U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price speaks at the State Department in Washington, U.S., March 31, 2021. Carolyn Kaster/Pool via REUTERS
July 12 (Reuters) – The United States is gravely concerned about reports of hostilities in Ethiopia’s Tigray and condemns any retaliatory attacks against civilians in the region, a State Department spokesman said on Monday.
The spokesman, Ned Price, told reporters the United States continues to call for a negotiated ceasefire to the conflict that has forced nearly 2 million people to flee their homes and forced around 400,000 people into famine conditions.
“We strongly condemn any retaliatory attacks that have been or may be directed against civilians in the Tigray region, whether by organized military or security forces or by rogue elements,” Price said.
“All those who are responsible for violations of international humanitarian law and human rights abuses must be held accountable,” he added.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters that the U.S. review into whether to call events in Tigray crimes against humanity, war crimes or genocide was ongoing.
Forces from Ethiopia’s northern region of Tigray said on Monday they were pushing south and had recaptured a town from government forces, underscoring their determination to keep fighting until the region’s pre-war borders are restored. read more
Reuters was unable to independently confirm the assertion because communication links to the region are down.
Conflict erupted in Tigray eight months ago between central government forces and the region’s ruling party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). The government declared victory three weeks later when it took the regional capital, Mekelle, but the TPLF kept fighting.
On June 28, the TPLF recaptured Mekelle and now controls most of Tigray. But some parts in the west and south are also claimed by the neighboring Amhara region, which has sent fighters to the contested areas.
Reporting by Doyinsola Oladipo, Daphne Psaledakis, Eric Beech and Simon Lewis; Editing by Leslie Adler and Peter Cooney
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
The collapse of a section of the Siji Kaiyuan Hotel in coastal Jiangsu province happened on Monday afternoon, the Suzhou Municipal Government said in a statement. According to state-run media, the Ministry of Emergency Management sent a team to help with the rescue work.
As of Tuesday, nine people were still missing and 14 had been rescued.
The cause of the collapse was under investigation, state-run Xinhua news agency said. Chinese media published photographs of rescue workers combing through rubble in the search for survivors.
The Siji Kaiyuan is a budget hotel that opened in 2018. The section that collapsed was three stories tall while an online booking site said the hotel had 54 rooms.
At least 50 people have died after a fire tore through the Covid isolation ward at a hospital in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah.
The death toll is expected to rise, as search operations at al-Hussain coronavirus hospital continued after the fire was brought under control. Sixteen people were rescued from the burning building.
“The victims died of burns and the search is continuing,” said Haydar al-Zamili, a spokesperson for the local health authorities, noting that there were fears that many victims were still trapped inside the building.
Initial police reports suggested that an oxygen tank explosion inside the hospital’s Covid-19 ward was the likely cause of the fire, a policeman at the scene of the fire said.
“Raging fires have trapped many patients inside the coronavirus ward and rescue teams are struggling to reach them,” a health worker told Reuters before entering the burning building.
Videos shared online showed thick clouds of smoke billowing from the Hussein hospital.
Earlier on Monday, a minor fire broke out at the health ministry’s headquarters in Baghdad, but it was quickly contained with no fatalities recorded.
The blaze at the hospital is the second such tragedy this year. In April, a fire at a Baghdad Covid-19 hospital killed 82 and injured 110, sparked by the explosion of badly stored oxygen cylinders.
Many of the victims were on respirators being treated for Covid-19 and were burned or suffocated in the resulting inferno. Dozens of relatives were visiting patients in the intensive care unit. The then health minister, Hassan al-Tamimi, resigned after the April fire.
Already decimated by war and sanctions, Iraq’s healthcare system has struggled to cope with the coronavirus crisis, which has killed 17,592 people and infected 1.44 million people.
OTTAWA, July 12 (Reuters) – A crane attached to a high-rise under construction in Kelowna, British Columbia, collapsed on Monday causing multiple fatalities, police said.
Several workers were near the crane when it collapsed, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Inspector Adam MacIntosh told reporters in Kelowna, according to a video of the news conference.
He gave no further details about the victims, saying that “not all persons have been properly identified.” One person was unaccounted for, MacIntosh said.
Several adjacent buildings were also damaged and “the area remains unstable and unsafe,” and has been evacuated, MacIntosh said. A structural engineer is studying how to make the area safe again, he said.
Reporting by Steve Scherer;
Editing by Sandra Maler
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Iran has unveiled a state-sanctioned Islamic dating app aimed at facilitating “lasting and informed marriage” for its youth, state television reported.
Called Hamdam – Farsi for “companion” – the service allows users to “search for and choose their spouse”, the broadcaster said on Monday.
It is the only state-sanctioned platform of its kind in the Islamic republic, according to Iran’s cyberspace police chief, Colonel Ali Mohammad Rajabi. While dating apps are popular in Iran, Rajabi said that all other platforms apart from Hamdam were illegal.
Developed by the Tebyan Cultural Institute, part of Iran’s Islamic Propaganda Organization, Hamdam’s website claims it uses “artificial intelligence” to find matches “only for bachelors seeking permanent marriage and a single spouse”.
Tebyan head Komeil Khojasteh, speaking at the unveiling, said family values were threatened by outside forces. “Family is the devil’s target, and [Iran’s enemies] seek to impose their own ideas” on it, he said, adding that the app helps create “healthy” families.
According to Hamdam’s website, users have to verify their identity and go through a “psychology test” before browsing.
When a match is made, the app “introduces the families together with the presence of service consultants”, who will “accompany” the couple for four years after marriage.
Registration is free, because Hamdam has “an independent revenue model”, the website said without explaining further.
Iran’s authorities, including the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have warned several times about the country’s rising age of marriage and declining birth rates.
In March, Iran’s conservative-dominated parliament passed a bill titled “population growth and supporting families”.
It mandates the government to offer significant financial incentives for marriage and to encourage people to have more than two children, while limiting access to abortion.
The law awaits approval by the Guardian Council, which is tasked with checking that bills are compatible with Islamic law and the constitution.
PARIS, July 12 (Reuters) – The European Union said on Monday it wanted to agree by the end of July the legal framework for a sanctions regime targeting Lebanese leaders, but cautioned that the measure would not be immediately implemented.
Led by France, the EU is seeking to ramp up pressure on Lebanon’s squabbling politicians after 11 months of a crisis that has left Lebanon facing financial collapse, hyperinflation, electricity blackouts, and fuel and food shortages.
The move is part of broader international efforts to force a stable government capable of carrying out crucial reforms to emerge from nearly a year of political chaos and economic collapse following a blast that ravaged Beirut port.
“I can say that the objective is to complete this by the end of the month. I am not talking about the implementation of the regime, just the building of the regime according to sound legal basis,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters in Brussels.
Nearly a year after the Aug. 4 explosion, which killed more than 200 people, wounded thousands and devastated swathes of the capital, Lebanon is still headed by a caretaker government.
“Lebanon has been in self-destruct mode for several months,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told reporters in Brussels. “Now there is a major emergency situation for a population that is in distress.”
The EU first needs to set up a sanctions regime that could then see individuals hit by travel bans and asset freezes, although it may also decide to not list anybody immediately.
Le Drian said there was now a consensus among the bloc’s 27 nations for a regime.
Criteria for EU sanctions such as travel bans and assets freezes for Lebanese politicians are likely to include corruption, obstructing efforts to form a government, financial misdeeds and human rights abuses, according to a diplomatic note seen by Reuters. read more
Reporting by Richard Lough and John Irish; writing by Michel Rose and John Irish; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Marguerita Choy
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
BRASILIA, July 12 (Reuters) – At the request of the Supreme Court, Brazil’s federal police has formally opened a probe into President Jair Bolsonaro related to alleged irregularities in the purchase of an Indian vaccine and could now question him, a source with knowledge of the matter said on Monday.
The president has been caught up in allegations of irregularities surrounding the 1.6 billion reais ($316 million) contract signed in February for 20 million doses with a Brazilian intermediary for the vaccine’s maker, Bharat Biotech.
A Brazilian Senate commission investigating the administration’s handling of the pandemic has cited suspicions of overpricing and corruption related to the contract. Some senators have alleged that Bolsonaro did not immediately look into allegations of wrongdoing when he was alerted.
After the reports of irregularities became public, the government suspended the contract.
The scandal has hurt Bolsonaro’s standing in the polls. Many are upset over his handling of the world’s second deadliest coronavirus outbreak, the vaccine corruption allegations and rising prices for fuel, power and food.
Brazilian federal prosecutors and the comptroller general’s office, or CGU, are also separately investigating the alleged irregularities in the deal.
Bolsonaro has denied any wrongdoing.
Reporting by Gabriel Stargardter; Editing by Alexandre Caverni and Aurora Ellis
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
The US and other NATO militaries recently wrapped up the latest iteration of the Sea Breeze exercise, conducted with Black Sea countries, including Ukraine.
Joint military exercises aren’t inherently bad, but the US should only participate in them when doing so aligns with the US’s strategic national security interests.
Scott McCann is a Marcellus Policy Fellow with the John Quincy Adams Society.
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The joint military exercise known as Sea Breeze recently took place in the Black Sea, where the US conducted exercises with nations including Ukraine.
According to the US Navy, the Sea Breeze exercise is an annual joint operation that brings the United States, “most” Black Sea Nations, and NATO allies together to pursue increased capability. Though joint military exercises are not inherently belligerent and unwise, any joint military exercises the US takes part in should align with its strategic national security interests.
The recent activities in the Black Sea do not meet that standard.
The 2021 iteration was the largest since the inaugural exercise in 1997. Thirty-two countries from six continents participated. Every Black Sea nation was represented except Russia.
Russia’s exclusion isn’t unexpected considering NATO’s foundation and current tensions with Ukraine. However, US participation is an unnecessary provocation given that the conflict between Ukraine and Russia remains unresolved, and Russia’s absence signals their role as the potential adversary.
Sea Breeze raises an important question. How does the exercise align with US strategic national security interests? The most direct answer is that it doesn’t.
Naval forces disembark assault boats during a Russian military exercise in Crimea, April 22, 2021.
Sergei MalgavkoTASS via Getty Images
Ultimately, the exercise is counter-productive. The training started just a week after a controversial interaction between the British HMS Defender and Russian fighter jets. Accounts of the exchange are contested, but the Kremlin’s statement illustrates that their goal is to produce a narrative in which they face a hostile threat but can respond successfully.
The opening ceremony in Odessa made clear the Sea Breeze’s mission is to prepare for a Russian conflict. During the opening ceremony, Ukrainian Naval Commander Oleksiy Neizhpapa stated that the exercises send a “powerful message to maintain peace and stability in our region.”
USS Navy Capt. Kyle Gantt, along with other US commanders, emphasized that their maneuver emphasizes solidarity with Ukraine and sends the message that the Black Sea is an international sea and not the property of one nation.
Gantt went on to say the exercises take place “exclusively in Ukrainian and international waters,” which aligns with NATO’s position regarding Russia’s annexation of Crimea as illegal and illegitimate.
These statements rest upon significant logical flaws. First, Ukraine’s strategic value to the United States is overstated. Ukraine isn’t an ally or NATO member, shouldn’t be one, and occasional US hints that Ukraine is being considered for eventual NATO admission risk delaying a settlement between Kyiv and Moscow. NATO expansion toward the Russian borders has already stoked tensions in the region.
Second, what happens in the Black Sea is not a national security risk to the United States.
Given the events of 2014, the most significant risk in the Black Sea is to US reputation if it overinflates its commitment to Kyiv. Joint military exercises are often defended for their contribution to deterrence. In this case, that defense fails to hold water, considering the Sea Breeze exercises are an annual event, yet Russia still annexed Crimea in 2014.
Special forces from several countries participated in Exercise Sea Breeze 2021 in Ukraine, June 30, 2021.
Ukrainian Special Operations Forces
The US balked when Russia invaded Crimea. That is not to say the US should have intervened. Balking was a comparatively restrained decision. However, pledging US solidarity with Ukraine seems like an empty promise, given the low chance of the US committing to fight a war to defend Ukraine against the only other nuclear superpower.
Other tests of resolve lie on the horizon, namely, Taiwan. If the US hopes to deter Chinese actions in forceful unification pursuits, pledging solidarity and claiming strategic importance in the Black Sea, then reconsidering when the moment arises undermines that message elsewhere.
In April 2021, the US and NATO called on Russia to deescalate tensions in the Black Sea and condemned its plan to restrict Black Sea access for military maneuvers. Three months later, Sea Breeze elevates tensions.
The United States should make decisions based on strategic national security interests. As in other areas, those decisions should apply to joint military exercises. Securing Ukraine’s access to Sea of Azov ports and passage through the Strait of Kerch are not US national security interests.
Scott McCann is a Marcellus Policy Fellow with the John Quincy Adams Society and a finalist for the Charles Koch Institute’s Koch Associate Program in foreign policy. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Louisiana State University and a master’s in international studies with concentrations in international security, intelligence, and conflict resolution from the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver.
On Monday, Lapid meet with the European Union Foreign Affairs Council, and the US said Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Palestinian and Israeli Affairs Hady Amr was in Israel and the Palestinian territories to meet with officials in Ramallah, Bethlehem, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, including from the UN.
Egypt is brokering indirect talks between Israel and Hamas in an attempt to reach a permanent cease fire, or at the very least ensure a prolonged situation of calm. The United Nations is also involved in the process with support from the United States and the EU.
Among the issues stymieing progress is Israel’s demand that Hamas release the remains of two soldiers killed in the 2014 Gaza war and free two Israelis held hostage there.
Hamas wants the full restoration of the $30m. Qatari cash payments that in the past had been divided between impoverished Gaza families, fuel for the power plant and salaries for civil servants. Qatar has already funded $10 million in fuel for Gaza’s power plant.
There is a mechanism by which Qatari funds can go to Gazan civilians and civilian projects through the UN, but not to Hamas civil servants, KAN News reported.
Israel wants a mechanism that would ensure that such cash transfers and the entry of goods into Gaza, especially dual-use items for construction, would not be diverted to Hamas for military use, such as the launching of rockets against the South and the construction of terrorist tunnels.
The international community also wants such a mechanism, but it is willing to have Israel fully reopen its two crossings into Gaza: the commercial one at Kerem Shalom and the pedestrian one at Erez. The UN maintains that the current mechanism is sufficient It’s humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories Lynn Hastings said last Friday that the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism (GRM) established after the 2014 Gaza war was effective in preventing Hamas from confiscating humanitarian aid and that no new mechanism was needed.
“Several large infrastructure projects, including those submitted and approved through the GRM prior to the escalation, are currently on hold due to the restrictions on importing the needed materials,” she said.
Israel had fully closed the Kerem Shalom and Erez crossings when the 11-day Gaza war broke out in May and has not yet allowed them to operate at prewar capacity.
“Imports to the Gaza Strip from Israel of medical equipment, fishing equipment, raw materials for industry and textiles will be permitted via the Kerem Shalom crossing,” the Office for the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said Monday.
“Agricultural and textile exports from the Gaza Strip to Israel will be permitted as well,” it said.
“In light of the recent security calm, following a situational security assessment and with the approval of the political echelon, the fishing zone in the Gaza Strip will be extended from nine to 12 nautical miles, effective as of [Monday] morning,” COGAT said.
“The civilian measures approved by the political echelon are conditional upon the continued preservation of security stability,” it said.
The Palestinian Authority Foreign Ministry accused Israel of attempting to reignite Gaza violence through its restrictions at the crossings, particularly its ban on the entry of construction materials needed to rehabilitate Gaza.
“The Israeli blockade has led to sabotaging the lives of the Palestinian citizens and declining the level of basic services provided, under the pressure of Israeli delay and extortion,” it was quoted as saying by Wafa, the Palestinian News Agency.
Last Thursday Hastings visited Gaza. Upon her return to Jerusalem on Friday, she called on Israel to fully open the crossings.
“Without a return to the regular and predictable entry of goods into Gaza, the capacity of the UN and our partners to deliver critical interventions is at risk, as are the livelihoods of and basic services for the people in Gaza,” Hastings said.
“The UN currently estimates that 250,000 people are still without regular access to piped water and that 185,000 are relying on unsafe water sources or paying higher prices for bottled water,” she said. “The critical agricultural sector, a main source of food and income in Gaza, is at risk, including the current planting season.”
