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Dealing Cyber Security, Counterterrorism Ops: India, US review policies
International Desk
13 Jan 2022, 19:14
Photo: Collected
Officials of India and the US on Wednesday reviewed the ongoing cooperation in counterterrorism, cyber security and a host of other issues at a Homeland Security. During the meeting, held in virtual mode, the officials from the two countries also identified and fixed future steps that can be taken to explore opportunities and synergies in advancing security cooperation, an official statement said.
The issues of the meeting were how to secure critical infrastructure and global supply chains, maritime security, aviation security, customs enforcement and trade security, among other issues. The senior officers' meeting of the India-US Homeland Security Dialogue was co-chaired by Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla and US Under Secretary for Strategy, Policy and Plans in the Department of Homeland Security Robert Silvers. Both sides reviewed the ongoing cooperation and identified further steps that can be taken to explore opportunities and synergies in advancing cooperation in counterterrorism, cyber security, securing critical infrastructure and global supply chains, maritime security, aviation security, customs enforcement and trade security, among other issues, the statement said.
Both sides end up with the positive outcome of the meeting and hope that the existing subgroups under the homeland security dialogue on law enforcement engagement, securing global supply chains, aviation security, investigative cooperation, and capacity building and training would meet separately in the coming months to deliberate and explore how ongoing cooperation can be strengthened further. The meeting concluded with both sides expressing satisfaction with the ongoing partnership and agreeing to deepen bilateral engagement and collaboration in all areas of mutual concern, the statement said.
The two sides look forward to holding the ministerial-level homeland security dialogue later this year, it said.
Source: NDTV
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Israel's Devastating Attack on Lebanon, 46 Killed
Israel launched an overnight assault on Lebanon, killing 46 people and injuring 85 in the past 24 hours.
On Wednesday, October 2, Israeli forces carried out airstrikes across various areas, including the capital Beirut, according to a report by Al Jazeera. Citing Lebanon's Ministry of Health, the report mentioned that the strikes hit the outskirts of Beirut, as well as the Bekaa, Baalbek-Hermel regions, resulting in the casualties.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military stated that Lebanon's armed group Hezbollah fired around 240 rockets on Wednesday. The conflict between Hezbollah fighters and Israeli troops in southern Lebanon has intensified, with at least 8 Israeli soldiers killed so far.
According to Israel, Hezbollah fired the latest rockets in three waves within less than two hours. Most of the rockets landed in open areas in the western part of Israel's Upper Galilee region, with two rockets landing in the northern part.
Simultaneously, Israel has intensified its attacks on Gaza, with several dozen people killed in separate strikes on shelters, schools, and even an orphanage.
Earlier, on September 27, an Israeli airstrike killed Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Hezbollah. Following this, Israel announced a ground offensive in Lebanon.
Japan Airport Restarts Flights after WWII Bomb Blast
Southern Japan's Miyazaki Airport reopened for flights on Thursday after an unexploded bomb from World War II exploded, causing dozens of flights to be canceled.
The blast blew a large crater in the taxiway, just under a minute after an aircraft had rolled past the spot toward the runway.
What we know about the explosion
About 80 flights were canceled on Wednesday, affecting more than 3,400 passengers, but there were no reports of injuries.
The hole in the taxiway was reportedly about 7 meters (roughly 7 yards) in diameter and 1 meter (3 feet) deep.
The airport damage was repaired overnight and flights resumed Thursday morning.
Japan's Self-Defense Forces bomb disposal team probed the site and concluded that the blast had been caused by a "US-made 250 kilogram (550-pound) bomb."
A nearby aviation school recorded a video that showed the explosion throwing pieces of asphalt into the air.
How often are unexploded bombs found?
A former Imperial Japanese Navy flight training field, Miyazaki Airport was built in 1943 as Japan found itself increasingly on the defensive in World War II.
Other unexploded US devices were reportedly found in 2021 and 2011 in the airport, as well as at a nearby building site in 2009.
Some of the pilots who took off from the airfield, on the island of Kyushu, were embarked on kamikaze suicide attack missions.
Defense Ministry officials say numerous unexploded bombs dropped by the US military during wartime have been unearthed in the area.
Hundreds of tons of unexploded ordnance remain buried around Japan, often being dug up at construction sites.
Even before the nuclear bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima in 1945, the US Air Force heavily bombed many Japanese cities.
Hundreds of thousands of people were killed, including some 100,000 on one night alone in Tokyo in March 1945.
Singapore: Former Minister Sentenced in Rare Graft Case
Former Singaporean minister S. Iswaran was sentenced to 12 months in prison for obstructing justice and receiving more than $300,000 (€272,000) worth of gifts.
Iswaran served as a cabinet minister for 13 years and has held portfolios such as trade, communications, and transport.
He was charged with four counts of receiving gifts improperly and one count of obstructing justice.
This case has caused shock and become an outlier in Singapore which is known for clean and efficient governance. As per Transparency International's corruption perception index, the city-state was among the five least corrupt countries in the world
A shocking case
The court issued a stringent sentence that was about double the six to seven months requested by the prosecution.
"Trust and confidence in public institutions were the bedrock of effective governance, which could all too easily be undermined by the appearance that an individual public servant had fallen below the standards of integrity and accountability," presiding Judge Vincent Hoong said.
Under the law, it is considered an offense for public servants to accept gifts of value from people they officially work with.
Iswaran allegedly accepted gifts from businessmen while serving as transport minister. These gifts included tickets to English Premier League football matches, the Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix, London musicals, and a ride on a private jet.
The 62-year-old was released on bail and ordered to surrender to authorities on Monday to begin serving his sentence,
Iswaran had initially claimed innocence but pleaded guilty to the five charges last week. He faced a total of 35 charges.
Iswaran resigned from his post in January after being notified of the charges. He was arrested in July last year for taking illicit payments from property tycoon Ong Beng Seng.
Ong has not been charged with any offense. The Attorney General's Office said they would soon decide whether to take action against him.
The attorney general said Iswaran has paid back around $295,000 in financial gain to the government. Some gifts, including a Brompton bicycle, were seized.
Observers say this trial is of huge political significance in Singaporean history. It has also tainted the ruling People's Action Party's reputation, before the country heads to elections next year.
Biden, Harris Tour Hurricane Helene Damage as Deaths Mount
As the death toll eclipsed 180, US President Joe Biden warned of the dangers of climate change as he toured flood-hit areas. Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris handed out meals at a relief center.
US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday visited communities ravaged by Hurricane Helene.
The Biden administration has deployed 1,000 soldiers to clean up after Helene and has pledged to cover the bill to remove debris in some states.
The storm killed more than 180 people across six states and has become an issue in the presidential election campaign.
Biden tours destruction in the Carolinas
Biden arrived in South Carolina and was briefed on the cleanup effort. He then flew in a helicopter over the flood-hit city of Asheville in North Carolina.
"What I saw was heartbreaking," Biden said on social media.
"But back on the ground, we're witnessing neighbors helping neighbors, volunteers and workers standing side-by-side, people leaning on each other. That's America."
Biden also warned that climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of storms like Helene.
"Nobody can deny the impact of the climate crisis anymore, at least I hope they don't," he said. "They must be brain-dead if they do."
Harris meets with survivors in Georgia
Separately, Harris visited storm-hit areas of Georgia, where she met with families who were impacted by the disaster.
She visited a Red Cross relief center in Augusta where she handed out meals to people in need.
"There is real pain and trauma that has resulted because of this hurricane and what has happened in terms of the aftermath of it," Harris said.
Rebuilding will likely take years, according to officials.
"We are here for the long haul," Harris said. "There's a lot of work that's going to happen."
Kim Jong Un Threatens South Korea with Nuclear Weapons
North Korea's Kim said any attempt by the South to encroach on its sovereignty would bring forth a nuclear response. Earlier, Seoul had warned any use of nuclear weapons would be "the end of the North Korean regime."
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to use nuclear weapons against South Korea "without hesitation" if his country's sovereignty were threatened, state media KCNA reported on Friday.
During a visit to a special forces training base on Wednesday, Kim said any attempt by South Korea to encroach on the North's sovereignty would bring forth "without hesitation all the offensive forces it possesses, including nuclear weapons."
"If such a situation comes, the permanent existence of Seoul and the Republic of Korea would be impossible," Kim said, using South Korea's official name.
Harsh words between two Koreas
Kim's comments came in response to comments from South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who warned on Tuesday that any use of nuclear weapons by the North would lead to "the end of the North Korean regime" and threatened Pyongyang with "a resolute, overwhelming response" from South Korea and its US allies.
Yoon's speech, which came on South Korea's Armed Forces Day, followed the unveiling of Seoul's Hyunmoo-5 ballistic missile.
Kim criticized Yoon's threats calling him "an abnormal man."
On Thursday, Kim's sister and senior official, Kim Yo Jong, mocked Seoul's military capabilities, claiming South Korea would not be capable of countering North Korea's nuclear forces with conventional weapons.
Relations at a low point
Current relations between the two Koreas are at a low point, with the North engaging in provocative missile tests, while the South intensifying military exercises with the United States.
Next week, the North Korean parliament is expected to declare a "two-state" system on the Korean Peninsula, formally rejecting reconciliation with South Korea. The rubber-stamp parliament is also expected to codify new national borders.
Diplomatic communication between the countries has been stalled since 2019.
Last month, Pyongyang released images of a uranium enrichment facility, as Kim expressed his desire to "exponentially" expand the country's nuclear weapons arsenal. North Korea's last known nuclear test took place in 2017.
Meanwhile, South Korea, under the US nuclear umbrella for protection, recently resumed anti-Pyongyang broadcasts in response to North Korea sending thousands of trash-filled balloons across the border.
DR Congo: Dozens Dead after Lake Kivu Boat Capsizes
A vessel carrying hundreds of passengers sank in Lake Kivu with reports that at least 78 people have died.
A boat capsized in Lake Kivu, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Thursday, with well over 200 people on board.
The governor of South Kivu, Jean-Jacques Purusi, was quoted by both the Reuters news agency and the Associated Press (AP) as saying that 78 people were dead, after a vessel carrying 278 passengers capsized and sank.
"We do not yet have [the full picture of] the whole situation but we will have it by tomorrow," Purusi told AP.
Vessel overloaded according to reports
The heavily loaded vessel had been traveling from Minova in South Kivu province to Goma in North Kivu, a relatively short journey on the lake. AP reported that the vessel sank while trying to dock near the port of Kituku in the west of Goma and cited witnesses as saying that the boat was visibly overcrowded.
"I was at the port of Kituku when I saw the boat arriving from Minova, full of passengers," Francine Munyi told the AP. "It started to lose its balance and sank into the lake. Some people threw themselves into the water."
"Many died, and few were saved," she added. "I couldn't help them because I don't know how to swim."
Local officials earlier reported that as many as 50 were rescued as search and rescue efforts continued.
Fatal ferry incidents in DRC
Road infrastructure is relatively underdeveloped in the DRC and travelers in remote areas have few options available, meaning boats and ferries are the only choice for some.
Overloaded boats sinking are not uncommon, despite warnings from local officials that those violating safety measures will be punished.
In June, 80 people lost their lives when a boat sank near the capital Kinshasa while in January, 22 people died when their boat capsized in Lake Mai-Ndombe.
Antonio Guterres Favorite to Win Nobel Peace Prize: UN
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and the United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) are among the favorites to win the Nobel Peace Prize, Reuters reported on Thursday. The winner will be announced on October 11.
A former Portugal's prime minister, Antonio Guterres, is a strong contender for the prize among 286 candidates nominated this year.
Israel declared the Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres as persona non grata last week after being banned from the country after he criticized Israel’s actions in the region.
The announcement came after he condemned Iran's ballistic missile attack on Israel and his broader statements regarding the escalation of conflict in the Middle East.
Israel's Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, criticized Guterres as an "anti-Israel Secretary-General who supports terrorists."
Israel should reconsider its decision to declare the Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres "persona non grata" Portugal's President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said on Thursday.
Guterres, a former Portuguese Prime Minister (1995-2002) and long-time member of the Socialist Party, has had a notable career in international diplomacy. He also served as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees from 2005 to 2015.
Throughout his tenure as UN Secretary-General, Guterres has often expressed concerns over Israeli actions, particularly relating to international humanitarian law violations in Gaza. However, he has also condemned actions by Hamas and Iran. Despite these concerns, he was awarded the Theodor Herzl Award by the World Jewish Congress in 2020 for his support of Israel.
