U.N. court rejects Myanmar’s opposition to Rohingya genocide case
Myanmar genocide case to go ahead after ICJ rejects objections
By Rebecca Tan | July 22, 2022
(22 Jul 2022) Judges at the United Nations’ highest court have dismissed preliminary objections by Myanmar to a case alleging the Southeast Asian nation is responsible for genocide against the mostly Muslim Rohingya minority. The decision on Friday clears the way for the highly charged case, brought by The Gambia, to go ahead at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), a process that could take years. Myanmar, now ruled by the military, had argued that The Gambia, which brought the suit, had no standing to do so at the ICJ. But presiding Judge Joan Donoghue said the court found that all members of the 1948 Genocide Convention can and are obliged to act to prevent genocide, and it has jurisdiction in the case. “Gambia, as a state party to the Genocide convention, has standing,” she said, reading a summary of the ruling. The court will now proceed to hearing the merits of the case. The Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK) welcomed the court’s decision. “This decision is a great moment for justice for Rohingya and for all people of Burma. This ruling shows that there is a possibility to challenge to the military’s impunity,” Tun Khin, BROUK president, said in a statement. “The objections raised by Burma were nothing but a blatant delaying tactic, and we are pleased that this landmark genocide trial can now finally begin in earnest.” While the court’s decisions are binding and countries generally follow them, it has no way of enforcing them. The case is only the third of its kind in U.N. history and marks the first international reckoning with Myanmar’s alleged atrocities, which include indiscriminate killings, torture and mass rape. United States declares Myanmar committed genocide against Rohingya (Cape Diamond in Yangon, Myanmar, contributed to this report.) (Courtesy: The Washington Post)
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Srebrenica massacre: Netherlands apologizes after 27 years
On the 27th anniversary of the atrocity that killed 8,000 Muslim men and boys, the Netherlands apologized to the relatives of victims and survivors for Dutch peacekeepers’ failure to prevent the slaughter. The Netherlands offered its “deepest apologies” for the role played by Dutch peacekeepers in the Srebrenica genocide. Roughly 8,000 Bosnian Muslims were brutally murdered by attacking Bosnian Serb forces 27 years ago. For the first time since the 1995 massacre, Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren apologized to survivors for the Dutch peacekeepers’ failure to prevent the killings. “The international community failed to offer adequate protection to the people of Srebrenica. The Dutch government shares responsibility for the situation in which that failure occurred. And for this, we offer our deepest apologies,” Ollongren said during a ceremony in Potocari. The Srebrenica killings came at the tail end of the Balkan wars of the 1990s. Bosnian Serb forces overran the Dutch UN protection zone at Srebrenica and massacred 8,000 Muslim men and boys. Their bodies were dumped in mass graves. The peacekeepers, the Dutch government, and the United Nations have faced stinging criticism for their failure to prevent the killings. The slaughter, judged an act of genocide by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, was the worst single atrocity of the war, in which about 100,000 people died. Last month, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte apologized for the government’s treatment of hundreds of Dutch soldiers who were sent to defend the enclave of Srebrenica during the 1992-95 Bosnian war. Thousands attended the 27th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre, Europe’s only acknowledged genocide since World War II Rutte admitted that the Dutchbat III unit had been given an “impossible task” of keeping the peace in eastern Bosnia without sufficient resources. Thousands gathered to commemorate the 27th anniversary of the atrocity. Fifty newly identified victims were honored and reburied. (Source: AP,AFP, DPA, Reuters)
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Japan’s former PM Shinzo Abe assassinated at campaign event
By Satoshi Sugiyama and Chang-Ran Kim
NARA, Japan, July 8 (Reuters) – Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the longest-serving leader of modern Japan, was gunned down on Friday while campaigning for a parliamentary election, shocking a country where guns are tightly controlled and political violence almost unthinkable.
Abe, 67, was pronounced dead around five and a half hours after the shooting in the city of Nara. Police arrested a 41-year-old man and said the weapon was a homemade gun. Fingers were pointed to the church as the alleged shooter of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had said the church drove his mother into bankruptcy. The Japanese branch of the South Korean Unification Church acknowledged that the mother of the man arrested for the shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was indeed a member, but said that neither the suspect himself nor Abe had been. The alleged shooter told police that he had targeted Abe because he believed the former prime minister had promoted a religious group to which his mother had made a large donation, driving her into bankruptcy. (Courtesy: Ab/Fb, Reuters, AP)
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SAS unit repeatedly killed Afghan detainees, BBC finds
(12-7-2022) A BBC investigation has found that over 50 detainees and unarmed civilians were killed in Afghanistan by a British elite unit and officers at the highest levels of Special Forces were aware of the killings. More than 50 detainees and unarmed men were killed by British troops in Afghanistan, according to newly obtained military reports and an investigation by the British media. BBC Panorama program, which is to be aired on Tuesday night, looked into documents of operations by the Special Air Service (SAS) – a British elite unit used in special operations – and found they include “reports covering more than a dozen ‘kill or capture’ raids carried out by one SAS squadron in Helmand in 2010/11.”
Individuals who served with the SAS squadron on that deployment talked to the program and said they witnessed the SAS operatives “kill unarmed people during night raids,” according to the report. According to the former soldiers’ account, an individual’s murder was justified by planting an AK-47 assault rifle in the scene and some individuals within the force “were competing with each other to get the most kills.” ‘Highest levels were aware’ The report also alleges that “internal emails show that officers at the highest levels of Special Forces were aware there was concern over possible unlawful killings, but failed to report the suspicions to military police despite a legal obligation to do so.” The investigation suggests that “one unit may have unlawfully killed 54 people in one six-month tour.” General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith, the former head of UK Special Forces, was “briefed about the alleged unlawful killings but did not pass on the evidence to the Royal Military Police, even after the RMP began a murder investigation into the SAS squadron.” The Defence Ministry said the Panorama program “jumps to unjustified conclusions from allegations that have already been fully investigated.” The Defence Ministry added that the investigation into incidents alleged in the program did not find sufficient evidence to prosecute.(Source: AA)
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US, Saudi Arabia sign several agreements including energy, tech
(16 Jul 2022) A joint statement by the two nations was released after US President Joe Biden held talks with top Saudi officials, including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The United States and Saudi Arabia have expressed their commitment to ensuring the stability of global energy markets. In a joint statement carried by Saudi state news agency (SPA) after US President Joe Biden held talks with senior Saudi officials on Friday, the US welcomed Riyadh’s commitment to support balanced global oil markets to achieve sustainable economic growth. The two countries agreed on consulting regularly on global energy markets in the short and long term and work together as strategic partners in climate and energy transition, according to the statement. Experts have said energy interests have pushed Biden to travel to the kingdom, his first visit to the Middle East since becoming the US president. The US national security adviser had downplayed expectations ahead of the meeting, saying he did not expect Saudi Arabia to immediately boost oil output and would rather look at the outcome of an OPEC+ meeting on August 3. Spare capacity within OPEC is running low, with most producers pumping at maximum capacity. It is unclear how much extra supply Saudi Arabia could bring to the market and how quickly. OPEC+ decided last month to increase output targets by 648,000 barrels per day (bpd) in August, ending record production cuts that it brought at the height of the pandemic to counter collapsing demand. Energy deals Biden’s visit resulted in the signing of 18 partnership agreements in fields including energy, communications, space and healthcare, Saudi state TV al-Ekhbariya reported. Among them were agreements in clean energy projects, nuclear energy and uranium, according to SPA, as well as deals with US aerospace and defence firms Boeing and Raytheon and healthcare companies Medtronic, Digital Diagnostics, and IQVIA. SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES
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Saudi Arabia opens up airspace to all airlines, including Israel
(15 Jul 2022) The announcement of an open-skies policy by Riyadh will mean shorter flights from Asia to Israel, as airlines serving those routes will no longer be required to take long detours around Saudi Arabia en route to Israel. A US official told Reuters that Saudi Arabia would soon grant Israeli airlines unfettered overflight access and permit direct charter flights from Israel for Muslims participating in the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca.(SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES)
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Palestinians ‘deserve a state of their own’, US President Biden
(July 16 2022) QNA/Bethlehem
US President Joe Biden said that the United States supports the two-state solution, noting that Palestinian people should feel hopeful even if the ground is not ripe to restart negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis. In a joint press conference with his Palestinian counterpart President Mahmoud Abbas, Biden said: “The Palestinian people deserve a state of their own that’s independent, sovereign, viable, and contiguous. Two states for two peoples, both of whom have deep and ancient roots in this land, living side by side in peace and security. Both states fully respecting the equal rights of the other citizens. Both peoples enjoying equal measure of freedom and dignity. That’s what this is fundamentally all about.” Biden underlined that the US would not give up on peace, adding that Palestinian people should feel hopeful. He called on the Palestinian authority to play a key role in strengthening institutions, transparency, accountability and fighting corruption. For his part, President Abbas said that Israel must end its occupation of the territories of the State of Palestine, including East Jerusalem as its capital according to the 1967 borders. Abbas added that he stressed to President Biden the importance of restoring the foundations of the peace process based on international legitimacy resolutions and the two-state solution on the 1967 borders. Abbas pointed out that after 74 years of the Nakba, displacement and occupation, it is time for this occupation to end, for Palestinian people to gain their freedom and independence. Abbas urged the US to turn the page on the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land, end the acts of racial discrimination (apartheid) against Palestinians, reopen the US consulate in East Jerusalem, remove the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) from the US terrorist list and reopen its office in Washington. The Palestinian president pointed out that only if Israel ends its occupation of the territories of the State of Palestine, including East Jerusalem, it will be accepted to live in peace, security and good neighbourhood with countries and peoples of the region. Abbas stressed his full readiness to co-operate with the administration of President Biden to remove all obstacles to strong bilateral relations between the Palestinian and American sides, including removing the PLO from the US terrorist list and reopening the US consulate in East Jerusalem. Earlier, President Abbas met with President Biden. The two sides discussed the latest political developments, the Palestinian issue, and bilateral relations. Meanwhile, President Biden pledged a $100mn support for Palestinian hospitals in East Jerusalem, noting that the United States has supported Jerusalem hospitals by $85mn since 2014.(Source: Gulf-Times)
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Seventh Astana peace summit, Tehran: Tuesday 19 July
Syrian conflict has no military solution: Iran, Russia, Turkey
(19 July 2022) Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi hosted the seventh Astana Peace Process summit in Tehran, attended by Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The three presidents issued a joint statement after the meeting, where they expressed their determination to continue working together to combat terrorism in all forms and manifestations, emphasizing that the conflict in Syria had no military solution. Emphasized their unwavering commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic as well as to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. Highlighted the necessity to fully implement all arrangements related to the north of Syria;
Reviewed in detail the situation in the Idlib de-escalation area and underscored the necessity to maintain calm on the ground by fully implementing all agreements on Idlib. Expressed grave concern at the humanitarian situation in Syria and rejected all unilateral sanctions which are in contravention of international law, international humanitarian law and the UN Charter including, among other things, any discriminatory measures through waivers for certain regions which could lead to this country’s disintegration by assisting separatist agendas. Reaffirmed their conviction that there could be no military solution to the Syrian conflict and that it could only be resolved through the Syrian-led and Syrian-owned, UN-facilitated political process in line with the UN Security Council Resolution 2254. Condemned the continuing Israeli military attacks in Syria including civilian infrastructures. Considered it as violating the international law, international humanitarian law, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, and recognized it as destabilizing and intensifying the tension in the region. Russian President Vladimir Putin, Speaking in a joint press conference after the Astana Peace Process summit in Tehran, called on the international community to help the Syrian people so that the Syrian refugees could voluntarily return home. Astana process most effective move for political solution in Syria: Turkey’s President Erdogan The Astana process is the most effective measure, which facilitates political solutions in this respect, the Turkish president emphasized. Terrorism was another issue discussed in the Astana peace summit and the three countries see no difference among organizations such as PJAK, YPG, and PKK, and do not accept the way that one is used as a tool and another is being fought.(Courtesy: IRNA – The Islamic Republic News Agency)
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US lawmakers denounce blacklisting of Palestinian NGOs by Israel
By Al Jazeera Staff | 18 Jul 2022
A group of United States legislators has urged the Biden administration to publicly reject Israel’s labelling of six Palestinian human rights organisations as “terrorist” groups, in the latest international push against the Israeli decision. In a letter addressed to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, 21 members of Congress – all Democrats – decried the absence of available evidence backing the Israeli allegations against the Palestinian organisations. Israel blacklisted the six leading Palestinian human rights and civil society organisations in October 2021 over alleged links to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) political faction. The order by the Israeli defence ministry practically outlawed Al-Haq, Defence for Children International-Palestine, the Bisan Center for Research and Development, the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees, the Union of Agricultural Work Committees and Addameer. Earlier this month, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden issued a statement rejecting the blacklisting of the groups. It said Israel did not provide “substantial information” to back its allegations, stressing that a “free and strong civil society is indispensable for promoting democratic values and for the two-state solution”. The UN Human Rights Council had denounced the Israeli decision, as well, while Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International called the move “appalling and unjust” in a joint statement last year. (SOURCE: AL JAZEERA)
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Russia, Ukraine sign UN-backed grain export deal
(22 Jul 2022) Russian and Ukrainian officials have signed a deal to allow grain exports from Ukrainian Black Sea ports, as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the agreement would help ease a global food crisis. The neighbouring, warring countries are among the world’s biggest exporters of food, but Russia’s invasion led to a de-facto blockade of the Black Sea, resulting in Ukraine’s exports dropping to a sixth of their pre-war level. Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu and Ukraine’s infrastructure minister, Oleksandr Kubrakov, signed the deal separately on Friday, carefully avoiding sitting at the same table and avoiding shaking hands. The signing ceremony took place at Istanbul’s lavish Dolmabahce Palace in the presence of Erdogan and Guterres. “Today, there is a beacon on the Black Sea. A beacon of hope [and] possibility … and relief in a world that needs it more than ever,” Guterres said, calling on Russia and Ukraine to fully implement the accord. Friday’s deal means around $10bn worth of grain will be available for sale with roughly 20 million tonnes of last year’s harvest that can now be exported, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. The agreement is valid for 120 days and may be automatically renewed without further negotiations. According to UN officials, under the agreement, a coalition of Turkish, Ukrainian and UN staff will monitor the loading of grain into vessels in Ukrainian ports before navigating a preplanned route through the Black Sea, which remains heavily mined by Ukrainian and Russian forces. Ukrainian pilot vessels will guide commercial vessels transporting the grain in order to navigate the mined areas around the coastline using a map of safe channels provided by the Ukrainian side.The vessels will then cross the Black Sea towards Turkey’s Bosphorus Strait while being closely monitored by a joint coordination centre in Istanbul, containing representatives from the UN, Ukraine, Russia and Turkey.SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES
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White House announces new $270m military package for Ukraine
(22 Jul 2022) A package that will include more medium-range rocket systems and tactical drones. The announcement on Friday brings the total US security assistance committed to Ukraine by the administration of US President Joe Biden to $8.2bn, and is being paid for through $40bn in economic and security aid for Ukraine approved by Congress in May. The new package includes four High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS and will allow Kyiv to acquire up to 580 Phoenix Ghost drones, both crucial weapon systems that have allowed the Ukrainians to stay in the fight despite Russian artillery supremacy, according to John Kirby, the White House National Security Council’s coordinator for strategic communications. The latest assistance also includes some 36,000 rounds of artillery ammunition and additional ammunition for the HIMARS. “The president has been clear that we’re going to continue to support the government of Ukraine and its people for as long as it takes,” Kirby said. The development came as Ukrainian forces have used US-made rocket launchers and tactical drones to destroy dozens of Russian targets and hold at bay Russia’s larger and more heavily equipped forces. Russia can fire far more ammunition but has sustained huge losses of troops and equipment as Ukrainian forces have been equipped with precision weaponry from the US and other Western allies. CIA Director William Burns said the US estimates roughly 15,000 Russian forces have been killed. The US has already sent 12 truck-mounted HIMARS to Ukraine. The United Kingdom has also provided three launchers of a different kind with GMLRS rockets as well. (SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES)
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Russia claims it destroyed four HIMARS launchers in Ukraine
(22 Jul 2022) Between July 5 and 20, “four launchers and one reloading vehicle for the US-made multiple launch rocket systems (HIMARS) were destroyed,” it said in a daily briefing on Friday.
Kyiv rejected Moscow’s claims, calling them “fakes” designed to undermine the West’s support for Ukraine.(SOURCE: REUTERS)
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Training for thousands of Ukrainian soldiers begins in UK
The first cohort of Ukrainian troops has arrived in the UK to undergo specialist military training, with up to 10,000 service member s expected to take part in the program in the coming months. British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has personally welcomed the soldiers. According to the Ministry of Defence’s own estimates, London has so far spent over £2.3 billion ($2.7 billion) on military aid to “support Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s unprovoked invasion.” Approximately 1,050 British personnel will be conducting the training at a number of undisclosed locations across the UK, with each course lasting several weeks.
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Russia’s defense minister pays surprise visit to Ukraine
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has inspected Russian troops involved in the ongoing military operation in neighboring Ukraine, the ministry revealed on Saturday 24 July 2022. Shoigu met the commanding officers of the ‘South’ and ‘Center’ troops, Army General Sergey Surovikin and Colonel General Alexander Lapin, as well as other senior commanding officers. “The head of the Russian defense ministry gave the necessary instructions to ramp up the actions of groups in all operational areas in order to exclude the possibility of the Kiev regime to launch massive rocket and artillery strikes on civilian infrastructure and residents of settlements across Donbass and other regio ns,” the military said in a statement. The minister also awarded Gold Star medals to Lapin and Major General Esedulla Abachev for “courage and heroism” throughout the ongoing conflict. The decree to present the officers with the top state awards had been signed earlier by Russian President Vladimir Putin, the military noted. (RT NEWS)
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Ukraine: Civilian casualties as of 24:00 17 July 2022
News and Press Release (OHCHR)
From 24 February 2022, when the Russian Federation’s armed attack against Ukraine started, to 17 July 2022, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) recorded 11,862 civilian casualties in the country: 5,110 killed and 6,752 injured. This included:
a total of 5,110 killed (1,943 men, 1,342 women, 142 girls, and 163 boys, as well as 41 children and 1,479 adults whose sex is yet unknown)
a total of 6,752 injured (1,359 men, 1,001 women, 147 girls, and 210 boys, as well as 190 children and 3,845 adults whose sex is yet unknown)
(Source: OFFICE OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMA N RIGHTS)
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South Korea, Japan seek reset on decades of historical disputes
SEOUL, July 18 (Reuters) – Efforts to resolve historical disputes between South Korean and Japan have been renewed under new South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, wit h both countries vowing to improve ties.
Relations between the two North Asian U.S. allies have been strained over disputes dating to Japan’s 1910-1945 occupation of Korea. Koreans accuse Japan of forcing women to work in wartime brothels for the Japanese military and using forced labour, among other abuses.
Various measures over the years have attempted to resolve the issues. Japan says the matter of any compensation for forced labour was settled under a 1965 treaty normalizing diplomatic ties and providing South Korea with economic assistance.
In 2015, South Korea and Japan reached a settlement under which Tokyo issued an official apology to “comfort women” who say they were enslaved in wartime brothels, and provided 1 billion yen ($9.23 million) to a fund to help the victims. But then-South Korean President Moon Jae-in decided to dissolve the fund in 2018, effectively scrapping the agreement as he said it did not to do enough to consider victims’ concerns.
In 2018 South Korea’s Supreme Court ordered Japan’s Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp (5401.T) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (7011.T) to compensate some wartime forced labourers. The court is expected to make a final decision on liquidating their assets in August or September, and Tokyo has warned of serious repercussions if the orders are enforced.
Relations deteriorated in 2019 when Japan restricted exports of high-tech material to South Korea. At the time Seoul threatened to pull out of an intelligence-sharing deal with Tokyo, but backed down at the last minute under pressure from the United States, which has pushed for its two allies to mend ties.
Over the years some South Koreans have boycotted Japanese products and cancelled planned vacations to the country. Seoul regularly lodges complaints over the way history is recounted in some Japanese textbooks, and there have been flare-ups over the “Rising Sun” flag seen as a symbol of imperial Japan. Tokyo has accused South Korean leaders of exacerbating tensions to score political points.
The two countries also have a territorial dispute over a cluster of windswept volcanic islets, known as Dokdo in Korea and Takeshima in Japan. The islets are controlled by Seoul with a small contingent of coast guards, and are also claimed by Tokyo.
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MI5 and FBI chiefs warn of Chinese threat in joint address
(6 July 2022) They urged businesses to stay alert and report possible threats.
(AFP) The heads of MI5 and the Federal Bureau of Investigation warned about China’s commercial espionage thrust in the West, in a rare joint address at the British intelligence service’s London headquarters. Speaking to an audience of officials and business executives in Thames House, MI5 Director General Ken McCallum and FBI Director Chris Wray said the threat from Chinese spies is paramount in both countries and only continues to grow. McCallum said MI5, the British domestic intelligence service, had sharply expanded its China-focused operations. “Today we’re running seven times as many investigations as we were in 2018,” he said. “We plan to grow as much again, while also maintaining significant effort against Russian and Iranian covert threats.” He said Chinese intelligence takes a slow and patient approach to developing sources and gaining access to information, and few of those targeted recognised themselves as such. “Hostile activity is happening on UK soil right now,” he said. “By volume, most of what is at risk from Chinese Communist Party aggression is not, so to speak, my stuff. It’s yours — the world-leading expertise, technology, research and commercial advantage developed and held by people in this room, and others like you.” Wray said China’s threat was a “complex, enduring and pervasive danger” to both the United States and Britain, as well as other allies. China is “set on stealing your technology, whatever it is that makes your industry tick, and using it to undercut your business and dominate your market,” he added. The two also warned that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, which Beijing views as its territory, would cause a massive disruption to global commerce and industry. They urged businesses to stay alert and report possible threats. “The Chinese Communist Party is interested in our democratic, media and legal systems. Not to emulate them, sadly, but to use them for its gain,” said McCallum. Beijing rejected the accusations, describing them as “completely groundless”. “The so-called cases they listed are pure shadow chasing,” the spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in Britain said in a statement posted on the mission’s website. “They spread all kinds of lies about China in order to smear China’s political system, stoke anti-China and exclusion sentiment, and divert public attention in order to cover up their own infamous deeds.” (Source: AFP)
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Upholding one-China policy is mainstay for Taiwan’s stability: Wang Yi:
Upholding the one-China principle is the mainstay for Taiwan’s stability, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday when being asked about the root cause of current tension across the Taiwan Strait and how to maintain cross-Strait peace and stability at the ASEAN Secretariat. History and past experience prove that when the one-China principle is fully recognized and followed, there will be able to achieve peaceful development across the Taiwan Strait. And when the one-China principle is challenged or even undermined, there will be tension in the Taiwan Strait, Wang said. The current tension in the Taiwan Strait is caused by the fact that Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party authority abandoned the 1992 Consensus which embodies the one-China principle, undermined the important foundation for the peaceful development of the cross-Strait relations, and are still going farther down the “Taiwan independence” path, Wang added.
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China, India hold 16th corps commander level meeting on border issues
China Global Television Network (CGTN) | 19-Jul-2022
The 16th round of China-India Corps Commander Level Meeting was held at Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Indian side on Sunday 17 July, according to a joint press release published on the website of China’s Ministry of National Defense. During the meeting, the two sides continued discussions for the resolution of the relevant issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western Sector of China-India border areas “in a constructive and forward looking manner,” the press release said. The two sides “had a frank and in-depth exchange of views” and reaffirmed that “the resolution of remaining issues would help in restoration of peace and tranquility along the LAC in the Western Sector and enable progress in bilateral relations,” it said. They agreed to keep security and stability on the ground, maintain dialogue through military and diplomatic channels, and work out a “mutually acceptable resolution” of the remaining issues at the earliest, it said.
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North Korea suspected of conducting artillery fire drills: Seoul
( 10 Jul 2022) North Korea appears to have conducted artillery firing drills, South Korea has said, days after the United States deployed sophisticated fighter jets to South Korea for joint training.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that it detected multiple trajectories presumed to be North Korean artillery on Sunday 10 July, afternoon. “Our military spotted flight trajectories that are suspected to be North Korea’s multiple rocket launchers from around 18:21 to 18:37pm today,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a text message sent to reporters. “Our military has strengthened surveillance and vigilance, and maintained a thorough readiness posture while keeping close US-South Korea cooperation,” it said, without further details. South Korea’s presidential office said the suspected launches occurred off North Korea’s west coast. It said National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han reviewed South Korean military readiness and that his office closely monitors possible additional launches by North Korea.(SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES)
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Türkiye’s ‘Drone Carrier’, the TCG Anadolu Begins Official Sea Trials
The future flagship of Türkiye’s navy began sea trials late last month, in a show of force that many analysts say could change the balance of power in the Aegean and the eastern Mediterranean. The TCG Anadolu is a multi-purpose ship, equipped with a landing dock that is expected to accommodate attack helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles. Spotted in the Sea of Marmara, the vessel underwent official sea trials and systems tests. The ministry in charge of its construction says the naval ship will be equipped with Turkish-made weapons, including attack helicopters and amphibious assault vehicles. But the most ambitious plans will be to equip the Anadolu TCG with Turkiye’s latest UAVs, the TB3 Bayraktar drones. It’s predecessor, the TB2 has seen success in several battlefields across Libya, Syria, the Southern Caucasus and recently in Ukraine. The TCG Anadolu is part of Türkiye’s revamped naval strategy that looks to better secure its maritime borders. This past year, Türkiye has seen ri sing tensions with Greece over exploration rights in the eastern Mediterranean and maritime disputes in the Aegean. (Source: TRT Turkish News)
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Türkiye successfully tests air-to-air missile Gokdogan with radar seeker
Türkiye has now become one of the few countries to own air-to-air missile technology with homegrown missiles. The head of Türkiye’s Defence Industries Presidency (SSB) Ismail Demir has announced that the country has successfully tested its homegrown beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM), Gokdogan. The missile is expected to be delivered to the Turkish Armed Forces this year, Demir wrote on his Twitter account. “Gokdogan will hit the invisible! Within the scope of Goktug project, our Gokdogan beyond-visual-range missile fired with a radar seeker and another important step has been taken,” Demir said.“We will deliver our Gokdogan and Bozdogan missiles to the Turkish Armed Forces this year. I congratulate everyone involved in the project,” he added. Turkey has become one of the few countries to own air-to-air missile technology with Gokdogan and Bozdogan, visual range air-to-air mis sile (WVRAAM). Goktug is a program launched by Türkiye’s Scientific and Technological Research Institution (Tubitak) to develop several variants of air-to-air missiles. Bozdogan is short-range infrared homing and Gokdogan is beyond visual range active radar homing missiles. Both missiles are to be launched from F-16s as well as future Turkish indigenous aircrafts. (Source: AA)
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US alleges Iran will supply Russia with ‘hundreds’ of drones for Ukraine
(12-7-2022) Tehran is prepared to deliver several hundred unmanned UAVs as well as armed drones to Moscow to strengthen its assault on Ukraine and will train Russian forces as soon as this month, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan says. US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said, it was unclear whether Iran had already provided any of the unmanned systems to Russia, but said the US has “information” that indicates Iran is preparing to train Russian forces to use them as soon as this month. “Our information indicates that the Iranian government is preparing to provide Russia with up to several hundred UAVs, including weapons-capable UAVs on an expedited timeline,” he told reporters. Sullivan said it was proof that Russia’s overwhelming bombardments in Ukraine, which have led it to consolidate gains in the country’s east in recent weeks, were “coming at a cost to the sustainment of its own weapons.” (Source: TRTWorld and agencies)
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Oil exports from Middle East to Europe surge – Bloomberg
The change comes as Russia redirects shipments to China and India
Crude oil shipments from countries in the Middle East to Europe have soared by 90% since January, as the bloc snubs Russian oil due to sanctions, Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing vessel-tracking data. According to the report, pumping volumes from the Middle East to Europe have so far nearly doubled compared to last year. Bloomberg estimates that in the first three weeks of July, more than 1 million barrels a day were pumped through the Sumed pipeline through Egypt to Europe from the Middle East, mainly from Saudi Arabia. Another 1.2 million, mostly from Iraq, came via the Suez Canal. The news outlet estimates that this is 90% more than what Europe received from the region in January, the last month before the start of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, which was swiftly followed by EU sanctions on Moscow, including Russian energy supplies. In early June, the EU introduced another round of sanctions, including a partial embargo on Russian oil – a ban on deliveries by sea. In response, Moscow offered a discount on oil, which was quickly snatched up by India and China. Both countries have increased their purchases over the past several months. (Source: RT NEWS)
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Heat wave kills more than 2,000 people in Spain and Portugal
ABC/wires 20 Jul 202220
A researcher at Lisbon University’s faculty of sciences said the data showed those most likely to die due to heatwaves were elderly people. He said the number of deaths in the future would depend, among other things, on the preventive measures people adopted to protect themselves, how care homes tended to their residents, and how infrastructure was adapted. High temperatures, as well as the ongoing drought and poor forest management, have been blamed for several wildfires sweeping across Portugal. Spain was facing the more than week-long heatwave, which has caused more than 510 heat-related deaths, according to estimates from the Carlos III Health Institute. The head of Portugal’s health authority, Graca Freitas, warned the country needed to gear up to cope with the effects of climate change as temperatures continued to rise. “Portugal … is among one of the areas of the globe that could be [more] affected by extreme heat,” she said. “We have to be more and more prepared for periods of high temperatures.” ‘We have nothing’ As wildfires raged across Portugal, Spain and France, authorities warned there was a risk of more blazes as tinder-dry conditions persisted. More than 1.3 million acres of forest land have burned so far, while a red alert has been issued for health services and hospitals as they struggle to cope with people suffering from the extreme heat. (Source: ABC/Wires (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
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China’s deepwater jacket project Haiji-1 completes testing
(22 July 2022) Haiji-1, Asia’s first 300-meter deep-water jacket designed and built independently by China, finished installation and testing of all units, according to the China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC), the country’s top offshore oil and gas producer. The Haiji-1, located in the Pearl River Mouth Basin, south China’s Guangdong Province, has a total height of up to 340.5 meters, and weighs up to 40,000 tonnes, setting new records of China’s offshore oil production platform. “The construction of the project lasted 28 months, including the construction and installation of a 30,000-tonne jacket, eight upper single structures and the laying of 25.6-kilometer underwater pipelines. More than 1,000 people participated in its construction during the peak period,” said Yuan Wei, deputy general manager of the CNOOC Shenzhen Branch. The offshore oil engineering project Haiji-1 is expected to be put into operation in the second half of this year to serve the Lufeng 15-1 oilfield platform located in the South China Sea. Its peak daily output of oil will reach 6,500 tonnes when it is fully operational.
“During the Haiji-1’s sea trials, we encountered Typhoon Chaba. The team, after making reasonable arrangement of the testing plan by ensuring working staff in advance, effectively overcame the impact of adverse weather conditions. It took 57 days in total to complete the testing of 37 major systems, 74 equipment of stand-alone systems, the fire fighting system, and utility systems, laying a solid foundation for the platform to be put into operation,” said Tao Fuwen, general manager of the Project Branch of CNOOC. As a major breakthrough in jacket design and a milestone in the construction of a super large offshore oil and gas platform in China, Haiji-1 will further improve the country’s energy supply and guarantee China’s
energy security. (Source: CGTN)
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China’s shipbuilding sector continues to lead in global market
China Daily : 16 July 2022
BEIJING — China remained the world’s leading shipbuilder in the first half of this year, as its market share ranked first globally in output, new, and holding orders, official data showed. The country’s shipbuilding output hit 18.5 million deadweight tonnes (dwt) in the January-June period, accounting for 45.2 percent of the world’s total, data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology showed. New shipbuilding orders, another major indicator of the shipbuilding industry, came in at 22.46 million dwt in the first six months, taking up 50.8 percent of the global market share. By the end of June, China’s shipbuilding holding orders rose 18.6 percent year-on-year to 102.74 million dwt, with a global market share reaching 47.8 percent, the ministry said.