Russia supports withdrawal of foreign fighters from Libya

August 19, 2021

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's top diplomat assured his Libyan counterpart Thursday that Moscow supports the withdrawal of all foreign fighters from the North African country and is prepared to help work out the details with other countries.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said after the talks in Moscow with Najla Mangoush that the Libyan leadership “is forming a consultative mechanism ... to formulate the concrete parameters” under which the foreign forces will leave.

Russia was among the foreign powers backing the warring sides in Libya’s conflict, with some officials and media reports alleging that Russian private military contractors took part in the fighting. "We will be prepared to constructively take part in this work alongside other countries,” Lavrov told a press conference.

The Libyan foreign minister said her government considers the issue of withdrawing foreign fighters “important” and “a priority,” but stressed that it should be done gradually and “in a synchronized manner."

“That's why working out implementation mechanisms is necessary," Mangoush said. "Such decisions are aimed to avoid repeating (the) negative lessons of some of our neighbors, to avoid an ill-considered withdrawal of troops and to avoid sliding into chaos, so that the national security of Libya doesn't suffer in the end.”

Libya has been wracked by chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011, and split the country between a U.N.-supported government in the capital, Tripoli, and rival authorities loyal to commander Khalifa Hifter in the east. Each were backed by different armed groups and foreign governments.

In April 2019, Hifter launched a military offensive to capture the capital. His campaign was backed by Egypt, the UAE, Russia and France, while his rivals had the support of Turkey, Qatar and Italy. Hifter’s march on Tripoli ultimately failed in June 2020. Subsequent U.N.-sponsored peace talks brought about a cease-fire and installed an interim government that’s expected to lead the country into general elections in December.

The U.N. estimated in December that there were at least 20,000 foreign fighters and mercenaries in Libya, including Syrians, Russians, Sudanese and Chadians. Last month, U.N. Special Envoy to Libya Jan Kubis said that factions starting the withdrawal of all foreign fighters from the country would be a major step for Libya.

Over 1,500 evacuated in southern Russia after heavy rains

August 14, 2021

MOSCOW (AP) — Heavy rains have flooded broad areas in southern Russia, forcing the evacuation of more than 1,500 people, officials said Saturday. Authorities in the Krasnodar region said more than 1,400 houses have been flooded following storms and heavy rains that swept the area this week. About 108,000 residents of 11 settlements were left without power, and a section of a federal highway was washed away by floods.

Emergencies Minister Yevgeny Zinichev reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin that a total of 1,540 people have been evacuated, including nearly 1,000 children from several summer camps. He said 2,500 emergency workers were involved in efforts to cope with the consequences of the floods.

The Black Sea resort city of Anapa and the city of Temryuk were the worst affected, receiving rainfall equivalent to the average for an entire year, the regional governor, Veniamin Kondratyev, told Putin.

Russian emergency officials have warned that heavy rains were expected to continue for another two days. Across the Black Sea to the south, Turkey has been hit by heavy rains and flooding this week that killed at least 55 people and left an unknown number of others missing.

Climate scientists say there is little doubt that climate change from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas is driving more extreme events, such as heat waves, droughts, wildfires, floods and storms.

Russia's Putin urges stronger response to Siberian wildfires

August 14, 2021

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday urged authorities to strengthen their efforts to fight wildfires across northeastern Siberia, calling the situation “unprecedented” as fires threatened people's homes.

Speaking in a video call with top officials, Putin noted that 13 forest fires in the Sakha-Yakutia region are raging within five kilometers (3 miles) of populated areas and emphasized the need to closely monitor the situation to protect residents.

Yakutia is the largest of Russia's 85 regions, a vast territory bigger than Argentina. It has faced a spell of particularly devastating wildfires this year following months of hot, dry weather and record-breaking temperatures. Flames previously threatened a dozen of villages, and several were evacuated. The provincial capital of Yakutsk, several other cities and hundreds of villages have been blanketed in choking smoke from the blazes.

Emergencies Minister Yevgeny Zinichev reported to Putin on Saturday that his ministry has deployd 5,000 personnel, 765 vehicles and 19 aircraft to combat the wildfires in Yakutia. He said the thick smoke from wildfires has grounded firefighting planes, adding that efforts were being taken to relocate them to another base where they could operate again starting Monday. For now, firefighters have to rely exclusively on helicopters to fight the flames, Zinichev said.

On Saturday, officials reported 108 active forest fires burning across nearly 1.3 million hectares (3.2 million acres) in Yakutia. Authorities have expanded a state of emergency in Yakutia to help transfer in firefighting resources from other regions.

In recent years, Russia has recorded high temperatures that many scientists regard as a result of climate change. The hot weather coupled with the neglect of fire safety rules has caused a growing number of wildfires that authorities say have consumed 15 million acres this year in Russia.

Experts in Russia decry a 2007 decision to disband a federal aviation network tasked to spot and combat fires and turn over its assets to regional authorities. The much-criticized transfer led to the force’s rapid decline.

2 Russian news sites, legal aid group, close under pressure

August 05, 2021

MOSCOW (AP) — Two Russian news outlets and a legal aid group backed by a leading Kremlin critic shut down Thursday after authorities blocked their websites, the government's latest moves targeting independent media, opposition supporters and human rights activists ahead of Russia’s September parliamentary election.

The Otkrytye Media and MBKh Media news sites, as well the Pravozashchita Otkrytki legal aid group, announced they were ceasing operations, citing reports that their websites on Wednesday night were blocked over their alleged ties to organizations declared “undesirable” in Russia — a label that outlaws an organization and exposes its members, supporters and partners to prosecution.

All three organizations are backed by Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a Russian tycoon who moved to London after spending a decade in prison in Russia on charges widely seen as political revenge for challenging President Vladimir Putin’s rule. Russian authorities have declared a number of organizations linked to Khodorkovsky “undesirable.”

Otkrytye Media said in a statement Thursday that it had received a grant from Khodorkovsky but never worked with “undesirable” organizations. Still, the outlet said it would shut down as “the risks for the project's staff members are too high.” MBKh Media Editor-in-Chief Veronika Kutsyllo echoed the sentiment, saying on Facebook that she wasn't "ready to endanger the freedom and lives of other people.”

“Unfortunately, the authorities don't need media projects that are critical of what is happening in the country. The more criticism there is, the shorter the lifespan of a project. But we at least tried,” Otkrytye Media's statement read.

Lawyer Anastasia Burakova, who worked with Pravozashchita Otkrytki, told the Dozhd TV channel “there was no other option” for the group but to shut down. Independent media, journalists, opposition supporters and human rights activists in Russia have faced increased pressure ahead of the Sept. 19 vote, which is widely seen as an important part of Putin’s efforts to cement his rule before the next presidential election in 2024.

The 68-year-old Russian leader, who has been in power for more than two decades, pushed through constitutional changes last year that would potentially allow him to hold onto power until 2036. In recent months, the government has designated a number of independent media outlets and journalists as “foreign agents” — a label that implies additional government scrutiny and carries strong pejorative connotations that could discredit the recipients — and raided the homes of several prominent reporters.

Three journalists of Otkrytye Media were labeled “foreign agents” last month. The publisher of one outlet that released investigative reports exposing alleged corruption and abuses by top officials and tycoons close to Putin was outlawed as an “undesirable” organization.

Khodorkovsky said in a statement Thursday that the recent “political repressions” show “the regression of Putin's regime and Putin personally towards the outdated Soviet model, adjusted for his personal greed.”

“Me and those of my allies who are prepared for the new level of risks will continue the resistance against the regime until it's complete dismantlement,” Khodorkovsky said.

Jordan's Prime Minister Contracts COVID-19

Monday, 21 February, 2022

Jordan's Prime Minister Bisher al-Khasawneh has tested positive for COVID-19 during an official visit to Egypt, the state news agency Petra quoted the information minister as saying on Monday.

COVID tests after a meeting between Khasawneh and his Egyptian counterpart proved positive and all other official meetings were cancelled, including a planned meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the minister added.

The prime minister will isolate at home after returning to Jordan, the report said.

Source: Asharq al-Awsat.

Link: https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3487891/jordans-prime-minister-contracts-covid-19.

China, Russia arming Myanmar junta: UN rights expert

By Nina Larson

Geneva (AFP)

Feb 22, 2022

UN Security Council members China and Russia, as well as Serbia have continued supplying Myanmar's junta with weapons used to attack civilians since last year's coup, a UN rights expert said Tuesday.

United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights situation in Myanmar, Tom Andrews, urged the Security Council to convene an emergency session "to debate and vote on a resolution to, at a minimum, ban those arms transfers that the Myanmar military are known to use to attack and kill Myanmar civilians."

He released a long-awaited report Tuesday detailing where the junta is getting its weapons from, highlighting that two permanent members of the Security Council itself, who hold veto power over its decisions, remain among the main suppliers.

"Despite the evidence of the military junta's atrocity crimes being committed with impunity since launching a coup last year, UN Security Council members Russia and China continue to provide the Myanmar military junta with numerous fighter jets, armored vehicles, and in the case of Russia, the promise of further arms," Andrews said in a statement.

"During this same period, Serbia has authorized rockets and artillery for export to the Myanmar military," said Andrews, who is an independent expert appointed by the UN Human Rights Council, but who does not speak on behalf of the world body.

- 'Crimes against humanity' -

In his report, he maintained that the arms transfers by the three countries had "occurred with the full knowledge that they would be used to attack civilians, in probable violation of international law."

Myanmar has been in chaos, its economy paralyzed, and more than 1,500 civilians have been killed in a military crackdown since the putsch in February 2021, according to the UN.

Since the February 1, 2021 coup, at least 12,000 people have been detained, including the de facto head of the civilian government, Aung San Suu Kyi, while more than 440,000 people have been forcibly displaced.

Andrews reiterated in his report that "there is strong evidence the junta has committed war crimes and crimes against humanity," including murder, sexual violence and torture.

"The situation of human rights in Myanmar is dire and deteriorating," it said.

The report provides an overview of countries that have authorized the transfer of weapons to Myanmar since 2018, when the military's attacks on the Rohingya ethnic minority were widely documented and after a UN fact-finding mission had urged an arms embargo.

Israel, India, Pakistan, South Korea, Belarus and Ukraine also figure on that list, although only China, Russia and Serbia have continued their transfers since the coup.

- 'Imperative' -

The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution last June calling for countries to prevent the flow of arms to Myanmar, but Andrews said that it had failed to have "any discernible impact on the crisis and the capacity of the junta to launch attacks on civilians."

He pointed out that while none of the Security Council members had voted against that resolution, the council had also not even considered voting to make the text binding for member states.

"It is imperative that member states and the Security Council act urgently to stop weapons sales to the military junta. Human lives, and Security Council credibility, are on the line," he said.

The report acknowledges that China and Russia might very well use their veto power to block any such text, but stressed that this "should not deter other members from placing a resolution before the Council for consideration, debate and a vote."

"The people of Myanmar deserve to have a strong resolution."

"The Security Council should consider, at the very least, a resolution to ban weapons that are being used by the Myanmar military to kill innocent people," Andrews said.

Source: Space War.

Link: https://www.spacewar.com/reports/China_Russia_arming_Myanmar_junta_UN_rights_expert_999.html.