asking for help, crying out for help," he said.

Authorities have declined to speculate on what caused the tragedy, saying only that it was not an attack.

Several witness accounts, broadcast by Swiss, French and Italian media, pointed to sparklers apparently mounted on champagne bottles and held aloft by restaurant staff as part of a regular "show" for patrons who made special orders to their tables.

There were "waitresses with champagne bottles and little sparklers. They got too close to the ceiling, and suddenly it all caught fire", Axel, a witness, told the Italian media outlet Local Team.

The canton's chief prosecutor, Beatrice Pilloud said investigators would look into whether the bar met safety standards and had the required number of exits.

Red and white caution tape, flowers and candles adorned the street where the tragedy occurred, while police shielded the site with white screens.

The European Union said it has been in contact with Swiss authorities about providing medical assistance, while French President Emmanuel Macron said some of the injured were being cared for in French hospitals.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told Italian broadcaster Rete 4 that around 15 Italians had been injured in the fire, and a similar number remained missing.

The French foreign ministry said nine French citizens figured among the injured, and eight others remained unaccounted for.

Multiple sources told AFP that the bar owners are French nationals: a couple originally from Corsica who, according to a relative, are safe, but have been unreachable since the tragedy.

World

Somaliland Denies It Will Host Palestinians, Israeli Base

This picture taken on November 7, 2024 shows a general view of the city of Hargeisa, capital and largest city of the self-proclaimed Republic of Somaliland. (AFP)
This picture taken on November 7, 2024 shows a general view of the city of Hargeisa, capital and largest city of the self-proclaimed Republic of Somaliland. (AFP)
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Somaliland Denies It Will Host Palestinians, Israeli Base

This picture taken on November 7, 2024 shows a general view of the city of Hargeisa, capital and largest city of the self-proclaimed Republic of Somaliland. (AFP)
This picture taken on November 7, 2024 shows a general view of the city of Hargeisa, capital and largest city of the self-proclaimed Republic of Somaliland. (AFP)

The breakaway region of Somaliland on Thursday denied allegations by the Somali president that it would take resettled Palestinians or host an Israeli military base in exchange for Israel recognizing its independence.

Israel last week became the first country to recognize Somaliland as an "independent and sovereign state", triggering protests across Somalia.

On Wednesday, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, citing intelligence reports, told Al Jazeera that Somaliland had accepted three conditions from Israel: the resettlement of Palestinians, the establishment of a military base on the Gulf of Aden, and joining the Abraham Accords to normalize ties with Israel.

Somaliland's foreign ministry denied the first two conditions.

"The Government of the Republic of Somaliland firmly rejects false claims made by the President of Somalia alleging the resettlement of Palestinians or the establishment of military bases in Somaliland," it said in a statement on X.

It said the deal was "purely diplomatic".

"These baseless allegations are intended to mislead the international community and undermine Somaliland's diplomatic progress," it added.

But analysts say an alliance with Somaliland is especially useful to Israel for its strategic position on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, close to the Iran-backed Houthi in Yemen, who have struck Israel repeatedly since the start of the Gaza war.

Somaliland unilaterally declared independence in 1991 and has enjoyed far more peace than the rest of conflict-hit Somalia, establishing its own elections, currency and army.

Its location alongside one of the world's busiest shipping lanes has made it a key partner for foreign countries.