UN investigator says Myanmar genocide against Rohingya ‘ongoing’
UN Security Council urged to take action as ‘most severe’ repression of remaining Rohingya minority continues.
Genocide continues to take place against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar and the government is increasingly demonstrating it has no interest in establishing a fully functioning democracy, a UN investigator said.
Marzuki Darusman, chair of the UN fact-finding mission on Myanmar, said the estimated 250,000 to 400,000 Rohingya who remained in the Buddhist-majority country following last year’s brutal crackdown “continue to suffer the most severe” restrictions and repression.
“Atrocities continue to take place today,” Darusman told reporters as he prepared to brief the UN Security Council on the situation on Wednesday. “It is an ongoing genocide that is taking place.”
There is increasing global pressure on Myanmar to act following a military crackdown in the western state of Rakhine that drove some 700,000 Rohingya across the border into Bangladesh, amid accusations of mass rape, murder and torture.
Myanmar’s government has rejected the 440-page UN report on the crackdown, which concluded top military leaders should be prosecuted for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide for their role in the crackdown. The UN investigation was “flawed, biased and poltically motivated”, Myanmar’s council representative said. Darusman’s briefing to the Security Council drew objections from six of its 15 members including China, which is Myanmar’s neighbour and ally, and Russia.
‘Human rights catastrophe’
Darusman told the council the mission’s report on the crackdown showed a “human rights catastrophe” that would affect the Rohingya for “generations to come, if not forever”. He urged the council to hold Myanmar accountable.
“National sovereignty is not a licence to commit crimes against humanity or genocide,” said Darusman. “The Rohingya and all of Myanmar’s people, in fact the entire world, is looking at you to take action.”
Al Jazeera’s Diplomatic Editor James Bays said a referral was unlikely, with China and Russia able to use their veto to protect Myanmar from any action. “A Security Council veto could and almost certainly would be used,” Bays said. “But an investigation into the crime of forced expulsion is a possibility because the country many people fled to, Bangladesh, has signed up to the court’s jurisdiction.”
Britain coordinates council action on Myanmar and the country’s ambassador to the UN, Karen Pierce, said she would push for “accountability that genuinely ends the Burmese military’s impunity”.
‘Apartheid situation’
The Rohingya: Silent Abuse
Yanghee Lee, the UN special investigator on human rights in Myanmar, told reporters leader Aung San Suu Kyi was “in denial” about the crackdown, and her government did not appear to be all that different from the military dictatorship of the past.
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Top Afghan Police General Abdul Raziq killed in Kandahar attack
Pentagon Acknowledges U.S. General Hurt In Kandahar Attack
AFP 17 Oct 2018 : A bomb placed under a sofa killed four Afghans including an election candidate on Wednesday, as deadly violence escalates ahead of the October 20 parliamentary ballot. General Abdul Raziq, one of Afghanistan’s most powerful security officials, was killed, along with Governor Zalmai Wesa and a local NDS intelligence commander, when a bodyguard opened fire after a meeting in the governor’s compound in the southern province, officials said. General Scott Miller, the top US commander in Afghanistan who had been at the meeting with Raziq only moments earlier, was uninjured in the attack.
In their claim of responsibility, the Taliban said they had targeted both Miller and Raziq, who had a fearsome reputation as a ruthless opponent of the armed group. Al Jazeera’s Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting from Kabul, said two US official were also wounded in the attack. “There was a meeting between the US top commander in Afghanistan Scot Miller and top government representatives in Kandahar. After that meeting, there was gunfire inside the governor’s compound. “In that gunfire, the intelligence chief, top police commander and the governor were killed. Two Americans were injured,” Ahelbarra reported.
Taliban claim | The Taliban have managed to infiltrate the most secure government meetings on multiple occasions this year, striking at the heart of its command. However, this was the first time that three top officials were killed in an attack.
“The brutal police chief of Kandahar has been killed along several other officials,” a Taliban statement said. Raziq was criticized by human rights groups but highly respected by US officers who saw him as one of Afghanistan’s most effective leaders, largely responsible for keeping Kandahar province under control.
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Israel pounds Gaza in ‘retaliation’ as 3 Palestinians killed, 370+ injured in border clashes
6 Oct, 2018 | At least three people, including a 12-year-old, were killed by Israeli troops as some 20,000 Palestinians rallied at the Gaza border. Amid the clashes, the IAF struck ‘terrorist targets’ in retaliation for border breach attempts. Thousands of Palestinian activists assembled near the Gazan-Israeli border, with some trying to breach the fence amid a heavy Israeli security presence, burning tires and throwing incendiary devices at the IDF soldiers. The crowd was, once again, met with a crackdown by the Israeli forces who used live bullets, rubber ammunition and tear gas to drive the crowd back.
220+ Palestinians killed since March 2018 : The official Twitter account of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) bemoaned the near-death of a tortoise allegedly rescued in the aftermath of a Hamas “arson balloon” attack which has become more frequent in recent weeks. “Look at what this Israeli firefighter found among the devastation caused by the arson balloons that Hamas launches from Gaza into Israel. 8,000+ acres burnt, 1000s of animals killed Hamas must be held accountable,” the tweet read, tagging Greenpeace and animal rights group PETA. An accompanying video shows a small tortoise walking through a patch of charred soil, before being scooped up by an Israeli firefighter.
Protester in Gaza goes viral : An image of a shirtless young protester in Gaza gripping a Palestinian flag with one hand and swinging a slingshot over his head with the other has drawn comparisons with the iconic French Revolution painting, Liberty Leading the People. Captured on October 22 by Mustafa Hassouna of Turkey’s Anadolu Agency, the photo shows 20-year-old Palestinian A’ed Abu Amro seeming to rise out of the thick of a protest against the Israeli blockade. Abu Amro lives in the al-Zaytoun neighbourhood in Gaza City.
He protests every Friday and Monday with friends. “I was surprised this picture of me went viral,” he told Al Jazeera. “I participate in protests on a weekly basis, sometimes more. I didn’t even know there was a photographer near me.”
Amro said that his friends sent him the image – taken in Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza – the next day, having spotted it being shared on social media. “I don’t go to protests to get pictures of me taken, but this has encouraged me to continue demonstrating,” he said. “The flag I was carrying is the same one I always hold in all the other protests I’ve attended. My friends make fun of me, saying it is easier to throw rocks without holding a flag in the other hand, but I got used to it. “If I get killed, I want to be wrapped in the same flag. We are demanding our right of return, and protesting for our dignity and the dignity of our future generation.” Al Jazeera News
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Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi Killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey
Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist for The Washington Post, author, and a former general manager and editor-in-chief of Al-Arab News Channel, was killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, on 2 October 2018. Two anonymous Saudi government officials claimed he had been choked to death by another government operative when an attempt to persuade him to return to Saudi Arabia went wrong. These claims have been disputed and found lacking evidence by the governments of Turkey, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, with Turkey in particular believing it was premeditated murder.
Khashoggi was visiting the consulate in order to obtain documents related to the marriage he and his fiancée were planning. As no CCTV recorded him exiting, he was declared a missing person amid news reports claiming that he was dismembered alive inside the consulate before he was killed. An inspection of the consulate, by both Saudi and Turkish officials, took place on 15 October. Turkish officials found evidence of tampering during the inspection and evidence that supported the belief that Khashoggi had been killed.
Aftermath
Saudi Arabia fires 5 top officials, arrests 18 Saudis, saying Khashoggi was killed in fight at consulate
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia The Saudi government acknowledged early Saturday that journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, saying he died during a fistfight, but the new account may do little to ease international demands for the kingdom to be held accountable.
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Turkish President Erdogan calls for trial in Istanbul of Khashoggi suspects,
terms death ‘premeditated’ murder
AFP | October 23, 2018 | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses the Turkish parliament. Turkish President called for 18 Saudi suspects in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi to stand trial in Istanbul, saying all those involved had to face punishment. Khashoggi, a critic of powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, in what sources close to the government have said was likely an authorised rendition that went wrong.
“My demand is that 18 people be tried in Istanbul,” Erdogan said in a speech to ruling party lawmakers in Ankara today, adding that “all those who played a role in the murder of Khashoggi” had to face punishment.
He said that the murder was “planned” days in advance according to a “roadmap” set up by a Saudi team who were sent to Istanbul for the purpose. Erdogan added he still wanted answers on numerous issues including “who gave orders” to the team and where the corpse is. The Turkish president said that camera footage showed Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul but did not leave. He alleged that the Saudi consulate had deactivated the surveillance system ahead of Khashoggi’s murder. The Turkish president said that “all from the highest degree to the lowest level will be highlighted and will be brought to punishment.”
The Turkish president said that diplomatic immunity is not “armor” for murder, adding that Vienna convention would not allow those responsible for Khashoggi’s murder to get away with it.
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US to send Israel more F-35s after Moscow supplies S-300s to Syria reports
US President Donald Trump decided to lend a hand to America’s most devoted ally following consultations at the “highest administration and military levels,” DEBKAfile, a military intelligence news site, said to have ties with the Israeli security services, reported. The move to increase Israel’s weapon arsenal was taken in the wake of Russia’s “enhanced threat” and its decision to deliver S-300 air defense systems to the war-ravaged country, according to the report. The precise number of aircraft destined for Israel, however, has not been disclosed. It is also understood that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, crown princes Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia and Muhammad bin Zayed of the United Arab Emirates, were informed of Trump’s decision. The F-35 stealth multirole fighters in question will be deployed from the US Air Force’s active service squadrons, the report said. The first squadron will be posted at the UAE Al Dhafra Air base, some 32 kilometers (19 miles) from Abu Dhabi. DEBKA concludes that “this massive transfer” indicates the allies “determination” to maintain Israeli operations in Syria, “notwithstanding the presence of the S-300s and boosted Russian-Syrian air defense capabilities.”
The report comes on the heels of the downing of the Russian Il-20 jet by Syrian air defense forces. Moscow pinned the blame on Tel Aviv, saying its data proved that the Israeli F-16 fighter jet was trying to use the Russian aircraft as a shield. Israel has denied the accusations.
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NATO to deploy 45,000 troops near Russian border, calls it ‘defensive’
Amid ceaseless accusations of Russian aggression, NATO will deploy 45,000 troops to Northern Europe in what will be the alliance’s largest “defensive” exercise since the end of the Cold War. Fifty aircraft, 70 vessels, and around 10,000 land vehicles will take part in NATO’s Trident Juncture 18 drills, which are set to begin on October 25, with live field exercises continuing until November 7. Thirty-one allied countries and partners are slated to participate.
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg described the massive military maneuvers as “defensive and transparent,” adding that all members of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), including Russia, had been invited to send observers.
The drills will simulate the defense of a member state being attacked by a “fictional” aggressor, but the drills’ set locations in Norway, Finland, and Sweden leave little to the imagination. Observers have noted this setting of this year’s drills may have been prompted by the growing struggle with Russia for control of the strategically-vital Arctic.
The drills will also test the alliance’s ability to operate in cold weather but it appears that at least some NATO states failed to properly prepare their troops for the chilly Norwegian weather: Around 1,000 Dutch soldiers set to take part in the drills were asked to shop on their own for suitable warm underwear, with the Dutch government reportedly giving each soldier €1,000 (US$1,167) to stock up on warm undies.
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Russia will target European countries if they host U.S. nuclear missiles: Putin
By : Olesya Astakhova, Andrew Osborn | Reauters
MOSCOW (Reuters) – President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Russia would be forced to target any European countries that agreed to host U.S. nuclear missiles following Washington’s withdrawal from a landmark Cold war-era arms control treaty.
Speaking at a news conference after holding talks with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, Putin said he wanted to discuss what he called dangerous U.S. plans to leave the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Russia has called Trump’s decision to quit the 1987 treaty, which eliminated both countries’ land-based short- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles from Europe, dangerous. Trump has accused Russia of violating the treaty, something Moscow denies. It says Washington is the one violating it. U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton told Putin that Washington would press ahead with plans to quit the pact despite objections from Russia and some European countries.
Putin told reporters on Wednesday that Russia would have to respond in kind and would do so swiftly if the United States quit the pact. “Answering your question directly, can we respond,” Putin said, when asked what Russia would do if Trump made good on his pledge to leave the treaty. “We can, and it will be very fast and very effective,” he said.
“If the United States does withdraw from the INF treaty, the main question is what they will do with these (intermediate-range) missiles that will once again appear. “If they will deliver them to Europe, naturally our response will have to mirror this, and European countries that agree to host them, if things go that far, must understand that they are putting their own territory at risk of a possible counter-strike.”
LOOMING ARMS RACE : Putin said he did not understand why it was necessary to put Europe in such danger, saying it was a situation that Russia itself wanted to avoid if possible.
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Russia surpassed rivals with precise hypersonic weapons
& will deploy more within months
18 Oct, 2018 | New Avangard hypersonic glider warheads are just months away from entering military service, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, adding that Russia is the first in the world to develop the breakthrough technology. A hypersonic glider is a type of projectile that can fly and maneuver in the upper atmosphere at speeds of over Mach 5. This makes them harder to intercept than regular warheads, which approach the target over a predictable ballistic trajectory. Russia’s variant of the system is called Avangard and will be ready for military service in a few months, according to Putin.
“Responding to the development of anti-ballistic missile systems by the US, we are improving our strike capabilities. Some are already in service, others will be deployed soon,” he said during a Valdai Club session in Sochi. The Avangard deployment will happen “within several months,” Putin said.
Other futuristic weapon systems, which Putin said are in development, include a nuclear-powered cruise missile and a nuclear-powered underwater drone, both based on a miniaturized nuclear reactor. The Russian president also said that a combat laser is being worked on, although what role it is meant to fulfill has yet to be clarified.
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Suspected pipe Bombs sent to prominent Democrats and CNN
The pipe bombs were sent to a mix of office and residential addresses, and appeared to target some of the people Trump criticizes frequently. Most of the packages had a similar return address: that of US Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Florida, whose last name was misspelled. There is no information to suggest she sent the packages.
The package sent to: Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, George Soros, John Brennan, Eric Holder, Maxine Waters, Joe Biden, Robert De Niro, Cory Booker, James Clapper, Kamala Harris.
The bombs were likely meant to be found and create panic, explosives experts say. “Whoever is doing this is just trying to elicit a fear or disrupt something,” said Ryan Morris, founder of Tripwire Operations Group, a company that provides explosives training to law enforcement and military officials. He had examined images of the devices sent to Soros and to CNN’s New York offices. “There are a multitude of more sophisticated methodologies that would have worked if they really wanted this to work,” he added.
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11 Dead, Several Others Shot At Pittsburgh Synagogue
Oct 27, 2018: FBI Leading Investigation As Shooting Deemed A ‘Hate Crime’
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) Eleven people have been killed and a number of others injured after a shooting at The Tree of Life Synagogue in Squirrel Hill.
Police sources tell KDKA’s Andy Sheehan the gunman, Robert Bowers, walked into the building and yelled, “All Jews must die.” Sheehan’s sources also confirmed that eleven people have died. No children are among the deceased. Bowers was reportedly armed with an AR-15 and three handguns.
The initial call to 911 was made around 9:54 a.m. and officers were dispatched to the scene within a minute.When officers arrived, the gunman reportedly shot at them, forcing officers to use their vehicles as a shield. Bowers was said to be exiting the building when he encountered a uniformed officer and went back inside. Eventually, he was pinned down on the third floor and apprehended. The SWAT team had been talking with the suspect, and he was crawling and injured.
It is unclear the extent of his injuries. He was taken into custody about 20 minutes after the initial call to 911.
The shooting happened during weekly Shabbat services at the synagogue. The building was full of people for a Saturday service and police said they received several calls from people barricaded inside.
The suspect, identified by The Associated Press as Robert Bowers, 46, surrendered after a firefight with police. Bowers appears to have made several anti-Semitic comments on social media and law enforcement is looking into those comments, WPXI reported.
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Crimea attack: Gun attack at Kerch college kills 19 wounds 40
17 October 2018| A student has attacked a vocational college in the Russian-annexed peninsula Crimea, killing at least 19 people before killing himself, according to Russia’s Investigative Committee. The committee said CCTV footage showed 18-year-old student Vladislav Roslyakov entering Kerch Polytechnic College with a rifle and firing at students.
Anastasia Yenshina, a 15-year-old student at the college, said she was in a toilet on the ground floor of the building with some friends when she heard the sound of an explosion. “I came out and there was dust and smoke, I couldn’t understand, I’d been deafened,” she told Reuters news agency. “Everyone started running … I saw a girl lying there. There was a child who was being helped to walk because he could not move on his own. The wall was covered in blood.
“Everyone was scared. People were crying.”
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BrahMos Aerospace engineer arrested for allegedly leaking information to Pakistan
Oct 08, 2018 | Pradip Maitra | Hindustan Times, Nagpur
An engineer working with state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation’s Brahmos Aerospace (DRDO) was arrested in Nagpur for espionage, police said. Nishant Agrawal, 28, was arrested in a joint operation by the Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squads (ATS) in Ujjal Nagar this morning. Aseem Arun, who heads UP’s anti-terror squad, told reporters that they had found “very sensitive information on his personal computer”.
“We also found evidence of him chatting on Facebook with Pakistan based Ids,” he said. The UP police has not divulged the precise nature of information that he is alleged to have leaked to entities based in Pakistan.
Agrawal is a senior system engineer with Brahmos Aerospace, a joint venture of DRDO and Russia’s Military Industrial Consortium (NPO Mashinostroyenia) that works on India’s supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from launched from land, air, sea and under water. Agrawal’s home and the DRDO office in Dongargaon, 40 km south of Nagpur, were searched. Agrawal, who has won the DRDO’s young scientist award, shifted from DRDO Hyderabad to Nagpur four years ago and lived with his wife.
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Why S- 400 air defence system deal so important for India?
The S-400 Triumf air defence system deal, inked by India and Russia Friday notwithstanding the US pressure of sanctions, can engage up to 36 targets at a time and simultaneously launch 72 missiles. The long and medium range air defense missile system, which Air Force Chief B S Dhanoa said will provide a much needed “booster” to the Air Force, is designed to destroy air attacks, including stealth aircraft and any other aerial targets. “The sides welcomed the conclusion of the contract for the supply of the S-400 Long Range Surface to Air Missile System to India,” a joint statement released after the delegation level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladmir Putin said. The delivery of the missile systems, tipped to be over USD 5 billion, will start 24 months from the signing of the contract.
Acquiring the missile system will help repulse the air attacks by India’s adversaries, especially Pakistan and China. The signing of the deal assumes significance as China, too, has signed a deal with Russia to procure the same missile system. “This is the most lethal weapons system in the world and it provides four different types of layered air defence,” Air Vice Marshal (R) Manmohan Bahadur told PTI. The missile system has been in service since April 2007. The S-400 is based on the S-300PMU2 air defense missile complex. The air defence missile system comprises a combat control post, a three-coordinate jam-resistant phased array radar to detect aerial targets, six-eight air defence missile complexes (with up to 12 transporter-launchers, and also a multi-functional four-coordinate illumination and detection radar), a technical support system, a missile transporting vehicles and a training simulator, experts said. The S-400 system can also additionally include an all-altitude radar (detector) and movable towers for an antenna post, they said. The target detection range of this system is up to 600 kilometres and its tactical ballistic missile destruction range varies from five kilometres to 60 kilometres.
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Israel wins $777 mn Indian missile defence order
(Source: World Bulletin) The deal with India’s state-owned Bharat Electronics Limited to supply the marine version of the Barak 8 air and missile defence system for seven more warships follows a $630 million (551 million euro) order placed last year.
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) said Wednesday it had won a $777 million (680 million euro) order from India to buy defence systems for its navy. State-owned IAI, Israel’s largest defence firm, said worldwide sales of the Barak 8 system now totalled more than $6 billion.
Israel is among the world’s top arms dealers, with nearly 60 percent of its defence exports going to the Asia-Pacific region, according to Israeli defence ministry figures.
Russia is still by far India’s largest arms supplier. During a visit last week, President Vladimir Putin won an order for the S-400 surface-to-air missile defence system, worth $5.2 billion according to an Indian source. But as the United States has imposed sanctions on countries buying Russian military hardware, India has sought to diversify its suppliers. Washington and New Delhi announced plans last month for joint military exercises in 2019 and the United States is now India’s second-biggest supplier.
In April last year, Israel won 1.6 billion euros of orders from India, which it hailed as its largest ever arms export deal.
“It constitutes further proof that security is an investment not an expense,” Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said of Wednesday’s deal. “Israel Aerospace Industries is a pillar of the nation that we must conserve and strengthen,” he added, recalling his opposition to proposals for partial privatisation of the firm. Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a “groundbreaking” first ever visit by an Indian premier to Israel in July last year to cement growing defence ties.
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Indonesian plane carrying 188 passengers crashes into the sea
Mon. October 29, 2018 | An Indonesian passenger flight flying from the capital of Jakarta to Pangkal Pinang off the Island of Sumatra crashed into the sea, Indonesia’s search and rescue agency said. The Lion Air flight was carrying 188 people, including crew. “It has been confirmed that it has crashed,” Yusuf Latif, a spokesman for the National Search and Rescue Agency, said by text message, when asked about the fate of the Lion Air plane. The plane lost contact 13 minutes after takeoff, according to the official. The jet was a Boeing 737 MAX 8, which can carry up to 200 passengers, according to air tracking service Flightradar 24. Lion Air is one of Indonesia’s youngest and biggest airlines, flying to dozens of domestic and international destinations. In 2013, one of its Boeing 737-800 jets missed the runway while landing on the resort island of Bali, crashing into the sea without causing any fatalities among the 108 people on board.
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Air pollution kills 600,000 children each year: WHO
GENEVA: (Mon. 29 Oct. 2018) Exposure to toxic air both indoors and out kills some 600,000 children under the age of 15 each year, the World Health Organization warned. Data from the UN health body shows that every day, 93 percent of children under the age of 15 — a full 1.8 billion youngsters, including 630 million under the age of five — breath dangerously polluted air. This has tragic consequences: In 2016 alone, some 600,000 children died from acute lower respiratory infections caused by polluted air, the WHO report found. “Polluted air is poisoning millions of children and ruining their lives,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement. “This is inexcusable. Every child should be able to breathe clean air so they can grow and fulfil their full potential.”
According to WHO data, more than nine out of 10 people on the planet breath dangerously toxic air, causing some seven million premature deaths each year. Air pollution is especially dangerous for children, and accounts for nearly one in 10 deaths among children under five around the globe, the report found. WHO´s study, which examined the health toll on children breathing health-hazardous levels of both outdoor and household air pollution, focused on dangerous particulate matter with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres (PM2.5). These include toxins like sulfate and black carbon, which pose the greatest health risks since they can penetrate deep into the lungs or cardiovascular system. The report found that children in poorer countries are far more at risk, with a full 98 percent of all children under five in low- and middle-income countries exposed to PM2.5 levels above WHO air quality guidelines. That compares to 52 percent in high-income countrie, WHO said. Together, household air pollution from cooking and outdoor air pollution cause more than half of all cases of acute lower respiratory infections in young children in low- and middle-income countries, WHO said.
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