United Ireland conference being held in Dublin

By Darran Marshall
BBC News NI Political Correspondent

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IMAGE SOURCE,BBC SPORT

Image caption,

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar will give a keynote address on Saturday while the leaders of Sinn Féin and the SDLP are also due to attend

Thousands of people are due to attend a conference in Dublin on Saturday to discuss planning for a united Ireland.

The event, to be held at the 3Arena, will hear from a range of politicians, members of civic society and business representatives.

Organisers say the conference is the "most significant and important" event to discuss a united Ireland.

Ireland's Future was formed to "advocate for, and promote, debate and discussion" about Ireland's future.

It has held a number of events since it was formed in 2019, including its first event at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast.

The leaders of Sinn Féin and the SDLP will be joined by senior figures from all of the main political parties in the Republic of Ireland.

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, who is due to become taoiseach in December, will give a keynote address.

• Prospect of united Ireland 'now not as remote'
• Border poll not appropriate at this time - Varadkar
• Labour says it would set out border poll criteria

Irish Times journalist Justine McCarthy says the attendance of so many political big hitters gives the event "a stamp of plausibility and heralds a new chapter in what some see as the pre-poll climate".

"This certainly suggests there is an acceptance among many politicians who will be in power in the future that a border poll is inevitable," she said.

Image caption,

Andree Murphy, one of the organisers of the event, says it is unprecedented

A number of people from non-political backgrounds are due to attend the event, including actors Jimmy Nesbitt and Colm Meaney.

"For the first time we're seeing voices that we haven't really heard before in the constitutional debate," says Andree Murphy, one of the event organisers.

"People who are involved in different aspects of society, engaged in this conversation in a very different way to anything that's happened before. It's unprecedented, really."

The Alliance Party in Northern Ireland is the only non-unionist party on the island that will not be represented.

The party declined an invite, saying it did not feel it was appropriate for it to attend what it called, a "rally for a united Ireland".

Border poll

Under the Good Friday Agreement, the power to hold a border poll rests solely with the Northern Ireland secretary.

He is legally bound to call one if "it appears likely" that a majority of people in Northern Ireland wish to leave the UK and join a united Ireland.

This week the Northern Ireland Office said there was no clear basis to suggest a majority of people in Northern Ireland wish to separate from the United Kingdom.

• What is the Good Friday Agreement?

Fianna Fail's Jim O'Callaghan is due to speak at the event.

"It's perfectly acceptable to seek to have, as a political objective, the reunification of both jurisdictions on the island," he said.

"There has to be an appreciation that this is a political issue, and like all political issues it should be discussed and decided through debate and ultimately a vote.

"It's very important we are respectful when we are discussing the issue."

Image caption,

Prof Pete Shirlow says he believes the event is a "bit of proclamation"

Organisers say they have sold thousands of tickets for the event but are not in a position to give an exact number.

There has been criticism that the event will be only be addressed and attended by nationalist politicians.

"I don't think the event is actually about a conversation. I think the event is a bit of proclamation," says Prof Pete Shirlow, from the University of Liverpool.

Former Irish Labour Party senator Máiría Cahill says discussions about unity risk alienating unionists.

"The danger around things like this is there seems to be a hardening or a toxicity around this conversation, that unity is inevitable, that unionists are going to have to get used to it," she says.

Image caption,

Máiría Cahill says mistakes of the past should not be repeated

"That they will be effectively shoehorned into a country that they don't want to be in.

"We have to be very careful not to repeat the mistakes of the past."

Ms Cahill has questions about the group's funding and revenue.

"I would like the group to be fully transparent around who its donors are, if there is a particular funding stream coming from Irish America, and whether that money then has an influence as to what type of events that people are able to put on," she says.

Ireland's Future says it received no public funding and no political party funds the organisation that relies on patrons and donors.

"Ireland's Future is a totally open and transparent organisation and observes best practice in relation to financial matters and adheres to all regulatory norms," says the organisation.

THAT DIDN'T TAKE LONG

Voices: The bizarre Hurricane Ian conspiracy theories that we should’ve seen coming

Ahmed Baba
Fri, September 30, 2022 

Jordan Reidy carries his dog back to his apartment in Fort Myers, Florida on Friday, amid flooded streets (Getty Images)

More than 2 million people are without power after 155 mph winds and rain decimated large swaths of Florida during Hurricane Ian. We’ve seen floodwaters sweep cars, houses, and people away. And Americans have been united in our support and well wishes for the people of Florida. President Biden and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) have once again put their differences aside to coordinate their disaster relief responses. DeSantis even thanked Biden on Fox News for immediately approving Florida’s requests for funds and support. But not everyone has been so gracious.

As the death toll mounts, we’re just now beginning to grasp the full devastation caused by one of the most powerful storms to make landfall in US history. But in the aftermath of Ian’s destruction, conspiracy theories have swirled like the hurricane’s winds. Some are downplaying the severity of the hurricane-turned-tropical storm, claiming it’s simply a tool to push the “climate change narrative”, or outright claiming the hurricane was artificially created. Yes, we’re now at the point of American insanity where “fake hurricanes” is a conspiracy theory that exists.

The conspiracy theories began with a Twitter video that depicted a CNN reporter struggling in the storm while someone in the background appeared to walk more calmly to their car. It’s been viewed over 1.2 million times and conspiracy theorists have exploited it to support their wild and asinine narratives.

Former American Idol contestant Jimmy Levy posted a now-deleted Instagram reel to his 707,000 followers using that viral Twitter video. The caption suggested the reporter was an actor and that “we are in the Truman Show.” Levy claimed that “They make the wars. They make the storms... They run the Matrix.”

After he deleted that reel, he posted a series of posts that read “shame on those who manipulate the weather” and “Now they’re gonna start saying it’s all climate change, but this isn’t that. It is only weather... Lockdowns next.” In the worst post, Levy wrote, “I’m absolutely sick to my stomach watching the footage of Florida and knowing the truth that these evil people are behind it and the masses have no clue.” If you’re in the mood for a headache, go read the Instagram comments replying to those posts in absurd agreement. This same absolute lie of “weather control” was shared by another Instagram user, which Politifact swiftly debunked.

Fortunately, these conspiracy theories haven’t made it fully into mainstream culture just yet, but we’ve seen them teased by prominent right-wing figures. Earlier this week, Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson called hurricanes a “scam,” essentially arguing that the media hypes up the severity of hurricanes and tropical storms. When he was alive, Rush Limbaugh also claimed “the left” exploited hurricanes to push a climate change agenda. And how can we forget President Trump reportedly speculating about whether China was shooting America with a “hurricane gun”?

The truth is, Hurricane Ian was very real. And so was Hurricane Fiona, which devastated Puerto Rico earlier this month. Not only are these massive weather events real, but they are being made more severe by climate change, according to multiple studies. While some could argue that it’s irresponsible for news organizations to send reporters into dangerous storms — a sentiment I agree with — it is incredibly irresponsible to downplay these storms or falsely claim that they are somehow being manipulated for media or liberal gain.

Hurricane conspiracy theories are among the most uniquely depraved breeds of disinformation imaginable. They’re in the same tier as Covid conspiracy theories, which we saw take over the right-wing ecosystem during the most crucial phase of the pandemic. We’re still grappling with the fallout from those lies. This form of disinformation toys with people’s lives. I don’t doubt that many people who tout them believe these theories in good faith, but it’s sad to see how they can be led so far astray by a post-Trumpian political environment that taught them to doubt the hand in front of their face.

NBC News reporter Ben Collins’ tweet said it all: “This is the inevitable endpoint of an entire political party saying everything the news says is ‘fake’ — large swaths of the country disbelieving evacuation orders, or downplaying the extreme weather that they can see with their very eyes.”

How can we expect Americans to make informed decisions with so much disinformation consistently going viral? America’s conspiracy theory culture is corrupting our collective consciousness. We can’t even navigate natural disasters anymore without conspiracists trying to stir up nonsense. As long as influential voices continue giving life to dangerous disinformation, we will continue to see real lives impacted by fake narratives.

What media didn't tell you about the UN: 

66 nations called for an end to Ukraine war

Medea Benjamin & Nicolas J.S. Davies -
CODE PINK

Salon 30/09/2022

Congolese Foreign Minister Jean-Claude Gakosso addresses the 77th session of the UN General Assembly on Sept. 26, 2022. YUKI IWAMURA/AFP via Getty Images

We have spent the past week reading and listening to speeches by world leaders at the UN General Assembly in New York. Most of them condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a violation of the UN Charter and a serious setback for the peaceful world order that is the UN's founding and defining principle.

But what has not been reported in the United States is that leaders from 66 countries, mainly from the global South, also used their General Assembly speeches to call urgently for diplomacy to end the war in Ukraine through peaceful negotiations, as the UN Charter requires. We have compiled excerpts from the speeches of all 66 countries to show the breadth and depth of their appeals, and we highlight a few of them here.

Related
War in Ukraine rages on, with no end in sight — peace talks are essential

African leaders echoed one of the first speakers, Macky Sall, the president of Senegal, who also spoke in his capacity as the current chairman of the African Union when he said, "We call for de-escalation and a cessation of hostilities in Ukraine, as well as for a negotiated solution, to avoid the catastrophic risk of a potentially global conflict."

The 66 nations that called for peace in Ukraine make up more than a third of the countries in the world, and they represent most of the Earth's population, including India, China, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Brazil and Mexico.

While NATO and EU countries have rejected peace negotiations, and U.S. and British leaders have actively undermined them, five European countries — Hungary, Malta, Portugal, San Marino and the Vatican — joined the calls for peace at the General Assembly.

The peace caucus also includes many of the small countries that have the most to lose from the failure of the UN system revealed by recent wars in Ukraine and the greater Middle East, and who have the most to gain by strengthening the UN and enforcing the UN Charter to protect the weak and restrain the powerful.

Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course.

Philip Pierre, the prime minister of Saint Lucia, a small island state in the Caribbean, told the General Assembly:

Articles 2 and 33 of the UN Charter are unambiguous in binding Member States to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state and to negotiate and settle all international disputes by peaceful means.… We therefore call upon all parties involved to immediately end the conflict in Ukraine, by undertaking immediate negotiations to permanently settle all disputes in accordance with the principles of the United Nations.

Related video: 'Who Lost Russia?' Tracing the breakdown in relations between Moscow and the Wes
Duration 7:17  View on Watch

"As countries in the global South, we see double standards. Our public opinion does not see the Ukraine war the same way it is seen in the North."

Global South leaders lamented the breakdown of the UN system, not just in the war in Ukraine but throughout decades of war and economic coercion by the United States and its allies. President José Ramos-Horta of East Timor directly challenged the West's double standards, telling Western countries:

They should pause for a moment to reflect on the glaring contrast in their response to the wars elsewhere where women and children have died by the thousands from wars and starvation. The response to our beloved Secretary-General's cries for help in these situations have not met with equal compassion. As countries in the Global South, we see double standards. Our public opinion does not see the Ukraine war the same way it is seen in the North.

Many leaders called urgently for an end to the war in Ukraine before it escalates into a nuclear war that would kill billions of people and end human civilization as we know it. The Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, warned:

...the war in Ukraine not only undermines the nuclear non-proliferation regime, but also presents us with the danger of nuclear devastation, either through escalation or accident. … To avoid a nuclear disaster, it is vital that there be serious engagement to find a peaceful outcome to the conflict.

Others described the economic impacts already depriving their people of food and basic necessities, and called on all sides, including Ukraine's Western backers, to return to the negotiating table before the war's impacts escalate into multiple humanitarian disasters across the Global South. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh told the Assembly:

We want the end of the Russia-Ukraine war. Due to sanctions and counter-sanctions, … the entire mankind, including women and children, is punished. Its impact does not remain confined to one country, rather it puts the lives and livelihoods of the people of all nations in greater risk, and infringes their human rights. People are deprived of food, shelter, health care and education. Children suffer the most in particular. Their future sinks into darkness.

My urge to the conscience of the world — stop the arms race, stop the war and sanctions. Ensure food, education, health care and security of the children. Establish peace.

Turkey, Mexico and Thailand each offered their own approaches to restarting peace negotiations, while Sheikh Al Thani, the emir of Qatar, succinctly explained that delaying negotiations will only bring more death and suffering:

We are fully aware of the complexities of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and the international and global dimension to this crisis. However, we still call for an immediate ceasefire and a peaceful settlement, because this is ultimately what will happen regardless of how long this conflict will go on for. Perpetuating the crisis will not change this result. It will only increase the number of casualties, and it will increase the disastrous repercussions on Europe, Russia and the global economy.

Responding to Western pressure on the Global South to actively support Ukraine's war effort, India's foreign minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, claimed the moral high ground and championed diplomacy:

As the Ukraine conflict continues to rage, we are often asked whose side we are on. And our answer, each time, is straight and honest. India is on the side of peace and will remain firmly there. We are on the side that respects the UN Charter and its founding principles. We are on the side that calls for dialogue and diplomacy as the only way out. We are on the side of those struggling to make ends meet, even as they stare at escalating costs of food, fuel and fertilizers.

It is therefore in our collective interest to work constructively, both within the United Nations and outside, in finding an early resolution to this conflict.

"We are often asked whose side we are on. ... India is on the side of peace and will remain firmly there. ... We are on the side that calls for dialogue and diplomacy as the only way out."

One of the most passionate and eloquent speeches was delivered by Congolese Foreign Minister Jean-Claude Gakosso, who summarized the thoughts of many, and appealed directly to Russia and Ukraine — in Russian!

Because of the considerable risk of a nuclear disaster for the entire planet, not only those involved in this conflict but also those foreign powers who could influence events by calming them down, should all temper their zeal. They must stop fanning the flames and they must turn their backs on this type of vanity of the powerful which has so far closed the door to dialogue.

Under the auspices of the United Nations, we must all commit without delay to peace negotiations — just, sincere and equitable negotiations. After Waterloo, we know that since the Vienna Congress, all wars finish around the table of negotiation.

The world urgently needs these negotiations to prevent the current confrontations — which are already so devastating — to prevent them from going even further and pushing humanity into what could be an irredeemable cataclysm, a widespread nuclear war beyond the control of the great powers themselves — the war, about which Einstein, the great atomic theorist, said that it would be the last battle that humans would fight on Earth.

Nelson Mandela, a man of eternal forgiveness, said that peace is a long road, but it has no alternative, it has no price. In reality, the Russians and Ukrainians have no other choice but to take this path, the path of peace.

Moreover, we too should go with them, because we must throughout the world be legions working together in solidarity, and we must be able to impose the unconditional option of peace on the war lobbies.

[Next three paragraphs in Russian:] Now I wish to be direct, and directly address my dear Russian and Ukrainian friends.

Too much blood has been spilled — the sacred blood of your sweet children. It's time to stop this mass destruction. It's time to stop this war. The entire world is watching you. It's time to fight for life, the same way that you courageously and selflessly fought together against the Nazis during World War II, in particular in Leningrad, Stalingrad, Kursk and Berlin.

Think about the youth of your two countries. Think about the fate of your future generations. The time has come to fight for peace, to fight for them. Please give peace a real chance, today, before it is too late for us all. I humbly ask this of you.

At the end of the debate on Sept. 26, Csaba Kőrösi, president of the General Assembly, acknowledged in his closing statement that ending the war in Ukraine was one of the main messages "reverberating through the hall" at this year's General Assembly. You can read his closing statement here, and all the calls for peace he was referring to.

Read more
from the authors on the Ukraine war
NATO and the Ukraine war: It took 30 years for Russia and the West to create this disaster
Will Russia's war crimes in Ukraine convince the U.S. to consider its recent past?
Are there really neo-Nazis fighting for Ukraine? Well, yes — but it's a long story

Russia vetoes UN resolution on proclaimed annexations, China abstains


Fri, September 30, 2022 
By Simon Lewis and Timothy Gardner

WASHINGTON, Sept 30 (Reuters) - Russia on Friday vetoed a UN Security Council resolution introduced by the United States and Albania condemning Moscow's proclaimed annexation of parts of Ukraine, with Russia's strategic partner China abstaining from the vote.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin proclaimed Russian rule over four regions that make up 15% of Ukraine's territory - the biggest annexation in Europe since World War Two. The move has been firmly rejected by Western countries and even many of Russia's close allies.

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield introduced the resolution that called on member states not to recognize any altered status of Ukraine and obliged Russia to withdraw its troops.

She argued in the council's chamber that the attempted annexation of a sovereign nation's territory went against the founding principles of the United Nations, and said Putin was celebrating "this clear violation of international law" with a concert held after he proclaimed the annexations on Friday.

Ten nations voted in favor, while China, Gabon, India and Brazil abstained.

"Not a single country voted with Russia. Not one," Thomas-Greenfield told reporters after the meeting, adding that the abstentions "clearly were not a defense of Russia."

Washington would turn to the 193-member U.N. General Assembly to condemn Russia's actions, she said.

"In the General Assembly, the nations of the world will say loud and clear: It is illegal, and simply unacceptable, to attempt to redraw another country’s borders through force," Thomas-Greenfield said.

ANNEXATIONS 'A FANTASY'

Russia has been trying to chip away at its international isolation after nearly three-quarters of the General Assembly voted to reprimand Moscow and demand it withdraw its troops within a week of its Feb. 24 invasion of neighboring Ukraine.

Russian ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia, who raised his hand to give the only vote against the resolution, argued the regions, where Moscow has seized territory by force and where fighting still rages, chose to be part of Russia. Kyiv and Western leaders denounced the referendums as a sham.

"There will be no turning back as today's draft resolution would try to impose," Nebenzia said.

Ukrainian Ambassador to the United Nations Sergiy Kyslytsya said the single hand raised against the resolution "again testified to Russia's isolation and his desperate attempts to deny reality in our common commitments, starting from the UN charter."

Britain's envoy, Barbara Woodward, said Russia had "abused its veto to defend its illegal actions" but said the annexations had "no legal effect." "It is a fantasy," she added.

BEIJING UNCOMFORTABLE

China abstained from the resolution, but raised concerns about "a prolonged and expanded crisis" in Ukraine.

China has been firmly on the fence over the conflict, criticizing Western sanctions against Russia but stopping short of endorsing or assisting in the military campaign, despite the two nations declaring a "no-limits" strategic partnership in February. In a surprise acknowledgement, Russian President Vladimir Putin this month said China’s leader Xi Jinping had concerns about Ukraine.

Beijing's UN ambassador Zhang Jun argued that while "the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries should be safeguarded," countries' "legitimate security concerns" should also be taken seriously.

A U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said China's abstention showed that Russia's "saber rattling" and moves that threatened states' territorial integrity put China in an "uncomfortable position."

"We don’t have China signing up for this much more aggressive agenda that Russia is trying to sell," the official said.

 (Reporting by Simon Lewis and Timothy Gardner; additional reporting by Michael Martina; Editing by Franklin Paul, Jonathan Oatis and David Gregorio)

Russia vetoes UN resolution calling its referendums illegal







1 / 7
United Nations Security Council vote on a draft resolution sanctioning Russia's planned annexation of war occupied Ukraine territory, Friday Sept. 30, 2022 at U.N. headquarters. 

(AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)


EDITH M. LEDERER
Fri, September 30, 2022

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia vetoed a U.N. resolution Friday that would have condemned its referendums in four Ukrainian regions as illegal, declared them invalid and urged all countries not to recognize any annexation of the territory claimed by Moscow.

The vote in the 15-member Security Council was 10-1 with China, India, Brazil and Gabon abstaining.

The resolution would also have demanded an immediate halt to Russia’s “full-scale unlawful invasion of Ukraine” and the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all its military forces from Ukraine.

U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said before the vote that in the event of a Russian veto, the U.S. and Albania who sponsored the resolution will take it to the 193-member General Assembly where there are no vetoes, “and show that the world is still on the side of sovereignty and protecting territorial integrity.”

That is likely to happen next week.

Britain's U.N. ambassador, Barbara Woodward, echoed Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' statement that Russia's actions violate the U.N. Charter and must be condemned.

“The area Russia is claiming to annex is more than 90,000 square kilometers," she said. “This is the largest forcible annexation of territory since the Second World War. There is no middle ground on this."

The council vote came hours after a lavish Kremlin ceremony where President Vladimir Putin signed treaties to annex the Russian-occupied Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, saying they were now part of Russia and would be defended by Moscow.

Thomas-Greenfield said the results of the “sham” referendums on whether the regions wanted to join Russia were “pre-determined in Moscow, and everybody knows it.” “They were held behind the barrel of Russian guns,” she said.

Adding that “the sacred principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity” at the heart of the U.N. Charter must be defended, she said, “All of us understand the implications for our own borders, our own economies, and our own countries if these principles are tossed aside."

“Putin miscalculated the resolve of the Ukrainians,” Thomas-Greenfield said. “The Ukrainian people have demonstrated loud and clear: They will never accept being subjugated to Russian rule.”

Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia defended the referendums, claiming that more than 100 international observers from Italy, Germany, Venezuela and Latvia who observed the voting recognized the outcomes as legitimate.

“The results of the referendums speak for themselves. The residents of these regions do not want to return to Ukraine. They have made a an informed and free choice in favor of our country,” he said.

Nebenzia added: “There will be no turning back as today’s draft resolution would try to impose.”

He accused Western nations on the council of “openly hostile actions,” saying they reached “a new low” by putting forward a resolution condemning a council member and forcing a Russian veto so they can “wax lyrical.”

Under a resolution adopted earlier this year, Russia must defend its veto before the General Assembly in the coming weeks.

Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jun said that “the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries should be safeguarded.” But China abstained, he said, because it believes the Security Council should be using trying to calm the crisis “rather than intensifying conflicts and exacerbating confrontation.”

Brazil’s ambassador, Ronaldo Costa Filho, said the referendums “cannot be perceived as legitimate” and his country stands by the principle of territorial integrity of sovereign states. But it abstained because the resolution didn't contribute to de-escalating tensions and finding “a solution for the conflict in Ukraine," he said.

India Abstains On UNSC Resolution Condemning Russia’s ‘Illegal Referenda’ In Ukraine

The 15-nation UN Security Council on Friday voted on the draft resolution tabled by the US and Albania that condemns Russia’s “organisation of illegal so-called referenda in regions within Ukraine’s internationally recognised borders.”

Representational Image AP

UPDATED: 01 OCT 2022 7:29 AM

India has abstained on a draft resolution tabled in the UN Security Council which condemned Russia’s "illegal referenda" and annexation of four Ukrainian territories and called for an immediate cessation of violence while underlining the need to find pathways for a return to the negotiating table.

The 15-nation UN Security Council on Friday voted on the draft resolution tabled by the US and Albania that condemns Russia’s “organisation of illegal so-called referenda in regions within Ukraine’s internationally recognised borders.”

The resolution declares that Russia’s “unlawful actions” with regards to the “illegal so-called referenda” taken on September 23 to 27 this year in parts of Ukraine’s regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhya that are under Russia's temporary control can have "no validity" and cannot form the basis for any alteration of the status of these regions of Ukraine, including any “purported annexation” of any of these regions by Moscow.

The resolution failed to get adopted as Russia vetoed it. Of the 15-nation Council, 10 nations voted for the resolution while China, Gabon, India and Brazil abstained.

In the explanation of the vote, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj said that India was deeply disturbed by the recent turn of developments in Ukraine and New Delhi has always advocated that no solution can ever arrive at the cost of human lives.

"We urge that all efforts are made by concerned sides for the immediate cessation of violence and hostilities. Dialogue is the only answer to settling differences and disputes, however daunting that may appear at this moment,” she said

“The path to peace requires us to keep all channels of diplomacy open,” she said, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi “unequivocally conveyed” this in his discussions with world leaders, including with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

She also referred to statements made by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Ukraine during the high-level General Assembly session last week.



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Referring to Modi’s remark to Putin on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Uzbekistan's Samarkand that “today's era is not an era of war”, Kamboj said New Delhi sincerely hopes for an early resumption of peace talks to bring about an immediate ceasefire and resolution of the conflict.

“India's position has been clear and consistent from the very beginning of this conflict. The global order is anchored on the principles of the UN Charter, international law and respect for sovereignty and the territorial integrity of all states. Escalation of rhetoric or tension is in no one's interest,” she said.

“It is important that pathways are found for a return to the negotiating table. Keeping in view the totality of the evolving situation, India decided to abstain on the resolution,” Kamboj said.

Russian President Putin on Friday proclaimed the annexation of the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.

The announcement came a day after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that “any annexation of a State’s territory by another State resulting from the threat or use of force is a violation of the Principles of the UN Charter and international law.

“Any decision to proceed with the annexation of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine would have no legal value and deserves to be condemned,” Guterres said.

“It cannot be reconciled with the international legal framework. It stands against everything the international community is meant to stand for. It flouts the purposes and principles of the United Nations. It is a dangerous escalation. It has no place in the modern world. It must not be accepted,” the UN chief said.

The resolution also calls upon all States, international organisations and specialised agencies not to recognise any alteration of the status of Ukraine’s regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson or Zaporizhzhya on the basis of Russia’s “unlawful actions” with regards to the illegal so-called referenda taken on September 23 to 27, and to refrain from any action or dealing that might be interpreted as recognising any such altered status.

It also decides that Russia shall “immediately, completely and unconditionally” withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders, which includes those regions addressed by the “illegal so-called referenda” to enable a peaceful resolution of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine through political dialogue, negotiation, mediation or other peaceful means.

GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT
Sailor acquitted of setting fire that destroyed massive ship



Navy sailor Ryan Sawyer Mays, center, reads a statement after his acquittal on Friday, Sept. 30, 2022 in San Diego. A Navy judge has ruled Mays was not guilty of setting a fire that destroyed the USS Bonhomme Richard in San Diego in 2020. The ruling Friday came after a nine-day trial at Naval Base San Diego. (AP Photo/Elliot Spagat)More


ELLIOT SPAGAT
Fri, September 30, 2022 

SAN DIEGO (AP) — A military judge on Friday acquitted a sailor of arson in a fire that destroyed the USS Bonhomme Richard, a blow to the Navy as it faces allegations of improper training and maintenance of the $1.2 billion amphibious assault ship.

Ryan Sawyer Mays, 21, deeply exhaled when the verdict was read, put both hands on the defense table, broke into sobs and hugged supporters in the audience at Naval Base San Diego.

Outside the courtroom building, Mays read a brief statement to reporters and declined to answer questions. He did not address his plans.

“I can say that the past two years have been the hardest two years of my entire life as a young man,” he said. “I’ve lost time with friends. I’ve lost friends. I’ve lost time with family, and my entire Navy career was ruined. I am looking forward to starting over.”

Prosecutors presented no physical evidence during the nine-day trial that the sailor set the ship on fire, while the defense chipped away at the credibility of a key witness, Seaman Kenji Velasco, who changed his account over time.

Gary Barthel, a former Marine judge advocate who represented Mays at a preliminary hearing, said undercutting Velasco's credibility was key. Barthel has said the judge in the preliminary hearing recommended against a court martial, but Vice Adm. Steve Koehler, former commander of the San Diego-based U.S. 3rd Fleet, had the final say.

The ship's lower vehicle storage area “became a junkyard and I believe throughout this entire process the Navy was attempting to clean up their mess by accusing Seaman Mays of these allegations,” Barthel told reporters.

Prosecutors did not comment after the verdict. The Navy said through a spokesman, Lt. Samuel R. Boyle, that it "is committed to upholding the principles of due process and a fair trial.”

Prosecutors said Mays was angry and vengeful about failing to become a Navy SEAL and being assigned to deck duty, prompting him to ignite cardboard boxes on July 12, 2020 in the lower vehicle storage area on the vessel, which was docked in San Diego while undergoing $250 million in maintenance work. They said he wanted to drive home his text earlier to his division officer that the ship was so cluttered with contractors’ material it was “hazardous as (expletive).”

The prosecutor, Capt. Jason Jones, acknowledged in court a Navy report last year that concluded that the inferno was preventable and unacceptable, and that there were lapses in training, coordination, communications, fire preparedness, equipment maintenance and overall command and control. The failure to extinguish or contain the fire led to temperatures exceeding 1,200 degrees (649 Celsius) in some areas, melting sections of the ship into molten metal that flowed into other parts of the ship. Navy leaders disciplined more than 20 senior officers and sailors.

Jones told the judge there is no doubt the Navy “loses the ship” that morning, but Mays is to blame for igniting it.

“That sucker punch from behind, that’s what the Navy could have never prevented,” he said.

Mays thought he would be jumping out of helicopters on missions with the SEALs, but instead he was chipping paint on the deck of a ship, and he hated the Navy for that, Jones said.

“When on deck, you are about as far away from the SEALs as you are ever going to be,” Jones said.

Defense lawyers said the trial only exposed a shoddy probe by government investigators who rushed to judgment and failed to collect evidence showing that the culprit also could have been lithium ion batteries or a sparking forklift.

King Solomon's mines were abandoned and became a desert wasteland. Here's why.

Tom Metcalfe - Yesterday 

Copper mines in Israel's Negev Desert — ancient sites that may have inspired the legend of King Solomon's mines of gold — were abandoned 3,000 years ago, when people there used up all the plants to make charcoal for smelting, a new study finds.


Archaeologists have been excavating a site known as Slaves Hill in the Timna Valley, which was a major center for copper production from the 11th to the ninth centuries B.C.© Photo by Hai Ashkenazi, courtesy of the Central Timna Valley Project

The researchers studied fragments of charcoal from ancient furnaces in the Timna Valley near Eilat, where a prosperous copper industry thrived from the 11th to ninth centuries B.C.

They found that the quality of the wood used to make charcoal deteriorated over the roughly 250 years when the mines and smelters operated, as people there used up all the nearby white broom and acacia and started using wood of much lower quality, such as the trunks of palm trees.

By about 850 B.C. the copper industry had been abandoned, and the wasted desert that remained wouldn't be exploited again for a millennium.

Related: King Solomon's mines in Spain? Not likely, experts say.

"Over time, they're using less and less of the wood that they knew from the beginning was better," study lead author Mark Cavanagh, an archaeobotanist and a doctoral student at Tel Aviv University, told Live Science. "And it looks like they're gathering wood from farther and farther away."

Ancient industry

The Timna Valley was one of the first places in the ancient world where copper was made, Cavanagh said. The region is an extension of the Great African Rift, so many minerals made deep in Earth's crust are exposed near the surface, including copper ores, he said.

Some of the earliest evidence for smelting copper ore in the Timna Valley dates to about 7,500 years ago, during the Chalcolithic, or Copper-Stone period, at the end of the Neolithic, or New Stone Age. The secret of alloying tin to the copper to make hard-wearing bronze wouldn't be discovered for about another 1,000 years.

For the latest research, published Sept. 21 in the journal Scientific Reports, Cavanagh and his colleagues studied fragments of charcoal from a much later period: during the Iron Age about 3,000 years ago, when the copper industry at Timna was at its peak.

Wood was first burned in underground pits with only a small amount of air to make charcoal, which burned much hotter, and for longer, during the copper smelting process, Cavanagh said.

To determine which types of wood were used to make the charcoal, the researchers utilized an electron microscope to examine the slag left over from the smelting. Their analysis revealed the cell structures of the woods used, which showed that white broom and acacia were used extensively in the early phases of the copper industry at Timna but that much lower-quality wood was used later on.

Eventually, the mines were abandoned, possibly in part because it had become so hard to find good wood nearby, Cavanagh said. The copper industry at Timna wouldn't be restarted for about 1,000 years, when the Nabateans and then the Romans began importing better wood for charcoal.

King Solomon's mines

Cavanagh suggested that the hunt for wood to make charcoal in the Timna Valley contributed to the desert conditions there today, although it was a very dry environment to begin with.

"When you start cutting down the trees, you set in motion a snowball effect," he said. Fewer trees meant fewer animals and less water in the entire ecosystem, and "some of the things that disappeared have never returned."

Related: Could the Sahara ever be green again?

The period between the 11th and ninth centuries B.C. was when the biblical Israelite kings David and his son Solomon are thought to have ruled in Jerusalem, although some scholars now think David and Solomon may not have existed, according to historian Eric Cline of George Washington University in Washington, D.C.




1 of 3 Photos in Gallery©Provided by Live Science


Cavanagh suggested that copper from the ancient industry at Timna might have given rise to the reputed wealth on display at Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem that was later interpreted by ancient writers as gold.

In 1885, Victorian writer H. Rider Haggard set his adventure novel "King Solomon's Mines" in South Central Africa, supposing them to be gold mines, and it's been made into movies, comics, and television and radio programs many times since. It's not clear if Haggard borrowed the myth of Solomon's gold mines or if he made it up.

Archaeologist Israel Finkelstein, a professor emeritus at Tel Aviv University who isn't involved in the latest study, thinks David and Solomon were probably historical people who lived in about the 10th century B.C.

But he thinks their importance and the scale of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah that they ruled were greatly exaggerated in the Bible.

"Archaeology indicates that the territory ruled by David and Solomon was restricted, and it did not reach the copper sites in the south," he told Live Science in an email. "The first indication of the expansion of Judah into the arid zones in the south (and even then, not as far south as the copper sites) can be found in the 9th century — that is, a century after David and Solomon."

Alberta man discovers prehistoric mammoth tusk in yard on Saddle Lake Cree Nation

Chris Chacon - Yesterday 

A man from the Saddle Lake Cree Nation, east of Edmonton, made the discovery of a lifetime while working on a project in his yard.


A mammoth tusk found by Jarrod Cardinal on the Saddle Lake Cree Nation, Alta. in September 2022.© Courtesy: LakelandTODAY.ca via Global News

Read more:
Prehistoric shark tooth fossil discovered by young boy in central Alberta yard

Jarrod Cardinal was digging a hole for a project in his yard — until his shovel struck a hard object roughly six feet in the ground.

"I didn't really know what is was at first," Jarrod Cardinal said, not thinking much of it. "It was getting dark — I took it out of the dirt and threw it to the side."

He didn't get a closer look until the next day.

"I thought it was wood at first. I was just puzzled by it. I didn't know what it was, I thought maybe this is a tusk or something," Cardinal said.

"We're like, 'What is a tusk doing here?'" said Cardinal's sister Carol Buffalo, who was there when he found the object.

"It forms into a tusk if you put all the pieces together and there probably still is something under there still."

Related video: Saddle Lake Cree Nation man discovers prehistoric mammoth tusk in yard

Saddle Lake Cree Nation man discovers prehistoric mammoth tusk in yard

Pictures of the mystery find were sent to a paleontologist at the University of Alberta. Not only is it old — but it comes from an animal you only see or hear about in museums.

"An expert verified and they told us it was a mammoth tusk. He's an expert in that field and right away he said it was authentic," Cardinal said.

Read more:
Mammoth bones, ‘ghost’ footprints: Did humans arrive in North America much earlier than we thought?

The vast majority of woolly mammoths have been extinct for about 11,000 years, since the end of the last ice age.

They were known to have roamed parts of Alberta, but finding part of one is something Cardinal said he would have never thought he'd come across.

"I was just blown away! I didn't know what to think about it at first," Cardinal said.

"I didn't think it was a big deal at first, but who digs a hole in the ground and finds something like that?"

"That's like a one-in-a-million (chance of) finding something in the ground like that," Buffalo said.

News of the fossil find had sparked a buzz of excitement for some on the Saddle Lake Cree Nation.

"Its popular now, everyone keeps walking up to him to asks to see it because we've never seen something like that — it's just in the museums you see it," Buffalo said.

Cardinal stopped digging the area, not wanting to damage any other possible fossils in the ground.

Read more:
Colossal bet aims to revive, unleash woolly mammoth in Canada’s Arctic

He plans to hold on to the fossil for a now, but welcomes further expert examination of the tusk and the site where it was found.

If a homeowner or business thinks they have found a fossil while digging a basement or dugout, they’re advised to stop their work, take photos and record where the fossil was, and call or email the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in Drumheller.

Video: Sacred Indigenous stone to be returned to original site in Alberta

Research reveals humans used ‘high-tech’ glue 100,000 years ago

Talker News - Thursday
By Stephen Beech via SWNS

Early humans were using high-tech 'glue' made from a local conifer in Africa 100,000 years ago, a new study has revealed.

Scientists say it may even have been a "turning point" in human cultural evolution.

In the Middle Stone Age, early Homo sapiens utilized adhesive made from local Podocarpus trees to attach stone tools to wooden spears.

Scientists say the substance has "excellent" adhesive properties and can only be produced via an "elaborate" process.

Dr. Patrick Schmidt and Ph.D. student Tabea Koch, from the University of Tübingen in Germany, mapped out the production in a joint study with Professor Edmund February from the University of Cape Town in South Africa.

The research team says the fact that early modern humans did not resort to more readily available adhesives tens of thousands of years ago is a testament to their innovative abilities and skills.

Yellowwoods, conifers of the genus Podocarpus, are tropical evergreen shrubs and trees.



(SWNS)© Provided by talker

Dr. Schmidt said: "Adhesives have been discovered at several Middle Stone Age sites in South Africa, mostly as residues on scrapers or stone blades that had been glued to handles or spears.

"Chemical analysis had shown that such glue was often extracted from yellowwoods. This is surprising because yellowwoods do not exude tree resins or any other sticky substance."


The team investigated how the adhesive could be made when only Stone Age materials and tools were available.

Dr. Schmidt said: "The leaves of the yellowwoods contain small amounts of resin, which you have to distill out."

The team discovered two ways to manufacture the glue.

Dr. Schmidt said: “It’s quite simple to burn the leaves directly next to flat stones.

"This leads to the condensation of tar, which can be scraped off the stones. This is a process that people may have discovered by accident."

He said the second option is more difficult and time-consuming. In it, the leaves have to be heated in a kind of underground distillery for several hours, so that the tar drips into a container. It is not known which method was used.



(SWNS)© Provided by talker

Dr. Schmidt says that either way, it was astonishing that early modern humans at that time did not use any plants other than yellowwoods as sources of glue.

"People could have simply collected tree resin." Koch said. "In several species that occurred in their environment, it flows visibly from the trunk. And some plants release sticky latex when the leaves break off."

The team found the explanation with the help of standard laboratory tests, such as those used in the adhesives industry:

Dr. Schmidt said: "Our tar distilled from yellowwoods had particularly good mechanical properties and proved to be stronger than all other naturally occurring adhesive substances of the Stone Age in South Africa; it was able to hold significantly larger loads."

He added: "People weren't selecting materials based on their properties, they were modifying the existing material.

"Such new engineering technology required higher cognitive abilities and innovative thinking."

The findings were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

The post Research reveals humans used ‘high-tech’ glue 100,000 years ago appeared first on Talker.

Humans Are Descended From Sharks, Scientists Reveal
Joshua Jones - Thursday

Scientists have revealed that an ancient shark with paired spines and bony armor may be humans’ earliest ancestor. The Paleozoic fossil was retrieved from a site in Shiqian County in Guizhou Province, South China. With the finding, scientists have come to understand the existence of human sharks.


Humans Are Descended From Sharks, Scientists Reveal© Provided by Giant Freakin Robot

The specimen is named Fanjingshania renovata, after the UNESCO World Heritage Site Fanjingshan. A bizarre fish with bony armor and paired spines, unlike anything scientists have come across today. Human sharks are just now one of the many revelations that shocked scientists and could bring humans closer to aquatic life.

The revelation that humans may be the descendants of sharks is funny, considering that not too long ago, Florida beachgoers were surprised by the sudden appearance of three sharks during Memorial Day weekend. Video of the encounter shows people reacting not in panic but in pure shock and excitement. People quickly pointed out that the aquatic fish were scalloped hammerhead sharks.

The sharks were right next to the beachgoer’s boat, circling around and getting quite personal with people. If humans were indeed the descendants of sharks, how do we explain the predator/prey relationship we have towards these aquatic animals? Could it be interpreted that humans fear even their ancestors?

As hilarious as it may seem, it does point out that we still have quite a bit of research to do. Human sharks may even be why sharks were massing off the coast of the U.S. in 2021. In addition to sharks swimming toward the East coast, there were also turtles.

Fanjingshania hails from a group of animals known for their cartilage, not their bones. As noted by IFLScience, the working hypothesis is that Fanjingshania's unusual traits may explain the “early evolutionary branch of primitive chondrichthyans.” The findings may help us understand more about Jaw fishes.



King Shark, king of the human sharks© Provided by Giant Freakin Robot

Dr. Ivan J. Sansom from the University of Birmingham concluded that the discovery “puts into question the existing models of vertebrae evolution.” He also stated that the discovery would have a “profound impact” on the access of evolutionary rates in early vertebrates. These findings are exciting and could answer whether humans are indeed the descendants of sharks.

Despite all of this, it would still be quite weird for humans and sharks to have this close link. We commonly have described these creatures as predators, threats to our existence. But as it turns out, these creatures might be where we came from.

It’s even weirder, considering that we were once on the verge of having a volcano eruption full of mutated sharks. If humans are the descendants of sharks, then do humans suddenly start treating these aquatic animals differently? And what about the movie Jaws, was Steven Spielberg on to something when he made the film back in 1978?

Whatever the case, it’s interesting that humans and sharks may have this type of relationship. Only time will tell whether these findings do indeed tell us more about our evolutionary history. Knowing how the world works, scientists may discover that we are descendants of other aquatic species.

The post Humans Are Descended From Sharks, Scientists Reveal appeared first on GIANT FREAKIN ROBOT.