<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/south-korea-japan-in-fresh-spat-over-intelligence-deal-264297">South Korea and Japan</a> are setting aside historical grievances to redraw responsibilities for air traffic control over the East China Sea following recent near misses.

Responsibility in the "AKARA corridor" through South Korean airspace is currently split, with South Korean controllers shepherding north-south flights, and Japan's directing east-west flights, many of them in and out of Shanghai.

But South Korean and Japanese air traffic controllers operate on different radio frequencies, making communications more difficult for pilots who may be dealing with emergency in-flight situations, or needing to change altitude to avoid turbulence or bad weather.

An agreement in principle has been reached for South Korea to take over Japan's role, the United Nations aviation agency said on Wednesday night.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-overtakes-united-states-in-number-of-diplomatic-missions-264784">China</a> was included in the agreement, as its air traffic controllers currently hand over to Japanese controllers in the corridor, and will in future hand over to South Korean controllers.

"The proposal we have put forward has been accepted by the three states," International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council President Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu said in an interview with Reuters. “The glory actually goes to the states who were able to work together to find a solution.”

Aliu said he expects the agreement to be formalised in January or February 2020 and would take effect in April.

The compromise comes despite decades of strained relations between Seoul and Tokyo over their wartime past, exacerbated in recent months by a simmering trade dispute. South Korean airlines have cut flights to Japan due to a plunge in passenger demand.

Aliu declined comment on relations between the two countries.

Airline trade group International Air Transport Association (IATA) said in a statement that it knows the deal "will have a positive impact on safety and efficiency."

The dangers were laid bare by two recent near misses between planes that were blamed on conflicting air traffic control rights. Earlier this year, two commercial aircraft flew too close, and in 2018 a FedEx plane nearly collided with two Korean low-cost carrier jets.

"The risk posed by the current configuration is known, and generally well mitigated," said one source familiar with the ICAO-led talks and the region. "However, mistakes can happen, and two errors, one in 2018 and another in 2019, highlighted this concern."

The present arrangements were drawn up in 1983, when South Korea had no diplomatic relations with China and there were only around 10 flights a day in the corridor.

Since then, the corridor has become one of the busiest portions of airspace in the Asia-Pacific region, with 800 flights daily. Montreal-based ICAO recognised the urgent need to streamline traffic control, with the corridor expected to become even busier next year as Japan prepares to receive more traffic ahead of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

“I personally got concerned about the situation," said Aliu, who was directly involved in the talks. "Because as you know, we will have the Tokyo Olympics coming and that will also mean many more flights.”

Under the new deal, Japan will benefit from an additional air route, Aliu said.

A deal could lead to further additional routes, with an airway between China and Korea to be discussed after the Olympics.

Andrew Herdman, director-general of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines, said the prospective changes would help capacity and operational efficiency.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China could not be reached for comment. An official at South Korea's Transport Ministry said earlier on Wednesday it had raised the air traffic control issue with ICAO and remained in negotiations with Japan.

An official at Japan's Transport Ministry said his country was discussing the AKARA corridor with other countries in accordance with ICAO principles.

South Korea and Japan are setting aside historical grievances to redraw responsibilities for air traffic control over the East China Sea following recent near misses.

South Korea and Japan are setting aside historical grievances to redraw responsibilities for air traffic control over the East China Sea following recent near misses. Responsibility in the "AKARA corridor" through South Korean airspace is currently split, with South Korean controllers shepherding north-south flights, and Japan's directing east-west flights, many of them in and out of Shanghai. But South Korean and Japanese air traffic controllers operate on different radio frequencies, making communications more difficult for pilots who may be dealing with emergency in-flight situations, or needing to change altitude to avoid turbulence or bad weather. An agreement in principle has been reached for South Korea to take over Japan's role, the United Nations aviation agency said on Wednesday night. China was included in the agreement, as its air traffic controllers currently hand over to Japanese controllers in the corridor, and will in future hand over to South Korean controllers. "The proposal we have put forward has been accepted by the three states," International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council President Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu said in an interview with Reuters. “The glory actually goes to the states who were able to work together to find a solution.” Aliu said he expects the agreement to be formalised in January or February 2020 and would take effect in April. The compromise comes despite decades of strained relations between Seoul and Tokyo over their wartime past, exacerbated in recent months by a simmering trade dispute. South Korean airlines have cut flights to Japan due to a plunge in passenger demand. Aliu declined comment on relations between the two countries. Airline trade group International Air Transport Association (IATA) said in a statement that it knows the deal "will have a positive impact on safety and efficiency." The dangers were laid bare by two recent near misses between planes that were blamed on conflicting air traffic control rights. Earlier this year, two commercial aircraft flew too close, and in 2018 a FedEx plane nearly collided with two Korean low-cost carrier jets. "The risk posed by the current configuration is known, and generally well mitigated," said one source familiar with the ICAO-led talks and the region. "However, mistakes can happen, and two errors, one in 2018 and another in 2019, highlighted this concern." The present arrangements were drawn up in 1983, when South Korea had no diplomatic relations with China and there were only around 10 flights a day in the corridor. Since then, the corridor has become one of the busiest portions of airspace in the Asia-Pacific region, with 800 flights daily. Montreal-based ICAO recognised the urgent need to streamline traffic control, with the corridor expected to become even busier next year as Japan prepares to receive more traffic ahead of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. “I personally got concerned about the situation," said Aliu, who was directly involved in the talks. "Because as you know, we will have the Tokyo Olympics coming and that will also mean many more flights.” Under the new deal, Japan will benefit from an additional air route, Aliu said. A deal could lead to further additional routes, with an airway between China and Korea to be discussed after the Olympics. Andrew Herdman, director-general of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines, said the prospective changes would help capacity and operational efficiency. The Civil Aviation Administration of China could not be reached for comment. An official at South Korea's Transport Ministry said earlier on Wednesday it had raised the air traffic control issue with ICAO and remained in negotiations with Japan. An official at Japan's Transport Ministry said his country was discussing the AKARA corridor with other countries in accordance with ICAO principles.

South Korea, Japan set to back air traffic deal over East China Sea

Greece must take "urgent" steps to improve "miserable" conditions in its overcrowded island migrant camps, the U.N. refugee chief said Wednesday.

"These living conditions need urgent improvement," <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/migrant-death-toll-in-mediterranean-tops-1000-for-6th-year-unhcr-253075">United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees</a> Filippo Grandi said after visiting camps on &nbsp;Lesbos.

"Whatever the situation of these people, we cannot accept that they live in such miserable conditions, exposed also to violence and exploitation," Grandi said.

According to government figures, there are over <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/struggling-with-influx-greece-to-shut-down-three-refugee-camps-263414">39,000 asylum-seekers</a> on the islands, with hundreds more arriving daily, capitalising on mild weather.

The International Organisation for Migration says there are an additional 22,000 people in camps on the mainland, which are nearly full or already past capacity.

Greece's conservative government last week announced a plan to expand and fortify migrant camps on Lesbos, Samos, Chios, Kos and Leros.

They also said they would work to make the borders 'air-tight' against a feared new surge of asylum-seekers.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has also pledged to quickly resettle over 4,000 unaccompanied children after failing to persuade EU states to accept around 3,000 of them.

Grandi, who will see Mitsotakis later on Wednesday and hold a press conference on Thursday, said he "fully" supports plans to bring more children to the mainland.

"I am very worried and I know the PM is very worried about children...we need to do our maximum, all of us collectively, to help the children," he said.

"Europe has to do more for Greece, this is part of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/eu-countries-back-tough-line-on-5g-suppliers-in-potential-blow-to-huawei-264045">European Union</a>," he added.

There is already opposition from authorities on Lesbos and Samos to the planned new camps that are to hold over 5,000 asylum-seekers each.

Protests have taken place in several towns in northern Greece in recent weeks to block attempted relocations of asylum-seekers.

Greece must take "urgent" steps to improve "miserable" conditions in its overcrowded island migrant camps, the U.N. refugee chief said Wednesday. "These living conditions need urgent improvement," United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said after visiting camps on Lesbos.

Greece must take "urgent" steps to improve "miserable" conditions in its overcrowded island migrant camps, the U.N. refugee chief said Wednesday. "These living conditions need urgent improvement," United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said after visiting camps on Lesbos. "Whatever the situation of these people, we cannot accept that they live in such miserable conditions, exposed also to violence and exploitation," Grandi said. According to government figures, there are over 39,000 asylum-seekers on the islands, with hundreds more arriving daily, capitalising on mild weather. The International Organisation for Migration says there are an additional 22,000 people in camps on the mainland, which are nearly full or already past capacity. Greece's conservative government last week announced a plan to expand and fortify migrant camps on Lesbos, Samos, Chios, Kos and Leros. They also said they would work to make the borders 'air-tight' against a feared new surge of asylum-seekers. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has also pledged to quickly resettle over 4,000 unaccompanied children after failing to persuade EU states to accept around 3,000 of them. Grandi, who will see Mitsotakis later on Wednesday and hold a press conference on Thursday, said he "fully" supports plans to bring more children to the mainland. "I am very worried and I know the PM is very worried about children...we need to do our maximum, all of us collectively, to help the children," he said. "Europe has to do more for Greece, this is part of the European Union," he added. There is already opposition from authorities on Lesbos and Samos to the planned new camps that are to hold over 5,000 asylum-seekers each. Protests have taken place in several towns in northern Greece in recent weeks to block attempted relocations of asylum-seekers.

U.N. urges Greece to fix 'miserable' migrant camps

People all around the world are protesting against climate change. It is a topic that has dominated most political debates but somehow, we are falling short of measures to take action.&nbsp;

The United Nations has called a global outlook towards climate change bleak. Expressing its concern, UN said that drastic action is the only way to avoid the worst effects of climate change.&nbsp;

An annual nations environment program report states that countries have collectively failed to stop the growth in Global GHG emissions, meaning that deeper and faster cuts are now required.

Let's look at more startling findings of the report.Greenhouse gas emissions surged to a record level last year.

The report names the united states as one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases.Brazil and Japan have fallen short of their own targets of limiting the emission of greenhouse gases.&nbsp;

Nations must halve their 2018 pollution levels by 2030 to meet the Paris agreement goal of limiting heating to 1.5 degrees celsius.

Let's look at how G20 countries have performed so far in reaching their goal of 2050 emission plans.&nbsp;G20 countries constitute 78 per cent of global emissions.&nbsp;Several plans have not been acted upon by the G20 countries.&nbsp;

In 2009, G20 nations agreed to phase out fossil-fuel subsidies, none of the countries has set a deadline for doing so.&nbsp;

Despite scientists' pleas to zero-out emissions, none of the G20 countries has managed to plan out a timeline for achieving it.&nbsp;They are not doing enough towards reducing emission levels.

The latest report has concluded that many countries are not on track yet. In fact, some countries have not even set their goals high enough.&nbsp;

Phasing out of coal has been emphasized upon. Investment in nature is also crucial as it will give us the opportunity to provide a buffer.&nbsp;

The report also said that if we work in these 10 years, we will get time from nature.

Remember, this report is one of the several studies released ahead of the UN Climate talks which are going to take place in Madrid next week.&nbsp;

The talks are aimed at spurring world leaders to act on limiting climate change.

People all around the world are protesting against climate change. It is a topic that has dominated most political debates but somehow, we are falling short of measures to take action.

People all around the world are protesting against climate change. It is a topic that has dominated most political debates but somehow, we are falling short of measures to take action. The United Nations has called a global outlook towards climate change bleak. Expressing its concern, UN said that drastic action is the only way to avoid the worst effects of climate change. An annual nations environment program report states that countries have collectively failed to stop the growth in Global GHG emissions, meaning that deeper and faster cuts are now required. Let's look at more startling findings of the report.Greenhouse gas emissions surged to a record level last year. The report names the united states as one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases.Brazil and Japan have fallen short of their own targets of limiting the emission of greenhouse gases. Nations must halve their 2018 pollution levels by 2030 to meet the Paris agreement goal of limiting heating to 1.5 degrees celsius. Let's look at how G20 countries have performed so far in reaching their goal of 2050 emission plans. G20 countries constitute 78 per cent of global emissions. Several plans have not been acted upon by the G20 countries. In 2009, G20 nations agreed to phase out fossil-fuel subsidies, none of the countries has set a deadline for doing so. Despite scientists' pleas to zero-out emissions, none of the G20 countries has managed to plan out a timeline for achieving it. They are not doing enough towards reducing emission levels. The latest report has concluded that many countries are not on track yet. In fact, some countries have not even set their goals high enough. Phasing out of coal has been emphasized upon. Investment in nature is also crucial as it will give us the opportunity to provide a buffer. The report also said that if we work in these 10 years, we will get time from nature. Remember, this report is one of the several studies released ahead of the UN Climate talks which are going to take place in Madrid next week. The talks are aimed at spurring world leaders to act on limiting climate change.

Greenhouse gas levels hit new ‘record high’: United Nations report

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/global-measles-cases-three-times-higher-than-last-year-who-246324">Deaths related to measles</a>, mostly among small children, have more than tripled to 20 in the past week on the Pacific island of Samoa, the government has said eight days after declaring a state of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/samoa-measles-vaccine-now-mandatory-to-limit-deadly-outbreak-262803">emergency over the outbreak</a>.

The island state of just 200,000, located south of the equator and half way between Hawaii and New Zealand, declared a measles epidemic late in October after the first deaths.

The government has identified 1,644 suspected cases of measles, more than doubling over the past week, with deaths rising to 20 from six, it said on Friday. Children younger than five accounted for all but one of the deaths.

Staff of U.N. agency UNICEF have delivered 110,500 doses of measles containing vaccines this week as they fanned out across Samoa to boost its mandatory immunisation effort, the agency said in a statement.

It has also worked with governments of other tiny Pacific nations to run immunisation campaigns and develop preparedness plans to combat a regional outbreak, it added.

Australia is sending a specialist team of doctors, nurses and public health experts to Samoa, along with equipment and supplies, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Deaths related to measles, mostly among small children, have more than tripled to 20 in the past week on the Pacific island of Samoa, the government has said eight days after declaring a state of emergency over the outbreak.

Deaths related to measles, mostly among small children, have more than tripled to 20 in the past week on the Pacific island of Samoa, the government has said eight days after declaring a state of emergency over the outbreak. The island state of just 200,000, located south of the equator and half way between Hawaii and New Zealand, declared a measles epidemic late in October after the first deaths. The government has identified 1,644 suspected cases of measles, more than doubling over the past week, with deaths rising to 20 from six, it said on Friday. Children younger than five accounted for all but one of the deaths. Staff of U.N. agency UNICEF have delivered 110,500 doses of measles containing vaccines this week as they fanned out across Samoa to boost its mandatory immunisation effort, the agency said in a statement. It has also worked with governments of other tiny Pacific nations to run immunisation campaigns and develop preparedness plans to combat a regional outbreak, it added. Australia is sending a specialist team of doctors, nurses and public health experts to Samoa, along with equipment and supplies, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Samoa measles outbreak kills 20, mostly children

A Singaporean firm's director was given a jail term for nearly three years for supplying luxury goods worth millions to North Korea, which violates UN sanctions.&nbsp;

The court convicted Ng Kheng Wah for shipping $4.4 million items including wine, spirits and perfume to North Korea via Dalian in China for more than six years. As per the court documents, the firm T Specialist sent over Sg$6 million in goods that included musical instruments, watches, jewellery, and cosmetics, to a department store chain in North Korea.&nbsp;

"This sanctions regime will only be effective if every UN member state, including Singapore, uses its best efforts to ensure full compliance," said Judge Bala Reddy, while reading out the 34-month sentence. He also added that such "illicit"&nbsp;international trade also harms a country's reputation and raises questions of its commitment to the UN Security Council&nbsp;sanctions regime.

The United Nations have imposed sanctions in response to North Korea's ballistic and nuclear tests. Singapore introduced laws to enforce these sanctions and in 2017 ended trade ties with the North.&nbsp;

In recent years, a lot of companies and individuals were charged of supplying banned goods to North Korea. A Singaporean firm was accused of supplying wine and sprites worth nearly Sg$665,000 ($480,000) to North in August. Last year, two men were charged with supplying luxury goods, including watches 
and jewellery to Pyongyang.

(with inputs from AFP)

A Singaporean firm's director was given a jail term for nearly three years for supplying luxury goods worth millions to North Korea, which violates UN sanctions.

A Singaporean firm's director was given a jail term for nearly three years for supplying luxury goods worth millions to North Korea, which violates UN sanctions. The court convicted Ng Kheng Wah for shipping $4.4 million items including wine, spirits and perfume to North Korea via Dalian in China for more than six years. As per the court documents, the firm T Specialist sent over Sg$6 million in goods that included musical instruments, watches, jewellery, and cosmetics, to a department store chain in North Korea. "This sanctions regime will only be effective if every UN member state, including Singapore, uses its best efforts to ensure full compliance," said Judge Bala Reddy, while reading out the 34-month sentence. He also added that such "illicit" international trade also harms a country's reputation and raises questions of its commitment to the UN Security Council sanctions regime. The United Nations have imposed sanctions in response to North Korea's ballistic and nuclear tests. Singapore introduced laws to enforce these sanctions and in 2017 ended trade ties with the North. In recent years, a lot of companies and individuals were charged of supplying banned goods to North Korea. A Singaporean firm was accused of supplying wine and sprites worth nearly Sg$665,000 ($480,000) to North in August. Last year, two men were charged with supplying luxury goods, including watches and jewellery to Pyongyang. (with inputs from AFP)

Singapore: Man jailed for three years for supplying luxury goods to North Korea

The UN nuclear watchdog on Thursday urged Iran to explain the presence of uranium particles at an undeclared site, as a landmark deal aimed at curbing Tehran's atomic activities threatens to collapse.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a report made public last week that its inspectors had "<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uranium-particles-detected-at-undeclared-site-in-iran-iaea-report-261503">detected natural uranium particles</a> of anthropogenic origin at a location in Iran not declared to the agency".&nbsp;

The agency's acting head Cornel Feruta said IAEA and Iranian officials would meet in Tehran next week to discuss the matter, adding that the UN body had not received any additional information.&nbsp;

"The matter remains unresolved... It is essential that Iran works with the agency to resolve this matter promptly," he told IAEA member states at a meeting of the agency's board of governors.

A diplomatic source told AFP that the IAEA would send a high-ranking technical delegation to Iran next week.

The particles are understood to be the product of uranium which has been mined and undergone initial processing, but not enriched.

While the IAEA has not named the site in question, diplomatic sources have previously said the agency asked Iran about a site in the Turquzabad district of Tehran where Israel has alleged secret atomic activity in the past.

Sources say the IAEA took samples from the site in the spring and that Iran has been slow in providing answers to explain the test results.

The 2015 deal between Iran and world powers has been faltering since last year when the United States pulled out and started to reinstate punishing sanctions on Tehran, leaving the other signatories struggling to salvage the agreement.

Over the past few months, Iran has breached several parts of the deal it signed with the US as well as Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia, in which it committed to scaling back its nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief.

But Britain, France and Germany have said they are extremely <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-accuses-europeans-of-hypocrisy-over-nuclear-deal-261577">concerned by Iran's actions</a> in stepping up its uranium enrichment and other breaches.

Enrichment is the process that produces fuel for nuclear power plants but also, in highly extended form, the fissile core for a warhead.

On Monday, the IAEA confirmed Iran's stock of heavy water for reactors has surpassed the 130-tonne limit set under the agreement.

Heavy water is not itself radioactive but is used in nuclear reactors to absorb neutrons from nuclear fission.

Heavy water reactors can be used to produce plutonium for nuclear weapons as an alternative to enriched uranium.

The IAEA has also said one of its inspectors was briefly prevented from leaving Iran, calling her treatment "not acceptable".

Iran has cancelled the inspector's accreditation, saying she triggered a security check at the entrance gate to the Natanz enrichment plant last month.

The IAEA has disputed the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-rejects-reports-of-iaea-finding-traces-of-uranium-at-unnamed-site-261172">Iranian account of the incident</a>, without going into details.

The UN nuclear watchdog on Thursday urged Iran to explain the presence of uranium particles at an undeclared site, as a landmark deal aimed at curbing Tehran's atomic activities threatens to collapse.

The UN nuclear watchdog on Thursday urged Iran to explain the presence of uranium particles at an undeclared site, as a landmark deal aimed at curbing Tehran's atomic activities threatens to collapse. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a report made public last week that its inspectors had "detected natural uranium particles of anthropogenic origin at a location in Iran not declared to the agency". The agency's acting head Cornel Feruta said IAEA and Iranian officials would meet in Tehran next week to discuss the matter, adding that the UN body had not received any additional information. "The matter remains unresolved... It is essential that Iran works with the agency to resolve this matter promptly," he told IAEA member states at a meeting of the agency's board of governors. A diplomatic source told AFP that the IAEA would send a high-ranking technical delegation to Iran next week. The particles are understood to be the product of uranium which has been mined and undergone initial processing, but not enriched. While the IAEA has not named the site in question, diplomatic sources have previously said the agency asked Iran about a site in the Turquzabad district of Tehran where Israel has alleged secret atomic activity in the past. Sources say the IAEA took samples from the site in the spring and that Iran has been slow in providing answers to explain the test results. The 2015 deal between Iran and world powers has been faltering since last year when the United States pulled out and started to reinstate punishing sanctions on Tehran, leaving the other signatories struggling to salvage the agreement. Over the past few months, Iran has breached several parts of the deal it signed with the US as well as Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia, in which it committed to scaling back its nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief. But Britain, France and Germany have said they are extremely concerned by Iran's actions in stepping up its uranium enrichment and other breaches. Enrichment is the process that produces fuel for nuclear power plants but also, in highly extended form, the fissile core for a warhead. On Monday, the IAEA confirmed Iran's stock of heavy water for reactors has surpassed the 130-tonne limit set under the agreement. Heavy water is not itself radioactive but is used in nuclear reactors to absorb neutrons from nuclear fission. Heavy water reactors can be used to produce plutonium for nuclear weapons as an alternative to enriched uranium. The IAEA has also said one of its inspectors was briefly prevented from leaving Iran, calling her treatment "not acceptable". Iran has cancelled the inspector's accreditation, saying she triggered a security check at the entrance gate to the Natanz enrichment plant last month. The IAEA has disputed the Iranian account of the incident, without going into details.

IAEA urges Iran to explain uranium particles at undeclared site

While postal services between India and Pakistan have not been resumed yet, the Indian Department of Posts has raised the matter with the United Nations' Post Union.&nbsp;

Switzerland-based Universal Post Union is the United Nations' specialised body which coordinates postal policies and global postal systems.&nbsp;

The 145-year old body is one of the oldest bodies of the UN.

While Pakistani media reported that services are to be resumed, Thursday saw none present from the Pakistani side at the Wagha border.&nbsp;

The chief postmaster general of Punjab Circle was informed by Pakistan last evening of having received instructions from their authorities wherein it was communicated that normal exchanges will be initiated from Thursday.

Nonetheless, India's postal department will be sending personnel on a daily basis if Pakistan plans to send their representative with the posts.

It is for the first time in 70 years when postal services between India and Pakistan have been stopped.

Pakistan had unilaterally stopped postal services with India in the backdrop of the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and kashmir in August this year.

While postal services between India and Pakistan have not been resumed yet, the Indian Department of Posts has raised the matter with the United Nations' Post Union.

While postal services between India and Pakistan have not been resumed yet, the Indian Department of Posts has raised the matter with the United Nations' Post Union. Switzerland-based Universal Post Union is the United Nations' specialised body which coordinates postal policies and global postal systems. The 145-year old body is one of the oldest bodies of the UN. While Pakistani media reported that services are to be resumed, Thursday saw none present from the Pakistani side at the Wagha border. The chief postmaster general of Punjab Circle was informed by Pakistan last evening of having received instructions from their authorities wherein it was communicated that normal exchanges will be initiated from Thursday. Nonetheless, India's postal department will be sending personnel on a daily basis if Pakistan plans to send their representative with the posts. It is for the first time in 70 years when postal services between India and Pakistan have been stopped. Pakistan had unilaterally stopped postal services with India in the backdrop of the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and kashmir in August this year.

Non-resumption of India-Pakistan postal services: New Delhi raises matter with UN postal body

Between 10 and 21 civilians were killed in two attacks by a notorious militia in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where government forces have vowed to root out armed groups, sources said Wednesday.

Seven people were killed in the city of Beni and between three and 14 were killed near Oicha, 30 kilometres (18 miles) away, according to the U.N. radio Okapi, which quoted the military, and local civil society.

The attacks late Tuesday were blamed on the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a militia of Ugandan origin targeted by an army campaign to restore peace to DR Congo's troubled east.

At least 60 people have been killed by the ADF since the offensive began on October 30, according to a toll compiled by AFP.

Commentators see the massacres as warnings to the local population against collaborating with government forces.

The city of Beni was last targeted by the ADF in October 2018.

The latest attacks sparked an exodus in the Beni district of Boikene and in the Mavete district of Oichi.

Protests erupted against poor security, and members of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/un-mulls-slow-dr-congo-drawdown-despite-ongoing-bloodshed-260426">U.N. peacekeeping force</a>, MONUSCO, were advised not to go out on the streets of Beni.

The ADF's historical roots lie in Islamist Ugandans opposed to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni.

The group has plagued the North Kivu region bordering Uganda since the Congo Wars in the 1990s, although its membership has since broadened to non-Ugandans and it has not carried out an attack on Uganda for years.

Hundreds of deaths have been attributed to the shadowy organisation since 2015.

The so-called Islamic State group has claimed some of the attacks ascribed to the ADF this year, but there is no clear evidence of any affiliation between the two groups

Between 10 and 21 civilians were killed in two attacks by a notorious militia in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where government forces have vowed to root out armed groups, sources said Wednesday.

Between 10 and 21 civilians were killed in two attacks by a notorious militia in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where government forces have vowed to root out armed groups, sources said Wednesday. Seven people were killed in the city of Beni and between three and 14 were killed near Oicha, 30 kilometres (18 miles) away, according to the U.N. radio Okapi, which quoted the military, and local civil society. The attacks late Tuesday were blamed on the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a militia of Ugandan origin targeted by an army campaign to restore peace to DR Congo's troubled east. At least 60 people have been killed by the ADF since the offensive began on October 30, according to a toll compiled by AFP. Commentators see the massacres as warnings to the local population against collaborating with government forces. The city of Beni was last targeted by the ADF in October 2018. The latest attacks sparked an exodus in the Beni district of Boikene and in the Mavete district of Oichi. Protests erupted against poor security, and members of the U.N. peacekeeping force, MONUSCO, were advised not to go out on the streets of Beni. The ADF's historical roots lie in Islamist Ugandans opposed to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni. The group has plagued the North Kivu region bordering Uganda since the Congo Wars in the 1990s, although its membership has since broadened to non-Ugandans and it has not carried out an attack on Uganda for years. Hundreds of deaths have been attributed to the shadowy organisation since 2015. The so-called Islamic State group has claimed some of the attacks ascribed to the ADF this year, but there is no clear evidence of any affiliation between the two groups

At least 10 killed in eastern DR Congo by ADF rebels

Iran has largest missile force in Middle East, capable of hitting Israel, Saudi Arabia: Pentagon report

The U.N. human rights office said on Tuesday that some <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/hong-kong-protesters-defy-lams-surrender-warning-as-authorities-struggle-to-free-university-campus-263094">Hong Kong demonstrators'</a> resorting to extreme violence, including against police, was "deeply regrettable and cannot be condoned" and voiced concern that the situation could deteriorate further.

Spokesman Rupert Colville urged Hong Kong authorities to de-escalate the situation at the Polytechnic University - where about 100 protesters are holed up - and address the humanitarian situation of those inside "which is clearly deteriorating".

Hong Kong's embattled leader <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/university-protesters-in-hong-kong-must-surrender-to-resolve-stand-off-peacefully-carrie-lam-263037">Carrie Lam said</a> on Tuesday she hoped the standoff between police and a group of anti-government protesters at the university could be resolved and she had told police to handle it humanely.

Dozens of&nbsp;Hong&nbsp;Kong&nbsp;protesters staged a dramatic escape from a university campus sealed off by police on Monday by shimmying down plastic hosing from a bridge and fleeing on waiting motorbikes as the police fired projectiles.

Many more anti-government protesters remained trapped inside the&nbsp;Hong&nbsp;Kong&nbsp;Polytechnic University, and two prominent figures were allowed by police onto the campus late on Monday to mediate, a sign that there is a growing risk of bloodshed.

Polytechnic University in&nbsp;Hong&nbsp;Kong's Kowloon district is at the centre of a standoff in the past week that has seen the most intense violence in five months of anti-government demonstrations.

Some of the protesters who escaped on Monday lowered themselves several metres from a bridge they had occupied on the campus to a flyover below. They then sped off on the back of motorcycles that were already waiting or arrived quickly.

A number of them appeared subsequently to have been arrested, a Reuters witness said.

Other protesters, hurling petrol bombs, tried repeatedly to break into the campus but police fired tear gas and water cannon to push them back.

The United States expressed concern about the situation but China's ambassador to London accused Western countries of interfering.

The U.N. human rights office said on Tuesday that some Hong Kong demonstrators' resorting to extreme violence, including against police, was "deeply regrettable and cannot be condoned" and voiced concern that the situation could deteriorate further.

The U.N. human rights office said on Tuesday that some Hong Kong demonstrators' resorting to extreme violence, including against police, was "deeply regrettable and cannot be condoned" and voiced concern that the situation could deteriorate further. Spokesman Rupert Colville urged Hong Kong authorities to de-escalate the situation at the Polytechnic University - where about 100 protesters are holed up - and address the humanitarian situation of those inside "which is clearly deteriorating". Hong Kong's embattled leader Carrie Lam said on Tuesday she hoped the standoff between police and a group of anti-government protesters at the university could be resolved and she had told police to handle it humanely. Dozens of Hong Kong protesters staged a dramatic escape from a university campus sealed off by police on Monday by shimmying down plastic hosing from a bridge and fleeing on waiting motorbikes as the police fired projectiles. Many more anti-government protesters remained trapped inside the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and two prominent figures were allowed by police onto the campus late on Monday to mediate, a sign that there is a growing risk of bloodshed. Polytechnic University in Hong Kong's Kowloon district is at the centre of a standoff in the past week that has seen the most intense violence in five months of anti-government demonstrations. Some of the protesters who escaped on Monday lowered themselves several metres from a bridge they had occupied on the campus to a flyover below. They then sped off on the back of motorcycles that were already waiting or arrived quickly. A number of them appeared subsequently to have been arrested, a Reuters witness said. Other protesters, hurling petrol bombs, tried repeatedly to break into the campus but police fired tear gas and water cannon to push them back. The United States expressed concern about the situation but China's ambassador to London accused Western countries of interfering.

U.N. decries Hong Kong protesters' violence, calls for calm

The United Nations warned on Saturday <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/bolivian-police-battle-with-morales-supporters-death-toll-jumps-262628">violence in Bolivia</a> could "spin out of control" following recent skirmishes between security forces and coca farmers loyal to ousted President Evo Morales that have left nine dead.

Morales resigned under pressure from Bolivia's police and military last Sunday after evidence of vote-rigging tainted his October&nbsp;20 election victory. He fled to Mexico two days after his resignation.

The leftist and charismatic former coca farmer has since called his ouster a right-wing "coup" and decried growing allegations of repression by security forces under interim President and former conservative lawmaker Jeanine Anez.

"The coup leaders massacre indigenous and humble people for asking for democracy," Morales said on Twitter following reports of mounting deaths.

Anez has blamed Morales for stoking violence from abroad and has said her government wishes to hold elections and meet with the opposition to halt protests.

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet warned escalating violence could usurp the democratic process.

"I am concerned that the situation in Bolivia could spin out of control if the authorities do not handle it ... with full respect for human rights," Bachelet said in a statement.

The violence in Bolivia adds to growing unrest in the region, including in neighbour Chile, where protests over social inequalities boiled over into riots that left at least 20 dead. Ecuador, Venezuela and Argentina have also seen widespread strikes, protests and riots in recent months.

Cochabamba ombudsman Nelson Cox said hospital records in the coca farming region showed the "vast majority" of Friday´s deaths and injuries were caused by bullet wounds.

"We are working with the national ombudsman´s office to conduct autopsies ... and seek justice for these victims," Cox told Reuters.

More than 100 people were injured in the skirmishes, the ombudsman said.

Coca farmers in some protests were also heavily-armed, police said, carrying weapons ranging from handguns and boxes of grenades to home-made bazookas made from sawed-off pipes in sometimes fierce stand-offs.

U.N. envoy Jean Arnault said a team would hold meetings with politicians and social groups beginning Sunday to end the violence and push for "free and transparent elections."

Election talk

Though the capital <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/five-supporters-of-exiled-leader-morales-killed-in-clashes-in-bolivia-262548">La Paz was largely calm</a> Saturday, lingering highway blockades prompted panic on the streets, with many rushing to hoard groceries as supplies ran low and prices rose.

Increasing unrest and a spiralling body count prompted Morales to strike a more conciliatory tone with the government of Anez in recent days.

"For the sake of democracy ... I have no problem not taking part in new elections," Morales told Reuters in an interview in Mexico City.

Morales' party, now the opposition, has asked for a session of both chambers of Bolivia's legislature this Tuesday to hash out plans for the new election.

Anez, meanwhile, has moved quickly away from Morales´ leftist rule and foreign policy.

On Friday, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/bolivia-interim-president-rules-out-morales-election-bid-262276">Bolivia</a> asked Venezuelan officials to leave the country. The Andean nation also accused Cuba, once a close ally, of stoking unrest following Morales' resignation.

A Cubana airlines plane arrived in Bolivia Saturday to take home hundreds of Cuban doctors.

Anez spoke with Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guiado, who on Saturday called on supporters to lead a new wave of protests against President Nicolas Maduro, a leftist. Anez said she was pleased to establish relations with a "democratic Venezuela."

"We have the same objectives, and I hope soon we can cry freedom for Venezuela, as it so rightly deserves," she said in the televised meeting.

The United Nations warned on Saturday violence in Bolivia could "spin out of control" following recent skirmishes between security forces and coca farmers loyal to ousted President Evo Morales that have left nine dead.

The United Nations warned on Saturday violence in Bolivia could "spin out of control" following recent skirmishes between security forces and coca farmers loyal to ousted President Evo Morales that have left nine dead. Morales resigned under pressure from Bolivia's police and military last Sunday after evidence of vote-rigging tainted his October 20 election victory. He fled to Mexico two days after his resignation. The leftist and charismatic former coca farmer has since called his ouster a right-wing "coup" and decried growing allegations of repression by security forces under interim President and former conservative lawmaker Jeanine Anez. "The coup leaders massacre indigenous and humble people for asking for democracy," Morales said on Twitter following reports of mounting deaths. Anez has blamed Morales for stoking violence from abroad and has said her government wishes to hold elections and meet with the opposition to halt protests. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet warned escalating violence could usurp the democratic process. "I am concerned that the situation in Bolivia could spin out of control if the authorities do not handle it ... with full respect for human rights," Bachelet said in a statement. The violence in Bolivia adds to growing unrest in the region, including in neighbour Chile, where protests over social inequalities boiled over into riots that left at least 20 dead. Ecuador, Venezuela and Argentina have also seen widespread strikes, protests and riots in recent months. Cochabamba ombudsman Nelson Cox said hospital records in the coca farming region showed the "vast majority" of Friday´s deaths and injuries were caused by bullet wounds. "We are working with the national ombudsman´s office to conduct autopsies ... and seek justice for these victims," Cox told Reuters. More than 100 people were injured in the skirmishes, the ombudsman said. Coca farmers in some protests were also heavily-armed, police said, carrying weapons ranging from handguns and boxes of grenades to home-made bazookas made from sawed-off pipes in sometimes fierce stand-offs. U.N. envoy Jean Arnault said a team would hold meetings with politicians and social groups beginning Sunday to end the violence and push for "free and transparent elections." Election talk Though the capital La Paz was largely calm Saturday, lingering highway blockades prompted panic on the streets, with many rushing to hoard groceries as supplies ran low and prices rose. Increasing unrest and a spiralling body count prompted Morales to strike a more conciliatory tone with the government of Anez in recent days. "For the sake of democracy ... I have no problem not taking part in new elections," Morales told Reuters in an interview in Mexico City. Morales' party, now the opposition, has asked for a session of both chambers of Bolivia's legislature this Tuesday to hash out plans for the new election. Anez, meanwhile, has moved quickly away from Morales´ leftist rule and foreign policy. On Friday, Bolivia asked Venezuelan officials to leave the country. The Andean nation also accused Cuba, once a close ally, of stoking unrest following Morales' resignation. A Cubana airlines plane arrived in Bolivia Saturday to take home hundreds of Cuban doctors. Anez spoke with Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guiado, who on Saturday called on supporters to lead a new wave of protests against President Nicolas Maduro, a leftist. Anez said she was pleased to establish relations with a "democratic Venezuela." "We have the same objectives, and I hope soon we can cry freedom for Venezuela, as it so rightly deserves," she said in the televised meeting.

Bolivia crisis could 'spin out of control' as death toll keeps increasing: United Nations

China's DJI, the world's largest commercial drone maker, said on Wednesday it is developing technology that would allow the public to track the registrations of drones in flight using just a smartphone, amid a broader industry push to make such data available.

SZ DJI Technology Co Ltd aims to roll out a free app in 2020, pending regulatory approval, that would allow its users for the first time to identify any modern drone with a phone, company executives told Reuters.

The push for remote identification technology comes amid regulatory calls for greater oversight of drone flight, on fears that untraceable, unmanned aircraft could be used for spying or accidentally disrupt commercial flights.

DJI, which has an estimated 70 per cent&nbsp;market share according to industry analysts, demonstrated its drone-to-phone transmission app at the United Nations aviation agency's Drone Enable conference in Montreal.

"We've created a remote identification solution that works with what people already have," said Brendan Schulman, vice president of policy and legal affairs at DJI.

While remote identification technology is already available on the market, the services are for purchase, involve equipment, and are often aimed at groups like companies, airports and law enforcement, industry executives said.

DJI says its app would work on drones within a 1 kilometre (0.62 miles) range using WiFi Aware-enabled smartphones.

Unauthorized drone flying and sightings have led to flight delays and cancellations at airports, costing the aviation industry millions of dollars.

The industry is eying ways to better track and identify drones similar to the use of license plates for cars, ahead of eventual rules from regulators like the US&nbsp;Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

"Remote identification is the #1 priority of the FAA with unmanned systems," said Philip Kenul, who chairs an industry-led committee on drone identification standards.

By improving the ability to track drones, companies like DJI aim to avert a crackdown on the usage of unmanned aircraft at a time of growing demand.

Global spending on drones is likely to reach $12.3 billion in 2019, up from $9 billion a year earlier, according to research firm IDC.

DJI's Schulman said that because people are worried about drones committing privacy violations, they call for restrictions on drones. "Rather than restrict operators, you can punish the operations that are actively harmful," he said.

China's DJI, the world's largest commercial drone maker, said on Wednesday it is developing technology that would allow the public to track the registrations of drones in flight using just a smartphone, amid a broader industry push to make such data available.

China's DJI, the world's largest commercial drone maker, said on Wednesday it is developing technology that would allow the public to track the registrations of drones in flight using just a smartphone, amid a broader industry push to make such data available. SZ DJI Technology Co Ltd aims to roll out a free app in 2020, pending regulatory approval, that would allow its users for the first time to identify any modern drone with a phone, company executives told Reuters. The push for remote identification technology comes amid regulatory calls for greater oversight of drone flight, on fears that untraceable, unmanned aircraft could be used for spying or accidentally disrupt commercial flights. DJI, which has an estimated 70 per cent market share according to industry analysts, demonstrated its drone-to-phone transmission app at the United Nations aviation agency's Drone Enable conference in Montreal. "We've created a remote identification solution that works with what people already have," said Brendan Schulman, vice president of policy and legal affairs at DJI. While remote identification technology is already available on the market, the services are for purchase, involve equipment, and are often aimed at groups like companies, airports and law enforcement, industry executives said. DJI says its app would work on drones within a 1 kilometre (0.62 miles) range using WiFi Aware-enabled smartphones. Unauthorized drone flying and sightings have led to flight delays and cancellations at airports, costing the aviation industry millions of dollars. The industry is eying ways to better track and identify drones similar to the use of license plates for cars, ahead of eventual rules from regulators like the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). "Remote identification is the #1 priority of the FAA with unmanned systems," said Philip Kenul, who chairs an industry-led committee on drone identification standards. By improving the ability to track drones, companies like DJI aim to avert a crackdown on the usage of unmanned aircraft at a time of growing demand. Global spending on drones is likely to reach $12.3 billion in 2019, up from $9 billion a year earlier, according to research firm IDC. DJI's Schulman said that because people are worried about drones committing privacy violations, they call for restrictions on drones. "Rather than restrict operators, you can punish the operations that are actively harmful," he said.

Amid privacy backlash, China's DJI unveils drone-to-phone tracking

When the voice of Humanity is silenced, the voice of Violence is heard for ages.

Violence plagues the world and has plagued the world through all history. Structural Violence may last for a specific period. Experience has established that the after-effects of Structural Violence linger on for generations. It destroys the very fabric of society.

The ghastly atomic attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki produced huge numbers of casualties. There is no doubt that the physical and psychological impacts of the atomic attacks continued for generations long after the actual attack. Similarly, the disruption caused in society continues for generations long after the active phase of the structural violence.

From the United Nations to the leading think tanks, as well as several nations, are struggling to deal with the violence at the physical violence, and in many cases, the physical violence has been controlled. However, the aftermath of the Violence has not been extensively studied. The present writer portrays the aftermath of Structural Violence.

By the term ‘Structural Violence’, I refer to the following:

<ul>
	<li>Militancy</li>
	<li>Terrorism</li>
	<li>Insurgency</li>
	<li>Maoism</li>
</ul>

When I speak about Structural Violence, I include the Economics and Sociology of the violence.

Will the dark clouds of Structural Violence ever be dispelled by the golden rays of Peace? This is a question we all need to seriously think about.

The Cycle of Violence

Unfortunately, India is perhaps unique in the world today in that it faces all four types of Structural Violence. There is Militancy in Jammu &amp; Kashmir, insurgency in Northeast, Maoist violence in many parts of the country, and until recently there was terrorism in Punjab,

History shows us that violence follows a vicious cycle. It is commonly said that ‘violence breeds violence’. The perpetrators are very easy to manipulate into violence – they mostly fall into three categories:

1. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Socially deprived

2. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Economically deprived

3. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Sexually deprived

There is a period of intense violence – which maybe for days or months or years. Yet, when this intense period ends, the cycle of violence is not over. Experience from Ground Zero has revealed that 15 years of violence result in around 150 years of disruption for Humanity. Violence is a phenomenon which lingers on far longer than when peace has supposedly dawned.

I have spent more than two decades in many of the strife-torn regions of India and its neighbourhood. While working for peace, I have interacted with many people, both perpetrators and the affected. On the basis of this, I wish to share my observations.

The collapse of values &amp; the trust-deficit syndrome

The moral fabric of society has been disrupted. People who are economically and sexually deprived are obsessed with material gains and indulgence in sensual pleasures. This, in turn, leads to a disregard for human life and dignity, which in turn leads to violence.

Violence leads to a culture of despondency, of helplessness, and resignation. When citizens lose their self-esteem and confidence to change society for the better, evil elements dominate society. No one is there to oppose them.

The first indication of a violence-prone area is the Trust-Deficit Syndrome among the people. Every society has citizens who appreciate the futility of violence and wish to work for peace. Their voices are stifled. They are branded as informers and government agents and even attacked.

Wherever Structural Violence begins, a significant percentage of the people extend moral and material support. However, these same supporters get victimised by the perpetrators.

Research shows that while we have progressed greatly materially, educationally, and infrastructure-wise, but psychologically we are not able to reap the fruits of this progress. &nbsp;Research also shows only 25% of millennials have trust in others. This results in fear and mental constraints in the minds of people. This leads to violence, that is invisible but endemic.

An environment of fear

Structural Violence results in long-lasting Physical, Mental, and Emotional Trauma in the general population of the affected region. Psychomatic illnesses and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are widespread.

This is revealed by something as simple as how day-to-day greetings have changed in Kashmir. People now greet each other by expressing concern about health and well-being. If a family member leaves the house for daily chores, and more than an hour elapses without his or her return, the family is greatly worried!

This environment of fear results in widespread health issues in the general population. Pregnant women are particularly affected, with resultant complications.

In this scenario, economic and social revival becomes difficult, even with extensive Government funding.

The epidemic of drugs

It has been observed that it is this endemic fear and mental constraints that leads to the epidemic of drugs. It has been said that a drug is a substitute for love. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has also observed where the institution of the family has declined and the trust-deficit in society has risen, drug addiction takes root.

Structural Violence has an international dimension, which provides infrastructural support. Sponsors of Violence provide support initially.

These international agencies supply the perpetrators with drugs, to enable them to generate their own resources. After a passage of time, they often withdraw their support. Instead, they encourage the perpetrators to take up drug cultivation and distribution.

It is no secret that drugs are a potent cause of violence, in all its manifestations. Drug addictions result in sociopathic tendencies and apathy amongst the general public. The families of drug addicts are severely affected. The inability to bear stress results in a significant percentage of society turning to drugs for solace, with catastrophic results. Once drug addiction gets embedded in a region, its impact lasts long. I have sadly observed this in Kashmir, Northeast India, and Nepal. Middle and lower-middle&nbsp;classes have become trapped in drug addiction, and these see no way to escape from this disastrous situation.

The drug trade results in huge profits for the kingpins, and in turn profits from the drug trade are poured into the purchase of armaments, sponsoring terror camps, and disseminating malicious propaganda.

The status of women

Mahatma Gandhi said that the value of a society is shown by how it treats its women. He also said – ‘Educate a man, and you educate a person. Educate a woman, and you educate a family’

Experience has conclusively established that where violence rules, the status of women is low. This results in widespread trafficking in and crimes against women and girls. Prostitution and trafficking of young women and girls have become accepted as a normal activity by society.

Structural Violence has robbed society of its soul.

My experience shows that perpetrators of Structural Violence seek shelter in the homes of people. They have been known to exploit the womenfolk in these homes. When the same people come to realise the actual character of these perpetrators, they plead with security forces to protect their homes and families from terrorists – this is unacceptably not highlighted in media. Amongst these people, they also take up arms themselves to protect their family’s honour and property.

Now, in one of the regions, I have observed a different tragedy unfolding. Militancy developed in the 1990s. Many male students dropped out of colleges to become terrorists. The female students largely continued with their education, and several obtained higher degrees. These educated women were unwilling to marry men less educated and indulging in terrorism. They chose to remain single, despite family pressure and social condemnation. These ladies are now holding teaching or clerical jobs at a mere pittance. I asked some of them, as why they worked long hours for such low pay. They replied that at work, they secured a few hours of solace from family pressures.

The result of the above phenomena is that the self-esteem of both individuals and the whole of society become low. When self-esteem is low, entrepreneurship and innovation diminishes. All the development and infrastructure work of the Government has no effect.

Violence as an industry

Structural violence functions like a corporation. There are many national and international stakeholders who do not wish see the depreciation of the share value!

Further, a small but significant percentage of those involved in violence create a livelihood from Extortion, Protection Rackets, the Rigging of Contracts, as Informers, etc. These individuals have a vested interest in continuing the cycle of violence in perpetuity!

Also, the destruction of the economy is most obvious after-effect of Structural Violence. A violence-ravaged region or country is not one where investments and jobs flow. And idle youth are the seeds of repeated violence.

Holistic solutions are needed

A violence-ravaged region is like a human with a deep wound. Mere ointments applied will not work, intense treatment will be needed. Similarly, the opening of hospitals and schools, the release of monetary compensation, etc. are superficial measures. &nbsp;Rebuilding Physical Infrastructure and Economic Infrastructure are of course vital. However, these will have superficial results, unless the Social Infrastructure is not rebuilt too.

What is absolutely essential is that we study the long-term consequences of Structural Violence. And devise innovative solutions to address these consequences. This is the need of the hour for India and the world in general.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL) &nbsp;

When the voice of Humanity is silenced, the voice of Violence is heard for ages. Violence plagues the world and has plagued the world through all history. Structural Violence may last for a specific period.

When the voice of Humanity is silenced, the voice of Violence is heard for ages. Violence plagues the world and has plagued the world through all history. Structural Violence may last for a specific period. Experience has established that the after-effects of Structural Violence linger on for generations. It destroys the very fabric of society. The ghastly atomic attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki produced huge numbers of casualties. There is no doubt that the physical and psychological impacts of the atomic attacks continued for generations long after the actual attack. Similarly, the disruption caused in society continues for generations long after the active phase of the structural violence. From the United Nations to the leading think tanks, as well as several nations, are struggling to deal with the violence at the physical violence, and in many cases, the physical violence has been controlled. However, the aftermath of the Violence has not been extensively studied. The present writer portrays the aftermath of Structural Violence. By the term ‘Structural Violence’, I refer to the following: Militancy Terrorism Insurgency Maoism When I speak about Structural Violence, I include the Economics and Sociology of the violence. Will the dark clouds of Structural Violence ever be dispelled by the golden rays of Peace? This is a question we all need to seriously think about. The Cycle of Violence Unfortunately, India is perhaps unique in the world today in that it faces all four types of Structural Violence. There is Militancy in Jammu & Kashmir, insurgency in Northeast, Maoist violence in many parts of the country, and until recently there was terrorism in Punjab, History shows us that violence follows a vicious cycle. It is commonly said that ‘violence breeds violence’. The perpetrators are very easy to manipulate into violence – they mostly fall into three categories: 1. Socially deprived 2. Economically deprived 3. Sexually deprived There is a period of intense violence – which maybe for days or months or years. Yet, when this intense period ends, the cycle of violence is not over. Experience from Ground Zero has revealed that 15 years of violence result in around 150 years of disruption for Humanity. Violence is a phenomenon which lingers on far longer than when peace has supposedly dawned. I have spent more than two decades in many of the strife-torn regions of India and its neighbourhood. While working for peace, I have interacted with many people, both perpetrators and the affected. On the basis of this, I wish to share my observations. The collapse of values & the trust-deficit syndrome The moral fabric of society has been disrupted. People who are economically and sexually deprived are obsessed with material gains and indulgence in sensual pleasures. This, in turn, leads to a disregard for human life and dignity, which in turn leads to violence. Violence leads to a culture of despondency, of helplessness, and resignation. When citizens lose their self-esteem and confidence to change society for the better, evil elements dominate society. No one is there to oppose them. The first indication of a violence-prone area is the Trust-Deficit Syndrome among the people. Every society has citizens who appreciate the futility of violence and wish to work for peace. Their voices are stifled. They are branded as informers and government agents and even attacked. Wherever Structural Violence begins, a significant percentage of the people extend moral and material support. However, these same supporters get victimised by the perpetrators. Research shows that while we have progressed greatly materially, educationally, and infrastructure-wise, but psychologically we are not able to reap the fruits of this progress. Research also shows only 25% of millennials have trust in others. This results in fear and mental constraints in the minds of people. This leads to violence, that is invisible but endemic. An environment of fear Structural Violence results in long-lasting Physical, Mental, and Emotional Trauma in the general population of the affected region. Psychomatic illnesses and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are widespread. This is revealed by something as simple as how day-to-day greetings have changed in Kashmir. People now greet each other by expressing concern about health and well-being. If a family member leaves the house for daily chores, and more than an hour elapses without his or her return, the family is greatly worried! This environment of fear results in widespread health issues in the general population. Pregnant women are particularly affected, with resultant complications. In this scenario, economic and social revival becomes difficult, even with extensive Government funding. The epidemic of drugs It has been observed that it is this endemic fear and mental constraints that leads to the epidemic of drugs. It has been said that a drug is a substitute for love. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has also observed where the institution of the family has declined and the trust-deficit in society has risen, drug addiction takes root. Structural Violence has an international dimension, which provides infrastructural support. Sponsors of Violence provide support initially. These international agencies supply the perpetrators with drugs, to enable them to generate their own resources. After a passage of time, they often withdraw their support. Instead, they encourage the perpetrators to take up drug cultivation and distribution. It is no secret that drugs are a potent cause of violence, in all its manifestations. Drug addictions result in sociopathic tendencies and apathy amongst the general public. The families of drug addicts are severely affected. The inability to bear stress results in a significant percentage of society turning to drugs for solace, with catastrophic results. Once drug addiction gets embedded in a region, its impact lasts long. I have sadly observed this in Kashmir, Northeast India, and Nepal. Middle and lower-middle classes have become trapped in drug addiction, and these see no way to escape from this disastrous situation. The drug trade results in huge profits for the kingpins, and in turn profits from the drug trade are poured into the purchase of armaments, sponsoring terror camps, and disseminating malicious propaganda. The status of women Mahatma Gandhi said that the value of a society is shown by how it treats its women. He also said – ‘Educate a man, and you educate a person. Educate a woman, and you educate a family’ Experience has conclusively established that where violence rules, the status of women is low. This results in widespread trafficking in and crimes against women and girls. Prostitution and trafficking of young women and girls have become accepted as a normal activity by society. Structural Violence has robbed society of its soul. My experience shows that perpetrators of Structural Violence seek shelter in the homes of people. They have been known to exploit the womenfolk in these homes. When the same people come to realise the actual character of these perpetrators, they plead with security forces to protect their homes and families from terrorists – this is unacceptably not highlighted in media. Amongst these people, they also take up arms themselves to protect their family’s honour and property. Now, in one of the regions, I have observed a different tragedy unfolding. Militancy developed in the 1990s. Many male students dropped out of colleges to become terrorists. The female students largely continued with their education, and several obtained higher degrees. These educated women were unwilling to marry men less educated and indulging in terrorism. They chose to remain single, despite family pressure and social condemnation. These ladies are now holding teaching or clerical jobs at a mere pittance. I asked some of them, as why they worked long hours for such low pay. They replied that at work, they secured a few hours of solace from family pressures. The result of the above phenomena is that the self-esteem of both individuals and the whole of society become low. When self-esteem is low, entrepreneurship and innovation diminishes. All the development and infrastructure work of the Government has no effect. Violence as an industry Structural violence functions like a corporation. There are many national and international stakeholders who do not wish see the depreciation of the share value! Further, a small but significant percentage of those involved in violence create a livelihood from Extortion, Protection Rackets, the Rigging of Contracts, as Informers, etc. These individuals have a vested interest in continuing the cycle of violence in perpetuity! Also, the destruction of the economy is most obvious after-effect of Structural Violence. A violence-ravaged region or country is not one where investments and jobs flow. And idle youth are the seeds of repeated violence. Holistic solutions are needed A violence-ravaged region is like a human with a deep wound. Mere ointments applied will not work, intense treatment will be needed. Similarly, the opening of hospitals and schools, the release of monetary compensation, etc. are superficial measures. Rebuilding Physical Infrastructure and Economic Infrastructure are of course vital. However, these will have superficial results, unless the Social Infrastructure is not rebuilt too. What is absolutely essential is that we study the long-term consequences of Structural Violence. And devise innovative solutions to address these consequences. This is the need of the hour for India and the world in general. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Violence never abates – it resounds for ages

Anti-government rallies swelled in Iraq's capital and south Wednesday as Baghdad faced new pressure from both the street and the United Nations to respond seriously to weeks of demonstrations.&nbsp;

Protests demanding a new leadership have rocked the capital and Shiite-majority south for weeks, the crowds undeterred by government pledges of reform and the deaths of more than 300 people.

They dimmed for a few days following a deadly crackdown by security forces in Baghdad and major southern cities but flared again Wednesday with demonstrations by striking students and teachers.

"We're here to back the protesters and their legitimate demands, which include teachers' rights," said Aqeel Atshan, a professor on strike in Baghdad's Tahrir (Liberation) Square, the epicentre of the protest movement.

In the southern port city of Basra, around 800 students returned to camp outside the provincial government headquarters days after they had been pushed out by riot police.

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Schools were also shut in the protest hotspots of Diwaniyah and Nasiriyah.

Protesters have felt revived after the country's top Shiite religious authority Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani said they "cannot go home without sufficient reforms".

"Students, boys and girls alike, are all here for a sit-in," another demonstrator in Tahrir told AFP.

"If Sistani gave the orders for mass civil disobedience, everything would close -- the government, the oil companies, everything. That's how we'll have a solution."

Sadr changes tune?

Iraq's parliament will meet on Wednesday afternoon to hear from the head of the United Nations' mission in Iraq (UNAMI), Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert.

She will address the main political blocs and brief lawmakers on her meeting with Sistani, who in a significant move backed a UN roadmap out of the crisis.

Hennis-Plasschaert's proposal calls for an immediate end to violence, electoral reform and anti-graft measures within two weeks followed by constitutional amendments and infrastructure legislation within three months.

Oil-rich Iraq is ranked the 12th most corrupt country in the world by Transparency International, and youth unemployment stands at 25 per cent.

Demonstrations erupted on October 1 in fury over a lack of jobs and corruption, initially fracturing the ruling class.

Populist cleric Moqtada Sadr called on the government to resign and President Barham Saleh suggested early elections, while other factions stood by Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi.&nbsp;

But after a series of meetings led by Iran's influential Major General Qasem Soleimani, a consensus emerged at the weekend over the government remaining intact and both Saleh and Sadr appear to have changed their tunes.

Sadr, who is reported to be in Iran, took to Twitter on Wednesday to call on parliament to enact reforms and for "a general strike, even for one day," but did not demand the premier step down.

Saleh, too, appears to have dropped the idea of early elections.&nbsp;

'Deplored death toll'

The agreement brokered by Soleimani appeared to pave the way for a crackdown on demonstrations over the weekend that sent the death toll from protests to well over 300.

Iraq has faced growing criticism over its response to rallies, with rights defenders accusing authorities of shooting live rounds at protesters and curtailing freedom of expression with an internet blackout and mass arrests.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he spoke to Abdel Mahdi by phone late Tuesday and "deplored the death toll among the protesters as a result of the Government of Iraq's crackdown and use of lethal force".&nbsp;

"I called on him to protect the protesters and to address their legitimate grievances," Pompeo said.&nbsp;

Also on Wednesday, the president of Iraqi Kurdistan, Nechirvan Barzani, was in Baghdad to meet with the premier, president and speaker of parliament.&nbsp;

Barzani and Abdel Mahdi are believed to have good personal ties, and the Iraqi Kurdish authorities have backed the current government.&nbsp;

But they have worried that any amendments to Iraq's 2005 constitution as part of a reform process would infringe on Kurdish rights.

Anti-government rallies swelled in Iraq's capital and south Wednesday as Baghdad faced new pressure from both the street and the United Nations to respond seriously to weeks of demonstrations.

Anti-government rallies swelled in Iraq's capital and south Wednesday as Baghdad faced new pressure from both the street and the United Nations to respond seriously to weeks of demonstrations. Protests demanding a new leadership have rocked the capital and Shiite-majority south for weeks, the crowds undeterred by government pledges of reform and the deaths of more than 300 people. They dimmed for a few days following a deadly crackdown by security forces in Baghdad and major southern cities but flared again Wednesday with demonstrations by striking students and teachers. "We're here to back the protesters and their legitimate demands, which include teachers' rights," said Aqeel Atshan, a professor on strike in Baghdad's Tahrir (Liberation) Square, the epicentre of the protest movement. In the southern port city of Basra, around 800 students returned to camp outside the provincial government headquarters days after they had been pushed out by riot police. × Schools were also shut in the protest hotspots of Diwaniyah and Nasiriyah. Protesters have felt revived after the country's top Shiite religious authority Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani said they "cannot go home without sufficient reforms". "Students, boys and girls alike, are all here for a sit-in," another demonstrator in Tahrir told AFP. "If Sistani gave the orders for mass civil disobedience, everything would close -- the government, the oil companies, everything. That's how we'll have a solution." Sadr changes tune? Iraq's parliament will meet on Wednesday afternoon to hear from the head of the United Nations' mission in Iraq (UNAMI), Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert. She will address the main political blocs and brief lawmakers on her meeting with Sistani, who in a significant move backed a UN roadmap out of the crisis. Hennis-Plasschaert's proposal calls for an immediate end to violence, electoral reform and anti-graft measures within two weeks followed by constitutional amendments and infrastructure legislation within three months. Oil-rich Iraq is ranked the 12th most corrupt country in the world by Transparency International, and youth unemployment stands at 25 per cent. Demonstrations erupted on October 1 in fury over a lack of jobs and corruption, initially fracturing the ruling class. Populist cleric Moqtada Sadr called on the government to resign and President Barham Saleh suggested early elections, while other factions stood by Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi. But after a series of meetings led by Iran's influential Major General Qasem Soleimani, a consensus emerged at the weekend over the government remaining intact and both Saleh and Sadr appear to have changed their tunes. Sadr, who is reported to be in Iran, took to Twitter on Wednesday to call on parliament to enact reforms and for "a general strike, even for one day," but did not demand the premier step down. Saleh, too, appears to have dropped the idea of early elections. 'Deplored death toll' The agreement brokered by Soleimani appeared to pave the way for a crackdown on demonstrations over the weekend that sent the death toll from protests to well over 300. Iraq has faced growing criticism over its response to rallies, with rights defenders accusing authorities of shooting live rounds at protesters and curtailing freedom of expression with an internet blackout and mass arrests. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he spoke to Abdel Mahdi by phone late Tuesday and "deplored the death toll among the protesters as a result of the Government of Iraq's crackdown and use of lethal force". "I called on him to protect the protesters and to address their legitimate grievances," Pompeo said. Also on Wednesday, the president of Iraqi Kurdistan, Nechirvan Barzani, was in Baghdad to meet with the premier, president and speaker of parliament. Barzani and Abdel Mahdi are believed to have good personal ties, and the Iraqi Kurdish authorities have backed the current government. But they have worried that any amendments to Iraq's 2005 constitution as part of a reform process would infringe on Kurdish rights.

Iraq demonstrations flare as Baghdad faces renewed pressure

Funding of $1.35 billion will be needed to provide healthcare, education, nutrition and other services to Venezuelan migrants and to help their hosts in 2020, non-governmental organizations said on Wednesday.

The request for increased donations from countries around the world is the most recent of repeated appeals for help for the 4.6 million Venezuelans who have fled <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/venezuelans-turn-to-alternative-medicine-amid-shortages-254459">shortages of food and medicine</a> in their homeland in recent years.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said they would start a coordination and fundraising effort for next year for projects aimed at migrants and host communities in 17 countries.

For European donors, the needs of Venezuelans seem very far away, Eduardo Stein, Joint Special Representative of the UNHCR and IOM for Venezuelan refugees and migrants, told Reuters.

"The Syrian crisis is much more immediate for Europe, it is much closer than the Venezuelan crisis for them," Stein said.

Aid needs are growing not just because there are increasing numbers of migrants, he added, but because conditions in Venezuela continue to worsen.

In a statement earlier on Wednesday Stein said international contributions needed to be doubled.

Colombia has borne the brunt of the exodus. It is now home to more than 1.4 million Venezuelans, many of whom arrived with little money and in desperate need of basic services.

The number of Venezuelan migrants in Colombia is going to sharply increase next year, the organizations said, to 2.4 million, in tandem with a possible increase of total Venezuelan migrants to 6.5 million by the end of 2020.

Colombia has repeatedly lamented a lack of funding for Venezuelans, saying other humanitarian crises in Syria, South Sudan and Myanmar have received many times more in donations.

Care for migrants costs Colombia around half a percentage point of its gross domestic product, or about $1.5 billion, annually.

The United Nations had called for global donations of $315 million in 2019 to help Colombia cope with the influx, but donations have fallen far short of the target.

Unlike its neighbours, Colombia has not imposed stringent immigration requirements on Venezuelans, instead of encouraging migrants who entered the country informally to register with authorities so they can have access to social services.

Colombia has also said it will give citizenship to more than 24,000 children born to Venezuelan parents to prevent them from being stateless.

Funding of $1.35 billion will be needed to provide healthcare, education, nutrition and other services to Venezuelan migrants and to help their hosts in 2020, non-governmental organizations said on Wednesday.

Funding of $1.35 billion will be needed to provide healthcare, education, nutrition and other services to Venezuelan migrants and to help their hosts in 2020, non-governmental organizations said on Wednesday. The request for increased donations from countries around the world is the most recent of repeated appeals for help for the 4.6 million Venezuelans who have fled shortages of food and medicine in their homeland in recent years. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said they would start a coordination and fundraising effort for next year for projects aimed at migrants and host communities in 17 countries. For European donors, the needs of Venezuelans seem very far away, Eduardo Stein, Joint Special Representative of the UNHCR and IOM for Venezuelan refugees and migrants, told Reuters. "The Syrian crisis is much more immediate for Europe, it is much closer than the Venezuelan crisis for them," Stein said. Aid needs are growing not just because there are increasing numbers of migrants, he added, but because conditions in Venezuela continue to worsen. In a statement earlier on Wednesday Stein said international contributions needed to be doubled. Colombia has borne the brunt of the exodus. It is now home to more than 1.4 million Venezuelans, many of whom arrived with little money and in desperate need of basic services. The number of Venezuelan migrants in Colombia is going to sharply increase next year, the organizations said, to 2.4 million, in tandem with a possible increase of total Venezuelan migrants to 6.5 million by the end of 2020. Colombia has repeatedly lamented a lack of funding for Venezuelans, saying other humanitarian crises in Syria, South Sudan and Myanmar have received many times more in donations. Care for migrants costs Colombia around half a percentage point of its gross domestic product, or about $1.5 billion, annually. The United Nations had called for global donations of $315 million in 2019 to help Colombia cope with the influx, but donations have fallen far short of the target. Unlike its neighbours, Colombia has not imposed stringent immigration requirements on Venezuelans, instead of encouraging migrants who entered the country informally to register with authorities so they can have access to social services. Colombia has also said it will give citizenship to more than 24,000 children born to Venezuelan parents to prevent them from being stateless.

Venezuelan migrants need $1.35 billion in 2020 for basic services - NGOs

President Michel Aoun said on Tuesday <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/lebanese-banks-schools-shut-as-protesters-push-on-261582">Lebanon faced a catastrophe</a> if protesters did not go home, igniting a new wave of demonstrations during which a protester was shot and killed after an altercation with Lebanese soldiers near Beirut.

The shooting in Khaldeh south of Beirut was the first of its kind in nearly four weeks of nationwide protests against Lebanon's ruling elite, escalating tensions in a country mired in deep political and economic crisis.

The man who was killed was a member of the political party led by Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, a civil war adversary of Aoun. Jumblatt urged his supporters to remain calm during a visit to the hospital where the man had been taken.

In a statement, the army said a soldier had opened fire to disperse protesters who were blocking a road in Khaldeh, wounding one person. The soldier was detained and the incident was under investigation.

Tensions flared in Beirut late into the night. In the Cola district near Beirut, dozens of men pelted stones at soldiers and a tank.

Already grappling with the worst economic crisis since the 1975-90 civil war, Lebanon has been plunged deeper into turmoil since the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/lebanese-protest-again-as-army-works-to-open-blocked-roads-260212">protests erupted </a>on October&nbsp;17.

In a prime time televised interview, Aoun indicated there was no breakthrough in talks over forming a new government to replace Saad al-Hariri's coalition cabinet. Hariri, who quit on October&nbsp;29, was hesitant about being prime minister again, he said.

Aoun also said a purely technocratic government, as demanded by many protesters, would not be able to govern Lebanon and so it should include politicians.

Addressing protesters in his interview, he said, "If you continue in this way, you will strike Lebanon and your interests."

"We are working day and night to get the situation in order. If they keep going, there is a catastrophe. If they stop, there is still room for (us) to fix things," he said.

As Aoun's interview was ending, protesters blocked several main roads across Lebanon, some with burning tyres.

Linda Boulos Mikari, protesting on a road north of Beirut, said Aoun's interview had brought her back onto the street.

"We are tired of the authorities always (acting) as if we are doing nothing. The president goes live and talks to us as if we are children, 'go home'. Respect us a little," she said.

Commercial banks, seeking to avoid capital flight, have been imposing tight restrictions on financial transfers out of Lebanon and US&nbsp;dollar withdrawals.

Banks, which were closed for half of October during the protests, shut their doors again on Tuesday in strike action by bank employees who are concerned about security risks posed by depositors demanding their money and protesters.

The strike will continue on Wednesday.

Aoun called on the Lebanese not to rush to the banks, saying their money was safe.

The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/united-nations-urges-lebanon-to-form-government-of-competence-banks-close-261669">United Nations urged Lebanon</a> to form a competent new government better able to seek international aid and warned the country was in a critical financial and economic situation.

Hariri, who is aligned with Western and Gulf Arab states, wants to be prime minister of a technocratic cabinet that he believes would be better placed to secure urgently needed international financial support, political sources have said.

But the heavily armed group Hezbollah and its ally Amal believe Hariri aims mainly to keep Hezbollah out of government, a senior source familiar with the two Shi'ite groups' view said on Sunday.

The Iran-backed Hezbollah is classified as a terrorist group by the United States. On Monday, its leader said talks were continuing over the new government and Hezbollah wanted to leave open the way for an agreement.

Aoun, a political ally of Hezbollah, said he was awaiting answers before calling formal consultations with MPs to designate the next prime minister.

"A technocrat government cannot define the policy of the country ... and I back forming a government that is half political and half technocrat," Aoun said. "I met Hariri and I found him hesitant between yes and no."

Asked if a cabinet headed by a prime minister other than Hariri and which includes Hezbollah would receive foreign support, Aoun said: "This is an issue that can also be solved."

"I will not give you the solution while I am here on television."

President Michel Aoun said on Tuesday Lebanon faced a catastrophe if protesters did not go home, igniting a new wave of demonstrations during which a protester was shot and killed after an altercation with Lebanese soldiers near Beirut.

President Michel Aoun said on Tuesday Lebanon faced a catastrophe if protesters did not go home, igniting a new wave of demonstrations during which a protester was shot and killed after an altercation with Lebanese soldiers near Beirut. The shooting in Khaldeh south of Beirut was the first of its kind in nearly four weeks of nationwide protests against Lebanon's ruling elite, escalating tensions in a country mired in deep political and economic crisis. The man who was killed was a member of the political party led by Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, a civil war adversary of Aoun. Jumblatt urged his supporters to remain calm during a visit to the hospital where the man had been taken. In a statement, the army said a soldier had opened fire to disperse protesters who were blocking a road in Khaldeh, wounding one person. The soldier was detained and the incident was under investigation. Tensions flared in Beirut late into the night. In the Cola district near Beirut, dozens of men pelted stones at soldiers and a tank. Already grappling with the worst economic crisis since the 1975-90 civil war, Lebanon has been plunged deeper into turmoil since the protests erupted on October 17. In a prime time televised interview, Aoun indicated there was no breakthrough in talks over forming a new government to replace Saad al-Hariri's coalition cabinet. Hariri, who quit on October 29, was hesitant about being prime minister again, he said. Aoun also said a purely technocratic government, as demanded by many protesters, would not be able to govern Lebanon and so it should include politicians. Addressing protesters in his interview, he said, "If you continue in this way, you will strike Lebanon and your interests." "We are working day and night to get the situation in order. If they keep going, there is a catastrophe. If they stop, there is still room for (us) to fix things," he said. As Aoun's interview was ending, protesters blocked several main roads across Lebanon, some with burning tyres. Linda Boulos Mikari, protesting on a road north of Beirut, said Aoun's interview had brought her back onto the street. "We are tired of the authorities always (acting) as if we are doing nothing. The president goes live and talks to us as if we are children, 'go home'. Respect us a little," she said. Commercial banks, seeking to avoid capital flight, have been imposing tight restrictions on financial transfers out of Lebanon and US dollar withdrawals. Banks, which were closed for half of October during the protests, shut their doors again on Tuesday in strike action by bank employees who are concerned about security risks posed by depositors demanding their money and protesters. The strike will continue on Wednesday. Aoun called on the Lebanese not to rush to the banks, saying their money was safe. The United Nations urged Lebanon to form a competent new government better able to seek international aid and warned the country was in a critical financial and economic situation. Hariri, who is aligned with Western and Gulf Arab states, wants to be prime minister of a technocratic cabinet that he believes would be better placed to secure urgently needed international financial support, political sources have said. But the heavily armed group Hezbollah and its ally Amal believe Hariri aims mainly to keep Hezbollah out of government, a senior source familiar with the two Shi'ite groups' view said on Sunday. The Iran-backed Hezbollah is classified as a terrorist group by the United States. On Monday, its leader said talks were continuing over the new government and Hezbollah wanted to leave open the way for an agreement. Aoun, a political ally of Hezbollah, said he was awaiting answers before calling formal consultations with MPs to designate the next prime minister. "A technocrat government cannot define the policy of the country ... and I back forming a government that is half political and half technocrat," Aoun said. "I met Hariri and I found him hesitant between yes and no." Asked if a cabinet headed by a prime minister other than Hariri and which includes Hezbollah would receive foreign support, Aoun said: "This is an issue that can also be solved." "I will not give you the solution while I am here on television."

Man killed as protests sweep Lebanon after Aoun interview

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/european-union-concerned-by-irans-nuclear-deal-breach-261502">Europe's threat</a> to trigger a mechanism that could reimpose United Nations sanctions on Iran marks a significant breakdown in diplomacy to try to save the 2015 nuclear deal and could presage its death knell, diplomats say.

Britain, France and Germany have sought to salvage the pact, under which Iran undertook to curtail its uranium enrichment programme in return for relief from sanctions crippling its economy since the United States withdrew last year.

But the three European powers have failed to make good on the trade and investment dividends promised to Iran under the deal as they have been unable to shield Tehran from renewed US&nbsp;sanctions that have strangled its vital oil trade.

That has prompted Iran to renege step by step from its non-proliferation commitments under the deal.

The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uranium-particles-detected-at-undeclared-site-in-iran-iaea-report-261503">U.N. nuclear watchdog (IAEA)</a> confirmed on Monday that Iran had resumed enriching uranium in its underground Fordow plant and was rapidly accelerating enrichment with a variety of advanced centrifuge machines also banned by the deal.

The move has alarmed European powers that had previously dismissed Tehran's breaches, such as exceeding the cap on stockpiles of enriched uranium and on the fissile purity of enrichment, as insignificant and reversible.

Britain, France, and Germany raised the prospect of a restoration of international sanctions for the first time late on Monday after a meeting of foreign ministers in Paris, saying they were ready "to consider all mechanisms ... including the dispute resolution mechanism".

Under the terms of the 2015 deal, if any party believes another is not upholding their commitments they can refer the issue to a Joint Commission comprising Iran, Russia, China, the three European powers, and the European Union.

If the complaining party cannot resolve the matter at the Commission level, it could then notify the U.N. Security Council, which must vote within 30 days on a resolution on continuing Iran's sanctions relief.

If this is not adopted within that time span, sanctions that were in place under previous U.N. resolutions would be reimposed - known as a "snapback" - unless the Council decided otherwise.

"We don't want to pull out of the (deal) too soon, but equally we cannot sit back. The Russians and the Chinese are not going to trigger this, but us, as Europeans, will have to take a stance at some point," said a European diplomat.

"It is not if but when, unless Iran pulls back, but even then, they are gaining (nuclear) knowledge by spinning these centrifuges, so we have to react."

Enrichment is the main pathway towards producing fuel that detonates a nuclear bomb, though Iran has refined to a fissile purity of 4.5 per cent&nbsp;- roughly suitable for electricity generation - far below the bomb-grade threshold of 90 per cent.

European disquiet has been exacerbated by the detention of an IAEA inspector at Iran's Natanz nuclear facility at the end of October, contrary to stipulations in the deal that Iran must grant daily access to the site as requested.

Diplomats said a meeting of the parties to the accord would take place over the next week to discuss latest developments. However, they say, the Europeans are unlikely to trigger the mechanism before January when Iran is due to announce its next round of steps away from compliance with the deal.

"What we're now seeing is the dismantling of the JCPOA," said another diplomat, referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, as the agreement is formally known.

"We haven't decided on launching the mechanism, because we need to be sure of how it will help us in trying to defuse tensions. The questions we're asking is when, how, and whether it benefits us to do it?"

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif reiterated on Tuesday that Iran had itself launched the complaint mechanism and it was ceasing to heed its deal commitments because the Europeans had failed to protect it from US&nbsp;sanctions.

The deal's objective was to extend the time Iran would need to accumulate enough fissile material for an atom bomb, if it sought one - something sometimes referred to as "breakout time" to about a year from 2-3 months.

"We're now entering a phase where Iran's actions have a serious impact on the breakout time," said another EU diplomat, adding that the window to bring Iran and the United States back to the negotiating table was very small now.

Europe's threat to trigger a mechanism that could reimpose United Nations sanctions on Iran marks a significant breakdown in diplomacy to try to save the 2015 nuclear deal and could presage its death knell, diplomats say.

Europe's threat to trigger a mechanism that could reimpose United Nations sanctions on Iran marks a significant breakdown in diplomacy to try to save the 2015 nuclear deal and could presage its death knell, diplomats say. Britain, France and Germany have sought to salvage the pact, under which Iran undertook to curtail its uranium enrichment programme in return for relief from sanctions crippling its economy since the United States withdrew last year. But the three European powers have failed to make good on the trade and investment dividends promised to Iran under the deal as they have been unable to shield Tehran from renewed US sanctions that have strangled its vital oil trade. That has prompted Iran to renege step by step from its non-proliferation commitments under the deal. The U.N. nuclear watchdog (IAEA) confirmed on Monday that Iran had resumed enriching uranium in its underground Fordow plant and was rapidly accelerating enrichment with a variety of advanced centrifuge machines also banned by the deal. The move has alarmed European powers that had previously dismissed Tehran's breaches, such as exceeding the cap on stockpiles of enriched uranium and on the fissile purity of enrichment, as insignificant and reversible. Britain, France, and Germany raised the prospect of a restoration of international sanctions for the first time late on Monday after a meeting of foreign ministers in Paris, saying they were ready "to consider all mechanisms ... including the dispute resolution mechanism". Under the terms of the 2015 deal, if any party believes another is not upholding their commitments they can refer the issue to a Joint Commission comprising Iran, Russia, China, the three European powers, and the European Union. If the complaining party cannot resolve the matter at the Commission level, it could then notify the U.N. Security Council, which must vote within 30 days on a resolution on continuing Iran's sanctions relief. If this is not adopted within that time span, sanctions that were in place under previous U.N. resolutions would be reimposed - known as a "snapback" - unless the Council decided otherwise. "We don't want to pull out of the (deal) too soon, but equally we cannot sit back. The Russians and the Chinese are not going to trigger this, but us, as Europeans, will have to take a stance at some point," said a European diplomat. "It is not if but when, unless Iran pulls back, but even then, they are gaining (nuclear) knowledge by spinning these centrifuges, so we have to react." Enrichment is the main pathway towards producing fuel that detonates a nuclear bomb, though Iran has refined to a fissile purity of 4.5 per cent - roughly suitable for electricity generation - far below the bomb-grade threshold of 90 per cent. European disquiet has been exacerbated by the detention of an IAEA inspector at Iran's Natanz nuclear facility at the end of October, contrary to stipulations in the deal that Iran must grant daily access to the site as requested. Diplomats said a meeting of the parties to the accord would take place over the next week to discuss latest developments. However, they say, the Europeans are unlikely to trigger the mechanism before January when Iran is due to announce its next round of steps away from compliance with the deal. "What we're now seeing is the dismantling of the JCPOA," said another diplomat, referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, as the agreement is formally known. "We haven't decided on launching the mechanism, because we need to be sure of how it will help us in trying to defuse tensions. The questions we're asking is when, how, and whether it benefits us to do it?" Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif reiterated on Tuesday that Iran had itself launched the complaint mechanism and it was ceasing to heed its deal commitments because the Europeans had failed to protect it from US sanctions. The deal's objective was to extend the time Iran would need to accumulate enough fissile material for an atom bomb, if it sought one - something sometimes referred to as "breakout time" to about a year from 2-3 months. "We're now entering a phase where Iran's actions have a serious impact on the breakout time," said another EU diplomat, adding that the window to bring Iran and the United States back to the negotiating table was very small now.

European concerns raise prospect of renewed U.N. sanctions on Iran

When an Islamist preacher took up the fight in Burkina Faso's northern borderlands almost a decade ago, his only weapon was a radio station. The words he spoke kindled the anger of a frustrated population and helped turn their homes into a breeding ground for jihad.

Residents of this parched region in the Sahel - a vast band of thorny scrub beneath the Sahara Desert - remember applauding Ibrahim "Malam" Dicko as he denounced his country's Western-backed government and racketeering police over the airwaves.

"We cheered," said Adama Kone, a 32-year-old teacher from the town of Djibo near the frontier with Mali, who was one of those thrilled by Dicko's words. "He understood our anger. He gave the Fulani youth new confidence."

Mostly herders, young men like Kone from the Fulani people were feeling hemmed in by more prosperous farmers, whom they felt the government in Ouagadougou favoured.

The preacher successfully exploited their conflicts over dwindling land and water resources, and the frustrations of people angered by corrupt and ineffective government, to launch the country's first indigenous jihadi movement. That cleared a path for groups affiliated with al Qaeda and Islamic State.

Since Dicko's first broadcasts, Burkina Faso has become the focus of a determined jihadi campaign by three of West Africa's most dangerous armed groups who have carved out influence in nearly a third of the country, while much of the world was focused on the crisis in neighbouring Mali.

Militant Islamist fighters close schools, gun down Christians in their places of worship and booby-trap corpses to blow up first responders. At least <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/37-killed-in-burkina-fasos-deadliest-attack-in-five-years-260419">39 people died</a> last week in an ambush on a convoy ferrying workers from a Canadian-owned mine in the country. There has been no claim for that ambush, but the modus operandi – a bomb attack on military escorts followed by gunmen unleashing bullets – was characteristic of Islamist groups.

Since 2016, the violence has killed more than 1,000 people and displaced nearly 500,000 – most of them this year.

In 2019, at least 755 people had died through October in violence involving jihadist groups across Burkina Faso, according to Reuters' analysis of political violence events recorded by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, an NGO. Actual numbers are likely higher - researchers aren't always able to identify who is involved in the violence.

The teacher Kone is one of many of Dicko's former supporters who regret their earlier enthusiasm.

"We handed them the microphones in our mosques," he said. "By the time we realised what they were up to, it was too late."

He fled to Ouagadougou two years ago, after armed Islamists showed up at his school. More than 2,000 schools have closed due to the violence, the U.N. children's fund UNICEF said in August.

A lean, bespectacled Fulani from the north, Malam Dicko broadcast a message of equality and modesty. He reportedly died of an illness in late 2017, but his sermons channelled deep grievances in Burkina Faso's north where impoverished people have long been frustrated by corrupt officials.

The province of northern Burkina Faso where Dicko lived scores 2.7 on the United Nations Human Development Index, compared with 6 for the area around the capital, Ouagadougou. About 40 per cent&nbsp;of its children are stunted by malnutrition, against only 6 per cent&nbsp;in the capital, according to US&nbsp;AID.

From Ouagadougou to Djibo is a four-hour drive on a road which peters out into a sandy track. Sparse villages dot a landscape of sand and withered trees. Goats devour scrappy patches of grass.

Residents complain that their few interactions with the state tend to be predatory: Bureaucrats demand money to issue title deeds for houses, then never provide the papers; gendarmes charge up to $40 to take down a complaint; there are mysterious taxes and extortion at police roadblocks.

Lieutenant Colonel Kanou Coulibaly, a military police squadron commander and head of training for Burkina Faso's armed forces, acknowledged that northerners "feel marginalized and abandoned by the central government."

In about 2010 preacher Dicko, who had studied in Saudi Arabia in the 1980s, began tapping this discontent, recalled Kone and other former Djibo residents. He denounced corruption by traditional religious leaders and practices that he deemed un-Islamic, including lavish wedding and naming ceremonies.

The movement he created, Ansarul Islam (Defenders of Islam), opened a path to militants from outside Burkina Faso — particularly Mali.

Early in 2013, French forces were pounding northern Mali to wrest control from al Qaeda-linked fighters who had seized the region the previous year. Dicko slipped over the border to join the militants, said Oumarou Ibrahim, a Sufi preacher who knew Dicko and was close to the No. 2 in his movement, Amadou Boly.

In Mali, Ibrahim said, Dicko linked up with Amadou Koufa, a fellow Fulani whose forces have unleashed turmoil on central Mali in recent years. French forces detained the pair near the border with Algeria; Dicko was released in 2015.

He set up his own training camp in a forest along the Mali-Burkina border, Kone, the teacher, and Ibrahim, the Sufi preacher, told Reuters.

Dicko forged ties with a group of Malian armed bandits who controlled drug and livestock trade routes.

On the radio that year, he urged youths to back him, "even at the cost of spilling blood."

For some years Burkina Faso's president, Blaise Compaore, had managed to keep good relations with Mali's Islamists. But in 2014, he tried to change the constitution to extend his 27-year-rule. Residents of the capital drove him from office.

Without Compaore, Burkina Faso became a target. Barely two weeks into a new presidency, in January 2016, an attack on the Splendid Hotel and a restaurant in Ouagadougou killed 30 people. It was claimed by al Qaeda-linked militants based in northern Mali.

Dicko became even more radical after that: He fell out with associates including his No. 2, Boly.

Ibrahim, the Sufi preacher, said Boly came to his house in Belhoro village in November 2016, agitated because Dicko had ordered him to raise cash to pay for AK-47 rifles and grenade launchers from Mali.

Boly refused. Dicko threatened him, Ibrahim said. Boly was either with him, "or with the whites and the colonisers."

Two weeks later, gunmen assassinated Boly outside his Djibo home. Ibrahim said he fled his own village the next day.

The teacher Kone, whose house was down the street, said he heard the gunshots that day. A wave of killings followed. The militants assassinated civil servants, blew up security posts, executed school teachers.

One day in May 2017, Kone was running late for school when he got a phone call from a colleague. Armed men from Dicko's movement had come and asked after him.

He shuttered the school and sped to Ouagadougou.

Now headed by Dicko's brother Jafar, Ansarul Islam was sanctioned by the United States in February 2018. None of its leaders could be reached.

It still controls much of Burkina Faso's northern border areas but two other groups have also built a presence on the country's borders, according to the European Council on Foreign Relations. Islamic State in the Greater Sahara dominates along the eastern frontier with Niger. And Koufa's Macina Liberation Front, which is closely aligned to al Qaeda, is active on the western border with Mali.

These spheres of influence can be loose: Fighters for all three are believed to cooperate with each other and with bandit groups.

Their attacks - including the kidnap and killing of a Canadian citizen in January claimed by Islamic State - are becoming more brutal. In one instance in March, a Burkinabe security official told Reuters, militants stitched a bomb inside a corpse and dressed it up in an army uniform, killing two medics - a technique used by Malian fighters.

Recent attacks on churches have killed about 20 people, and a priest was kidnapped in March.

The European Union and member states have committed 8 billion euros ($9 billion) over six years to tackling poverty in the region but so far, responses from Ouagadougou and the West have been predominantly military.

The United Nations has spent a billion dollars a year since 2014 on a 15,000-strong peacekeeping force in Mali. Almost 200 members have been killed - its deadliest mission ever.

France has 4,500 troops stationed across the region. The United States has set up drone bases, held annual training exercises and sent 800 troops to the deserts of Niger. Led by France, Western powers have provided funding and training to a regional counter-terrorism force known as G5 Sahel made up of soldiers from Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mauritania.

Despite all this, Islamist violence has spread to places previously untouched by it, as tensions like those that first kindled support for Dicko intensify.

"You have a solution that is absolutely militarised to a problem that is absolutely political," said Rinaldo Depagne, West Africa project director at International Crisis Group, an independent think tank. "The security response is not addressing these problems."

The fact that a large number of recruits are Fulani has triggered a backlash by other ethnic groups, and those who have fled northern Burkina Faso say they had scant protection.

One woman said gunmen on motorbikes attacked her village, Biguelel, last December. The gunmen accused her family of colluding with "terrorists" simply because they were Fulani. They torched her home and shot her husband and dozens of others dead, but she escaped.

The next day the woman, Mariam Dicko, and about 40 others went to a military police post in the nearby town of Yirgou. "They said it was over now, so they couldn't help us," said Dicko - a common surname in the country.

Kanou, the military police commander, acknowledged that troops were sometimes not present when needed. "But when patrols are being attacked, it's more difficult," he added. "We have to take measures to protect ourselves."

As Western forces rely increasingly on their Sahel partners, rights groups and residents say they sometimes overlook abuses by locals.

Four witnesses described to Reuters summary executions of suspected insurgents during search operations. These included an incident in the village of Belhoro on February&nbsp;3, in which security forces ordered nine men out of their homes and shot them dead, according to two women who saw the killings.

New York-based Human Rights Watch documented 19 such incidents in a report in March, during which it says 116 men and boys were captured and killed by security forces.

The government said the army is committed to human rights and is investigating the allegations. "In our struggle there will necessarily be innocent victims, not because we want to, but because we are in a tough zone," Kanou said. U.S. Ambassador Andrew Young said America takes up any "mistakes" with the government.

In November 2018, Burkinabe forces raided the village home of a lab technician at a clinic in Djibo, accusing his 60-year-old father of being a terrorist, two friends of his told Reuters.

They killed the father in front of his son.

The following week, the technician, Jibril Dicko, didn't show up for work. His phone went dead.

Neighbours said he had gone to join the jihad.

When an Islamist preacher took up the fight in Burkina Faso's northern borderlands almost a decade ago, his only weapon was a radio station. The words he spoke kindled the anger of a frustrated population and helped turn their homes into a breeding ground for jihad.

When an Islamist preacher took up the fight in Burkina Faso's northern borderlands almost a decade ago, his only weapon was a radio station. The words he spoke kindled the anger of a frustrated population and helped turn their homes into a breeding ground for jihad. Residents of this parched region in the Sahel - a vast band of thorny scrub beneath the Sahara Desert - remember applauding Ibrahim "Malam" Dicko as he denounced his country's Western-backed government and racketeering police over the airwaves. "We cheered," said Adama Kone, a 32-year-old teacher from the town of Djibo near the frontier with Mali, who was one of those thrilled by Dicko's words. "He understood our anger. He gave the Fulani youth new confidence." Mostly herders, young men like Kone from the Fulani people were feeling hemmed in by more prosperous farmers, whom they felt the government in Ouagadougou favoured. The preacher successfully exploited their conflicts over dwindling land and water resources, and the frustrations of people angered by corrupt and ineffective government, to launch the country's first indigenous jihadi movement. That cleared a path for groups affiliated with al Qaeda and Islamic State. Since Dicko's first broadcasts, Burkina Faso has become the focus of a determined jihadi campaign by three of West Africa's most dangerous armed groups who have carved out influence in nearly a third of the country, while much of the world was focused on the crisis in neighbouring Mali. Militant Islamist fighters close schools, gun down Christians in their places of worship and booby-trap corpses to blow up first responders. At least 39 people died last week in an ambush on a convoy ferrying workers from a Canadian-owned mine in the country. There has been no claim for that ambush, but the modus operandi – a bomb attack on military escorts followed by gunmen unleashing bullets – was characteristic of Islamist groups. Since 2016, the violence has killed more than 1,000 people and displaced nearly 500,000 – most of them this year. In 2019, at least 755 people had died through October in violence involving jihadist groups across Burkina Faso, according to Reuters' analysis of political violence events recorded by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, an NGO. Actual numbers are likely higher - researchers aren't always able to identify who is involved in the violence. The teacher Kone is one of many of Dicko's former supporters who regret their earlier enthusiasm. "We handed them the microphones in our mosques," he said. "By the time we realised what they were up to, it was too late." He fled to Ouagadougou two years ago, after armed Islamists showed up at his school. More than 2,000 schools have closed due to the violence, the U.N. children's fund UNICEF said in August. A lean, bespectacled Fulani from the north, Malam Dicko broadcast a message of equality and modesty. He reportedly died of an illness in late 2017, but his sermons channelled deep grievances in Burkina Faso's north where impoverished people have long been frustrated by corrupt officials. The province of northern Burkina Faso where Dicko lived scores 2.7 on the United Nations Human Development Index, compared with 6 for the area around the capital, Ouagadougou. About 40 per cent of its children are stunted by malnutrition, against only 6 per cent in the capital, according to US AID. From Ouagadougou to Djibo is a four-hour drive on a road which peters out into a sandy track. Sparse villages dot a landscape of sand and withered trees. Goats devour scrappy patches of grass. Residents complain that their few interactions with the state tend to be predatory: Bureaucrats demand money to issue title deeds for houses, then never provide the papers; gendarmes charge up to $40 to take down a complaint; there are mysterious taxes and extortion at police roadblocks. Lieutenant Colonel Kanou Coulibaly, a military police squadron commander and head of training for Burkina Faso's armed forces, acknowledged that northerners "feel marginalized and abandoned by the central government." In about 2010 preacher Dicko, who had studied in Saudi Arabia in the 1980s, began tapping this discontent, recalled Kone and other former Djibo residents. He denounced corruption by traditional religious leaders and practices that he deemed un-Islamic, including lavish wedding and naming ceremonies. The movement he created, Ansarul Islam (Defenders of Islam), opened a path to militants from outside Burkina Faso — particularly Mali. Early in 2013, French forces were pounding northern Mali to wrest control from al Qaeda-linked fighters who had seized the region the previous year. Dicko slipped over the border to join the militants, said Oumarou Ibrahim, a Sufi preacher who knew Dicko and was close to the No. 2 in his movement, Amadou Boly. In Mali, Ibrahim said, Dicko linked up with Amadou Koufa, a fellow Fulani whose forces have unleashed turmoil on central Mali in recent years. French forces detained the pair near the border with Algeria; Dicko was released in 2015. He set up his own training camp in a forest along the Mali-Burkina border, Kone, the teacher, and Ibrahim, the Sufi preacher, told Reuters. Dicko forged ties with a group of Malian armed bandits who controlled drug and livestock trade routes. On the radio that year, he urged youths to back him, "even at the cost of spilling blood." For some years Burkina Faso's president, Blaise Compaore, had managed to keep good relations with Mali's Islamists. But in 2014, he tried to change the constitution to extend his 27-year-rule. Residents of the capital drove him from office. Without Compaore, Burkina Faso became a target. Barely two weeks into a new presidency, in January 2016, an attack on the Splendid Hotel and a restaurant in Ouagadougou killed 30 people. It was claimed by al Qaeda-linked militants based in northern Mali. Dicko became even more radical after that: He fell out with associates including his No. 2, Boly. Ibrahim, the Sufi preacher, said Boly came to his house in Belhoro village in November 2016, agitated because Dicko had ordered him to raise cash to pay for AK-47 rifles and grenade launchers from Mali. Boly refused. Dicko threatened him, Ibrahim said. Boly was either with him, "or with the whites and the colonisers." Two weeks later, gunmen assassinated Boly outside his Djibo home. Ibrahim said he fled his own village the next day. The teacher Kone, whose house was down the street, said he heard the gunshots that day. A wave of killings followed. The militants assassinated civil servants, blew up security posts, executed school teachers. One day in May 2017, Kone was running late for school when he got a phone call from a colleague. Armed men from Dicko's movement had come and asked after him. He shuttered the school and sped to Ouagadougou. Now headed by Dicko's brother Jafar, Ansarul Islam was sanctioned by the United States in February 2018. None of its leaders could be reached. It still controls much of Burkina Faso's northern border areas but two other groups have also built a presence on the country's borders, according to the European Council on Foreign Relations. Islamic State in the Greater Sahara dominates along the eastern frontier with Niger. And Koufa's Macina Liberation Front, which is closely aligned to al Qaeda, is active on the western border with Mali. These spheres of influence can be loose: Fighters for all three are believed to cooperate with each other and with bandit groups. Their attacks - including the kidnap and killing of a Canadian citizen in January claimed by Islamic State - are becoming more brutal. In one instance in March, a Burkinabe security official told Reuters, militants stitched a bomb inside a corpse and dressed it up in an army uniform, killing two medics - a technique used by Malian fighters. Recent attacks on churches have killed about 20 people, and a priest was kidnapped in March. The European Union and member states have committed 8 billion euros ($9 billion) over six years to tackling poverty in the region but so far, responses from Ouagadougou and the West have been predominantly military. The United Nations has spent a billion dollars a year since 2014 on a 15,000-strong peacekeeping force in Mali. Almost 200 members have been killed - its deadliest mission ever. France has 4,500 troops stationed across the region. The United States has set up drone bases, held annual training exercises and sent 800 troops to the deserts of Niger. Led by France, Western powers have provided funding and training to a regional counter-terrorism force known as G5 Sahel made up of soldiers from Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mauritania. Despite all this, Islamist violence has spread to places previously untouched by it, as tensions like those that first kindled support for Dicko intensify. "You have a solution that is absolutely militarised to a problem that is absolutely political," said Rinaldo Depagne, West Africa project director at International Crisis Group, an independent think tank. "The security response is not addressing these problems." The fact that a large number of recruits are Fulani has triggered a backlash by other ethnic groups, and those who have fled northern Burkina Faso say they had scant protection. One woman said gunmen on motorbikes attacked her village, Biguelel, last December. The gunmen accused her family of colluding with "terrorists" simply because they were Fulani. They torched her home and shot her husband and dozens of others dead, but she escaped. The next day the woman, Mariam Dicko, and about 40 others went to a military police post in the nearby town of Yirgou. "They said it was over now, so they couldn't help us," said Dicko - a common surname in the country. Kanou, the military police commander, acknowledged that troops were sometimes not present when needed. "But when patrols are being attacked, it's more difficult," he added. "We have to take measures to protect ourselves." As Western forces rely increasingly on their Sahel partners, rights groups and residents say they sometimes overlook abuses by locals. Four witnesses described to Reuters summary executions of suspected insurgents during search operations. These included an incident in the village of Belhoro on February 3, in which security forces ordered nine men out of their homes and shot them dead, according to two women who saw the killings. New York-based Human Rights Watch documented 19 such incidents in a report in March, during which it says 116 men and boys were captured and killed by security forces. The government said the army is committed to human rights and is investigating the allegations. "In our struggle there will necessarily be innocent victims, not because we want to, but because we are in a tough zone," Kanou said. U.S. Ambassador Andrew Young said America takes up any "mistakes" with the government. In November 2018, Burkinabe forces raided the village home of a lab technician at a clinic in Djibo, accusing his 60-year-old father of being a terrorist, two friends of his told Reuters. They killed the father in front of his son. The following week, the technician, Jibril Dicko, didn't show up for work. His phone went dead. Neighbours said he had gone to join the jihad.

How a preacher sent gunmen into Burkina Faso's schools

Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg departed the United States on Wednesday, hitching a ride to Europe aboard a catamaran to attend a UN climate summit in Madrid.

Carrying a large backpack, the 16-year-old and her father Svante boarded "La Vagabonde," a 14-meter catamaran belonging to an Australian couple that will be her home for the next two to three weeks.

The Swedish activist, who became world-famous for founding the "school strikes for the climate," is ending a hectic 11-week North American sojourn that made headlines at every turn as she crisscrossed the United States and Canada.

During her trip, she excoriated world leaders at the United Nations, met former US president Barack Obama, received the keys to the city of Montreal and road-tripped across the continent in a Tesla electric car lent to her by actor and ex-governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger.

In a parting shot, the young activist said US President Donald Trump was "so extreme" a climate skeptic he unintentionally may be waking people up to the dangers facing the globe.

"I thought when he got elected, now people will finally, now people must finally wake up," she told AFP in an interview Tuesday.

Six people will be aboard "La Vagabonde" for the trip: Elayna Carausu, 26, and her partner Riley Whitelum, 35, together with their 11-month-old boy Lenny; 26-year-old professional British sailor Nikki Henderson, Greta, and her father Svante.

"We were kind of the only boat around the area that was willing to cross the Atlantic this time of year," said Carausu.

The seas are expected to be rougher on her return journey, given the season, but Greta says the prospect of harsh weather doesn't perturb her.

"She's a very brave, independent, strong young lady. It's inspiring and I'm honestly amazed at what she's doing," Carausu said.

She added that the crew has "decided to have a vegan boat for Greta, mostly."

Greta plans to attend the COP 25 climate summit in Madrid, which starts in just under three weeks, before heading home to Sweden.

The boat sailed from Hampton, in the US state of Virginia, aiming to reach Portugal, more than 5,500 kilometres (about 3,500 miles) away.

Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg departed the United States on Wednesday, hitching a ride to Europe aboard a catamaran to attend a UN climate summit in Madrid.

Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg departed the United States on Wednesday, hitching a ride to Europe aboard a catamaran to attend a UN climate summit in Madrid. Carrying a large backpack, the 16-year-old and her father Svante boarded "La Vagabonde," a 14-meter catamaran belonging to an Australian couple that will be her home for the next two to three weeks. The Swedish activist, who became world-famous for founding the "school strikes for the climate," is ending a hectic 11-week North American sojourn that made headlines at every turn as she crisscrossed the United States and Canada. During her trip, she excoriated world leaders at the United Nations, met former US president Barack Obama, received the keys to the city of Montreal and road-tripped across the continent in a Tesla electric car lent to her by actor and ex-governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger. In a parting shot, the young activist said US President Donald Trump was "so extreme" a climate skeptic he unintentionally may be waking people up to the dangers facing the globe. "I thought when he got elected, now people will finally, now people must finally wake up," she told AFP in an interview Tuesday. Six people will be aboard "La Vagabonde" for the trip: Elayna Carausu, 26, and her partner Riley Whitelum, 35, together with their 11-month-old boy Lenny; 26-year-old professional British sailor Nikki Henderson, Greta, and her father Svante. "We were kind of the only boat around the area that was willing to cross the Atlantic this time of year," said Carausu. The seas are expected to be rougher on her return journey, given the season, but Greta says the prospect of harsh weather doesn't perturb her. "She's a very brave, independent, strong young lady. It's inspiring and I'm honestly amazed at what she's doing," Carausu said. She added that the crew has "decided to have a vegan boat for Greta, mostly." Greta plans to attend the COP 25 climate summit in Madrid, which starts in just under three weeks, before heading home to Sweden. The boat sailed from Hampton, in the US state of Virginia, aiming to reach Portugal, more than 5,500 kilometres (about 3,500 miles) away.

Greta Thunberg sails to Europe, sets course for UN climate summit

By:&nbsp;Henrik Selin

1. What is the process for a country to leave the Paris Agreement? 
President Trump announced in the summer of 2017 that he intended to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement, as he had pledged during the 2016 campaign. The agreement was adopted in 2015 and entered into international legal force on November 4, 2016.

Article 28 of the agreement stipulates that a member can begin a formal withdrawal process no earlier than three years after the treaty enters into force. The Trump administration took this step when it notified the Secretary-General of the United Nations on November 4, 2019, that it intends to leave.

Trump’s notice of withdrawal will become effective one year later, on Wednesday, November 4, 2020 – one day after the next presidential election.

2. What does the US exit mean for curbing climate change? 
The Trump administration’s action will have political and practical implications, but it is unclear exactly how severe they will be.

The Paris Agreement was adopted thanks in part to strong political backing from the Obama administration, and US&nbsp;disengagement now creates a political void. Other major emitters, including China and the European Union, have made it clear that they still support the treaty, but US absence will change the political dynamics.

US withdrawal makes it more important for the remaining countries to show strong political commitment to collectively implementing the treaty. At the New York Climate Action Summit in September 2019, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called on countries to accelerate action to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions

“The climate emergency is a race we are losing, but it is a race we can win,” Guterres said.

Many countries’ voluntary pledges under the Paris Agreement are modest, and scientists estimate that taken together, they are wholly inadequate to meet stated temperature goals focused on average global temperature increases of 2 degrees Celsius and 1.5°C.

Currently, the US&nbsp;is the world’s second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, producing roughly 15% of global annual carbon dioxide emissions. In addition to pulling out of the Paris Agreement, the Trump administration is rolling back relevant federal mandates and making it harder for US states such as California to take action to reduce fossil fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions.

But the future trajectory of US greenhouse gas emissions is not determined by whether or not the country belongs to the Paris Agreement. Key factors are federal and state-level policy decisions, economic trends in energy markets and the pace of technological development. Renewable energy sources are rapidly becoming cheaper, making them more economically attractive.

Even after exiting the Paris Agreement, the United States may end up meeting its commitment to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 26%-28% below the 2005 level by 2025. But that’s only a fraction of what will be required over the next few decades to constitute a serious contribution toward meeting global temperature goals. Put another way, addressing climate change will require strong efforts by all major emitters – including the US – to speed up the transition to a lower-carbon economy.

3. How many other countries have not joined the Paris Agreement? 
Currently 186 countries – counting the US – plus the European Union are parties to the Paris Agreement. When the US leaves, it will join a short but eclectic list of nations that have signed but not ratified the agreement, including Angola, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Libya, South Sudan, Turkey and Yemen.

4. Can the US rejoin the Paris Agreement? 
Yes. The pact sets out procedures for both leaving and joining the treaty after its entry into force.

Article 21 states that a country that is not a party to the agreement can join it by submitting a formal notification, which will take effect 30 days later. This procedure is the same whether a country used to be a party and then withdrew, or is joining for the first time.

If a candidate other than President Trump wins the 2020 election, he or she will take office on January 20, 2021 and could serve notice that day that the US planned to rejoin the Paris Agreement. In this scenario, the United States could be back by late February of 2021, less than four months after President Trump’s move to withdraw becomes official.

However, when the US joined the Paris Agreement in late 2015, the Obama administration made a legal assessment that this decision was up to the president, classifying it as an executive agreement that did not require Senate approval or changes to US domestic laws. If a future return were conditioned on Senate ratification, it is highly unlikely that it would receive the necessary 67 votes, due to strong opposition mainly from Republican senators.

Even if the United States does rejoin the Paris Agreement in the future, other countries will remember that it unilaterally left an agreement that had global support and may well believe that the US could do so again in the future. America’s reputation as a reliable international partner has already suffered damage that will take a long time to repair.

(Henrik Selin is an Associate Professor in the Frederick S Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University)

(This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/can-the-paris-agreement-on-climate-change-succeed-without-the-us-4-questions-answered-126477">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL) &nbsp;

&nbsp;

By: Henrik Selin 1. What is the process for a country to leave the Paris Agreement? President Trump announced in the summer of 2017 that he intended to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement, as he had pledged during the 2016 campaign.

By: Henrik Selin 1. What is the process for a country to leave the Paris Agreement? President Trump announced in the summer of 2017 that he intended to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement, as he had pledged during the 2016 campaign. The agreement was adopted in 2015 and entered into international legal force on November 4, 2016. Article 28 of the agreement stipulates that a member can begin a formal withdrawal process no earlier than three years after the treaty enters into force. The Trump administration took this step when it notified the Secretary-General of the United Nations on November 4, 2019, that it intends to leave. Trump’s notice of withdrawal will become effective one year later, on Wednesday, November 4, 2020 – one day after the next presidential election. 2. What does the US exit mean for curbing climate change? The Trump administration’s action will have political and practical implications, but it is unclear exactly how severe they will be. The Paris Agreement was adopted thanks in part to strong political backing from the Obama administration, and US disengagement now creates a political void. Other major emitters, including China and the European Union, have made it clear that they still support the treaty, but US absence will change the political dynamics. US withdrawal makes it more important for the remaining countries to show strong political commitment to collectively implementing the treaty. At the New York Climate Action Summit in September 2019, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called on countries to accelerate action to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions “The climate emergency is a race we are losing, but it is a race we can win,” Guterres said. Many countries’ voluntary pledges under the Paris Agreement are modest, and scientists estimate that taken together, they are wholly inadequate to meet stated temperature goals focused on average global temperature increases of 2 degrees Celsius and 1.5°C. Currently, the US is the world’s second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, producing roughly 15% of global annual carbon dioxide emissions. In addition to pulling out of the Paris Agreement, the Trump administration is rolling back relevant federal mandates and making it harder for US states such as California to take action to reduce fossil fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions. But the future trajectory of US greenhouse gas emissions is not determined by whether or not the country belongs to the Paris Agreement. Key factors are federal and state-level policy decisions, economic trends in energy markets and the pace of technological development. Renewable energy sources are rapidly becoming cheaper, making them more economically attractive. Even after exiting the Paris Agreement, the United States may end up meeting its commitment to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 26%-28% below the 2005 level by 2025. But that’s only a fraction of what will be required over the next few decades to constitute a serious contribution toward meeting global temperature goals. Put another way, addressing climate change will require strong efforts by all major emitters – including the US – to speed up the transition to a lower-carbon economy. 3. How many other countries have not joined the Paris Agreement? Currently 186 countries – counting the US – plus the European Union are parties to the Paris Agreement. When the US leaves, it will join a short but eclectic list of nations that have signed but not ratified the agreement, including Angola, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Libya, South Sudan, Turkey and Yemen. 4. Can the US rejoin the Paris Agreement? Yes. The pact sets out procedures for both leaving and joining the treaty after its entry into force. Article 21 states that a country that is not a party to the agreement can join it by submitting a formal notification, which will take effect 30 days later. This procedure is the same whether a country used to be a party and then withdrew, or is joining for the first time. If a candidate other than President Trump wins the 2020 election, he or she will take office on January 20, 2021 and could serve notice that day that the US planned to rejoin the Paris Agreement. In this scenario, the United States could be back by late February of 2021, less than four months after President Trump’s move to withdraw becomes official. However, when the US joined the Paris Agreement in late 2015, the Obama administration made a legal assessment that this decision was up to the president, classifying it as an executive agreement that did not require Senate approval or changes to US domestic laws. If a future return were conditioned on Senate ratification, it is highly unlikely that it would receive the necessary 67 votes, due to strong opposition mainly from Republican senators. Even if the United States does rejoin the Paris Agreement in the future, other countries will remember that it unilaterally left an agreement that had global support and may well believe that the US could do so again in the future. America’s reputation as a reliable international partner has already suffered damage that will take a long time to repair. (Henrik Selin is an Associate Professor in the Frederick S Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University) (This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Can the Paris Agreement on climate change succeed without the US? 4 questions answered

Egypt has been trying to deflect criticism of its human rights record and prison conditions ahead of a U.N. review in Geneva on Wednesday that comes in the wake of thousands of new arrests.

The crackdown, which rights activists say was the most intensive campaign of arrests for years, came after rare protests against President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo and other cities in late September.

More than 4,400 were detained, among them prominent activists, lawyers, academics and political figures, according to the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms.

Around 3,000 are still being held under charges including using social media to spread false news, joining a banned terrorist group, and protesting without a permit, ECRF said.

In late September, Egypt's public prosecution acknowledged the arrest of not more than 1,000 people accused of involvement in the protests.

Some of the detained are in Cairo's Tora prison, where relatives and lawyers say inmates are often held in poor conditions and denied adequate healthcare.

Tora is the prison complex in which former president Mohamed Mursi, whose overthrow in 2013 was led by Sisi, suffered a fatal heart attack in June during a courtroom hearing.

U.N. experts said on Friday the prison regime may have led directly to Mursi's death after he was held in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day and was denied life-saving care for diabetes and high blood pressure.

Thousands more are at severe risk, the experts said, adding that two senior former aides of the banned Brotherhood were "effectively being killed by the conditions under which they are held and the denial of medical treatment".

Egyptian officials have denied mistreating prisoners or neglecting their health.

On Sunday, Egypt's State Information Service released a video of an inspection of Tora by officials from the state security prosecution service. It included interviews with two prisoners who said they were largely satisfied with conditions.

A series of photos at the start of the film showed the officials visiting a well-stocked pharmacy and grocery shop and tasting food in the prison refectory.

On Monday, selected local and foreign journalists were invited to visit Tora, where they were shown a football match for prisoners, farm animals, and a metal workshop, but were not allowed to talk to inmates, according to one reporter present. Reuters was not invited on the visit.

State TV has also aired a short programme on the detention system with a commentary saying that prisons are being modernised in line with international standards.

Criticism from Western powers keen to develop security and economic ties with Sisi's Egypt has been muted, and the session in Geneva provides a rare forum in which they can pose questions publicly.

The U.N. Human Rights Council will be reviewing Egypt's record for the first time in five years, as part of the forum's regular appraisal of all U.N. member states.

Advance questions cover prison conditions, torture and the recent arrests of activists, among other issues. One rights lawyer, Mohamed al-Baqer, was interrogated over his engagement with the U.N. review following his detention, according to a question submitted by Liechtenstein.

International rights group Amnesty International called on states "to vehemently condemn the vicious crackdown by authorities against NGO workers and civil society".

It said that since accepting 237 out of 300 recommendations at its last review in 2014, Egyptian authorities had "adopted even more repressive measures that further restricted basic rights and freedoms".

Egypt has been trying to deflect criticism of its human rights record and prison conditions ahead of a U.N. review in Geneva on Wednesday that comes in the wake of thousands of new arrests.

Egypt has been trying to deflect criticism of its human rights record and prison conditions ahead of a U.N. review in Geneva on Wednesday that comes in the wake of thousands of new arrests. The crackdown, which rights activists say was the most intensive campaign of arrests for years, came after rare protests against President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo and other cities in late September. More than 4,400 were detained, among them prominent activists, lawyers, academics and political figures, according to the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms. Around 3,000 are still being held under charges including using social media to spread false news, joining a banned terrorist group, and protesting without a permit, ECRF said. In late September, Egypt's public prosecution acknowledged the arrest of not more than 1,000 people accused of involvement in the protests. Some of the detained are in Cairo's Tora prison, where relatives and lawyers say inmates are often held in poor conditions and denied adequate healthcare. Tora is the prison complex in which former president Mohamed Mursi, whose overthrow in 2013 was led by Sisi, suffered a fatal heart attack in June during a courtroom hearing. U.N. experts said on Friday the prison regime may have led directly to Mursi's death after he was held in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day and was denied life-saving care for diabetes and high blood pressure. Thousands more are at severe risk, the experts said, adding that two senior former aides of the banned Brotherhood were "effectively being killed by the conditions under which they are held and the denial of medical treatment". Egyptian officials have denied mistreating prisoners or neglecting their health. On Sunday, Egypt's State Information Service released a video of an inspection of Tora by officials from the state security prosecution service. It included interviews with two prisoners who said they were largely satisfied with conditions. A series of photos at the start of the film showed the officials visiting a well-stocked pharmacy and grocery shop and tasting food in the prison refectory. On Monday, selected local and foreign journalists were invited to visit Tora, where they were shown a football match for prisoners, farm animals, and a metal workshop, but were not allowed to talk to inmates, according to one reporter present. Reuters was not invited on the visit. State TV has also aired a short programme on the detention system with a commentary saying that prisons are being modernised in line with international standards. Criticism from Western powers keen to develop security and economic ties with Sisi's Egypt has been muted, and the session in Geneva provides a rare forum in which they can pose questions publicly. The U.N. Human Rights Council will be reviewing Egypt's record for the first time in five years, as part of the forum's regular appraisal of all U.N. member states. Advance questions cover prison conditions, torture and the recent arrests of activists, among other issues. One rights lawyer, Mohamed al-Baqer, was interrogated over his engagement with the U.N. review following his detention, according to a question submitted by Liechtenstein. International rights group Amnesty International called on states "to vehemently condemn the vicious crackdown by authorities against NGO workers and civil society". It said that since accepting 237 out of 300 recommendations at its last review in 2014, Egyptian authorities had "adopted even more repressive measures that further restricted basic rights and freedoms".

Egypt seeks to parry human rights criticism after mass arrests

Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey have repeatedly violated an arms embargo on Libya and it is "highly probable" that a foreign attack aircraft is responsible for a deadly strike on a migrant detention centre, according to U.N. experts monitoring the implementation of sanctions on Libya.

A report to the U.N. Security Council Libya sanctions committee, seen by Reuters on Monday, also accused Sudan and the head of Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo - known by his nickname Hemeti - of violating U.N. sanctions by deploying 1,000 Sudanese troops to Libya.

The U.N. missions of Jordan, Turkey and Sudan did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the accusations in the confidential report, which is due to be made public next month.

"The transfers (of military material) to Libya were repeated and sometimes blatant with scant regard being paid to compliance with the sanctions measures," the independent U.N. experts wrote.

The United Arab Emirates ambassador to the U.N., Lana Nusseibeh, said she could not comment on the findings of the report as she has not seen it, but said that the UAE was "firmly committed to complying with its obligations under the Libya sanctions regime and all relevant Security Council resolutions."

The U.N. Security Council issued a statement in July urging other countries not to intervene or exacerbate the conflict in Libya, but any action over the sanctions violations reported by the U.N. experts is unlikely.

Libya descended into chaos after a NATO-backed uprising that overthrew leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Thousands of people have been killed in sporadic fighting since 2014 between factions in the east and west. The violence has allowed militants and migrant smugglers to flourish, hit Libya's oil industry and divided the country's key institutions.

Seven months ago commander Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) launched an offensive against the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) and its forces in Tripoli. But the war has reached an impasse.

"The frontline of the fighting has remained fluid but constrained within narrow bounds since April. Neither side has the military capability to effectively decide the outcome to their advantage," the U.N. experts wrote in their report.

The U.N. experts accuse Jordan and the United Arab Emirates of supplying military material to Haftar's forces, which they said then prompted Libya's Government of National Accord to ask Turkey for help.

"Both parties to the conflict received weapons, military equipment, technical support and non-Libyan fighters in non-compliance with the sanctions measures related to arms," the experts wrote.

"Jordan, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates routinely and sometimes blatantly supplied weapons with little effort to disguise the source," they said. "The panel also identified the presence of Chadian and Sudanese armed groups in support of forces affiliated to the GNA and LNA."

The report accuses Sudan and Hemeti of deploying 1,000 Sudanese troops to Libya in July to guard critical national infrastructure so Haftar's forces could focus on their offensive on Tripoli.

Libya has been one of the main departure points for migrants trying to reach Europe and has an estimated migrant population of 640,000. Boatloads of migrants leave frequently from Libya's north-western coast, though the number attempting the crossing has dropped sharply since mid-2017.

More than 50 people were killed and 130 more injured when a July airstrike hit a migrant detention centre in Tripoli.

The U.N. experts found that it was "highly probable" that the attack was conducted by a modern attack aircraft using precision-guided munitions "owned and operated by a member state acting in direct support" of Haftar.

"The panel reserves identification of this member state until further physical evidence or imagery emerges to increase attribution confidence levels and continues to investigate the circumstances of the airstrikes," the report said.

Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey have repeatedly violated an arms embargo on Libya and it is "highly probable" that a foreign attack aircraft is responsible for a deadly strike on a migrant detention centre, according to U.

Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey have repeatedly violated an arms embargo on Libya and it is "highly probable" that a foreign attack aircraft is responsible for a deadly strike on a migrant detention centre, according to U.N. experts monitoring the implementation of sanctions on Libya. A report to the U.N. Security Council Libya sanctions committee, seen by Reuters on Monday, also accused Sudan and the head of Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo - known by his nickname Hemeti - of violating U.N. sanctions by deploying 1,000 Sudanese troops to Libya. The U.N. missions of Jordan, Turkey and Sudan did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the accusations in the confidential report, which is due to be made public next month. "The transfers (of military material) to Libya were repeated and sometimes blatant with scant regard being paid to compliance with the sanctions measures," the independent U.N. experts wrote. The United Arab Emirates ambassador to the U.N., Lana Nusseibeh, said she could not comment on the findings of the report as she has not seen it, but said that the UAE was "firmly committed to complying with its obligations under the Libya sanctions regime and all relevant Security Council resolutions." The U.N. Security Council issued a statement in July urging other countries not to intervene or exacerbate the conflict in Libya, but any action over the sanctions violations reported by the U.N. experts is unlikely. Libya descended into chaos after a NATO-backed uprising that overthrew leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Thousands of people have been killed in sporadic fighting since 2014 between factions in the east and west. The violence has allowed militants and migrant smugglers to flourish, hit Libya's oil industry and divided the country's key institutions. Seven months ago commander Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) launched an offensive against the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) and its forces in Tripoli. But the war has reached an impasse. "The frontline of the fighting has remained fluid but constrained within narrow bounds since April. Neither side has the military capability to effectively decide the outcome to their advantage," the U.N. experts wrote in their report. The U.N. experts accuse Jordan and the United Arab Emirates of supplying military material to Haftar's forces, which they said then prompted Libya's Government of National Accord to ask Turkey for help. "Both parties to the conflict received weapons, military equipment, technical support and non-Libyan fighters in non-compliance with the sanctions measures related to arms," the experts wrote. "Jordan, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates routinely and sometimes blatantly supplied weapons with little effort to disguise the source," they said. "The panel also identified the presence of Chadian and Sudanese armed groups in support of forces affiliated to the GNA and LNA." The report accuses Sudan and Hemeti of deploying 1,000 Sudanese troops to Libya in July to guard critical national infrastructure so Haftar's forces could focus on their offensive on Tripoli. Libya has been one of the main departure points for migrants trying to reach Europe and has an estimated migrant population of 640,000. Boatloads of migrants leave frequently from Libya's north-western coast, though the number attempting the crossing has dropped sharply since mid-2017. More than 50 people were killed and 130 more injured when a July airstrike hit a migrant detention centre in Tripoli. The U.N. experts found that it was "highly probable" that the attack was conducted by a modern attack aircraft using precision-guided munitions "owned and operated by a member state acting in direct support" of Haftar. "The panel reserves identification of this member state until further physical evidence or imagery emerges to increase attribution confidence levels and continues to investigate the circumstances of the airstrikes," the report said.

Jordan, UAE, Turkey, Sudan repeatedly violated Libya arms embargo: U.N. report

The United Nations urged <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/hezbollah-says-its-arms-wont-be-twisted-as-lebanon-crisis-deepens-261378">Lebanon</a> on Tuesday to form a competent new government that would be better placed to seek international aid, warning the country was in a critical financial and economic situation.

Lebanon's banks and schools were shut in a new wave of disruption as politicians struggled to agree on a new government to steer the country out of its worst economic crisis since the 1975-90 civil war.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/fuel-shortage-price-hikes-squeeze-protest-hit-lebanon-261109">Lebanon has been swept by weeks of protests</a> fuelled by anger at the ruling elite, including several former civil war militia leaders, widely perceived to have overseen rampant state corruption for decades.

The top UN&nbsp;official in Lebanon called for the urgent formation of a cabinet made up of people known "for their competence and integrity" that would be "trusted by the people". Such a government would be in "a better position to appeal for support from Lebanon’s international partners".

"The financial and economic situation is critical, and the government and other authorities cannot wait any longer to start addressing it," the UN&nbsp;Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jan Kubis, said after meeting President Michel Aoun along with a group of foreign ambassadors.

The head of an importers' syndicate said restrictions on payments abroad were getting worse and further bank closures were not helping.

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Aoun said formal consultations with MPs to nominate a new prime minister and form the cabinet would be held soon. Ahead of the formal discussions, politicians have been trying to agree on the composition of the government to replace caretaker Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri's outgoing cabinet.

Bank branches, which were closed for nearly half of October, shut again as staff went on strike over security fears, a union leader said, citing intimidation by customers demanding access to their money and by protesters who have gathered at banks.

The union, representing bank employees, called for the closure to continue on Wednesday.

The economic crisis stems largely from a slowdown of capital inflows which has led to a scarcity of US&nbsp;dollars and generated a black market where the Lebanese pound has weakened below its official pegged rate.

A foreign exchange dealer said a dollar cost 1,820 pounds, about the level on Friday when banks were last open and around 20% weaker than the pegged rate of 1,507.5 pounds. Some retailers used the higher rate for the purchase of goods priced in dollars, although it did not appear on official receipts.

Sluggish economy

Since reopening on November&nbsp;1 after a two-week closure, banks have been seeking to prevent capital flight by imposing restrictions on dollar withdrawals and transfers abroad.

"We aim to meet with the Association of Banks in Lebanon today and decide how we're going to work together to solve this issue so that bank employees are not harassed," President of the Federation of Syndicates of Bank Employees George al-Hajj said.

ATM machines will be stocked so that depositors do not feel "punished" by the strike action, Hajj said.

Lebanon's central bank said on Monday that bank deposits were secure and it had the ability to preserve the stability of the pegged Lebanese pound.

Hani Bohsali, general manager of Bohsali Foods and president of the Syndicate of Importers of Foodstuffs, Consumer Products and Drinks, which represents around 50 importers, said while some shortages were being felt these were not yet "strategic".

"There is a lack of outgoing transfers, so in return there is a lack of inflow of goods, and suppliers are now starting to hold shipments that have not been paid for," he said.

While some payments had been processed since banks reopened, he added: "The trend is negative, it is decreasing".

"People are angry"

At a news conference, central bank governor Riad Salameh said on Monday capital controls were not on the table and there would be no haircut - or value-reduction - on deposits.

Schools were also closed on Tuesday, a decision the education minister announced because of calls for a wider strike and out of respect for "students' right to express their views".

Protesters rallied in several towns and cities, and in Tripoli they blocked the main highway linking the northern city, Lebanon's second biggest, to Beirut with burning tyres.

"People are angry, the authorities colluded against us and are delaying us. They are not sympathising with our feelings, nor our pain, nor with the time we are spending on the streets," said one of the protesters, Rabih al-Zein.

The United Nations urged Lebanon on Tuesday to form a competent new government that would be better placed to seek international aid, warning the country was in a critical financial and economic situation.

The United Nations urged Lebanon on Tuesday to form a competent new government that would be better placed to seek international aid, warning the country was in a critical financial and economic situation. Lebanon's banks and schools were shut in a new wave of disruption as politicians struggled to agree on a new government to steer the country out of its worst economic crisis since the 1975-90 civil war. Lebanon has been swept by weeks of protests fuelled by anger at the ruling elite, including several former civil war militia leaders, widely perceived to have overseen rampant state corruption for decades. The top UN official in Lebanon called for the urgent formation of a cabinet made up of people known "for their competence and integrity" that would be "trusted by the people". Such a government would be in "a better position to appeal for support from Lebanon’s international partners". "The financial and economic situation is critical, and the government and other authorities cannot wait any longer to start addressing it," the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jan Kubis, said after meeting President Michel Aoun along with a group of foreign ambassadors. The head of an importers' syndicate said restrictions on payments abroad were getting worse and further bank closures were not helping. × Aoun said formal consultations with MPs to nominate a new prime minister and form the cabinet would be held soon. Ahead of the formal discussions, politicians have been trying to agree on the composition of the government to replace caretaker Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri's outgoing cabinet. Bank branches, which were closed for nearly half of October, shut again as staff went on strike over security fears, a union leader said, citing intimidation by customers demanding access to their money and by protesters who have gathered at banks. The union, representing bank employees, called for the closure to continue on Wednesday. The economic crisis stems largely from a slowdown of capital inflows which has led to a scarcity of US dollars and generated a black market where the Lebanese pound has weakened below its official pegged rate. A foreign exchange dealer said a dollar cost 1,820 pounds, about the level on Friday when banks were last open and around 20% weaker than the pegged rate of 1,507.5 pounds. Some retailers used the higher rate for the purchase of goods priced in dollars, although it did not appear on official receipts. Sluggish economy Since reopening on November 1 after a two-week closure, banks have been seeking to prevent capital flight by imposing restrictions on dollar withdrawals and transfers abroad. "We aim to meet with the Association of Banks in Lebanon today and decide how we're going to work together to solve this issue so that bank employees are not harassed," President of the Federation of Syndicates of Bank Employees George al-Hajj said. ATM machines will be stocked so that depositors do not feel "punished" by the strike action, Hajj said. Lebanon's central bank said on Monday that bank deposits were secure and it had the ability to preserve the stability of the pegged Lebanese pound. Hani Bohsali, general manager of Bohsali Foods and president of the Syndicate of Importers of Foodstuffs, Consumer Products and Drinks, which represents around 50 importers, said while some shortages were being felt these were not yet "strategic". "There is a lack of outgoing transfers, so in return there is a lack of inflow of goods, and suppliers are now starting to hold shipments that have not been paid for," he said. While some payments had been processed since banks reopened, he added: "The trend is negative, it is decreasing". "People are angry" At a news conference, central bank governor Riad Salameh said on Monday capital controls were not on the table and there would be no haircut - or value-reduction - on deposits. Schools were also closed on Tuesday, a decision the education minister announced because of calls for a wider strike and out of respect for "students' right to express their views". Protesters rallied in several towns and cities, and in Tripoli they blocked the main highway linking the northern city, Lebanon's second biggest, to Beirut with burning tyres. "People are angry, the authorities colluded against us and are delaying us. They are not sympathising with our feelings, nor our pain, nor with the time we are spending on the streets," said one of the protesters, Rabih al-Zein.

United Nations urges Lebanon to form government of 'competence', banks close

President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday Iran would regain access to the international arms market later next year if it stuck to its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and this would prove "a huge political success".

However, while a United Nations-imposed arms embargo on Iran is supposed to be lifted in October 2020, five years after the nuclear deal took effect, it is questionable whether that will transpire given the recent unravelling of the accord.

The United States withdrew from the deal in 2018, arguing it was flawed to Iran's advantage and has reimposed sanctions crippling Tehran's oil exports, prompting to retaliate by breaching the deal's limits on its nuclear capacity.

Iran has said its steps to reactivate uranium enrichment, a pathway to developing nuclear bombs, could be reversed if Washington rescinded sanctions and returned to the deal.

Rouhani held out the prospect of the deal being saved despite its rapid erosion and said a major dividend for Iran would be an end to the arms embargo next year.

"When the embargo...is lifted next year we can easily buy and sell weapons...This is one of those important impacts of this (nuclear) agreement,” Rouhani said, according to state TV.

"By remaining in the deal, we would reach a huge political, defensive and security goal (in 2020) ... It would be a huge political success."

But US&nbsp;President Donald Trump's administration has warned that a lifting of the arms embargo would let Iran acquire weapons that could fuel conflicts in the Middle East, where Tehran has been involved in proxy wars for decades.

"@HassanRouhani's best pitch for IRAN staying in the disastrous Iran deal is that it lets the Islamic kleptocrats that lead that country buy and sell drones, missiles, tanks, jets, and more," US&nbsp;Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted on Monday. "He will get his wish, unless UNSC extends the arms embargo before it expires 10/18/20."

But with the nuclear deal crumbling, prospects for a removal of the arms embargo appear to have dimmed, and the United States would wield a veto on any decision by the Security Council.

The U.N. nuclear watchdog reported on Monday that Iran was enriching uranium at its underground Fordow site and rapidly accelerating enrichment more broadly, outlining Tehran's latest breaches of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pompeo-slams-iran-intimidation-of-iaea-inspector-as-outrageous-260911">2015 nuclear deal</a>.

Germany said on Monday it along with <a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/european-union-concerned-by-irans-nuclear-deal-breach-261502">Britain and France</a> should be ready to consider starting moves to reinstate full United Nations sanctions on Iran over its breaches.

President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday Iran would regain access to the international arms market later next year if it stuck to its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and this would prove "a huge political success".

President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday Iran would regain access to the international arms market later next year if it stuck to its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and this would prove "a huge political success". However, while a United Nations-imposed arms embargo on Iran is supposed to be lifted in October 2020, five years after the nuclear deal took effect, it is questionable whether that will transpire given the recent unravelling of the accord. The United States withdrew from the deal in 2018, arguing it was flawed to Iran's advantage and has reimposed sanctions crippling Tehran's oil exports, prompting to retaliate by breaching the deal's limits on its nuclear capacity. Iran has said its steps to reactivate uranium enrichment, a pathway to developing nuclear bombs, could be reversed if Washington rescinded sanctions and returned to the deal. Rouhani held out the prospect of the deal being saved despite its rapid erosion and said a major dividend for Iran would be an end to the arms embargo next year. "When the embargo...is lifted next year we can easily buy and sell weapons...This is one of those important impacts of this (nuclear) agreement,” Rouhani said, according to state TV. "By remaining in the deal, we would reach a huge political, defensive and security goal (in 2020) ... It would be a huge political success." But US President Donald Trump's administration has warned that a lifting of the arms embargo would let Iran acquire weapons that could fuel conflicts in the Middle East, where Tehran has been involved in proxy wars for decades. "@HassanRouhani's best pitch for IRAN staying in the disastrous Iran deal is that it lets the Islamic kleptocrats that lead that country buy and sell drones, missiles, tanks, jets, and more," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted on Monday. "He will get his wish, unless UNSC extends the arms embargo before it expires 10/18/20." But with the nuclear deal crumbling, prospects for a removal of the arms embargo appear to have dimmed, and the United States would wield a veto on any decision by the Security Council. The U.N. nuclear watchdog reported on Monday that Iran was enriching uranium at its underground Fordow site and rapidly accelerating enrichment more broadly, outlining Tehran's latest breaches of the 2015 nuclear deal. Germany said on Monday it along with Britain and France should be ready to consider starting moves to reinstate full United Nations sanctions on Iran over its breaches.

Iran sees lifting of U.N. arms embargo in 2020 as 'huge political goal'

Myanmar faced accusations of genocide in a lawsuit filed by Gambia at the UN's top court on Monday over the southeast Asian nation's treatment of Rohingya Muslims, Gambia's government said.

Gambia said it was acting on behalf of the 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in bringing the case against Myanmar before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague.

It accuses Myanmar of breaching the U.N. Genocide Convention through a bloody military campaign which has driven hundreds of thousands of people from the Rohingya minority into neighbouring Bangladesh.

In 2017 a brutal military crackdown forced 740,000 Rohingya to flee over the border into sprawling camps in Bangladesh in violence that U.N. investigators say amounts to "genocide".

The lawsuit asks the ICJ to "order Myanmar to cease and desist from its genocidal acts, to punish the perpetrators, and to provide reparations for the Rohingya victims," Gambia's justice ministry said.

It said Myanmar had failed to meet its obligations to prevent and to punish genocide, accusing it of "wanton acts of violence and malicious degradation with the specific intent of state actors to destroy the Rohingya as a group".

Mainly-Muslim Gambia said it had "stepped up" to file the case on behalf of the rest of the OIC. Its justice minister Abubacarr Tambadou is a former genocide prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and has visited Rohingya camps in Bangladesh.

Gambia also asked the ICJ to make an urgent interim order while the case is underway "to protect the Rohingya against further harm... by ordering Myanmar to stop all of its genocidal conduct immediately."

There was no immediate reaction from Myanmar or the International Court of Justice.

The ICJ previously dealt with a genocide case when Bosnia brought a lawsuit against Serbia over the conflict in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s.

That case ended in 2007 with Serbia being held to have failed to prevent genocide.

Other legal attempts to bring Myanmar to justice over allegations of crimes against the Rohingya have so far stalled.

The prosecutor for the International Criminal Court,&nbsp;a separate tribunal from the ICJ that investigates war crimes,&nbsp;launched a preliminary investigation into Myanmar in 2018 but no charges have been filed yet.

UN investigators have also called on the U.N. Security Council to refer Myanmar to the Hague-based ICC or to set up a tribunal, like for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, but again no action has yet been taken.

Myanmar faced accusations of genocide in a lawsuit filed by Gambia at the UN's top court on Monday over the southeast Asian nation's treatment of Rohingya Muslims, Gambia's government said.

Myanmar faced accusations of genocide in a lawsuit filed by Gambia at the UN's top court on Monday over the southeast Asian nation's treatment of Rohingya Muslims, Gambia's government said. Gambia said it was acting on behalf of the 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in bringing the case against Myanmar before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague. It accuses Myanmar of breaching the U.N. Genocide Convention through a bloody military campaign which has driven hundreds of thousands of people from the Rohingya minority into neighbouring Bangladesh. In 2017 a brutal military crackdown forced 740,000 Rohingya to flee over the border into sprawling camps in Bangladesh in violence that U.N. investigators say amounts to "genocide". The lawsuit asks the ICJ to "order Myanmar to cease and desist from its genocidal acts, to punish the perpetrators, and to provide reparations for the Rohingya victims," Gambia's justice ministry said. It said Myanmar had failed to meet its obligations to prevent and to punish genocide, accusing it of "wanton acts of violence and malicious degradation with the specific intent of state actors to destroy the Rohingya as a group". Mainly-Muslim Gambia said it had "stepped up" to file the case on behalf of the rest of the OIC. Its justice minister Abubacarr Tambadou is a former genocide prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and has visited Rohingya camps in Bangladesh. Gambia also asked the ICJ to make an urgent interim order while the case is underway "to protect the Rohingya against further harm... by ordering Myanmar to stop all of its genocidal conduct immediately." There was no immediate reaction from Myanmar or the International Court of Justice. The ICJ previously dealt with a genocide case when Bosnia brought a lawsuit against Serbia over the conflict in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s. That case ended in 2007 with Serbia being held to have failed to prevent genocide. Other legal attempts to bring Myanmar to justice over allegations of crimes against the Rohingya have so far stalled. The prosecutor for the International Criminal Court, a separate tribunal from the ICJ that investigates war crimes, launched a preliminary investigation into Myanmar in 2018 but no charges have been filed yet. UN investigators have also called on the U.N. Security Council to refer Myanmar to the Hague-based ICC or to set up a tribunal, like for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, but again no action has yet been taken.

Myanmar faces genocide lawsuit at top United Nations court

China accused the US on Monday of using the United Nations to "meddle" in Tibet, as Washington intensifies its bid to prevent Beijing from handpicking the Dalai Lama's successor.

Last week, Sam Brownback, the United States' ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, said the US wanted the U.N. to take up the succession issue of the Tibetan spiritual leader.

The choice of the Dalai Lama's successor "belongs to the Tibetan Buddhists and not the Chinese government", Brownback told AFP.

But Beijing responded angrily, saying the US is attempting to "meddle in China's internal affairs under the pretext of religious freedoms".

"It is doomed to fail and will certainly be met with opposition from the international community," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a regular press briefing in Beijing.

China,&nbsp;which argues it has brought modernisation and development to the Himalayan region,&nbsp;has increasingly hinted it could name the next Dalai Lama, who would presumably be groomed to support Chinese rule.

The Chinese government has also indicated it is waiting out the Dalai Lama, believing his campaign for greater Tibetan autonomy will end with him.

At age 84, the spiritual leader who once travelled incessantly has slowed down and earlier this year suffered a chest infection, although he is not known to have serious health issues.

In 1995, the officially atheist government selected its own Panchen Lama and detained a six-year-old identified for the influential Buddhist position -- whom rights groups called the world's youngest political prisoner.

Mindful of Beijing's plans, the 14th Dalai Lama has mused about breaking with the centuries-old tradition in which wandering monks look for signs that a young boy is a reincarnation.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner has said that he could pick his own successor, possibly a girl, or even declare himself the final Dalai Lama.

China accused the US on Monday of using the United Nations to "meddle" in Tibet, as Washington intensifies its bid to prevent Beijing from handpicking the Dalai Lama's successor.

China accused the US on Monday of using the United Nations to "meddle" in Tibet, as Washington intensifies its bid to prevent Beijing from handpicking the Dalai Lama's successor. Last week, Sam Brownback, the United States' ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, said the US wanted the U.N. to take up the succession issue of the Tibetan spiritual leader. The choice of the Dalai Lama's successor "belongs to the Tibetan Buddhists and not the Chinese government", Brownback told AFP. But Beijing responded angrily, saying the US is attempting to "meddle in China's internal affairs under the pretext of religious freedoms". "It is doomed to fail and will certainly be met with opposition from the international community," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a regular press briefing in Beijing. China, which argues it has brought modernisation and development to the Himalayan region, has increasingly hinted it could name the next Dalai Lama, who would presumably be groomed to support Chinese rule. The Chinese government has also indicated it is waiting out the Dalai Lama, believing his campaign for greater Tibetan autonomy will end with him. At age 84, the spiritual leader who once travelled incessantly has slowed down and earlier this year suffered a chest infection, although he is not known to have serious health issues. In 1995, the officially atheist government selected its own Panchen Lama and detained a six-year-old identified for the influential Buddhist position -- whom rights groups called the world's youngest political prisoner. Mindful of Beijing's plans, the 14th Dalai Lama has mused about breaking with the centuries-old tradition in which wandering monks look for signs that a young boy is a reincarnation. The Nobel Peace Prize winner has said that he could pick his own successor, possibly a girl, or even declare himself the final Dalai Lama.

China accuses US of using U.N. to 'meddle' in Tibet

The U.N.'s top court said on Friday it had jurisdiction to hear a case brought by Ukraine accusing Russia of supporting rebels in war-torn eastern Ukraine.

Russia had asked the International Court of Justice in September 2018 to throw out Kiev's case, saying the tribunal had no right to deal with the matter.

Ukraine dragged Russia to the Hague-based court in 2017 saying it had breached a U.N. convention on the financing of terrorism by funnelling arms and cash to pro-Russian fighters.

ICJ President Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf said the court "finds that it has jurisdiction... to entertain the claims made by Ukraine."

Kiev is seeking damages for attacks blamed on the pro-Moscow rebels in eastern Ukraine, where more than 13,000 people have died since the war broke out more than five years ago.

These include 298 people killed when Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down over rebel territory in July 2014.

A Dutch court is due in March 2020 to begin the trial of three Ukrainians and one Russian over the MH17 crash.

The ICJ judgement came as Ukraine's army and Kremlin-backed separatists were set to complete the last phase of a troop pullback in war-torn eastern Ukraine on Saturday.&nbsp;

The ICJ was set up in 1946 to rule in disputes between countries in a bid to create a new global era of harmony after World War II.

The U.N.'s top court said on Friday it had jurisdiction to hear a case brought by Ukraine accusing Russia of supporting rebels in war-torn eastern Ukraine. Russia had asked the International Court of Justice in September 2018 to throw out Kiev's case, saying the tribunal had no right to deal with the matter.

The U.N.'s top court said on Friday it had jurisdiction to hear a case brought by Ukraine accusing Russia of supporting rebels in war-torn eastern Ukraine. Russia had asked the International Court of Justice in September 2018 to throw out Kiev's case, saying the tribunal had no right to deal with the matter. Ukraine dragged Russia to the Hague-based court in 2017 saying it had breached a U.N. convention on the financing of terrorism by funnelling arms and cash to pro-Russian fighters. ICJ President Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf said the court "finds that it has jurisdiction... to entertain the claims made by Ukraine." Kiev is seeking damages for attacks blamed on the pro-Moscow rebels in eastern Ukraine, where more than 13,000 people have died since the war broke out more than five years ago. These include 298 people killed when Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down over rebel territory in July 2014. A Dutch court is due in March 2020 to begin the trial of three Ukrainians and one Russian over the MH17 crash. The ICJ judgement came as Ukraine's army and Kremlin-backed separatists were set to complete the last phase of a troop pullback in war-torn eastern Ukraine on Saturday. The ICJ was set up in 1946 to rule in disputes between countries in a bid to create a new global era of harmony after World War II.

Ukraine case against Russia over war can proceed: United Nations court

A U.N. envoy concluded an opening round of talks on the political future of Syria on Friday meant to bring political reconciliation after 8-1/2 years of war, saying they went better than expected and would reconvene later this month.

Acknowledging that discussions were sometimes "very painful" Geir Pedersen said the delegates to the Constitutional Committee from the government, opposition and civil society addressed them with professionalism.

"I believe it has gone much better than most people would have expected," he told journalists in Geneva.

"The next round of discussions will start on November 25," Pedersen said.

He said the discussions focused on issues of sovereignty, territorial integrity and terrorism, without going into details.

There was no immediate deal on the release of thousands of detainees in the country, one of the points that Pedersen had previously said was an important step needed to build confidence between the parties.

A U.N. envoy concluded an opening round of talks on the political future of Syria on Friday meant to bring political reconciliation after 8-1/2 years of war, saying they went better than expected and would reconvene later this month.

A U.N. envoy concluded an opening round of talks on the political future of Syria on Friday meant to bring political reconciliation after 8-1/2 years of war, saying they went better than expected and would reconvene later this month. Acknowledging that discussions were sometimes "very painful" Geir Pedersen said the delegates to the Constitutional Committee from the government, opposition and civil society addressed them with professionalism. "I believe it has gone much better than most people would have expected," he told journalists in Geneva. "The next round of discussions will start on November 25," Pedersen said. He said the discussions focused on issues of sovereignty, territorial integrity and terrorism, without going into details. There was no immediate deal on the release of thousands of detainees in the country, one of the points that Pedersen had previously said was an important step needed to build confidence between the parties.

Syrian talks to reconvene in Geneva on November 25: U.N. envoy

U.N. peacekeepers should progressively withdraw from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/first-shipment-of-new-ebola-vaccine-arrives-in-dr-congo-259539">DR&nbsp;Congo</a>&nbsp;by the end of 2022 at the earliest, a strategic review said Wednesday, in the first tentative timeline to exit a country grappling with militia violence and Ebola.

The report comes as 10 civilians were killed in an attack in the eastern&nbsp;Democratic Republic of&nbsp;Congo&nbsp;blamed on an Islamist-rooted armed group based in Uganda, as the army launches a sweeping offensive against militancy that has plagued the troubled region for nearly a quarter of a century.

The United Nations's MONUSCO mission to the country,&nbsp;one of its biggest deployments encompassing some 16,000 peacekeepers,&nbsp;began two decades ago and has an annual budget of over $1 billion.&nbsp;

Its latest mandate comes to an end on December 31 and the decision to renew is made the&nbsp;U.N. Security Council.&nbsp;

A review for the Council said that the "timeline for an exit of MONUSCO should be an absolute minimum of three years", in an assessment of the&nbsp;U.N. presence in the country in the wake of the election of new President Felix Tshisekedi.

"With a departure at the end of 2022, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/united-nations-chief-urges-myanmar-to-ensure-safe-return-of-rohingya-259659">U.N.</a> would be in a better position to ensure a responsible transition, if the reforms announced by the new authorities remain on track and the conditions for the best-case scenario materialise," the report said.&nbsp;

It noted, however, that there should be "red lines" that would cause the withdrawal to be paused and suggested a political mission to help "prevent a resurgence of conflict".&nbsp;

During a visit to eastern Beni in September,&nbsp;U.N. chief Antonio Guterres stressed his support for extending MONUSCO's mandate beyond the year-end and said a strategic review would help make the mission "more useful still to the Congolese people" in terms of security but also politically.

"We will do everything to bring an end to the scourge of insecurity," he said.

The&nbsp;DR&nbsp;Congo&nbsp;army announced last week that it had launched "large-scale operations" against armed militias in the country's troubled east.

In the most recent violence, members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) crossed the border from Uganda late on Tuesday and "killed 10 civilians, some with knives and others with firearms," in the locality of Kokola, Donat Kibwana, a local administrator in the restive Beni region, told AFP.

An army spokesman in the region, Major Mak Hazukay, said the ADF were "cornered" by army fire.

"That's why they try to cause terror among the population," he told AFP, declining to give a casualty toll for Tuesday's attack.

The impoverished central African country has been wracked by conflict near its eastern border, with many of the militias have evolved from the two&nbsp;Congo&nbsp;wars (1996-1997 and 1998-2003).

The Islamist-rooted ADF, which arose in western Uganda in 1995, has targeted Beni, killing hundreds of civilians over the last five years.

But there are also home-grown militia and other armed groups,&nbsp;some 130 roam the North and South Kivu provinces of&nbsp;DR&nbsp;Congo, a vast country the size of western continental Europe.

Five Great Lakes countries,&nbsp;the&nbsp;Democratic Republic of&nbsp;Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda,&nbsp;decided last month to combine their military operations in the region.

The&nbsp;U.N.'s peacekeeping mission in&nbsp;DR&nbsp;Congo&nbsp;has supported DRC troops in the region, but has ruled out backing any foreign intervention.

The Beni region, in the North Kivu province which borders Uganda and Rwanda, has been particularly affected by militia violence.

Beni is also stricken by the country's Ebola outbreak, which has killed more than 2,000 people in a year,&nbsp;two-thirds of those infected.&nbsp;

U.N. peacekeepers should progressively withdraw from DR Congo by the end of 2022 at the earliest, a strategic review said Wednesday, in the first tentative timeline to exit a country grappling with militia violence and Ebola.

U.N. peacekeepers should progressively withdraw from DR Congo by the end of 2022 at the earliest, a strategic review said Wednesday, in the first tentative timeline to exit a country grappling with militia violence and Ebola. The report comes as 10 civilians were killed in an attack in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo blamed on an Islamist-rooted armed group based in Uganda, as the army launches a sweeping offensive against militancy that has plagued the troubled region for nearly a quarter of a century. The United Nations's MONUSCO mission to the country, one of its biggest deployments encompassing some 16,000 peacekeepers, began two decades ago and has an annual budget of over $1 billion. Its latest mandate comes to an end on December 31 and the decision to renew is made the U.N. Security Council. A review for the Council said that the "timeline for an exit of MONUSCO should be an absolute minimum of three years", in an assessment of the U.N. presence in the country in the wake of the election of new President Felix Tshisekedi. "With a departure at the end of 2022, the U.N. would be in a better position to ensure a responsible transition, if the reforms announced by the new authorities remain on track and the conditions for the best-case scenario materialise," the report said. It noted, however, that there should be "red lines" that would cause the withdrawal to be paused and suggested a political mission to help "prevent a resurgence of conflict". During a visit to eastern Beni in September, U.N. chief Antonio Guterres stressed his support for extending MONUSCO's mandate beyond the year-end and said a strategic review would help make the mission "more useful still to the Congolese people" in terms of security but also politically. "We will do everything to bring an end to the scourge of insecurity," he said. The DR Congo army announced last week that it had launched "large-scale operations" against armed militias in the country's troubled east. In the most recent violence, members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) crossed the border from Uganda late on Tuesday and "killed 10 civilians, some with knives and others with firearms," in the locality of Kokola, Donat Kibwana, a local administrator in the restive Beni region, told AFP. An army spokesman in the region, Major Mak Hazukay, said the ADF were "cornered" by army fire. "That's why they try to cause terror among the population," he told AFP, declining to give a casualty toll for Tuesday's attack. The impoverished central African country has been wracked by conflict near its eastern border, with many of the militias have evolved from the two Congo wars (1996-1997 and 1998-2003). The Islamist-rooted ADF, which arose in western Uganda in 1995, has targeted Beni, killing hundreds of civilians over the last five years. But there are also home-grown militia and other armed groups, some 130 roam the North and South Kivu provinces of DR Congo, a vast country the size of western continental Europe. Five Great Lakes countries, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, decided last month to combine their military operations in the region. The U.N.'s peacekeeping mission in DR Congo has supported DRC troops in the region, but has ruled out backing any foreign intervention. The Beni region, in the North Kivu province which borders Uganda and Rwanda, has been particularly affected by militia violence. Beni is also stricken by the country's Ebola outbreak, which has killed more than 2,000 people in a year, two-thirds of those infected.

U.N. mulls slow DR Congo drawdown despite ongoing bloodshed

The&nbsp;head&nbsp;of the&nbsp;U.N. agency&nbsp;for&nbsp;Palestinian&nbsp;refugees has resigned&nbsp;amid&nbsp;an internal&nbsp;probe&nbsp;into alleged mismanagement and ethical abuses at the organization, the United Nations said Wednesday.

"A short while ago, UNRWA's Commissioner-General, Pierre Krahenbuhl, informed the secretary-general that he was resigning, effective immediately,"&nbsp;U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told a news briefing.

The&nbsp;U.N. earlier announced Krahenbuhl had been placed on administrative leave, to be replaced on an interim basis by the&nbsp;agency's acting deputy chief Christian Saunders.

An internal&nbsp;ethics&nbsp;report has alleged mismanagement and abuses of authority at the highest levels of the&nbsp;U.N. agency, which has also faced a financial crisis after the United States suspended and later cut all its funding for it in 2018.

U.N. investigators have been probing the allegations in the confidential report, a copy of which was obtained by AFP.

The report describes "credible and corroborated" allegations of serious ethical abuses, including ones involving Krahenbuhl, a Swiss national.

The&nbsp;agency&nbsp;confirmed Wednesday that its internal&nbsp;probe&nbsp;had so far "revealed management issues which relate specifically to the commissioner general."

According to a separate statement from&nbsp;U.N. headquarters, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said preliminary findings revealed no "fraud or misappropriation of operational funds" by Krahenbuhl.

"There are, however, managerial issues that need to be addressed," it said.

According to the confidential report, the allegations include senior management engaging in "sexual misconduct, nepotism, retaliation, discrimination and other abuses of authority, for personal gain, to suppress legitimate dissent, and to otherwise achieve their personal objectives."

Krahenbuhl himself was alleged to have been romantically involved with a colleague appointed in 2015 to a newly created role of senior adviser after an "extreme fast-track" process, the report says.

That enabled her to join him on international business class flights, the report alleges.

"I have rejected these accusations since the beginning and I continue to do so," Krahenbuhl told Swiss television station RTS.

"I can tell you clearly that there is no corruption case, nor fraud, nor mismanagement of funds received from donors," he said, adding that any personal relationship with a colleague "was confirmed as being non-existent by the internal report."&nbsp;

Describing an atmosphere of "hyperpolarization," Krahenbuhl said he stepped down in order to give the organization a needed "psychological shock."

Krahenbuhl's resignation comes as the&nbsp;U.N. General Assembly is due to renew U.N. RWA's mandate for another three years, despite fierce opposition from the United States, which considers it to be inadequate.

A number of other countries have suspended their contributions pending the outcome of the internal&nbsp;probe.

Guterres' spokesman said the secretary-general reiterated his "appreciation to UNRWA for their excellent work."

"At this time, it is vital that member states and other partners remain committed to UNRWA and the services it provides," Dujarric said.

"It is also critical for the international community to support the crucial work performed by the&nbsp;agency&nbsp;in the areas of health, education, and humanitarian assistance, which is a source of stability in a volatile region."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/public-hearings-in-trump-impeachment-probe-start-next-week-us-lawmaker-260398">US President Donald Trump's</a> administration, along with Israel, accuses UNRWA of perpetuating the Israeli-Palestinian&nbsp;conflict.

The&nbsp;agency&nbsp;disputes that and says the services it provides would otherwise not be available to Palestinians.

Following Wednesday's announcement, Israel called the organization's operational model "unsustainable."

"The international community needs to find a new model that will provide humanitarian assistance to those who truly need it, and must remove from the agenda the futile idea of the return of the refugees," Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in a statement.

UNRWA was set up in the years after more than 700,000 Palestinians were expelled or fled their lands during the 1948 war surrounding the creation of Israel.

It provides schooling and medical services to millions of impoverished refugees in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria as well as the&nbsp;Palestinian&nbsp;territories, and employs around 30,000 people, mostly Palestinians.

A European diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity said he was "grateful for all (Krahenbuhl) did to stabilize the organization during a difficult time, but stepping aside now is the correct decision."

The head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees has resigned amid an internal probe into alleged mismanagement and ethical abuses at the organization, the United Nations said Wednesday.

The head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees has resigned amid an internal probe into alleged mismanagement and ethical abuses at the organization, the United Nations said Wednesday. "A short while ago, UNRWA's Commissioner-General, Pierre Krahenbuhl, informed the secretary-general that he was resigning, effective immediately," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told a news briefing. The U.N. earlier announced Krahenbuhl had been placed on administrative leave, to be replaced on an interim basis by the agency's acting deputy chief Christian Saunders. An internal ethics report has alleged mismanagement and abuses of authority at the highest levels of the U.N. agency, which has also faced a financial crisis after the United States suspended and later cut all its funding for it in 2018. U.N. investigators have been probing the allegations in the confidential report, a copy of which was obtained by AFP. The report describes "credible and corroborated" allegations of serious ethical abuses, including ones involving Krahenbuhl, a Swiss national. The agency confirmed Wednesday that its internal probe had so far "revealed management issues which relate specifically to the commissioner general." According to a separate statement from U.N. headquarters, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said preliminary findings revealed no "fraud or misappropriation of operational funds" by Krahenbuhl. "There are, however, managerial issues that need to be addressed," it said. According to the confidential report, the allegations include senior management engaging in "sexual misconduct, nepotism, retaliation, discrimination and other abuses of authority, for personal gain, to suppress legitimate dissent, and to otherwise achieve their personal objectives." Krahenbuhl himself was alleged to have been romantically involved with a colleague appointed in 2015 to a newly created role of senior adviser after an "extreme fast-track" process, the report says. That enabled her to join him on international business class flights, the report alleges. "I have rejected these accusations since the beginning and I continue to do so," Krahenbuhl told Swiss television station RTS. "I can tell you clearly that there is no corruption case, nor fraud, nor mismanagement of funds received from donors," he said, adding that any personal relationship with a colleague "was confirmed as being non-existent by the internal report." Describing an atmosphere of "hyperpolarization," Krahenbuhl said he stepped down in order to give the organization a needed "psychological shock." Krahenbuhl's resignation comes as the U.N. General Assembly is due to renew U.N. RWA's mandate for another three years, despite fierce opposition from the United States, which considers it to be inadequate. A number of other countries have suspended their contributions pending the outcome of the internal probe. Guterres' spokesman said the secretary-general reiterated his "appreciation to UNRWA for their excellent work." "At this time, it is vital that member states and other partners remain committed to UNRWA and the services it provides," Dujarric said. "It is also critical for the international community to support the crucial work performed by the agency in the areas of health, education, and humanitarian assistance, which is a source of stability in a volatile region." US President Donald Trump's administration, along with Israel, accuses UNRWA of perpetuating the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The agency disputes that and says the services it provides would otherwise not be available to Palestinians. Following Wednesday's announcement, Israel called the organization's operational model "unsustainable." "The international community needs to find a new model that will provide humanitarian assistance to those who truly need it, and must remove from the agenda the futile idea of the return of the refugees," Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in a statement. UNRWA was set up in the years after more than 700,000 Palestinians were expelled or fled their lands during the 1948 war surrounding the creation of Israel. It provides schooling and medical services to millions of impoverished refugees in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria as well as the Palestinian territories, and employs around 30,000 people, mostly Palestinians. A European diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity said he was "grateful for all (Krahenbuhl) did to stabilize the organization during a difficult time, but stepping aside now is the correct decision."

Head of U.N. Palestinian agency resigns amid ethics probe

Six people, including four civilians, were killed in an attack by Yemeni rebels on a military base in the Red Sea coastal town of Mokha, medical sources said on Thursday.&nbsp;

The strike also damaged a hospital run by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and forced its operations to be suspended.

The attack comes after weeks of relative calm in Yemen, which together with the signing of a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/yemen-government-separatists-to-sign-power-sharing-deal-on-tuesday-259499">peace deal</a> between the government and southern separatists, had created a sliver of optimism over ending the years of conflict.

The Iran-backed rebels, who have been battling the internationally recognised government, launched four ballistic missiles and drones towards a military position in Mokha, a Yemeni military official told AFP.

Medics said six people, including four civilians, were killed and 26 wounded.&nbsp;

"The Patriot air defence system intercepted three missiles, while a fourth landed in the military base," said the military source, who declined to be identified.

The source said the attack destroyed a weapons storage facility used by pro-government forces.

The rebels have made no claim of responsibility.&nbsp;

MSF said there were no casualties among their staff or patients.

"The hospital in Mokha was damaged as a result of an attack on a nearby facility, and work there has been suspended for the time being," a representative told AFP.&nbsp;

Tens of thousands of people, most of them civilians, have been killed since Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened in March 2015 in support of the beleaguered government.

The fighting has also displaced millions and left 24.1 million -- more than two-thirds of the population -- in&nbsp;need of aid.

The United Nations has described Yemen as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

Six people, including four civilians, were killed in an attack by Yemeni rebels on a military base in the Red Sea coastal town of Mokha, medical sources said on Thursday.

Six people, including four civilians, were killed in an attack by Yemeni rebels on a military base in the Red Sea coastal town of Mokha, medical sources said on Thursday. The strike also damaged a hospital run by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and forced its operations to be suspended. The attack comes after weeks of relative calm in Yemen, which together with the signing of a peace deal between the government and southern separatists, had created a sliver of optimism over ending the years of conflict. The Iran-backed rebels, who have been battling the internationally recognised government, launched four ballistic missiles and drones towards a military position in Mokha, a Yemeni military official told AFP. Medics said six people, including four civilians, were killed and 26 wounded. "The Patriot air defence system intercepted three missiles, while a fourth landed in the military base," said the military source, who declined to be identified. The source said the attack destroyed a weapons storage facility used by pro-government forces. The rebels have made no claim of responsibility. MSF said there were no casualties among their staff or patients. "The hospital in Mokha was damaged as a result of an attack on a nearby facility, and work there has been suspended for the time being," a representative told AFP. Tens of thousands of people, most of them civilians, have been killed since Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened in March 2015 in support of the beleaguered government. The fighting has also displaced millions and left 24.1 million -- more than two-thirds of the population -- in need of aid. The United Nations has described Yemen as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

Six killed in rebel attack in Yemen's Mokha: officials

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