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NATO evacuates its staff from Ukraine’s capital citing security concerns

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Western armed alliance moves its personnel from Kiev to Lviv, city on Polish border and some to Belgium’s capital Brussels where NATO’s headquarter’s is located.

NATO is relocating staff from Ukraine’s capital Kiev to Lviv, in the west of the country, and to the Belgian capital Brussels for their safety, an alliance official has said.

“The safety of our personnel is paramount, so staff have been relocated to Lviv and Brussels. The NATO offices in Ukraine remain operational,” the official told AFP on Saturday, without giving numbers.

Several Western countries have already moved diplomats from Kiev to Lviv, located near the border with Poland, in anticipation of Russian military action.

Brussels hosts NATO’s headquarters.

“Every indication indicates that Russia is planning a full-fledged attack against Ukraine,” NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Saturday.

“We all agree that the risk of an attack is very high,” he told German broadcaster ARD on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

The United States leads the NATO, and US President Joe Biden on Friday said he was “convinced” Russia was going to invade Ukraine within the week, and have its forces target Kyiv.

READ MORE: Ukraine leader Zelenskyy to Russia’s Putin: ‘Let’s meet’

Germany: The threat is real

Germany’s foreign minister warned on Saturday against trying to guess or assume Russia’s decisions on Ukraine, toning down the rhetoric after Washington’s fierce warnings of an imminent invasion.

“We do not know yet if an attack has been decided on,” Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, adding that the “threat against Ukraine is very real”.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, attending the same conference, also pushed back against Washington’s dire predictions.

“We do not think that we need to panic,” Zelensky told an audience of top-level officials and security experts from around the world.

READ MORE: Russia test-fires hypersonic missiles as tensions soar over Ukraine

Ceasefire violations

Almost 2,000 ceasefire violations were registered in eastern Ukraine by monitors for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe on Saturday, a diplomatic source told Reuters on Sunday.

The Ukrainian government and separatist forces have been fighting in eastern Ukraine since 2014.

An upsurge in shelling has thrust the region to the centre of tensions between Moscow and the West over a Russian military buildup near Ukraine.

A map breaking down the breaches showed the heaviest fighting now in the northwestern section of the Luhansk region, about 20 kilometres (12 miles) southeast of the government-held city of Severodonetsk.

The shelling in the eight-year conflict spiked sharply this week, as fears mount that Russia is paving the way for an invasion of Ukraine designed to reverse its pro-Western course.

Ukraine’s Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskiy experienced the clashes first-hand on Saturday, ducking for cover as mortar shells fell within a few hundred metres of him while he toured the frontline with reporters.

READ MORE: Harris: Russia to face unprecedented sanctions if it invades Ukraine

Source: TRTWorld

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Can America still be called the land of the free?

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“From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

This powerful slogan which captures the aspiration for the freedom of Palestine extending from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, is resonating with student protesters across the US who are urging for an end to the violence in Gaza.

Despite months of peaceful protests, the US government persists in its military, political and financial support for Israel to continue the conflict. Recently, a bipartisan majority passed a $95 billion military aid package, including $15 billion in Israeli military aid.

In growing discontent over the US government’s policies on the conflict, university students across the country have turned to the legacy of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement and set up encampments, demanding university divestment from companies tied to the Israeli government. However, their nonviolent protests have been met with a heavy-handed response. Police forces have conducted campus raids in New York City and elsewhere, arresting students, faculty members and journalists.

On April 30, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) locked up over 100 protesters at Columbia University, the epicenter of the demonstrations, after House Speaker Mike Johnson paid a visit and was greeted with a chorus of “free Palestine”. With the raid, the number of individuals police had taken away from American campuses since mid-April reached more than 2,400.

Johnson called the students “lawless agitators” and threatened to call in the National Guard during his visit. He was not at all helpful in cooling down the tension, and the White House’s condemnation of the protests as “antisemitic” only exacerbated the situation. In a rare show of unity, both US lawmakers and the executive branch want to silence the protesting students—possible reasons are intriguing.

But the students are only making justified appeals: safeguarding the human rights of the Palestinians in Gaza and opposing US complicity in human rights abuses. They refuse to accept the standard official lines that the US was only assisting Israel in its legitimate right to self-defense.

The images of encircled hospitals, ruined homes, as well as the helpless faces of children, women and the elderly who have been wounded or displaced do not lie. They are proof of how the US “military assistance” is helping Israel with its cruelty against the innocent and the vulnerable. The young people back in the US have the right to challenge the disgraceful behavior of their own government.

The US government’s stance in the ongoing conflict in Gaza has been questionable from the very beginning. On top of the continued military aid, it has been vetoing UN resolutions for a cease-fire and Palestine’s full membership, keeping the green light on for Israeli offensives that violate international law and, more deplorably, challenge human conscience. The Congress even passed the Antisemitism Awareness Act, which adopted a broad definition of antisemitism and could be used as an easy excuse to suppress criticism and the rights of Americans.

Just like decades ago when young Americans stood up against the Vietnam War, students today are challenging US policies that contradict American values and perpetuate injustices. Standing united, their voice is getting louder as they call on the US government to align its actions with its democratic and human rights ideals. Their appeal shows the struggle for justice is not confined to Gaza.

But what’s different now is that the US is becoming much less tolerant of criticism and opposition. As things stand, a peaceful expression of disagreement may result in days of custody. Unarmed students can become targets of police officers armed to the teeth, and any critic of government policies can be labeled antisemitic.

What is the US, and its politicians, afraid of? Do they fear that the closer the public gets to the truth, the more difficult it will be for the US to sugarcoat its real intentions? The path from Columbia University to NYPD custody poses a critical question: can America claim to be the land of the free when it suppresses voices for human rights?

The protests in Columbia University and beyond are about justice, an ideal held dearly by all Americans. If American policymakers persist in their indifference and turn a deaf ear to the concerns of their constituents, the nation will lose its credibility as a purported champion of justice and freedom in the eyes of its own people and all those around the world.

The author is a commentator on international affairs, writing regularly for Xinhua News, CGTN, Global Times, China Daily etc. He can be reached at xinping604@gmail.com.

Source(s): Global Times

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India denies claims by Maldivian government on unpermitted operation

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India has denied the claims made by Maldivian Defense Minister Ghassan Maumoon last week, alleging Indian military pilots had carried out an operation in the Maldives without the necessary permits.

The High Commission of India in the Maldives released a statement on Tuesday, stating that Indian aviation platforms in the Maldives have always operated as per the agreed procedures and with due authorization.

On the contrary, while speaking at a press conference on Saturday, Minister Ghassan said he had knowledge of one of the aviation platforms undertaking an unpermitted trip. He went onto detail an incident where one of the Indian-operated helicopters landed in Th. Thimaraushi, allegedly without permission – a case which he said was reviewed by the Parliament’s Committee on National Security Services (241 Committee), when he had been a lawmaker.

Referencing the remarks by the Minister, the High Commission said the particular incident which saw an emergency landing at Thimarafushi on October 9th, 2019, was “necessitated due to an unforeseen exigency”.

They added that the landing was carried out after taking necessary on-ground approvals from Air Traffic Control (ATC) to ensure the safety and security of the platform and crew.

Source(s): sun.mv

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Maldives calls for strong measures to maintain tuna stocks at IOTC

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The Maldives has called for strong measures to sustain tuna stocks at the 28th session of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC).

A high-level delegation from the Ministry of Fisheries and Ocean Resources is attending the five-day session in Bangkok, Thailand. It will address various issues related to the sustainability of tuna stocks in the Indian Ocean.

The Maldives is advocating for member states to prioritise the sustainability of tuna stocks, focusing on the adoption of strong management measures for drifting Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) and shark conservation. Additionally, the Maldives will push for the implementation of a management procedure for skipjack tuna.

During the session, the Maldives emphasised the need for science-based management plans to protect against threats to fisheries and to enhance the restoration and management of tuna stocks. The Maldives also aims for the IOTC to lead Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) in adopting science-based conservation and management measures, reflecting the nation’s dedication to the well-being of coastal communities and the health of tuna stocks.

The IOTC is an intergovernmental organisation responsible for managing tuna and tuna-like species in the Indian Ocean.

Source(s): PsmNews

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