Biden Reinstates Ban on American Scientific, Technology Cooperation With Israelis in Judea and Samaria

Senator Cruz says President Biden is ‘obsessed with undermining Israel.’

A view of ILLEGAL Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, on the West Bank. 

AP/Mahmoud Illean

SCOTT NORVELL

Sunday, June 25, 2023

The Biden administration has informed Israeli authorities that it is reversing a Trump-era policy allowing American taxpayer-funded scientific and technological cooperation with companies that operate in the West Bank, Golan Heights, and parts of Jerusalem, according to reports out of Israel Sunday.

Israeli public radio, Kan News, reported Sunday that the State Department informed Israeli officials that it was returning to an Obama-era directive that there would be no more cooperation in areas beyond the 1967 Green line, according to a report in the Times

US set to cease scientific, tech cooperation with Israeli entities over Green Line

Move said to be resumption of policy that was reversed under Trump administration; Foreign Minister Eli Cohen tells reporters that the decision ‘is wrong’

By TOI STAFF

Today

Illustrative: An Israeli policeman walks near cement cubes placed as a roadblock by Israeli security forces on a road linking the East Jerusalem Arab neighborhood of Beit Hanina with West Jerusalem on September 15, 2021

 (Ahmad GHARABLI / AFP)

The United States has told Israel that it will cease scientific and technological cooperation with entities in the West Bank, the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem, returning to a long-running policy that had been reversed under then-US president Donald Trump, it was reported on Sunday.

The Kan public broadcaster said the move was a return to the directive that there would be no scientific and technological cooperation in the areas defined by an unnamed US State Department official to the network as beyond the 1967 Green Line and “which remain subject to negotiations on their permanent status.”

In a briefing with reporters on Sunday, Foreign Minister Eli Cohen protested the move. “I object to the decision and think it is wrong. In similar cases in the past, the Israeli government fully reimbursed parties damaged by such decisions,” Cohen said.

The policy was briefly reversed under former US president Donald Trump, when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-US ambassador David Friedman signed an agreement that removed all previous geographic restrictions from the two countries’ scientific cooperation.

The two signed a protocol that amended three 1970s agreements that form the basis for bilateral scientific cooperation.

Those agreements had stipulated that cooperative projects “may not be conducted in geographical areas which came under the administration of the State of Israel after June 5, 1967, and may not relate to subjects primarily pertinent to such areas.”

PM Netanyahu, right, and US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman sign a bilateral agreement at Ariel University, October 28, 2020 

(Amos Ben Gershom/GPO)

An unnamed US State Department official told Kan that the updated directive “simply reflects the position of the United States over the years,” according to a Hebrew translation provided by the outlet.

“We are working toward negotiations for a two-state solution, where Israel lives in peace and security alongside a viable Palestinian state,” the US official said.

The official noted that the US is greatly appreciative of scientific cooperation “with the startup nation,” and emphasized that this would continue.

The Walla news site said Israel had been informed of the decision by the US around two weeks ago and that the decision was most likely to mainly impact research at Ariel University in the West Bank.

The report said that while the decision to reverse the Trump administration’s policy had been made around two years ago, it had only become relevant when a grant application was recently submitted for a scientific project at Ariel University.

At the same time as it informed Israel, the US State Department also notified a number of US ministries of the return to the pre-October 2020 policy, the report said.

There was no immediate comment from Netanyahu’s government on the matter.

The Green Line demarcated between Israel and its neighbors under the 1949 Armistice Agreements that ended Israel’s War of Independence. In the 1967 Six Day War, Israel captured the Golan Heights, East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. Israel later annexed the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem in moves not recognized by the international community, and later unilaterally withdrew from the Gaza Strip.

The Trump administration recognized the annexation of the Golan Heights and also moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in a move that, though short of formal recognition, was seen as backing Israel’s claim that the city is its undivided capital.

Israel has in the past signed cooperation agreements that exclude entities beyond the Green Line. The European Union has taken a similar position over the years on not funding projects that are conducted outside the borders of Israel proper.

Biden admin reverses Trump policy that allowed funding to research in Israeli settlements 

• Barak Ravid, author of Axios from Tel Aviv

Biden and Netanyahu at a press conference in Jerusalem in March 2016. Photo: Debbie Hill/AFP via Getty Images

The Biden administration notified Israel two weeks ago that it was reimposing a ban that prohibits U.S. taxpayer funding from being used in any research and development or scientific cooperation projects conducted in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, according to three U.S. and Israeli officials.

Why it matters: The Biden administration’s decision reverses a Trump administration policy from late 2020 that allowed U.S. taxpayer funding to be used for science and technology projects in the settlements for the first time since 1967.

Flashback: The Trump administration rolled back the ban in late October 2020, just a few weeks before the U.S. presidential elections.

• The ban had impacted three U.S.-Israeli scientific cooperation foundations, which were barred from conducting any projects in the settlements that received U.S. taxpayer funding.
• Since they were formed in the 1970s, the foundations invested about $1.5 billion in research and development institutions inside Israel.

Behind the scenes: The State Department decided to reverse the Trump-era policy not long after President Biden assumed office, but it didn't need to take any steps to implement the ban until recently, according to a source briefed on the issue.

• After researchers from an institute in the settlements applied for a grant from one of the foundations, the State Department told other U.S. government agencies and the Israeli government that it was reverting to the pre-2020 policy of limiting U.S. support for the activities of the three foundations.

What they are saying: “The Department of State recently circulated foreign policy guidance to relevant agencies advising that engaging in bilateral scientific and technological cooperation with Israel" in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights “is inconsistent with U.S. foreign policy,” a State Department spokesperson told Axios.

• The spokesperson said that the U.S. "strongly values scientific and technological cooperation" with Israel and such cooperation continues.

• "This guidance is simply reflective of the longstanding U.S. position ... that the ultimate disposition of the geographic areas which came under the administration of Israel after June 5, 1967 is a final status matter and that we are working towards a negotiated two-state solution in which Israel lives in peace and security alongside a viable Palestinian state," the spokesperson added.
• The Israeli embassy in Washington declined to comment.

The big picture: Consecutive Israeli governments have approved new building in the settlements, despite U.S. and other international pressure not to do so.

• The Israeli government committee that approves new planning and building in the settlements is expected to convene on Monday to approve about 4,500 new housing units in the settlements in the West Bank.
• Much of the international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law.

ZIONIST OCCUPATION FORCES

IDF sends 2 more battalions to West Bank after series of settler attacks

In all, 25 battalions will be deployed to region, a sharp increase from the typical 13

By EMANUEL FABIAN Today,

Posters bearing the portraits of recently killed Israelis, with 'revenge' written underneath them in Hebrew are plastered along the Tapuach junction bus station in the West Bank, guarded by Israeli soldiers, on June 25, 2023.

 (Menahem KAHANA / AFP)

The Israel Defense Forces on Sunday bolstered the West Bank with two additional battalions following a recent string of settler attacks against Palestinian villages and towns.

The IDF said the decision was made following a fresh assessment of the security situation in the West Bank.

On Saturday, a joint statement by the heads of the IDF, police, and Shin Bet security agency said the military would divert and increase forces to prevent settler attacks on Palestinians.

The two battalions deployed Sunday included the 17th battalion from the School for Infantry Corps Professions and Squad Commanders and the 934th Battalion of the Nahal Brigade.

Last week, following a deadly terror attack at a gas station near the settlement of Eli, the army deployed four more battalions to the area: the Egoz and Maglan commando units, Golani’s 13th Battalion and Paratrooper’s 202nd Battalion.

Typically, the IDF’s West Bank division has 13 battalions. Over the past 18 months, that number has fluctuated because of an anti-terror offensive, following a series of deadly Palestinian terror attacks, reaching a height of 26 battalions in October 2022.

Fields on fire near the Palestinian village of Qusra, in the West Bank, June 22, 2023. (Flash90)

Following Sunday’s deployment, there will be 25 battalions in the West Bank, a military spokesperson told The Times of Israel.

The deployment comes to address rocketing tensions in the West Bank in recent days.

On Monday, the IDF carried out a raid on the West Bank city of Jenin, during which seven Palestinians were killed, including two teens, and eight soldiers were injured by a large roadside bomb and in clashes with Palestinian gunmen.

On Tuesday, four Israelis were shot dead and four were wounded, in a terror attack by two Hamas-affiliated gunmen at the gas station near Eli.

In the wake of that attack, recent days have seen hundreds of settlers rampage inside Palestinian towns and villages, setting fire to homes, cars, and even opening fire in some cases. One Palestinian was killed Wednesday in unclear circumstances.

Since the beginning of the year, Palestinian attacks in Israel and the West Bank have killed 24 people, including Tuesday’s victims.

According to a tally by The Times of Israel, 134 West Bank Palestinians have been killed during that time, most of them during clashes with security forces or while carrying out attacks, but some were uninvolved civilians and others were killed under unclear circumstances.

Lebanon’s main Druze party names new leader, son of longtime party chief

Sole contender Taymour Jumblatt, 41, to succeed father Walid Jumblatt, who headed Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) party for 45 years

By AFP Today,

Newly-elected Lebanese member of parliament Taymour Jumblatt, son of Druze leader Walid Jumblatt and grandson of Kamal Jumblatt, arrives to attend the first session of the newly-elected assembly at its headquarters in the capital Beirut on May 31, 2022. 

(ANWAR AMRO / AFP)

AïN ZHALTA, Lebanon — Lebanon’s biggest Druze party on Sunday chose Taymour Jumblatt, 41, to succeed his father as leader of the small but influential community in the country’s power-sharing system.

Almost 2,000 supporters gathered in Ain Zhalta, in the Druze heartland of the Chouf mountains, where members of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) named the lawmaker as their new leader, after his father headed the party for 45 years.

He takes up the mantle at a time when Lebanon has been reeling from three years of grueling economic crisis, widely blamed on the governing elite of which the Jumblatt dynasty is a core component.

“Taymour Jumblatt won the presidency of the Progressive Socialist Party, for which he was the sole contender,” the PSP said in a statement.

His father Walid Jumblatt, 73, had already passed the leadership of his community to his son in 2017.

The PSP was founded by Taymour’s grandfather Kamal, and has become all but synonymous with the Druze community.

Walid Jumblatt, the political leader of Lebanon’s minority Druze sect, speaks during a press conference after a meeting of the Druze community’s religious leadership in Beirut, Lebanon, June 12, 2015. (AP/Bilal Hussein)

PSP votes could prove pivotal in parliament at a time when lawmakers have failed 12 times to elect a new president.

The political deadlock has left Lebanon without a president for eight months. The country has been governed by a caretaker cabinet with limited powers for more than a year.

The Druze are a secretive offshoot of Islam that make up around five percent of Lebanon’s population, but who have wielded political clout under Taymour’s father.

Born in 1982 during the civil war, Taymour studied at the American University of Beirut, where he met his wife Diana Zeaiter, a Shiite Muslim, and at the Sorbonne in France.

Lebanon's main Druze party names Taymur Jumblatt as new leader

Jumblatt's win comes as he was the sole contender to head the Progressive Socialist Party after it was led by his father Walid Jumblatt for 45 years.



AP

Born in 1982 during the civil war, Taymur studied at the American University of Beirut and at the Sorbonne in France. / Photo: AP


Lebanon's biggest Druze party has chosen Taymur Jumblatt, 41, to succeed his father as leader of the small but influential community in the country's power-sharing system.


Almost 2,000 supporters gathered in Ain Zhalta, in the Druze heartland of the Chouf mountains, where members of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) named the lawmaker as their new leader on Sunday.


He takes up the mantle at a time when Lebanon has been reeling from three years of gruelling economic crisis, widely blamed on the governing elite of which the Jumblatt dynasty is a core component.


"Taymur Jumblatt won the presidency of the Progressive Socialist Party, for which he was the sole contender," the PSP said in a statement.


His father Walid Jumblatt, 73, headed the party for 45 years and had already passed the leadership of his community to his son in 2017.

Political deadlock

The PSP was founded by Taymur's grandfather Kamal and has become all but synonymous with the Druze community.


PSP votes could prove pivotal in parliament at a time when lawmakers have failed 12 times to elect a new president.


The political deadlock has left Lebanon without a president for eight months, and governed by a caretaker cabinet with limited powers for more than a year.


The Druze make up around five percent of Lebanon's population but have wielded political clout under Taymur's father.


Born in 1982 during the civil war, Taymur studied at the American University of Beirut, where he met his wife Diana Zeaiter, a Shia Muslim, and at the Sorbonne in France.

Air quality warnings issued as Canadian wildfires increase

By Karen Graham
Published June 25, 2023

Downtown Calgary, Alberta, Canada is draped in wildfire smoke on May 17, 2023. 

Credit - Dwayne Reilander, CC SA 4.0.

Poor air quality warnings have been issued for three provinces as dangerous smoke and haze from rampaging wildfires increases.

Environment Canada is warning of poor air quality in the capital as plumes of wildfire smoke from Quebec again blanket the sky, causing outdoor events to be canceled and many outdoor amenities to be closed.

The Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) reached the maximum level of 10+ by 11 a.m. It is forecast to remain at that level through the rest of the day and overnight. Montreal had the most polluted air in the world as of 9 a.m. Sunday.

The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre says 465 fires are burning across the country, including 240 that are out of control, according to the Globe and Mail.

That’s up from 420 fires burning one week ago, largely due to an increase in fires in Alberta and Ontario. Sadly, nearly 72,000 square kilometers (27,800 square miles) of forest land has burned this year so far, an area nearly four times the size of Lake Ontario. Three new wildfires were reported Sunday alone.

Wildfires have been burning in Quebec for weeks, causing hazy conditions in Ottawa throughout the month of June. The fire risk has prompted evacuation orders most recently in small villages in northwestern Quebec near the boundary with Ontario.

Experts note that climate change is creating conditions that lead to stronger and more widespread forest fires, which in turn spread smoke over large areas.

The current forecast map on firesmoke.ca shows smoke affecting much of eastern Canada and significant swaths of northern Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and B.C., with some smoke reaching as far north as the Great Bear Lake in the Northwest Territories

Environment Canada is “advising the general public to reduce or reschedule strenuous activities outdoors, especially if experiencing symptoms such as coughing and throat irritation. Children, the elderly, and people at risk, such as those with chronic lung issues, heart disease, or who are pregnant, should also avoid any strenuous activities and physical exertion outdoors.”

Armenia at a crossroads: will the country leave Russia's sphere of influence

Arthur KhachatryanYerevan

Crisis in relations between Armenia and Russia

“If Armenia de jure decides to withdraw from the CSTO, then this will happen after Yerevan records that the CSTO has left Armenia.” Similar statements by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan have been heard since May 2021, when Armenia turned to Russia with a request to protect the borders of Armenia and received no assistance.

The situation is aggravated by the fact that the Armenian authorities did not wait not only for military assistance to protect their territory, but also for a political statement from Russia and the CSTO allies. They still did not state that the Azerbaijani Armed Forces had invaded the sovereign territory of the country. Moreover, they refused to assist allied Armenia under the pretext that the delimitation and demarcation of the border had not been carried out.

“Over the past two years, Armenia has been subjected to aggression by Azerbaijan at least three times. It is depressing that Armenia’s membership in the CSTO did not deter Azerbaijan from aggressive actions and that, in fact, until today we have not been able to reach a decision on the CSTO’s reaction to this aggression. These facts cause great damage to the image of the CSTO both inside and outside our country,” Pashinyan said.

The prime minister does not rule out that Armenia may leave the military bloc operating under the leadership of Russia. If this really happens, Yerevan will actually break allied relations with Moscow and take a course towards integration with the West. At the same time, the rating of Armenia’s strategic ally is already at the lowest positions in the last 30 years.

“Sixty telephone conversations with Putin” – Pashinyan on ending the 2020 war

“France will not provide the latest types of weapons, but will help” – Armenian analyst

“Property or money for weapons not supplied to Armenia”: about Russia’s debt

Withdrawal from CSTO not on the agenda of Yerevan: What is the danger?


What started the crisis?

The fact that relations between Armenia and Russia are going through hard times, to put it mildly, is already openly stated. The Armenian authorities have never directly criticized Moscow and the CSTO in this way. People in Armenia are watching with surprise Pashinyan’s string of statements critical of Russia, including the inaction of Russian peacekeepers stationed in Nagorno-Karabakh.

In particular, the Prime Minister of Armenia criticized RMK, commenting on the blockade of the Lachin corridor, the only road linking the unrecognized republic with Armenia:

“Of course, this is due to the actions of Azerbaijan, but this does not change the meaning. This is the key meaning of the presence of Russian peacekeepers – not to allow illegal actions and to keep the Lachin corridor under control.”

Yerevan’s dissatisfaction with the position of Moscow and the countries belonging to the Collective Security Treaty Organization grew like a snowball. It all started with incidents on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border after the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The country’s authorities say that over the past two years, Azerbaijan has several times launched large-scale military operations, simultaneously conducting creeping expansion and deepening deep into the territory of Armenia. Weakened after the defeat in the second Karabakh war, Armenia counted heavily on the support of the allies.

“The aggression against the sovereign territory of Armenia from May 2021 to September 13, 2022 was doubly painful because our security allies left us alone, preferring to remain in the status of a passive observer or offering the status of an active observer as an alternative,” Pashinyan said.

Instead of military assistance, the CSTO sent a mission to Armenia to study “the situation in certain areas on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan.” In the photo – the meeting of the members of the mission with the Minister of Defense of Armenia following the results of the work. 

Photo from the CSTO website

Russian and Western platforms for Baku-Yerevan negotiations: Similarities and differences

The Armenian authorities say that the same issues are being discussed on all platforms, but experts say that the approaches and emphasis on them are different. Commentary by political scientist Stepan Grigoryan

Was this the only reason for the crisis?

Talk that pro-European forces might come to power in Armenia intensified during the 2018 Velvet Revolution. Then everyone remembered that the leader of the movement, opposition politician Pashinyan, made statements about the need to leave the Eurasian Economic Union, operating under the auspices of Russia.

But when he got to power, Pashinyan changed his rhetoric and first of all declared that Yerevan was not going to leave any integration structures, and even more so, he was not striving for a political reverse. But these were only words, the political observer Arman Abovyan believes:

“It is enough just to study the composition of the so-called youth wing of the revolutionaries in 2018. They were quite active in the public arena. These are the same people who once organized anti-Russian actions in front of the Russian embassy. Even in the current government there are such people.”

In the top leadership of the country, there are indeed so-called “pronounced Westerners” who, until 2018, harshly criticized Moscow’s policy towards Armenia. The most prominent figure among them is Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan.Pashinyan and his team on the main square of Yerevan after the victory of the revolution. Photo JAMnews

At the same time, having come to power, Nikol Pashinyan and the team constantly declared their desire to bring relations with Moscow to a qualitatively new level. The leaders of the two countries met regularly, and it seemed that Armenia and Russia were satisfied with each other’s relations.

At the initial stage of his premiership, Pashinyan really did not think about changing his foreign policy course, political scientist Ruben Mehrabyan is sure:

“In 2018, there was an illusion that there was even an opportunity to build qualitatively new relations, to deepen ties with Russia. And the new democratic authorities of Armenia are able to do this. But life has shown that it was not only an illusion. It was a dangerous illusion. And now there is no stone left unturned from this illusion.”

An interview with the Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia on relations with Russia

Novaya Gazeta Europe published Armen Grigoryan’s opinion on issues of acute public concern

Is Armenia really taking a direction to the West?

After the 2020 war, Russia appeared to have established “one-man hegemony in the South Caucasus region” that was only marginally disturbed by Turkey’s presence. But after the Ukrainian events, Moscow began to rapidly lose ground.

On September 13, 2022, the largest escalation since the war took place on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. A few days later, Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi arrived in Armenia, and world media reported that it was thanks to Washington that the September clashes were stopped. This, perhaps, was a turning point in the post-war cycle of the Karabakh settlement.

The situation worsened every time Armenia and Azerbaijan clashed at the border, and Russia remained silent. All this has led to Washington and Brussels becoming the main moderators in the negotiation process.Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Washington, during talks mediated by US Secretary of State Blinken

“At the behest of circumstances, Armenia is still reconsidering its relations with Russia. This is first. Secondly, Armenia has fixed its commonality with the interests, values and goals of the European Union and considers the EU as a promising partner. However, Armenia does not have a final solution to generalize this picture. Because Armenia continues to be a member of structures that are contrary to the state interests and security of Armenia,” political scientist Ruben Mehrabyan describes the current state of affairs.

In parallel with this, the realities were changing in Nagorno-Karabakh. Last December, Azerbaijanis who called themselves environmental activists blocked the Lachin corridor. And Russia actually did not take any effective measures to unblock it. Then Baku went further and, with the tacit consent of the Russian peacekeepers, established a checkpoint in the Lachin corridor. Thus, the road is now effectively not controlled by Russia, as the 2020 tripartite statement suggests.

“Armenia is not Russia’s ally in the war with Ukraine” – Pashinyan interview with CNN

Frank answers from the Prime Minister of Armenia in the Prima News program about the geographical and geopolitical problems of the country, relations with neighbors and even personal questions

Rejection of Karabakh

The further Azerbaijan went and the longer Moscow was silent, the weaker became Yerevan’s negotiating positions. Military escalations on the border have become a way of putting pressure on the Armenian authorities. All this led to the fact that Nikol Pashinyan publicly stated and then confirmed Yerevan’s official position in the negotiations – Armenia is ready to recognize Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan:

“A peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will become real if both countries clearly, without ambiguity, recognize each other’s territorial integrity and undertake not to present territorial claims to each other today and ever. Now I want to confirm that the Republic of Armenia fully recognizes the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, and we expect Azerbaijan to do the same by recognizing the entire territory of the Armenian SSR as the Republic of Armenia.”

A superficial analysis of the situation may give the impression that Armenia is forced to take such a step. But this is a more thoughtful and long-term policy, Arman Abovyan believes. Its goal is to change the vector in foreign policy:

“This government is the executor for those geopolitical centers whose main goal is to oust the eastern vector from the region of the South Caucasus: Russia, Iran and partly China.”

Experts voice the version that the end result of this process should be the opening of the border with Turkey through concessions on the Karabakh issue. If this happens, Armenia will receive the shortest communication to Europe, which can significantly expand the possibilities for cooperation between Yerevan and Brussels.

Is Washington threatening a counter-terrorist operation in Karabakh? Comments from Yerevan and Baku

Russian media, citing a “diplomatic source”, reported that Washington is forcing representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh to agree to a meeting with the Azerbaijani side.

Does this correspond to the national interests of Armenia?

In what direction should Armenia move in foreign policy. This is perhaps one of the most significant discourses on the Armenian political agenda. If a few years ago the vast majority of the country’s population approved of the policy of the authorities to deepen cooperation with Moscow, the war of 2020 and subsequent events have changed the opinion of society. Now only 35 percent of the population considers Russia a friendly country, while before the war this figure was over 50 percent. For comparison, France is considered friendly by 45 percent.

Another important question that the Armenian analytical community is trying to answer is why Russia is pursuing such a policy towards Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. And experts associate the main answer to this question with the Ukrainian crisis.

After the closure of borders with European countries and Western sanctions, Russia became heavily dependent on Turkey and even Azerbaijan for communications and hydrocarbon exports. It is Türkiye that is now the main and main route of export and import for Russia. In such a situation, Moscow simply cannot afford to “offend” Ankara and Baku and not yield to them on the issues of Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia.

Pashinyan interrupts Putin: what was his objection? Analyst comments

Yerevan is discussing the visit of the Armenian Prime Minister to Moscow, in particular, the moment when the Armenian Prime Minister interrupted the Russian President to react to Aliyev’s speech


Understanding these realities should lead to a renewal of Armenia’s foreign policy, political scientist Gurgen Simonyan is sure:

“It is time to express a clear position and leave the military-political union of the CSTO. As a result of the military aggression in 2020, the expectations that we had from Russia in the context of bilateral agreements, and not only from Russia, but also from the CSTO, to put it mildly, did not satisfy us. If not to say that they dealt a serious blow to our national security.”

Armenia is also dissatisfied with the fact that Russia does not supply weapons purchased from it earlier, for which, by the way, it was paid. In this situation, Yerevan significantly intensified contacts with India, as well as France. That is, the country intends to change, at least diversify, the vector of military-technical cooperation.

Will Yerevan be able to build a new security architecture in conditions of severe turbulence? And, most importantly, what are the consequences of this process? Questions that are still open. One thing is clear – Yerevan has already begun to review relations with Moscow for the first time since independence.

Another meeting between Pashinyan and Putin. 

Photo by the press service of the Armenian government

With the support of Russian language news exchange “Mediaset”

Trudeau off to Iceland to meet leaders ahead NATO, amid Arctic uncertainty

By Staff The Canadian Press
Posted June 25, 2023 


0:50  NATO will not invite Ukraine to join alliance at Vilnius summit: StoltenbergNATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday that the alliance would not extend an invitation to Ukraine to join its ranks at the July summit in Vilnius. He added that NATO has demonstrated its doors are open by inviting Finland and Sweden to join.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is on his way to meet with Nordic leaders ahead of an upcoming NATO summit and as uncertainty looms over the future of the Arctic.

Trudeau is slated to travel to Iceland, which will host leaders from Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway over the next two days for an annual gathering of Nordic prime ministers.

Leaders from Greenland, the Faroe Islands and the Åland Islands are also attending.

Iceland’s government says “societal resilience” will be discussed at the meeting, which is being staged on a group of islands known as Vestmannaeyjar and coincides with the 50th anniversary of a volcanic eruption there.

Trudeau is to appear as a guest, and his office says it is a chance to advance common interests with the Nordic nations, which range from protecting the environment and developing clean energy to tackling security challenges.
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The talks come a little more than two weeks before leaders travel to Lithuania to meet with NATO allies and discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022.

World leaders also kept a watchful eye on internal strife in Russia this weekend after mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin led troops from his private Wagner Group in an armed rebellion as he called for the ouster of the country’s defence minister.

The move seemed poised to threaten President Vladimir Putin’s decades-long hold on power, but tensions de-escalated quickly on Saturday after the Kremlin announced a deal that halted Prigozhin’s march on the capital city of Moscow. The arrangement will see Putin’s one-time protege move to Belarus and avoid prosecution for his role in the short-lived rebellion, while Wagner Group troops will return to Ukraine where they’ve been fighting alongside soldiers from the Russian army.

Trudeau said Saturday that Canada would be monitoring the situation closely, and foreign affairs ministers from the G7 held a call to discuss the situation before the deal was announced.


2:13  Putin: There is danger NATO could be pulled into Ukraine conflict

“There’s ongoing co-operation among these countries,” Roland Paris, a former senior adviser to Trudeau and director of the University of Ottawa’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, said of the leaders gathering in Iceland. “The Arctic has become a strategically more important part of the world as the ice melts.

“Each of these northern countries has a very clear interest in ensuring the security and sovereignty of their territory.”

Nordic countries, including Canada and the United States, hit pause on working with Russia through the Arctic Council after its invasion of Ukraine.

That has thrown what co-operation looks like in the region into serious question, Paris said.

Observatory for Arctic Policy and Security director Mathieu Landriault said the issue remains “fragile,” adding that without co-operation with Russia _ which has a huge Arctic coastline _ the council does not have data related to how climate change is affecting a major part of the region.

Landriault suggested that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused Canada to “reassess” its position in the Arctic.

NATO has also been paying increasing attention to the Arctic in light of aggression from both Russia and China, Paris added.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned of such threats during a visit to a military base in northern Alberta last summer, noting China has declared itself a “near Arctic” state and climate change was opening up access to the region.

Trudeau, who accompanied Stoltenberg on that visit, touted plans to spend billions on bolstering Canada’s military, including modernizing the aging Canada-U.S. Norad system which monitors Arctic aerospace.

Paris said he expects Trudeau may draw attention to those same commitments during his visit to Iceland.

“The fact is we are far behind where we need to be in order to secure the Arctic in a world where it will increasingly be an area of geopolitical competition.”

Iceland, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway have all voiced support for Ukraine since Russia launched its attack.

All belong to NATO, save for Sweden, which is trying to join. Canada was the first country to ratify its request. It also backed Finland’s membership, which was officially recognized in April.

Landriault said the meeting in Iceland serves as a chance for Canada and the Nordic countries to demonstrate support for Sweden’s entry into NATO, which Turkey and Hungary have not endorsed.

2:04  Finland becomes 31st member of NATO

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with the Nordic leaders in May, and Trudeau made a surprise visit to Kyiv earlier this month.

Besides a shared interest in security, the Canadian government also has trade interests with the five Nordic countries, with two-way trade totalling roughly $13 billion last year.

Canada is also home to the largest number of Icelandic immigrants and descendants outside that country.

The two countries view each other as like-minded and share interests on a range of issues, including the development of carbon capture and storage technology and ocean protection.

Trudeau’s visit follows Iceland President Guðni Thorlacius Jóhannesson’s recent visit to Canada, where the pair discussed expanding co-operation in green energy, ocean technology and aquaculture.

That trip, Gov. Gen. Mary Simon’s visit to Finland earlier this year and a 2022 Canada-Denmark agreement to resolve the border dispute over Hans Island were all signs that Canada was looking to enhance its diplomatic focus on Nordic countries, said Landriault.

“It’s likely to increase,” he said.

NTSB: Airline worker ‘ingested into’ plane engine at Texas airport


Officials are investigating the death of an airline ground crew member, who was reportedly caught in a plane engine. 

(KENS, Michael Braun via CNN)

By KENS Staff
Published: Jun. 25, 2023


SAN ANTONIO (KENS) - Officials are investigating the death of an airline ground crew member, who was reportedly caught in a plane engine, at the San Antonio International Airport.

As tourist Michael Braun entered a San Antonio airport terminal Saturday morning, it was clear something was very wrong. There was a hazmat crew coming onto the tarmac and a tarp covering something under a plane.

“When I first got there, the entire area inside the terminal where the gates were was in turmoil,” Braun said. “There was a large, gray-blackish tarp. Generally, in those kind of cases, there’s a body underneath it.”

The National Transportation Safety Board says Delta Air Lines flight 1111 was taxiing to its gate around 10:25 p.m. Friday night when an airline ground crew member somehow went into the plane’s engine.

Braun said that was shielded from view as well.

“I could see the plane sitting there and the tarp sitting there and a big cover over the engine,” he said.

The incident happened after the flight arrived from Los Angeles.

Delta says the worker was employed by subcontractor Unifi Aviation. Both companies released statements following the incident.

“We are heartbroken and grieving the loss of an aviation family member’s life in San Antonio. Our hearts and full support are with their family, friends and loved ones during this difficult time,” Delta’s statement read.

The company also said it was supporting ongoing investigations.

Unifi said in its statement that an initial investigation determined the incident was unrelated to the company’s operational processes, safety procedures and policies.

The NTSB says it has been in contact with Delta, and they are in the information gathering process.

Copyright 2023 KENS via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.

Airline ground crew member killed by engine of a jet at San Antonio International Airport

Story by KENS 5 Staff (KENS 5) • Yesterday 
KENS-TV San Antonio

Federal and local teams investigating a man's death at the SA airport

Duration 1:44    View on Watch

San Antonio International Airport officials are investigating after the death of an airline ground crew member.

Firefighters and police officers responded to the incident at around 10:25 p.m. Friday night.

The NTSB said Saturday the worker went into the engine of a Delta Airlines jet.

"Delta Flight 1111 was taxiing to the gate, with one engine on at that time, and a worker was ingested into that engine at 10:25 p.m," the NTSB said in a statement. "The NTSB has been in contact with Delta. They are in the information gathering process at this point."

The flight had just arrived from Los Angeles at the time.

KENS 5 has learned the worker was employed by a company that Delta Airlines contracts with to support ground handling operations. The airline said Saturday morning it was full supporting ongoing investigations. The company released the following statement.

"We are heartbroken and grieving the loss of an aviation family member’s life in San Antonio. Our hearts and full support are with their family, friends and loved ones during this difficult time."

Also on Saturday, San Antonio airport officials released the following statement:

"An accident occurred on the ground at San Antonio International Airport (SAT) tonight that resulted in the fatality of an airline ground crew member. We are deeply saddened by this incident and are working with authorities as they begin their investigation. We will share more information as details become available."

On Saturday afternoon Unifi Aviation released the following statement:

"Unifi Aviation is deeply saddened by the loss of our employee at San Antonio International Airport during a tragic incident in the late hours of Friday, June 23, 2023. Our hearts go out to the family of the deceased, and we remain focused on supporting our employees on the ground and ensuring they are being taken care of during this time.

From our initial investigation, this incident was unrelated to Unifi’s operational processes, safety procedures and policies. Out of respect for the deceased, we will not be sharing any additional information. While police and other officials continue to investigate this incident, we defer to them on providing further details."

Another Ground Worker Ingested and Killed In a Jet Engine in San Antonio

Taking Off

  

Airport worker killed after being sucked into an engine on the tarmac in San Antonio

BY SOUHAIB
June 25, 2023


An airport worker who was contracted to Delta was killed after being sucked into an engine on the tarmac of San Antonio International Airport.

Emergency services responded to the incident at around 10.25pm on Friday night.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) confirmed the airline ground crew member died after they went into the engine of a Delta Airlines aircraft. The agency described the worker as being ‘ingested’ into the engine.

The plane had just arrived from Los Angeles and was taxying to a gate at the time of the accident.

Delta Flight 1111 had just one engine on at the time when the worker, who is yet to be identified, was sucked in and killed.



Emergency personnel on the tarmac after a worker sucked into the engine of Delta plane in San Antonio

The plane remained at the gate the next morning and flights in the airport were delayed.

The death of the airline ground crew member is being investigated by authorities.

‘Delta Flight 1111 was taxying to the gate, with one engine on at that time, and a worker was ingested into that engine at 10.25pm,’ the NTSB said in a statement.

‘The NTSB has been in contact with Delta. They are in the information gathering process at this point.’

The employee worked for a company that Delta Airlines has contracts with in order to support ground handling operations.

It released a statement on Saturday which read: ‘We are heartbroken and grieving the loss of an aviation family member’s life in San Antonio.

‘Our hearts and full support are with their family, friends and loved ones during this difficult time.’

San Antonio airport officials said they were ‘saddened’ by the worker’s death.

‘An accident occurred on the ground at San Antonio International Airport tonight that resulted in the fatality of an airline ground crew member,’ it said.

‘We are deeply saddened by this incident and are working with authorities as they begin their investigation. We will share more information as details become available.’

The worker’s employee Unifi Aviation said the ‘tragic incident’ was unrelated to its safety procedures.

‘Unifi Aviation is deeply saddened by the loss of our employee at San Antonio International Airport during a tragic incident in the late hours of Friday, June 23, 2023,’ it said in a statement.



Emergency services responded to the incident at around 10.25pm on Friday night


The death of the airline ground crew member is being investigated by authorities

‘Our hearts go out to the family of the deceased, and we remain focused on supporting our employees on the ground and ensuring they are being taken care of during this time.

‘From our initial investigation, this incident was unrelated to Unifi’s operational processes, safety procedures and policies.

‘Out of respect for the deceased, we will not be sharing any additional information. While police and other officials continue to investigate this incident, we defer to them on providing further details.’


This is the latest incident to occur on the ground at a US airport over the past year.

A subsidiary of American Airlines was fined $15,000 over the death of a ground crew worker who was sucked into the engine of one its planes.

Courtney Edwards, 34, was ‘ingested into the engine’ at Montgomery Regional Airport, Alabama, on New Year’s Eve.

The mother of three was on the ramp where American Airlines Flight 3408, an Embraer E175, was parked before she died.

Piedmont Airlines was fined by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration after it was found responsible for a safety breach that led to her death.


Her union released a statement which said Piedmont Airlines was ruled to be ‘guilty of a serious breach’.

 


An American Airlines subsidy is facing a $15,000 fine after Courtney Edwards, an airline worker, died when she was so violently ‘ingested’ into the engine of a landed plane it shook the entire aircraft


Edwards worked as a ground agent for Piedmont Airlines


An obituary for Edwards mentions that she is survived by her three children

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a close call at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on June 14 in which a plane trying to land came within just 200 feet of another flight preparing to take off.

Authorities say an American Airlines flight was arriving at the airport from Dallas, Texas at around 6.30pm Wednesday at the same time a Delta flight headed for Santa Ana, California was preparing for takeoff.

Air traffic controllers could be heard in a recording of the incident telling the pilot of American Airlines flight 2406 to cancel its landing and go around the 30 left runway because Delta Air Lines flight 1163, which had been cleared to land, was still on the runway.

But after the controller told the American Airlines pilot to ‘go around,’ the aircraft passed above and to the left of the Delta Airbus A220 — coming within just 200 feet vertically and 850 horizontally from each other.

The incident marks at least the fifth time this year that two planes just missed each other at American airports — and came just two days before a United Airlines plane backed into a Delta flight at Boston’s Logan airport.

OSHA fines American Airlines subsidiary $15k after worker gets sucked into plane engine, dies

Landon Mion

FOX NEWS
Tue, June 20, 2023 

An airline has been fined $15,625 following an incident late last year at Montgomery Regional Airport in Alabama, where a ground crew worker died after she was "ingested" into an airplane engine.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fined Piedmont Airlines, an American Airlines subsidiary, after investigators determined the airline was at fault in the New Year's Eve death of Courtney Edwards, a ground agent for Piedmont Airlines.

An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) concluded that Edwards, a 34-year-old mother of three, approached American Airlines Flight 3408 after it had recently landed when she was sucked into the plane's engine. She did not survive.

The plane had just completed a trip from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Texas.

OSHA's $15,625 penalty is the maximum under the law.

"The employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from recognized hazards that were causing or were likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees that were exposed to ingestion and jet blast hazards," OSHA said.

Crystal Byrd, a spokesperson at Piedmont Airlines, told Dallas Morning News the company is investigating the incident.

"Safety is always our top priority for our team members," Byrd said. "We appreciate the recommendations from OSHA and will ensure that a thorough review is accomplished."

The penalty comes after an NTSB preliminary report released in January was favorable to the airline. It said the ground crew at the airport held two safety briefings immediately before the plane arrived at the gate.

Employees were told they should not approach the plane until the engine was shut off and a beacon light was turned off, according to the NTSB report.

The co-pilot attempted to inform workers on the ground that the engines were still on but "Immediately thereafter, he saw a warning light illuminate and the airplane shook violently followed by the immediate automatic shutdown of the number 1 engine," the NTSB report read.

"Unsure of what had occurred, he extinguished the emergency lights and shut off both batteries before leaving the flight deck to investigate," the report continued.

Edwards was seen in surveillance footage behind the plane but disappeared from view.

"She was subsequently pulled off her feet and into the operating engine," the report reads.

The NTSB report suggested Edwards failed to keep at a safe distance until the airplane's rotating beacon light shut off.

American Airlines said in a statement released shortly after the incident, "We are devastated by the accident involving a team member of Piedmont Airlines, an American Airlines regional carrier, at Montgomery Regional Airport (MGM)."

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and our local team members," the statement continued. "We are focused on ensuring that all involved have the support they need during this difficult time."

The company has 15 business days from receiving the citation to comply with paying its penalties.

A fundraiser was created online to support funeral costs and Edwards' children. It has raised more than $122,000 as of Tuesday morning.

SHETLAND SPACE PORT LIKE A PONY
Hotel and visitor centre planned on Unst as spaceport takes shape

Neil Pooran, PA Scotland Political Reporter
Fri, 23 June 2023 

A new hotel and visitor centre are planned for the island of Unst in Shetland as part of work to create a spaceport at the northern-most tip of the UK.

The team behind SaxaVord spaceport hope to build new accommodation near the site, appealing to those keen to see rare birds and wildlife as well as blast-offs.

The first orbital rocket launches are expected to draw crowds of at least several hundred and a viewing area will be set up across a bay, opposite the spaceport’s launch pads.


Debbie Strang, chief operating officer at SaxaVord, said it had carried out a study into how many people would come to Unst for a launch – noting that Cornwall spaceport’s attempted space launch earlier this year drew about 2,000 visitors.

A viewing area will be set up opposite the launch pads (SaxaVord/PA)

Ms Strang told journalists: “The research said most people wanted to see the base of the rocket, that was something that came back.

“It’s absolutely going to be an added draw for people who have made the decision to come to Shetland, they will come for longer and they’ll try and see a launch.

“If they’re not here for a launch, they will want to come to the site – and they’ll want to understand what space is all about, not just Saxa’s role in that.

“They’ll want some sort of visitor centre and education to understand more about space. So that will be built into the hotel and the plans for that.”

As well as a hotel with around 250 beds, SaxaVord also hopes to reuse a nearby airstrip as a private airstrip. The island is currently accessed by ferry from other parts of Shetland.

The spaceport team stressed the need to manage visitors’ expectations around any rocket launches, which can often be delayed or called off.

Debbie Strang said the spaceport would be an added draw for people coming to Shetland (SaxaVord/PA)

Commercial rockets from start-up companies also have a high failure rate, as many are new designs which have not flown before.

A planning application has been drawn up and is being submitted to Shetland Islands Council.

The site is near Hermaness nature reserve, which boasts spectacular clifftop views and has a rich variety of wild birds.

Ms Strang said this is currently the “number one” attraction on Unst.

The privately-funded spaceport is still under construction and hopes to host a sub-orbital rocket launch in October.

The first launch into space is expected in April next year from a German company called Rocket Factory Augsburg.

Former Disney star Alyson Stoner claims they were fired from the network after coming out

2023/06/25

Former child star Alyson Stoner is speaking out about how their professional career suffered after publicly coming out as queer.

Earlier this month, Stoner revealed they were fired from a kids’ show after openly identifying as nonbinary and using they/them pronouns, a decision they made in 2018, reports HuffPost.

“I did end up getting fired from a children’s show because they felt that I was unsafe, now that they knew I was queer, to be around kids,” she shared during an episode of the podcast “I’m Literally Screaming with Spencewuah,” which aired on June 8.

Stoner’s career took off with appearances in highly successful Disney shows, including “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody,” “That’s So Raven,” and “Drake & Josh.”

Since childhood, they were an immensely talented quadruple threat, pursuing ballet, modeling and even releasing multiple pop albums in addition to acting.

In a 2018 Teen Vogue essay, Stoner publicly expressed their attraction to “men, women, and people who identify in other ways.”

Although their intention was to be honest and fair to their girlfriend by no longer keeping their relationship a secret, they were aware of possible consequences and was even told by their manager of the “potential risk.”

“It (was) totally my choice, but it could affect not only people’s perceptions but also, like, hireability for jobs,” they said during the podcast interview.

Stoner noted that they believed the “beauty” of coming out would “far outweigh the hate comments and death threats” that followed.

But Stoner has also struggled with their identity and people’s perceptions. During a 2021 conversation with Insider, they discussed wrestling with their religion and even attending gay conversion therapy.

“Queer folks (and non-queer, too!) frequently suppress a part or all of who we are … We may silence the wisdom of our bodies and neglect our basic needs,” Stoner posted on Instagram June 6. “Learning how to listen and rebuild trust with our bodies is essential.”

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