US Intel Doesn't Expect To Determine Origins Of COVID-19

 

Barring an unforeseen breakthrough, intelligence agencies won't be able to conclude whether COVID-19 spread by animal-to-human transmission or leaked from a lab, officials said on Friday in releasing a fuller version of their review into the origins of the pandemic.

The paper issued by the Director of National Intelligence elaborates on findings released in August of a 90-day review ordered by US President Joe Biden. That review said that US intelligence agencies were divided on the origins of the virus but that analysts do not believe the virus was developed as a bioweapon and that most agencies believe the virus was not genetically engineered.

China has resisted global pressure to cooperate fully with investigations into the pandemic or provide access to genetic sequences of coronaviruses kept at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which remains a subject of speculation for its research and reported safety problems.

Biden launched the review amid growing momentum for the theory initially broadly dismissed by experts that the virus leaked from the Wuhan lab. Former President Donald Trump and his supporters long argued that a lab leak was possible as they sought to deflect criticism of his handling of the pandemic.

China remains an exceedingly difficult place for intelligence operations and has fought back against allegations that it mishandled the emergence of the pandemic, which has killed 5 million people worldwide. Senior officials involved in the full report's drafting said they hoped it would better inform the public about the challenges of determining the virus's origins.

"We don't think we're one or two reports away from being able to understand it," said one official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters.

The full report notes that the Wuhan Institute of Virology previously created chimeras, or combinations, of SARS-like coronaviruses, but this information does not provide insight into whether SARS Cov-2 was genetically engineered by the WIV.

Information that lab researchers sought medical treatment for a respiratory illness in November 2019 is not diagnostic of the pandemic's origins, the report said.

And allegations that China launched the virus as a bioweapon were dismissed because their proponents do not have direct access to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, are making scientifically invalid claims or are accused of spreading disinformation, the report said.

Four agencies within the intelligence community said with low confidence that the virus was initially transmitted from an animal to a human. A fifth intelligence agency believed with moderate confidence that the first human infection was linked to a lab.

Prior to writing the report, analysts conducted what the report describes as a Team A/Team B debate to try to strengthen or weaken each hypothesis.

Confirming with 100 per cent certainty the origin of a virus is often not fast, easy or always even possible.

In the case of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS, a disease caused by a beta coronavirus, like the current coronavirus researchers first identified the virus in February 2003.

Later that year, scientists discovered the likely intermediary hosts: Himalayan palm civets found at live-animal markets in Guangdong, China. But it wasn't until 2017 that researchers traced the likely original source of the virus to bat caves in China's Yunnan province. 

Pope To UN Conference: Don't Waste Chance To Save The Planet

 

FILE PHOTO: Pope Francis celebrates mass at the Parish of San Crispino in the Labaro neighborhood of Rome, during a pastoral visit, on March 3, 2019 (AFP)

Pope Francis issued an urgent appeal on Friday to world leaders ahead of the UN climate conference to take radical decisions to protect the environment and prioritise the common good rather than nationalistic interests.

Francis delivered the Thought for the Day on the British Broadcasting Corp.'s morning radio programme ahead of the Oct. 31-Nov. 13 climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland.

In the message, Francis urged political leaders not to waste the opportunity created by the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic to change course and chart a future based on a sense of shared responsibility for a common destiny.

It means giving priority to the common good, and it calls for a change in perspective, a new outlook, in which the dignity of every human being, now and in the future, will guide our ways of thinking and acting, Francis said. 

The most important lesson we can take from these crises is our need to build together, so that there will no longer be any borders, barriers or political walls for us to hide behind.

Francis has made caring for God's Creation one of the hallmarks of his papacy. 

In 2015, ahead of the last UN climate conference in Paris, he penned the first-ever ecological encyclical, Praised Be, in which he denounced how the perverse profit-at-all-costs global economic model had exploited the poorest, ravaged Earth's natural resources and turned the planet into an immense pile of filth.

India Is Concerned About Situation In Af: Pentagon

 

The Pentagon

India is concerned about the current situation in Afghanistan, a top Pentagon official has told US lawmakers in Washington.

"As I'm sure you're aware, they (Indians) are concerned about the situation in Afghanistan. They're concerned about the intersection between instability there and their counter-terrorism concerns," Colin H Kahl, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee during a hearing on Afghanistan, South and Central Asia Security.

"They (Indians) want to work with us on those issues, sharing intelligence, cooperating where we can," he said, adding that there is a tremendous convergence between US and Indian national interests right now.

"It provides a lot of opportunity for us to cooperate with India, not just on Afghanistan and counter-terrorism, but on broader regional security questions, in the Indian Ocean and as it relates to the broader Indo-Pacific," Kahl said.

He was responding to a question from Senator Gary Peters.

"India's policies towards Afghanistan have been conceived largely through the lens of competition and proxy conflict with Pakistan. So it stands to reason that New Delhi should be no less concerned about the possibility that a Taliban government could benefit anti-Indian terrorist groups, especially those oriented towards Kashmir," he said.

"In view of our commitment to joint cooperation and interoperability with this critical partner, and the fact that India is the only designated major defence partner of the United States, I believe it's important for us to understand how its view towards Afghanistan has and will evolve," Peters said.

Earlier this month, Kahl had co-chaired a US-India Defense Policy Group meeting.

Responding to another question from Senator Jack Reed, Kahl said Pakistan is a challenging actor, but it does not want Afghanistan to be a safe haven for terrorist attacks or external attacks.

"They continue to give us access to Pakistani airspace and we're in conversations about keeping that airspace open and happy to talk about that more in the closed session. But for right now, counter-terrorism cooperation with Pakistan is pretty good," he said.

"Our inability across multiple administrations to effectively deal with Pakistan is another example of the past being prologue. Managing the security relationship with Pakistan will remain important as we seek to successfully implement a regional counter-terrorism strategy with other partners and allies," Reed said.

"That is why it is vitally important for us to reflect upon and study the entirety of the 20-year mission in Afghanistan," he added.

Protesters In Sudan Burn Tires, Block Roads A Day After Coup

 

A child gestures in front of a burning road barricade in Khartoum, Sudan, October 25, 2021 (Reuters)

Pro-democracy protesters blocked roads in Sudan's capital with makeshift barricades and burning tires on Tuesday, a day after the military seized power in a swift coup widely denounced by the international community.

The country's top general said the prime minister of the dissolved government who was arrested Monday, along with other officials, was being detained for his own safety at the general's own house, not in a prison. He said Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok was in good health.

The takeover came after weeks of mounting tensions between military and civilian leaders over the course and the pace of Sudan's transition to democracy. It threatened to derail that process, which has progressed in fits and starts since the overthrow of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir in a popular uprising two years ago.

The United Nations Security Council was to discuss the situation in a closed-door meeting later in the day.

In his second public appearance since seizing power, Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan said on Tuesday that the military was forced to step in to resolve a political deadlock.

The whole country was suspended due to political rivalries, he told a televised news conference. The experience during the past two years has proven that the participation of political forces in the transitional period is flawed and stirs up strife. Western governments and the U.N. condemned the coup and called for the release of Hamdok and other senior officials who were detained. U.S. President Joe Biden's administration announced the suspension of $700 million in emergency assistance to Sudan, a nation in Africa linked by language and culture to the Arab world.

But Burhan raised the possibility that some of those being held could face trial for what he called incitement against the military.

Mariam al-Mahdi, the foreign minister in the government that the military dissolved, was defiant on Tuesday, declaring that she and other members of Hamdok's administration remained the legitimate authority in Sudan.

"We are still in our positions. We reject such coup and such unconstitutional measures," she told The Associated Press over the phone from her home in Khartoum. "We will continue our peaceful disobedience and resistance."

Hours after the military arrested Hamdok, Sudanese flooded the streets of the capital, Khartoum, and other cities in protest. At least four people were killed and over 80 wounded when security forces opened fire on protesters, according to the Sudan Doctors' Committee.

The country and the world are now braced to see if more violence will unfold in the nation, which saw a bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protests in 2019. Some protesters remained in the streets of Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman on Tuesday morning, with many roads blocked. A bigger test of how the military will respond to the resistance could come on Saturday when protesters plan a mass march to demand a return to civilian rule.

Troops from the military and the feared Rapid Support Forces patrolled Khartoum neighbourhoods overnight, chasing protesters. The international group Human Rights Watch said forces used live ammunition against demonstrators.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for an immediate halt to violence against protesters and for the restoration of internet services. He said the U.S. was coordinating with partners to chart a common diplomatic approach to address these actions and to prevent them from leading to further instability in Sudan and the region. On Monday, Burhan dissolved the Hamdok government and the Sovereign Council, a joint military and civilian body created soon after al-Bashir's ouster to run the country. He now heads a military council that he said would rule Sudan until elections in July 2023. 

Burhan blamed quarrels and divisions among political factions for the military takeover. However, the coup comes less than a month before Burhan was supposed to hand the leadership of the Sovereign Council to a civilian, a step that would have decreased the military's hold on power. In recent weeks, he repeatedly indicated he might not go through with that.

The general said he is serious about holding elections on schedule. But much could happen in the coming 19 months, and it is not clear if the military will be willing to release the grip it has had for decades.

Hamdok and others in the transitional government are still being held at a military camp outside Khartoum. Al-Mahdi spoke to the wife of one of those detained, Minister of Cabinet Affairs Khalid Omar, and said he was humiliated and mistreated during his arrest.

"They (military forces) took Khalid barefoot, wearing only his nightclothes," she said. 

The Sudanese Professionals' Association, a group of unions behind the uprising against al-Bashir, urged people to go on strike and engage in civil disobedience. Separately, the Sudan Popular Liberation Movement North, the country's main rebel group, denounced the coup and called for people to take to the streets. (PTI)

After Pak's T20 Win, Imran Khan Takes Bitter Dig At India

 

Pakistan's captain Babar Azam (L) and Mohammad Rizwan celebrate their victory over India in the T20 World Cup 2021 Super 12 match in Dubai on Sunday (AP)

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday highlighted the need for improving ties with India, but cheekily said that after his country’s victory against the latter in the T20 World Cup 2021, it was ‘not a good time’ for such a conversation, according to a media report.

Addressing the Pakistan-Saudi Investment Forum in Saudi capital Riyadh, Khan said that India and Pakistan had only one issue -- the Kashmir issue -- and urged for resolving it like ‘civilised’ neighbours, Dawn online reported.

“We have excellent relations with China, but if somehow we improve our relationship with India -- I know after last night’s thrashing by the Pakistan team in the cricket match, it’s not a very good time to talk about improving relations with India,” he said.

His remarks came a day after Pakistan defeated India for the first time in a World Cup fixture in Dubai. Khan said that the two countries had only one issue -- Kashmir, and urged for resolving it like ‘civilised’ neighbours.

‘It’s all about human rights and the rights of the people of Kashmir for self-determination as guaranteed by the United Nations Security Council 72 years ago. If that right is given to them, we have no other problems. The two countries can live as civilised neighbours [...] just imagine the potential,” he told Saudi businessmen.

He said that India would gain access to Central Asia through Pakistan and in turn, the latter would gain access to two huge markets.

“This is what I want to impress upon the Saudi business community, that circumstances never remain the same. They always change,” said Khan, who is in Saudi Arabia on a three-day visit at the invitation of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

Ties between India and Pakistan nose-dived after a terror attack on the Pathankot Air Force base in 2016 by terror groups based in the neighbouring country. Subsequent attacks, including one on an Indian Army camp in Uri, further deteriorated the relationship.

The relationship dipped further after India’s war planes pounded a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camp deep inside Pakistan on February 26, 2019, in response to the Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed.

The relations deteriorated after India announced the withdrawal of special powers of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcation of the state into two union territories in August, 2019. India has told Pakistan that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Islamabad in an environment free of terror, hostility and violence.

Recently, Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, when asked about the possibility of improvement in India's ties with Pakistan, said unless the basic core issue of terrorism emanating from the neighbouring country is dealt with, “I think we will not see much forward movement in the relationship.”

Highlighting Pakistan's strategic location, Prime Minister Khan said that Saudi businessmen could benefit from what the country has to offer. He mentioned the Ravi Riverfront Urban Development Project and the Central Business District project near Lahore and called for investors to invest in them.

He also mentioned another project along the River Indus with 300,000 acres of fertile land. He said that water was available, but a canal was required to water the land. “All we need is energy to lift that water in a canal and this whole area becomes cultivable."

He said that the project had immense opportunities for both the countries. Earlier, Khan said that the Pak-Saudi relationship transcends all others and if Riyadh faces a security threat, Pakistan will stand with the Gulf Kingdom to protect its security.

The event was attended by a large number of Saudi investors and businessmen, key Pakistani business leaders, investors from the Pakistani diaspora, and stakeholders from Pakistan’s private sector based in the Kingdom, the statement said. (PTI)

 

 

"US Did Not Defeat Taliban", Ex Af Envoy Recounts "Struggle"

 

In this file photo, U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, left, and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban group's top political leader, shake hands after signing a peace agreement between Taliban and U.S. officials in Doha, Qatar (PTI)

The United States was losing the war to the Taliban so it chose negotiations as an alternative, said the former US special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad.

Talking to CBS News, Khalilzad said the US military tried many times to strengthen its position on the battleground, but it failed.

"The negotiation was a result of--based on the judgment that we weren't winning the war and therefore time was not on our side and better to make a deal sooner than later," Tolo News quoted Khalilzad as saying.

Khalilzad blamed the then-president Ashraf Ghani for the disintegration of Afghanistan's security sector, saying his escape triggered the chaos in the Afghan capital.

He said that Washington chose the calender-based approach in its decisions on the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and did not take into account the real situation in the country.

Despite remaining challenges and past failures, Khalilzad believes that the US counter-terrorism mission in the country succeeded as "the terrorist threat from Afghanistan is not what it used to be" and al-Qaeda has been "devastated."

At the same time, the ex-envoy admitted that in the 20 years of American military presence in Afghanistan, the country did not become a democracy.

"On the issue of building a democratic Afghanistan, I think that the US did not succeed. The struggle goes on. The Talibs are a reality of Afghanistan. We did not defeat them," he said, noting that the Taliban have a different vision for the country, but there are hopes the more moderate views will prevail since the movement is fractured.

On October 18, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that Khalilzad stepped down as a special Afghanistan envoy.

Khalilzad said that he made the decision to resign at a time when Washington is beginning a new phase of policy toward Kabul, following the withdrawal from Afghanistan in August.

 

 

BJP Leaders Dishonoured People's Verdict, Thrust Bypoll On Them: Abhishek Banerjee

 

TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday slammed the BJP for "thrusting by-election(s)" on two of the four assembly seats in the state that will go to the polls on October 30.

Addressing a rally at Gosaba in South 24 Parganas, Banerjee pointed out that the bypoll was necessitated here and in Khardah following the death of two TMC candidates, but the circumstances under which elections are being held in Shantipur and Dinhata are different.

"Winning BJP candidates Jagannath Sarkar and Nisith Pramanik resigned as MLAs even after being elected by people. They dishonoured the verdict of people to retain parliamentary berths. The BJP is seeking votes again in those two seats. They will be rejected by people," he claimed.

The senior TMC leader also asserted that his party will make a "4-0 sweep" in the by-elections.

Taking a dig at Amit Shah, he said, "The former BJP national president and current home minister had promised to dole out Rs 2 lakh crore for the development of Sunderbans and carve out a separate district during his campaigns for assembly polls some months ago. They are still holding power in Delhi but you won't hear about any follow-up initiatives from them."

The Diamond Harbour MP further noted that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, in contrast, "kept her promises and rolled out schemes such as Lakshmir Bhandar". 

India Registers 15,786 New COVID-19 Cases

 

The death toll has climbed to 4,53,042, with 231 daily fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 am

India saw a single-day rise of 15,786 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to 3,41,43,236, while the active cases have declined to 1,75,745, the lowest in 232 days, according to the Union Health Ministry's data updated on Friday.

The death toll has climbed to 4,53,042, with 231 daily fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 am.

The daily rise in new coronavirus infections has been below 30,000 for 28 straight days and less than 50,000 daily new cases have been reported for 117 consecutive days now.

The active cases have increased to 1,75,745, comprising 0.51 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.16 per cent, the highest since March 2020, the Health Ministry said.

A decrease of 3,086 cases has been recorded in the total active number of COVID-19 cases in a span of 24 hours.

Also, 13,24,263 tests were conducted on Thursday, taking the total cumulative tests conducted so far for detection of COVID-19 in the country to 59,70,66,481 .

The daily positivity rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent. It has been less than three per cent for the last 53 days.

The weekly positivity rate was also recorded at 1.31 per cent. It has been below three per cent for the last 119 days, according to the Health Ministry.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 3,35,14,449, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.33 per cent. The cumulative doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive has exceeded 100.59 crore.

India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.

India crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4, 2021 and three crore on June 23. The 231 new fatalities include 118 from Kerala and 39 from Maharashtra.

A total of 4,53,042 deaths have been reported so far in the country, including 1,39,925 from Maharashtra, 37,984 from Karnataka, 35,968 from Tamil Nadu, 27,202 from Kerala, 25,090 from Delhi, 22,899 from Uttar Pradesh and 19,021 from West Bengal.

'US At Turning Point In Dealing With Myanmar Crisis'

 

Demonstrators hold placards and a cutout with the image of Aung San Suu Kyi during a protest against the military coup in Yangon, Myanmar on February 15, 2021 (Reuters)

The United States is at a turning point in deciding how to handle the crisis in military-ruled Myanmar, weighing further political and economic steps to pressure the government to change its behaviour, a senior US official said on Thursday.

The situation is getting worse inside Burma, from a humanitarian point of view, from a security point of view, in terms of the economy and the lack of progress on the politics, US State Department Counselor Derek Chollet told The Associated Press in an interview.

The US has been one of the most vocal opponents of the military takeover that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government in February. Suu Kyi was arrested and detained with top members of her National League for Democracy party, including President Win Myint.

A detailed accounting by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners blames security forces for the killings of almost 1,200 civilians and arresting over 9,043 others since Feb 1. The government now faces a growing insurgency in many parts of the country.

Chollet, who serves as an adviser to the secretary of state, gave an online interview while the US delegation was in Indonesia after visiting Thailand and Singapore, ahead of an annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Brunei, where the situation in Myanmar is likely to dominate.

"We think that we have tools that can help stem the worst from happening in the near term. But as I said, I think we are at an inflection point in the process," Chollet said. "There are political and economic levers that can be pulled by the US and other governments to pressure the regime to try to give them the kinds of incentives to change their behaviour."

"Part of what we are trying to do as the United States is to come in and not dictate the terms, but to offer our best perspectives and also hear from different partners here in the region," he said.

In talks with the three key ASEAN members, the US delegation was able to get "a sense of their ideas of the best way forward".

The US, along with the United Kingdom and the European Union, has already placed sanctions on high-ranking Myanmar military members and state-owned enterprises, including those dealing in lucrative timber and gems, that are considered revenue streams for the military.

But activists have been quick to point out that the sanctions have not included American and French oil and gas companies working in Myanmar, allowing the military to maintain its single-largest source of foreign currency revenue. It allows them to make purchases such as refined petroleum, weapons, packaged medicines and other imported goods.

"Not having sanctions is allowing these massive multination companies that have huge stakeholder investment to be potentially complicit in ongoing atrocities and crimes in Myanmar, said Manny Maung," a Myanmar researcher for Human Rights Watch.

"These business relationships are basically going directly to the criminal junta. The failure to take reasonable steps ... is really quite reckless and (is) allowing businesses to be complicit."

Chollet admitted there is no question that sanctioning of the oil business is a tool available to the US. But he also cautioned that Washington would need to keep in mind the interests of allies and partners in the region.

"That's why we're here... to think through what's the way forward, what could actually work to try to change the outlook of the junta," he said. "But then also how can we do so in a way that doesn't make our problems worse." He said the Biden administration has not made a final decision.

On Friday, ASEAN announced that it would not invite Myanmar's military leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing to the summit, a major repudiation for the country after it refused to allow an ASEAN envoy to meet with Suu Kyi. The envoy, a Brunei diplomat, subsequently cancelled his trip to Myanmar.

The decision was applauded by the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews. He said the military government was seeking money, weapons and legitimacy from the international community.

"ASEAN's announcement that the junta will not be welcome at its upcoming summit denies the junta the...legitimacy," he said on Monday. "Sustained pressure on all three fronts...is the best way the international community can support the people of Myanmar to protect their human rights and save their country." (PTI)

Opinion: Protect Climate Refugees Under International Law

 

A farmer in Punjab, Pakistan, sits on the dry soil. More severe and frequent droughts are making it harder for people to grow crops where they have traditionally farmed (Image: Florian Kopp / Alamy)

Thirty years ago, in its 1990 assessment, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned that large-scale human migration could be the single most significant impact of climate change. The environment forcing people to migrate is not a new development. Throughout human history, people have moved from one region to another to escape floods, forest fires, and drought. However, climate change has raised the possibility of mass migration on a scale the world has never witnessed before.

A growing body of research suggests that many people are already migrating because life has become insupportable. A significant portion of these migrants are also crossing national borders.

The issue of climate-induced migration is particularly important ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP) in Glasgow next month. In recent years, particularly since the 2010 COP in Cancun, climate talks have integrated different components of human migration. The focuses have been on preventing climate-induced migration and how to provide support to those who are forced to migrate. At COP26, the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) will collaborate with its partners to convince parties to prioritise human migration aspects of climate change.

The Forces Driving People To Leave Their Homes

Global warming is leading to sea level rise on an unprecedented scale, according to IPCC scientists. Between 2006 and 2016, sea levels globally rose 2.5 times faster than the rate for almost all of the 20th century. At the same time, the seas are warmer than they used to be, which can lead to more tropical storms and a higher risk of coastal flooding.

Rising seas take away millions of people’s land, homes and sources of livelihood, and have started to force people to move from many low-lying coastal areas and small island countries. The IPCC warns that sea levels could rise by up to 1.1 metres by 2100. (In the past 100 years they have risen 16-21 centimetres.) A rise of this magnitude will not only inundate large low-lying areas in many countries but also potentially submerge many small island countries. In 1987, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who at the time was president of the Maldives, told the UN General Assembly that a sea level rise of only one metre would displace all his countrymen. More than three decades have passed, and the threat of several small island countries disappearing from the global map looks more likely than ever before.

Climate change also disturbs rainfall patterns, leading to intensive flooding, drought and soil erosion in tropical and arid regions. Food production is being affected by extreme weather, unpredictable seasonal changes and wildfires. In 2018, the Fourth National Climate Assessment report of the US Global Change Research Program warned that climate change was disrupting agricultural productivity, causing severe food insecurity and loss of farming jobs. 

Finally, the world’s critical freshwater situation is driving people to migrate. More than 40% of the global population is suffering from water scarcity. Climate change is expected to seriously aggravate the problem, particularly in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. As water supply and demand patterns change, existing water-sharing arrangements between countries and regions are likely to be more prone to tension and conflict. In August 2021, a World Bank report stated that climate change is accelerating the global water crisis, and the scarcity of water is contributing to 10% of the increase in global migration. 

Majority Of Climate Refugees Are In Developing Countries

Countries’ and societies’ ability to cope with climate change-induced food insecurity and subsequent economic decline depends on their economic and institutional strength. Social norms and practices also play an important role in coping with this crisis. Some countries and societies are better than others at planning and implementing adaptation strategies to cope with the hunger and unemployment brought by climate change. But the adverse impact of climate change is usually more severe in developing countries. It not only makes poor people poorer, but also forces them to migrate in search of survival.

Despite the unanimity of opinion on the potential of climate change to induce large-scale migration, there is a lack of agreement over how many people are migrating and will migrate in the future due to climate change. Many estimates are available about the number of climate migrants, and these forecasts vary from 25 million to 1 billion by 2050. However, the commonly given assessment has been around 200 million. In its Groundswell report released last month, the World Bank calculates that 216 million people across six regions of the world could move within their countries by 2050. The World Bank anticipates this number will significantly increase through the second half of the century. 

Why Climate Migrants Are Refugees

Being forced to migrate is never easy. The challenges for a migrant become manifold when they need to move between a national border in order to survive. There is no doubt that climate change will continue to force millions of poor people to migrate, many of whom will cross national borders and move to other countries.

Though increasingly climate migrants to other countries are described as “climate refugees”, displacement by disasters and climate change is yet to be included in the definition of a refugee as established under international law. Thus climate refugees continue to lack the legal protection that provides the basis for granting asylum. 

In this context, the case against the government of New Zealand by Ioane Teitiota, a Kiribati national, is quite significant. The Supreme Court of New Zealand recognised the genuineness of Teitiota’s contention, as he was displaced from his homeland due to sea level rise. But it did not grant him refugee status, reasoning that he wouldn’t face persecution if he returned home. After that, he was deported to Kiribati in 2015 with his wife and children.

Teitiota then approached the UN Human Rights Committee (OHCHR), which ruled in his favour on 23 September 2020, saying that countries may not deport individuals who face climate change-induced conditions that violate their right to life. This was the first decision of the UN Human Rights Committee on an asylum case on the grounds of climate change. However, the body has no jurisdiction to rule on refugee status. Though many have described the OHCHR’s decision as a landmark one, Teitiota continues to live in Kiribati.

Neither the UN Refugee Convention nor any multilateral treaty protect people forced to migrate because of changes in their environment. Their rights are only covered under human rights law. There is therefore a need for the definitional fiat of “refugee” to be expanded to address the increasing challenge of climate change-forced population displacement.

The international community needs to take the growing problem of climate-induced migration more seriously – especially as it is inevitable now, given emissions have locked in a certain degree of warming. Only a coordinated effort at the global level can motivate, coordinate and implement an effective approach.

TheThirdPole

Khalilzad Resigns As Special US Envoy To Afghanistan

US diplomat and the former Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad (Wikimedia Commons)

Zalmay Khalilzad, the Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation who brokered the peace deal between the United States and the Taliban, has stepped down and been replaced by veteran American diplomat Thomas West, Secretary of State Tony Blinken said.

“As Special Representative for Afghan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad steps down from his role. I extend my gratitude for his decades of service to the American people,” Blinken said.

"Thomas West, who previously served as the Deputy Special Representative, will be the Special Representative for Afghanistan,” he said.

West, who earlier served on the Vice President's national security team and the National Security Council staff, will lead diplomatic efforts, advise the Secretary and Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs and coordinate closely with the US.

In his resignation letter, according to Politico, Khalilzad said, "The political arrangement between the Afghan government and the Taliban did not go forward as envisaged. The reasons for this are too complex and I will share my thoughts in the coming days and weeks."

"Going forward, I plan to contribute to the discussion and debate about not only what happened but what should be done next," he told Politico.

 

Bangladesh: 29 Hindu Homes Torched Amid Rising Communal Tensions

 

Hundreds of Hindus in Dhaka protest attacks on temples and the killing of two Hindu devotees in another district (AP)

A group of assailants set ablaze at least 29 homes of Hindus in Bangladesh over an alleged blasphemous social media post amidst protests by the minority community against temple vandalism incidents during the Durga Puja celebrations last week, media reports said on Monday.

The arson attack happened late on Sunday in a village in Rangpur district's Pirgonj upazila, the bdnews24.com reported.

The police rushed to a fishermen neighbourhood as tensions mounted over a rumour that a young Hindu man of the village had "dishonoured religion" in a Facebook post, the report quoted the district's superintendent of police Mohammad Qamruzzaman as saying.

As the police stood guard around the man's home, the attackers set fire to other homes nearby, the report said.

The Fire Service Control Room said that their report from the scene indicates that 29 residential houses, two kitchens, two barns and 20 haystacks belonging to 15 different owners were torched in Pirgonj's Majhipara. An "unruly crowd" was identified as the cause of the fire.

The fire service received a report of the fire at 8:45 PM and put it out by 4:10 AM, the report said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The arson incident occurred amid rising communal tensions over an alleged blasphemy incident at a Durga Puja venue in Comilla, which led to attacks on Hindu temples and clashes between vandals and the police in Cumilla, Chandpur, Chattogram, Cox's Bazar, Bandarban, Moulvibazar, Gazipur, Chapainawabganj, Feni and other districts.

Dozens of people have been arrested in connection with the attacks and the spread of communal hatred on social media, the report said.

The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council alleges that at least four Hindu devotees have died in the attacks in Chandpur and Noakhali.

Meanwhile, the elite anti-crime Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested two more men in connection with the looting and vandalism of temples and shops belonging to the Hindu minority community in Feni, about 155 kms from Dhaka.

They were arrested for their involvement in communal violence and inciting people on social media. They were handed over to the local police station, said Imran Khan, assistant director of the paramilitary force's Legal and Media Wing.

Earlier on Saturday, one person was arrested in connection with the attack which took place when the Feni Puja celebration committee and its supporters were preparing to protest against the communal violence in the country.

The assailants also vandalised and looted several temples and a number of shops owned by Hindus and torched vehicles. They clashed with the police for about seven hours.

Authorities deployed additional police forces and the paramilitary force -- Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), after several temples and businesses owned by Hindus were vandalised and robbed during clashes.

Approximately 40 people were injured in the violence, including Feni Model Police Station's Officer-in-Charge Nizam Uddin.

On Sunday, two cases were filed against 400 unnamed people.

Meanwhile on Monday, a group of Dhaka University students joined hands with protesting religious groups against the attacks on the temples, puja venues and homes of the Hindu community across Bangladesh, the report said.

The protesters called for the formation of a separate ministry to handle affairs related to minority groups.

In a separate report, the bdnews24.com, quoting the prominent rights group in Bangladesh Ain-o-Salish Kendra (ASK), said that as many as 3,679 attacks on the minority Hindu community took place between January 2013 and September this year.

The attacks included vandalism of and setting fire to 559 houses and 442 shops and businesses of the Hindu community, it said.

At least 1,678 cases of vandalism and arson attacks on Hindu temples, idols and places of worship were also reported in the same period, it said.

While 11 citizens from the Hindu community have died in these incidents, another 862 were injured, the report said.

Two Hindu women were raped in 2014 and another four were sexually assaulted, it said, adding that at least 10 Hindu families were evicted from their homes and land in 2016, 2017 and 2020.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina promised to bring to justice the culprits behind the violence, saying anyone involved in the attacks on Hindu temples and Durga Puja venues in Comilla will not be spared.

"The incidents in Comilla are being thoroughly investigated. Nobody will be spared. It doesn't matter which religion they belong to. They will be hunted down and punished," she said while exchanging greetings with the Hindu community members during an event at Dhakeshwari National Temple in Dhaka on the occasion of Durga Puja.

The Durga Puja celebrations, considered to be the biggest festival of the minority Hindu community in Bangladesh, concluded without the traditional Bijoya Dashami procession.

Farmers’ Body Condemns Singhu Murder

 

Lakhbir Singh of District Tarn Taran in Punjab was found mutilated and murdered at the Singhu border

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Friday issued a statement condemning the “gruesome killing” of a man whose mutilated body was found earlier in the morning near the farmers’ protest site at Kundli in Haryana on the Singhu Border near Delhi.

The SKM, an umbrella organisation under which many unions are protesting against the farm laws, said that “both the parties to the incident, the Nihang group and the deceased person, have no relation with the Samyukta Kisan Morcha”.

“Samyukta Kisan Morcha condemns this gruesome killing and wants to make it clear that both the parties to this incident, the Nihang group (accused) and the deceased person, have no relation with Samyukta Kisan Morcha,” the statement read.

According to SKM, “A person hailing from Punjab (Lakhbir Singh, son of Darshan Singh, Village Cheema Kala, Police Station Sarai Amanat Khan, District Tarn Taran) was mutilated and murdered this morning at the Singhu Border.”

“A Nihang group at the scene has claimed responsibility, saying that the incident took place because of the deceased’s attempt to commit sacrilege with regard to the Sarbaloh Granth,” added the statement.

According to the Haryana Police, the dead person has been identified as Lakhbir Singh, a labourer aged 35 or 36, hailing from Punjab’s Tarn Taran.

The body was found hanging on a police barricade at the farmers’ protest site near Singhu border in the early hours of Friday, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Hansraj said.

The SKM has demanded that the culprits should be punished after lawful investigation into the allegation of murder and conspiracy behind the sacrilege and they will “cooperate with the police and administration in any lawful action.”

The group said that it is “against sacrilege of any religious text or symbol, but that does not give anyone the right to take the law into their own hands”.

“This peaceful and democratic movement is opposed to violence in any form,” the SKM said .

Earlier, on Friday morning, DSP Hansraj said, “At about 5 am today, Kundli police station received information about a body of a man hanged near a stage where the farmers have been protesting at the Singhu border.”

“A police inspector reached the site with a team and found that the man’s body only had his undergarment on and his hands and legs were chopped off. He was found hanging on a police barricade,” he added.

 

In Assam, Village Committees Lead The Way During Floods

 

Disaster management committees in Assam teach villagers how to build makeshift stretchers during a drill (Image: Tirtha Prasad Saikia, NEADS)

Over the past three decades, the severity of both droughts and floods has increased in the state of Assam. In this new normal, where flash floods are increasingly common, village disaster management committees are stepping up to save lives.

The village of Chomoni Chapori is one such place. Everybody recalls the birth of a child during a storm seven years ago. The surging waters of the Brahmaputra and its tributary Jhanji – located within a five-kilometre radius of the village – engulfed the mud houses along the village’s single road. By the time Aparajita Borah realised she was going into labour, it was 6 am. Rain pounded the windows of her house.

Her brother dialled 108 for an ambulance. It was three kilometres away, across the floodwaters. Bhupen Bora, the president of the Duryug Bebosthapana Samiti, the village disaster management committee, sent a boat right away with two to three volunteers. They made sure Aparajita arrived at the right location. “Thanks to him [Bhupen Bora], I got the boat. I gave birth around 8.00-8:15 a.m. on the boat itself,” she said.

New Climate-Induced Disasters

In August this year, a study conducted by professors at the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati on the impact of climate change on rainfall in the upper Brahmaputra valley of Assam was published. It found that the state has experienced longer duration of high-intensity rainfall or dry spells in recent years.

“The new pattern of rainfall leads to more incidences of soil erosion [and] landslides. [The] enormous volume of run-off leads to heavy deposition of debris and silt, causing flash floods. In the absence of proper documentation, it is difficult to get a quantitative idea of such incidents,” said Partha Jyoti Das, who heads the water, climate and hazard division of the Guwahati-based think-tank, Aaranyak.

With floods worsening in the state, village committees in Assam face a problem of a different scale. Last year, record-breaking rainfall brought a tributary of the Brahmaputra – the Jhanjhi – back to life, to the extent that it overflowed its banks, and a flash flood followed.

In unexpected situations like these, farmers like Anando Bora look to village committees to rescue them. Bora, who is in his 90s, and his family graze their buffaloes on lush islands spread across the Jhanjhi River. With the river washing away calves and decimating islands during floods, his livelihood suffers. His milk yield reduces from 10 litres to 2-3 litres a day, Bora said.

During the 2020 floods, Bora, his family and their animals were stranded on an island. “Six families were stuck among 300 to 400 buffaloes. They couldn’t leave their buffaloes. I had to send the boats [to] rescue [them],” Bhupen said.

Disaster Management Committees Keep Villagers Safe

The village committees are changing the social fabric of the region. Communities living in Chomoni Chapori and the surrounding villages in the catchment area of the Brahmaputra and its tributary Jhanji up to its confluence, used to be largely self-reliant. The slew of disasters is pushing cooperation, and creating leaders.

Every village has its own disaster committee comprising 15 to 17 members who have four main responsibilities. An early warning team provides information to the community prior to a disaster to prevent loss of life and property; a first aid team covers the administration of basic healthcare to those injured in accidents; a WASH team covers the sanitation, hygiene and water issues related to a disaster; and the search and rescue team looks for survivors.

These committees, organised with the support of local NGO North-East Affected Area Development Society (NEADS), act as emergency responders in 70 villages in the districts of Majuli, Jorhat and Golaghat in Assam.

“The frontline communities have a deeper understanding of the disasters they face. When equipped with adequate resources and capacity, they can save lives and create awareness without depending on the government,” said Tirtha Prasad Saikia, the joint director of NEADS.

Bora, who is also a farmer, is the president of Chomoni Chapori’s village disaster management committee. He is engaged in both early warnings and search and rescue operations. If the Brahmaputra level rises in nearby Dibrugarh – around 138 kilometres from Chomoni Chapori – the water takes at least 12 hours to reach his village in Jorhat district. Hence, it’s essential for Bhupen to follow flood updates closely and relay this information to his community, so they have time to prepare.

He is also responsible for the distribution of relief and humanitarian aid among villagers and submitting action plans proposed by NEADS to the panchayat (village council). In fact, he won the approval of the village council in installing flood-proof tubewells. The tubewells provided by the government were not working. “I raised the issue so that people can drink clean water. Now, there are 10 such tubewells for every ward [a smaller unit of villages] of the gram panchayat,” he said.

Women Make Up Half The Committee

In the aftermath of floods, when sanitation and hygiene facilities are hit hard, women are severely affected. “Toilets are not available during floods. I have to go to a distant chapori [island],” said Aparajita from Chomoni Chapori. To address these issues, the village committee ensures half of its members are women.

Nitumoni Doley, a villager in her mid-30s, is responsible for teaching women in Ouguri Mising village to disinfect water from tubewells during floods.

“I personally go to their homes and bleach the water from tubewells. I ask them to boil water before intake,” Doley said. She even keeps records of pregnant women who fail to keep up with routine checkups.

“I ensure no pregnant woman is late for her checkup, especially during heavy rainfall. I arrange for them to travel to the nearby PHC [primary health centre] by boat if required,” Doley said. For the past two years, she has managed to secure raised flood-proof toilets for women in her community. “The toilets are created on higher ground where the tanks are kept. A drain system is arranged between two tanks,” Nitumoni told The Third Pole.

Menstrual hygiene is often not considered a priority in emergency flood response. “Flood victims, especially women, are more concerned about saving their lives and resources. Their sanitation concerns and menstrual hygiene take a back seat, making them more vulnerable,” said Rituparana Patgiri, assistant professor at Delhi’s Indraprastha College for Women. But Doley has that ticked off her list of essential duties. Before and after floods, she distributes sanitary napkins for free to vulnerable women.

Drills, Training And A Bigger Role For Disaster Management Committees

This year, rainfall has been low rather than high; severe floods only arrived in late August. According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority, over 225,000 people from 15 districts in Assam have been affected.

Floods or no floods, disaster management committees in Assam make sure their message gets out. Through emergency drills, they keep communities on their toes. During the last drill in March, Bhupen Bora said, villagers in Chomoni Chapori were taught to quickly string together plastic bottles to make a lifejacket; build a makeshift stretcher from bamboo poles and bedsheets that can be hauled over floodwaters; and identify a snake bite before calling for emergency assistance.

The success of the village disaster management committees in Assam suggests they could do far more. “There is no other institution which can understand climate change better. But everyone bears them in mind only when floods occur,” said Eklavya Prasad, managing trustee at Megh Pyne Abhiyan, a public charitable trust working on water stress in eastern India.

“When the government talks about the impact of climate on floods, they should look towards non-structural measures like taking the insights of such communities in knowing the river and its tributaries.”

TheThirdPole

Climate Talks Must Deliver Finance That’s Fit For Future

 

Delegates during a plenary session of the UN Climate Change Conference COP20 in Lima, Peru in December 2014 (Image: Enrique Castro-Mendivil/Alamy)

The Paris Agreement works on a five-year cycle. Twice a decade, each country is expected to increase its ambition on national climate action through a formal submission, known as the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).

For the first time since signing the Paris Agreement in 2015, countries will be formally submitting their revised versions of “increased ambition”. For this reason alone, COP26 – the annual climate talks taking place in Glasgow next month – has taken the global centre stage.

Ambitious action, however, needs money. Finance then naturally becomes a critical discussion block at climate change negotiations. Over the past six years, not only the pandemic, but also a set of economic and political developments have taken place outside the UN negotiations that will influence climate finance discussions at COP26.

A Fragile Global Economy

Back in Paris, there was very little recognition of how fragile our financial system actually is. A global re-evaluation of the planet’s economic “resilience” only happened when we were hit by the pandemic, the most damaging financial crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

We witnessed how debt vulnerability, loss of revenue, contractions in GDP, and loss of foreign investments created monumental fiscal pressures in developing economies, reversing progress achieved over decades. The existing USD 100 billion commitment by rich countries as annual climate finance to developing countries paled in comparison with the USD 11 trillion that advanced economies injected into their own systems in response to the pandemic.

While the same countries talk about seizing the opportunity and suggest a “green recovery”, their own immediate interventions are far from green. In fact, the stimulus to date is set to have a net negative environmental impact in 16 of the G20 countries and economies.

The Way Forward

Nonetheless, since Paris a couple of good things have happened. These can potentially help to reduce the cost of ambitious actions.

First, a fundamental shift in technology has led to greater support for renewables across the entire energy sector. For example, under the right conditions, solar has become the cheapest electricity ever produced according to the International Energy Agency in its 2020 World Energy Outlook report. As a result, low-emission development pathways are now not as unachievable as they seemed five years ago.

However, access to clean energy has to be democratised. If developing economies are not able to access cheaper forms of energy on an immediate basis, developed countries’ ambitions to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 may not be realised.

Secondly, markets have clearly signalled they are ready to deliver a greener future, if politicians deliver on policy. 

The shipping industry, for example, in a letter in the Financial Times, has expressed its desire to support the 2050 target, provided governments come together with policy decisions allowing the development of green fuels or biofuels.

Businesses need structure, security and certainty. If governments and businesses can start trusting each other, solutions in addition to renewables can come much sooner than expected. Engagement of the private sector in developing countries will be a game changer.

Climate Finance And The COP26 Agenda

Let’s now zoom in on the finance negotiations that will take place at Glasgow under heightened public scrutiny. Negotiators will focus on two main streams.

First, they will think through the 2020-25 negotiation cycle and the delivery of the promised USD 100 billion annually to developing countries for this period. Back in 2009, developed countries committed to mobilising USD 100 billion a year by 2020. To follow up on the commitment, in 2011 a work programme on Long Term Finance (LTF) was established to guide the process. It was in Paris that countries decided to extend the goal to 2025.

In the absence of a clear definition of “climate finance”, the LTF has not had an easy ride. The USD 100 billion target remains elusive because we are not clear about what we are counting. Public or private sources; loans or grants? Without an established “counting methodology”, it is merely the rich nations’ word against the poor nations’ word.

For example, according to an OECD report published in 2020, the total amount of public climate finance mobilised in 2018 was USD 62.2 billion. Oxfam however estimates USD 19-22.5 billion.

In addition to the “counting” ambiguity which the LTF has not been able to address, COP26 faces another technical challenge: the very fate of the LTF itself, which was due to end in 2020. Over time, processes have been initiated under different streams. If the LTF is not properly unpacked and streamlined along with other processes, this may lead to unnecessary duplication of effort or may miss out some critical elements of climate negotiations.

The negotiators will have to be particularly careful in ensuring there are no loose ends, as we are already one year into the five-year window.

Secondly, at Paris countries agreed to set a new collective quantified goal after 2025 from a “floor” of USD 100 billion per year, considering the needs and priorities of developing countries.

COP26 will essentially have to start from scratch on this front. Learning from the shortcomings of setting the arbitrary goal of USD 100 billion in 2009, a substantial portion of deliberations on the post-2025 goal need to focus on content as well as process.

Negotiators need to discuss scale. Should any new target grow incrementally year by year, or should there be another five-year cycle? When it comes to breaking down general targets into more specific actions, how should these sub-targets be identified in terms of mitigation and adaptation, public and private, grant and loan? Is there an enabling environment for new financial flows consistent with low emissions and climate-resilient development?

The process will also have to be determined: where and how should the technical deliberations take place? At what point should political leaders be engaged?

In a post-pandemic world, the success of Glasgow’s climate talks should not be determined only by closing the unfinished technical business to implement the Paris Agreement. Nor by pushing all countries to commit to the ambitious race to net carbon neutrality that they may not be able to deliver.

The real success of COP26 hinges upon developed countries genuinely addressing the very obvious money problem. Showing mere willingness to support developing countries will not save the world.

by The Third Pole

Kim Vows To Build 'Invincible' Military While Slamming US

 

Kim also used his speech to stress that his military might isn't targeted at South Korea and that there shouldn't be another war pitting Korean people against each other

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reviewed powerful missiles developed to launch nuclear strikes on the US mainland, as he vowed to build an “invincible” military to cope with what he called persistent U.S. hostility, state media reported on Tuesday.

In an apparent continued effort to drive a wedge between Washington and Seoul, Kim also used his speech at a rare exhibition of weapons systems on Monday to stress that his military might isn't targeted at South Korea and that there shouldn't be another war pitting Korean people against each other.

“The US has frequently signaled it's not hostile to our state, but there is no action-based evidence to make us believe that they are not hostile,” Kim said on Monday, according to the official Korean Central News Agency. “The US is continuing to create tensions in the region with its wrong judgments and actions.”

Calling the United States a “source” of instability on the Korean Peninsula, Kim said his country's most important objective is possessing an “invincible military capability” that no one can dare challenge.

The exhibition, which KCNA says was meant to mark the 76th birthday of the ruling Workers' Party on Sunday, was the first of its kind since Kim took power in late 2011, according to Seoul officials. North Korean photos showed Kim, clad in a dark suit, walking on a red carpet lined with big missiles mounted on trucks, passing by a multiple rocket launch system and watching jets flying in a formation.

The exhibition featured an array of newly developed weapons, including intercontinental ballistic missiles North Korea has already test-launched or displayed during military parades in recent years, experts say.

Yang Wook, a military expert who teaches at South Korea's Hannam University, said the weapons in the photos include what appears to be a new ICBM that North Korea disclosed during a military parade last year but hasn't test-fired, Yang said. That missile mounted on an 11-axel launch vehicle during the parade is considered to be the North's biggest-yet ICBM.

Other weapons on display were another ICBM that North Korea tested in 2017; ballistic missiles that can be fired from submarines or a train; solid-fueled, short-range missiles; and a developmental hypersonic missile that had its first test-flight last month, said Lee Choon Geun, a missile expert at South Korea's Science and Technology Policy Institute.

“Basically, North Korea wants to send this message: We'll continue to develop new weapons and arm ourselves with nuclear force, so don't slap sanctions with these as we can't agree on the double standards,” Yang said.

Seoul's Defense Ministry said South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities were analyzing the North Korean weapons displayed but didn't elaborate.

In recent weeks, North Korea has sent mixed signals toward its rivals, as it resumed its missile tests after a six-month hiatus but offered conditional talks with South Korea.

During his exhibition speech, Kim accused South Korea of hypocrisy because it criticizes North Korea's weapons development as provocations while spending heavily to increase its own military capabilities. But he still said his military doesn't target South Korea.

“I say once again that South Korea isn't the one that our military forces have to fight against,” Kim said. “Surely, we aren't strengthening our defense capability because of South Korea. We shouldn't repeat a horrible history of compatriots using force against each other.”

Some experts say North Korea is attempting to use South Korea's desire to improve ties to pressure it to convince the United States to relax punishing economic sanctions on the North and make other concessions.

North Korea has long sought improved ties with the United States because it wants sanctions relief and a better security environment to focus on reviving its moribund economy. The high-stakes diplomacy between the countries fell apart in early 2019 after the Americans rejected North Korea's calls for extensive sanctions relief in return for partial disarmament steps.

The United States has recently repeatedly offered talks with North Korea “anywhere and at any time” without preconditions. Kim has called such an offer a “cunning” attempt to conceal U.S. hostility against North Korea, as he wants Washington to ease the sanctions or suspend its regular military drills with Seoul first before the talks can resume.

Despite its recent missile tests, Kim still maintains a 2018 self-imposed moratorium on long-range missile tests directly targeting the American homeland, a sign that he still wants to keep alive chances for future talks with Washington.

In 2017, North Korea conducted three ICBM tests and claimed to have acquired an ability to attack the US mainland with nuclear missiles. Lee, the expert, questioned the North's claim, saying it needs to conduct several more flight-tests to prove it has overcome the last remaining technological hurdles such as one on protecting a warhead from the extreme heat and pressure after re-entering the Earth's atmosphere. 

US: Indigenous People's Day Marked With Celebrations And Protests

 

Indigenous People of America protesting in front of the White House against fossil fuel pipelines (Twitter - Indigenous Environmental Network)

Indigenous people across the United States marked Monday with celebrations of their heritage, education campaigns and a push for the Biden administration to make good on its word.

The federal holiday created decades ago to recognise Christopher Columbus' sighting in 1492 of what came to be known as the Americas increasingly has been rebranded as Indigenous People's Day.

For Michaela Pavlat, cultural interpreter at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, the day is one of celebration, reflection and recognition that Indigenous communities are fighting for land rights, for the U.S. government to uphold treaties, and for visibility and understanding.

“As long as you're on Native land and stolen land, it's Indigenous People's Day,” said Pavlat, who is Sault Ste. Marie Band of Chippewa Indians (Anishinaabe). “We have a lot of movement and a lot of issues we're facing in our communities, and you can have that conversation every day.”

EVENTS THIS YEAR

More than a dozen protesters linked arms and sat along the White House fence line on Monday to call on the Biden administration to do more to combat climate change and ban fossil fuels. Others cheered and chanted in support from across the street as police blocked off the area with yellow tape and arrested the seated protesters.

The Andrew Jackson statue at the center of Lafayette Park was defaced with the words “Expect Us” — part of a rallying cry used by Indigenous people who have been fighting against fossil fuel pipelines. Jackson, a slave-owning president, forced Cherokees and many other Native Americans on deadly marches out of their southern homelands.

“Indigenous people have been on the front lines of protecting the land, the people, and it's time for the government and these huge systems to do more,” said Angel Charley, of Laguna Pueblo in New Mexico, who was among the protesters.

Indigenous groups also planned protests in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, New Mexico.

At the Boston Marathon, race organizers honored 1936 and '39 winner Ellison “Tarzan” Brown and three-time runner-up Patti Catalano Dillon, a member of the Mi'kmaq tribe. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, a member of Laguna Pueblo, said she ran for missing and slain Indigenous people and their families, the victims of the boarding school era and the "promise that our voices are being heard and will have a part in an equitable and just future in this new era."

Others gathered for prayers, dances and other commemorations in cities across the U.S.

On social media, people posted educational resources that included maps of Indigenous land, ways to support Indigenous communities, and recommendations for television shows and films that prominently feature Indigenous people, like “Reservation Dogs.”

WHAT'S NEW?

President Joe Biden last week issued the first presidential proclamation of Indigenous People's Day, the most significant boost yet to efforts to refocus Columbus Day in recognition of the Italian explorer's brutal treatment of people who already occupied what came to be known as the Americas.

About 20 states observe Indigenous People's Day by law, through proclamation or other action, along with cities and universities across the country.

Oregon recognized Indigenous People's Day on Monday, months after its Legislature overwhelmingly approved a bill in support of the change from Columbus Day.

In Wisconsin, Gov. Tony Evers joined the leaders from tribes in the state and issued a formal apology for Wisconsin's role in Native American boarding schools era.

NOT JUST A CELEBRATION

The Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian on Monday hosted a virtual conversation about mixed Black and Indigenous identity and how the struggles of one side sometimes get overshadowed by the other.

Joy SpearChief-Morris pointed to the Civil Rights movement and the Red Power movement, which included the Native American occupation of Alcatraz Island off the coast of San Francisco more than 50 years ago.

“Both groups supported each other, but we don't really talk about the Red Power movement,” said SpearChief-Morris, who is African American and Kainai Nation (Blood Tribe) from Canada.

The panelists noted that Afro-Indigenous identity goes back generations.

“Everything that we do is to bring about Black liberation and Indigenous sovereignty on this land and to dismantle white supremacy and settler colonialism,” said Amber Starks, who is African American and a citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. “And I'd like to add racial capitalism”

Kyle Mays, an assistant professor at the University of California-Los Angeles who is Black and Saginaw Anishinaabe, acknowledged the work isn't easy.

While Indigenous People's Day is “cool," he said, “I don't want a day for celebration. I want justice." (AP)

 

Priyanka Leads Silent Protest To Demand Removal Of Union Minister

 

Congress leaders led by party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra staged a silent protest in Lucknow on Monday demanding the dismissal of Union Minister Ajay Mishra in connection with the Lakhimpur Kheri violence.

The minister's son Ashish was arrested on Saturday by the Uttar Pradesh Police in connection with the October 3 violence in which eight people, including four farmers, were killed.

He was produced before a court late on Saturday night, which sent him to 14-day judicial custody.

Congress members sat on a ''maun vrat'' in front of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi, demanding the dismissal of the Union minister, a party spokesperson said.

Congress workers and leaders, including state president Ajay Kumar Lallu, Legislature Party leader Aradhana Mishra, leader in the Legislative Council Dipak Singh, among others, converged at the GPO Park in Lucknow and were later were joined by Priyanka Gandhi, the spokesperson said.

The party has demanded dismissal of the minister for ensuring a free and fair investigation in the case.

Addressing a rally in Varanasi on Sunday, Priyanka Gandhi had said, "Congress workers do not fear anyone even if you put them in jails or beat them up. We will continue to fight till the Union minister resigns. Our party has fought for the country's Independence. No one can silence us."

UP minister Siddharth Nath Singh, however, said the law will take its own course and will not be influenced by any kind of pressure.

Singh said if the Congress leaders want to sit on a ''maun vrat'' or hold protests, it is their democratic right.

In an apparent jibe at Manmohan Singh, the UP government spokesperson said a prime minister had been on ''maun vrat'' for 10 years.

"Why were protests not held in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh where atrocities were allegedly being committed against Dalits and farmers?" asked Singh.

US Condemns Suicide Attack On Afghan Mosque

 

People view the damage inside a mosque following a bombing in Kunduz, Afghanistan on Friday, October 08, 2021 (AP)

The US has condemned in the strongest terms the suicide attack on worshippers at a mosque in Afghanistan in which at least 46 people were killed, saying the Afghan people deserve a "future free of terror".

The Islamic State terror group has claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing that tore through the packed Shiite Mosque in the northern Afghanistan city of Kunduz.

At least 46 people were killed and dozens of others injured in the attack which was the latest in a series of Islamic State bombings targeting Afghanistan's new Taliban rulers, religious institutions and members of the country's minority Shiite Muslims.

In a statement on Friday, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said that the US condemns in the strongest terms the Friday's attack on worshippers at a mosque in northern Afghanistan.

"We offer our deepest condolences to the victims and their families. The Afghan people deserve a future free of terror," Price said.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at her daily news conference: "Obviously, any loss is an enormous tragedy, and our heart goes out to the families who lost loved ones."

"We, of course, will continue to work in partnership with leaders in the region to work to get partners who stood by our side out of Afghanistan, who want to depart. That's something that there's ongoing work on, as we speak," Psaki added.

The Islamic State's Afghanistan affiliate, dubbed Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K), which has stepped up attacks in several Afghan cities since the Taliban seized power in Kabul on August 15, had claimed the deadly suicide attack at Kabul airport on August 26 that killed nearly 170 Afghans and 13 US military personnel.