China urges protection of Palestinian rights at UNHRC

(Xinhua) 15:31, October 05, 2024

GENEVA, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- China expressed deep concern over the human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories on Wednesday, reaffirming its support for the Palestinian people's pursuit of their legitimate national rights.

The Palestinian issue has persisted for over 70 years, causing immense suffering to the Palestinian people, said Chen Xu, permanent representative of China to the United Nations (UN) Office in Geneva and other international organizations in Switzerland.

Nearly a year after the Gaza conflict began, hostilities continue, and the recent escalation of violence in Lebanon has further complicated efforts to achieve a two-state solution, Chen said in a speech at the 57th session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), during the general debate on the human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories.

He emphasized that China opposes and condemns all acts of violence against innocent civilians, particularly women and children. China calls for an immediate and lasting ceasefire, an end to actions that escalate tensions, and measures to alleviate the humanitarian disaster in Gaza, he added.

Chen urged concrete actions to safeguard the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, emphasizing the need for the international community to earnestly implement relevant UN General Assembly and UNHRC resolutions on Palestinian rights, and to adhere to the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice.

He also called for convening, under the UN's auspices, a larger, more authoritative, and more effective international peace conference to develop a specific timetable and roadmap for implementing the two-state solution and achieving a comprehensive, just, and lasting resolution to the Palestinian issue.

China is willing to work with the international community to make relentless efforts toward this goal, Chen added. 

(Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Wu Chaolan)

Kazakhstan observes 'day of silence' ahead of nuclear power plant vote

Kazakhstan Materials 5 October 2024 


Madina Usmanova

ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 5. Kazakhstan is observing a mandatory "day of silence" today, ahead of a key referendum on the construction of a nuclear power plant, Trend reports.

In accordance with election laws, all forms of campaigning are strictly prohibited during this period, with any violations subject to administrative penalties.

The ban covers a wide range of activities, including televised political ads, distribution of campaign materials such as newspapers and leaflets, and the holding of debates or meetings with voters. Additionally, the publication of public opinion polls that could influence voter decisions is not allowed.

The referendum is set to take place tomorrow, October 6, with polling stations open from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM. Kazakh citizens will have the opportunity to cast their votes on whether to move forward with plans to build a nuclear power plant.


Kyrgyzstan shortlists sites for small nuclear power construction

5 October 2024 10:49 


Photo: Parliament of Kyrgyzstan

Abdullo Janob

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, October 5. Kyrgyzstan is in the process of selecting a site for the construction of a small nuclear power plant, Energy Minister Taalaibek Ibrayev announced during a meeting of the “Eldik” parliamentary group.

Ibraev also revealed plans to cease electricity imports by 2027.

“Currently, the energy deficit in the country stands at 300-400 MW. If we commission at least one solar power plant, we can stop importing electricity,” he stated.

To note, the Russian state corporation Rosatom is set to construct the small nuclear plant based on the RITM-200N water-water reactor design in Kyrgyzstan. The project is expected to take approximately 10 years to complete. By March 2024, Rosatom had finalized a preliminary feasibility study for the project.


During the XIII Atomexpo forum in March 2024, Deputy Energy Minister Taalaibek Baigaziev stated that a base nuclear power station will have a capacity of 100-300 megawatts.

Among Central Asian countries, Kazakhstan is moving the fastest with its nuclear initiatives, including a referendum on building a nuclear power plant set for October 6, 2024.

Kazakhstan's Nuclear Power Vote: Many Questions, But Just One On The Ballot

October 05, 2024 
By Chris Rickleton

RFE

Will Kazakhs endorse the government's desire to build a nuclear power plant?


ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- Kazakh voters will head to the polls on October 6 to decide whether to approve the construction of the first nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan -- the world's largest producer of uranium.

And the question on the ballot will be just that: "Do you agree to the construction of a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan?"

But the debate surrounding nuclear energy is far more complex, taking in the heavy legacy of Soviet-era nuclear tests, long-standing nuclear-phobia, and unanswered questions around the companies -- and countries -- that would build the plant if voters endorse it.

Ahead of the first referendum in Central Asia on nuclear power, RFE/RL takes a closer look at that conversation.

What The Government Says

In many countries, national referendums can divide governing coalitions and spark cabinet resignations, but there is no sign of anything like that in Kazakhstan -- the political elite is firmly behind the plan to build a nuclear power plant.

That extends from the government to the legislature, where all six parties support the idea, and where at least one lawmaker who initially opposed the plan now says he changed his mind.

The government's main argument is that only nuclear power has the capacity to provide near-zero carbon energy on the scale required to cover a power deficit that grows year-on-year, especially in the southern half of the country.

Police escort activist Eldos Dosanov out during public discussions in Semey on the construction of a nuclear power plant on August 8.

Why Not Renewables?

While wind and solar's overall share of the fossil-fuel-heavy national energy mix has grown to around 6 percent in recent years, Energy Minister Almasadam Satkaliev argues that renewables' dependence on "natural and climatic conditions" make them too "unpredictable" on a large scale.

President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev first floated the idea of using nuclear power in 2019.

Like other officials, he has assured Kazakhs that a future nuclear plant will be built with the latest technology to ensure the highest safety standards.

As the world's largest uranium producer, he says it is time for Kazakhstan to move up the nuclear-fuel cycle.

Why Hold A Referendum?

That is a good question, given that any sort of popular vote carries a protest risk, and Kazakhstan's authoritarian regime has only recently held parliamentary elections (March 2023) and a presidential election (November 2022).

But the country's leadership knows that the issue is contentious -- not least because the nation's introduction to nuclear power began with the Soviet Union's first nuclear bomb test in 1949, with hundreds more taking a terrible human and environmental toll in the northeastern Semei region.

Employees fuel up the first of two reactors of Belarus's Ostrovets nuclear power plant during its launch on August 7, 2020. It was the first nuclear power plant in Belarus.

Toqaev has argued that holding a plebiscite on nuclear power is in line with his "Listening State" concept, which translates to hearing people out.

And with the so-called "administrative resources" firmly on the government's side and a long history of controlled elections in Kazakhstan, few are expecting a resounding win for "yes."

Government-approved polling from last month shows that only 22.3 percent of Kazakhs are now against the idea, down from 32.5 percent in August.

Polling not sanctioned by the government is illegal, meanwhile, and at least two citizen journalists and one media outlet were slapped with fines after sampling the public's opinion on nuclear power in the run-up to the vote.

Tamara Eslyamova, owner and publisher of the newspaper Uralskaya nedelya, was fined by a court for inteviewing residents of the city of Oral about building a nuclear power plant. (file photo)

Is There A 'No' Campaign?

To the extent that Kazakhstan allows such things, there is.

But nuclear naysayers have been repeatedly blocked from holding demonstrations against the plan in various cities, and most recently found that a hotel in the largest city, Almaty -- where they had earlier agreed to hold an event -- was suddenly unwilling to host them.

At least five Kazakh activists opposed to nuclear power have been placed in pretrial detention on charges of plotting mass unrest early this month, while others have faced administrative punishment.

SEE ALSO:

Kazakhstan Detains Activists Ahead of Nuclear Referendum

Public debates held in Kazakh cities over the space of the past year were emotional, particularly in Almaty, Astana, and Ulken, which is the town closest to the expected site of the proposed facility on the southern shore of Lake Balkhash.

One prominent voice adding authority to the "no" campaign is Aset Nauryzbaev, a former top manager of the national electricity grid.

Anti-nuclear advocate Vadim Ni cuts a nuclear power plant cake at a press conference in Almaty on March 28 to highlight the destructive potential of a nuclear accident.

He has argued that even the government's $10 billion-$12 billion estimate for the plant is too expensive for Kazakhstan, necessitating either a steep rise in electricity rates or huge subsidies for power production.

Nauryzbaev maintains that ramping up production of renewables would be both feasible and four times cheaper than the nuclear option.

Other opponents say the project that authorities expect to build over eight years will become a magnet for corruption, like so many other Kazakh megaprojects before it, compromising safety.

The government has countered that necessary oversight of the project by international organizations like the International Atomic Energy Agency will ensure high levels of compliance and minimize corruption risks.

Will Russia Build It?

The word "Russia" will not feature on the ballot. But for many it is one of the most important questions to be asked.

Moscow made a major contribution to global nuclear-phobia in the early weeks of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, when Russian military forces occupied the territory surrounding the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, sparking fears of war-related nuclear fallout.

And Moscow's nuclear energy giant Rosatom, which is slated to build a smaller nuclear facility in next-door Uzbekistan, could represent a sanctions risk in the future, even if the company is not currently targeted with the kind of retaliatory measures that Western governments have slapped on other Russian companies.

To date, Rosatom is just one of four contractors whose reactors are under consideration for the prospective plant along with EDF of France, the China National Nuclear Corporation, and South Korea's Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power.

Intriguingly, Kazakh authorities have mentioned the prospect of an international consortium working on the project -- a fine example of the "multivector" foreign policy that Astana has been promoting vigorously since the Ukraine war began.

But sky-high geopolitical tensions would surely make Russia an undesirable partner for Seoul and Paris, if not for Beijing.

And with the Kremlin already irritated by ally Kazakhstan's neutral stance on the war, the cost of completely snubbing Moscow on such a strategic project might be too great for the Central Asian country to contemplate

.
Chris Rickleton is a journalist living in Almaty. Before joining RFE/RL he was Central Asia bureau chief for Agence France-Presse, where his reports were regularly republished by major outlets such as MSN, Euronews, Yahoo News, and The Guardian. He is a graduate of the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.

Political row erupts overs Hurricane Helene disaster relief

Brajesh Upadhyay and Jake Horton
BBC News, Washington


A political row has erupted after Donald Trump claimed Americans hit hard by Hurricane Helene were losing out on emergency relief money because it had been spent on migrants.

The White House swiftly rebutted the claims and accused Republicans of spreading "bold-faced lies" about funding for the disaster response.

On Wednesday US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas had said the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), which he oversees, was short on cash for the rest of hurricane season.

Trump and his allies expressed outrage that the agency had spent over $640m (£487m) on housing migrants. But US officials said that money was allocated through a totally different funding pot to disaster relief.

With less than a month to go before the White House election, Trump and the Democratic nominee Kamala Harris are neck and neck in the handful of swing states, such as storm-hit North Carolina and Georgia, that will decide the vote.

The deadliest mainland US hurricane since Katrina in 2005, Helene tore through the south-east last week, claiming at least 225 lives and leaving hundreds more missing.

Both Trump and Vice-President Harris have made trips to some of the affected states.

At an event in Evans, Georgia, on Friday, Trump said: “A lot of the money that was supposed to go to Georgia and supposed to go to North Carolina and all of the others is going and has gone already.

“It's been gone for people that came into the country illegally, and nobody has ever seen anything like that. That's a shame.”

Fema did receive a budget from Congress - $640m in the last fiscal year - to provide housing to immigrants applying for US citizenship.


Hurricane Helene: North Carolina house swept down river and smashes into debris

But the cash came via a federal immigration agency, Customs and Border Protection.

It was spent through Fema's Shelter and Services Program (SSP) and is a separate pot of money to the agency's Disaster Relief Fund of nearly $20bn, which is used to respond to hurricanes and other natural disasters.

Fema's disaster relief budget for the year expired at the end of September and the agency is currently running on temporary funding while Congress negotiates a new annual budget.

The agency has responded to Trump's claim with a dedicated fact-check page, and a statement from the Department of Homeland Security.

“This is false," Fema said in a statement. "No money is being diverted from disaster response needs.”

So far, more than $45m has been given to communities affected by Hurricane Helene, said the agency.

Fema has also shipped over 11.5m meals and 12.6m litres of water in the aftermath of Helene, said Vice-President Harris on Friday, adding that more than 5,600 federal personnel were on the ground.

But Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr, posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday that it was "madness" for billions of dollars in foreign aid to be sent to Ukraine, instead of to American citizens who had lost everything in the storm.

Meanwhile, critics of Trump have pointed out that when he was president back in 2019, $155m was transferred from Fema's operating budget to fund deportations of migrants to Mexico.

CRYPTOZOOLOGY

I found Loch Ness monster on ship’s sonar, claims captain

By Mark Macaskill
Daily Telegraph UK·
4 Oct, 2024 


Sloggie claims the image picked up on his sensors resembles a plesiosaur at the bottom of Loch Ness.

A captain has claimed he found the Loch Ness monster using the sonar system on his boat.

Shaun Sloggie, 30, was preparing his Spirit of Loch Ness pleasure boat to sail last month when a large object was spotted on the vessel’s underwater sensors.

The outline, which was detected nearly 100m beneath the surface of the Highland loch, bears an eerie resemblance to a plesiosaur, which many have speculated could be the reptile group the fabled Loch Ness Monster belongs to.

The footage has reignited speculation that Nessie, the creature alleged to inhabit the large body of water near Inverness, might really exist.

“I said: ‘What the hell is that?’” recalled Sloggie of the sighting on September 22.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.





“It was bigger than anything else I’ve ever seen. We’ve seen all sorts of fish that shouldn’t be here, but this? This was different. You should have felt the chills on the boat.”

Speaking to the Daily Mail, he added: “I’ve worked here for nine years and never seen anything like it.

“And sonar doesn’t lie, the boat hasn’t been on five whisky distillery tours before going out on the loch, it’s just doing its job.”
Object remained visible for two to three minutes

Sloggie, who works for Cruise Loch Ness, said the object remained visible for two to three minutes and that he and maritime pilot Liam McKenzie, 29, were able to take a screenshot before it disappeared from the dashboard.

He said it appeared in different colours, which are thought to indicate pockets of air and heat signatures suggesting the object was alive.

A previous sonar image captured on Loch Ness in 2020 was said to be the most “compelling” evidence yet of the existence of Nessie.

Sloggie said the previous image was believed to show a creature “eight to 10 metres long and one metre wide” but speculated that the new object was “a lot bigger than that”.

The image was captured while the boat was close to the mouth of the loch, which Sloggie said was the ideal location for a large predator to catch salmon and other fish going in and out.

“There are fish in the loch that shouldn’t be here. There are prehistoric creatures living in the loch and unknown codes of DNA, so there is room for mystery,” he said.

“This could change the angle of science on the loch. But how do you find out what it is? I’ve always known there’s something there. What it is, is a mystery. But it definitely springs open people’s imaginations. It’s not just about tourism, there’s real science in studying the loch.”

Discover more

'Loch Ness monster' spotted in tourist's photo
Loch Ness mystery: Is Nessie a giant eel?
Did Rhys Darby just prove the Loch Ness Monster exists?
'Incredible' photos emerge during largest Loch Ness hunt in 50 years

With a depth of almost 243m and a length of about 38km, Loch Ness has the largest volume of freshwater in Great Britain. It is thought to be about 10,000 years old and was formed at the end of the last Great Ice Age.

An official register of sightings has now logged 1157 reports – including webcam images – from records and other evidence stretching back through the centuries.

On May 2, 1933, the Inverness Courier carried a story about a local couple who claimed to have seen “an enormous animal rolling and plunging on the surface”.

Another famous claimed sighting is a photograph taken in 1934 by Colonel Robert Kenneth Wilson.

It was later exposed as a hoax by one of the participants, Chris Spurling, who, on his deathbed, revealed that the pictures were staged.

Other sightings include James Gray’s picture from 2001 when he and his friend Peter Levings were out fishing on the loch, while namesake Hugh Gray’s blurred photo of what appears to be a large sea creature was published in the Daily Express in 1933.

US ignored evidence of Israeli arms misuse and rushed more weapons — report

State Department officials pushed to restrict weapons sales to Israel due to human rights concerns in Gaza, but their appeals were repeatedly denied by higher-ups, according to an investigation by ProPublica.

In late August, the Times of Israel said, citing the Israeli Defence Ministry, that the army received over 50,000 tons of weapons since the start of Tel Aviv's genocide in besieged Gaza. / Photo: AA Archive

Top American officials dismissed appeals from several State Department officials to stop weapons deliveries to Israel, even amid escalating civilian casualties in besieged Gaza, according to a new investigation.

According to an investigative piece by ProPublica, which cited leaked emails and cables, when the Palestinian death toll stood at around 25,000 deaths in late January, US envoy to Israel Jack Lew urged the State Department to approve the delivery of 3,000 more bombs to Israel, arguing it wasn't possible the Israeli military would misuse the weapons.

ProPublica, a non-profit investigative journalism outlet based in New York, said the pressure to keep arms deliveries to Israel also came from US military contractors who manufacture the weapons.

"Lobbyists for those companies have routinely pressed lawmakers and State Department officials behind the scenes to approve shipments both to Israel… When one company executive pushed his former subordinate at the department for a valuable sale, the government official reminded him that strategising over the deal might violate federal lobbying laws," the ProPublica investigation said, citing leaked emails.

The US State Department's response to ProPublica article didn't address any of the highlighted issues, and only said that the US expects recipients of US arms to be compliant with international law.

An Israeli government spokesperson, however, slammed the article as "biased", saying it's trying to portray the US-Israel relations as "improper."

Despite documented reports and evidence of Israel deliberately targeting Palestinian civilians, Secretary of State Antony Blinken acknowledged the civilian sufferings, but said, "We started with the premise on October 7 that Israel had the right to defend itself."



Protecting Israel from scrutiny

The investigation also emphasised that the US embassy in Israel tries to protect Israel from scrutiny, with US diplomats in Israel refusing to take funds from the State Department's Middle East Bureau earmarked to probe human rights violations carried out by Israel.

"In most places, our goal is to address human rights violations," Mike Casey, a former US diplomat in occupied Jerusalem, was quoted in the investigation as saying.

"We don't have that in Jerusalem."

Despite disagreeing on almost every issue, both Democrats and Republicans hail Israel as a "beacon of democracy" in a region filled with opposition to US interests.

Vice President and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris has said she has no intention of changing Joe Biden's policy towards arming Israel during an interview with CNN.

Republican candidate Donald Trump has also argued that no US president served Israel like he did, saying that he is the "best friend Israel has ever had".



Israel lives on US donation


Israel is the largest recipient of US aid and military assistance. Since 1948, Israel has received over $310 billion in aid from the US, both economic and military.


According to Israeli media, the military has received over 50,000 tonnes of weapons since the start of Tel Aviv's genocide in besieged Gaza.


The Biden administration has so far resisted calls to condition any arms transfers to Israel even though senior US officials have criticised Tel Aviv over the high civilian death toll in Gaza, where Tel Aviv has killed more than 42,000 Palestinians and wounded nearly 100,000 others in last 365 days.

Some 10,000 Palestinians are feared to be buried under rubble of the bombed homes.

Another 10,000 have been abducted by Israel and dumped in Israeli torture chambers. Experts and some studies say this is just a tip of an iceberg and the actual Palestinian death toll could be around 200,000.

Israel is accused of genocide at the ICJ and Palestinians says US is fully complicit in it.
SOURCE: TRT World

River level at Amazon rainforest port hits 122-year low amid drought


Reuters
Published on Oct. 4, 2024

Scientists predict the Amazon region may not fully recover moisture levels until 2026.

By Bruno Kelly and Jake Spring

MANAUS, Brazil (Reuters) - The river port in the Amazon rainforest's largest city of Manaus on Friday hit its lowest level since 1902, as a drought drains waterways and snarls transport of grain exports and essential supplies that are the region's lifeline.

Below-average rainfall - even through the rainy season - has plagued the Amazon and much of South America since last year, also feeding the worst wildfires in more than a decade in Brazil and Bolivia. Researchers say climate change is the main culprit.

RELATED: Brazil's Amazon rainforest fires in August reach 14-year high

Scientists predict the Amazon region may not fully recover moisture levels until 2026.

Last year, the drought became a humanitarian crisis, as people reliant on rivers were stranded without food, water or medicine.

A drone view shows boats stranded on the Rio Negro as the river reached its lowest point in its history during the most intense and widespread drought the country has experienced since records began in 1950, in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil October 4, 2024. (REUTERS/Bruno Kelly)

This year authorities are already on alert. In hard-hit Amazonas state, at least 62 municipalities are under states of emergency with more than half a million people affected, according to the state's civil defense corps.

"This is now the most severe drought in over 120 years of measurement at the Port of Manaus," said Valmir Mendonca, the port's head of operations, who said the river level is likely to keep falling for another week or two.

With the region never fully recovering due to weaker-than-usual seasonal rains, many of the impacts of the drought last year look set to repeat or reach new extremes.

The Port of Manaus measured the Rio Negro river at 12.66 meters on Friday, according to its website, surpassing the previous all-time low recorded last year and still falling rapidly.

SEE ALSO: Amazon rainforest could be next source of deadly viruses, scientists warn

The Rio Negro is a major tributary of the Amazon River, the world's largest river by volume. The port sits near the "meeting of the waters" where the black water of the Negro meets the sandy-colored Solimoes, which also hit a record low this week.

Grain shipments have been halted on the Madeira River, another tributary of the Amazon, because of low water levels, a port association said last month.

Researchers are once again finding the carcasses of Amazon freshwater river dolphins, which they blame on thinning waters driving the threatened species into closer contact with humans.

Port worker Francisco Ferreira measures the level of the Rio Negro at the Porto de Manaus as the river reaches its lowest point in its history during the most intense and widespread drought the country has experienced since records began in 1950, in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil October 4, 2024. (REUTERS/Bruno Kelly)

National disaster monitoring agency Cemaden has already called the drought Brazil's worst such event since at least the 1950s.

The drought has also sapped hydropower plants, Brazil's main source of electricity. Energy authorities have approved bringing back daylight saving time to conserve electricity, although the measure still requires presidential approval.

The extreme weather and dryness is affecting much of South America, with the Paraguay River also at an all-time low. That river starts in Brazil and flows through Paraguay and Argentina to the Atlantic.

The same extreme heat and dryness is helping drive surging fires in the Amazon and neighboring Pantanal, the world's largest wetlands. Bolivia is also on track to break a record for most fires ever recorded, according to data from Brazil's space research agency.

(Reporting by Bruno Kelly in Manaus and Jake Spring in Sao Paulo; Editing by Brad Haynes and Matthew Lewis)

UK Submarine Service report uncovers misogyny, bullying and other unacceptable behaviours

'We must be better than this and do better than we have,' said the head of the Royal Navy (Picture: MOD)

The head of the Royal Navy has apologised after an investigation found misogyny, bullying and other unacceptable behaviours had taken place in the Submarine Service.

The First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Ben Key, said he had accepted all 37 recommendations of the investigation in full.

Adm Sir Ben apologised to the whistleblower who raised the alarm about alleged sexual harassment and abuse on board the UK's submarines.

• Senior Royal Navy officer speaks about her experience of gender prejudice in service
• Minister acknowledges Royal Navy 'recruitment challenges'
• US Navy welcomes first submarine built for mixed-gender crew into the fleet

He ordered an internal inquiry into the claims made in a newspaper interview in October 2022 by Sophie Brook, a former naval officer, and other women about their treatment while serving in the elite Submarine Service.

Adm Sir Ben confirmed that misogyny, bullying and other unacceptable behaviours did happen and described it as intolerable.

He accepted all of the recommendations in the report including the formation of a new Head of Culture team and a review of submariner leadership training.

The First Sea Lord also commended the courage of Ms Brook in coming forward.

'We must be better'

Adm Sir Ben said: "As the Head of the Royal Navy, today I also offer a public apology, both to Ms Brook and to any personnel – past or present – that have been subject to any form of unacceptable behaviour during their time in service.

"I am truly sorry."

The Royal Navy chief alluded to how the service would go forward to improve the experiences of personnel in the Royal Navy while understanding "there is more to be done".

He added: "Poor practices and behaviours in the past that may have been normalised in some quarters should never have been considered acceptable, and they have no place today.

"We must institute a culture that does not allow space for this behaviour to exist, and we must deal with perpetrators swiftly, without fear or favour, which I can confirm we have now done.

"Internal action has been taken against a number of individuals, up to and including discharge from the service."

Adm Sir Ben concluded his statement by saying: "We must be better than this and do better than we have."

The allegations

BFBS Forces News understands some of the allegations were reported to the MOD's serious crime unit, but there was insufficient evidence to bring prosecutions. However, it is also understood that three people were discharged as a result of the investigation.

The investigation's report has now been published, but much of it is heavily redacted.

The allegations included several reports of sexual misconduct, including the assault of a woman in her bed by a man of higher rank who tried to kiss her. She was then discouraged by the XO from reporting it.

Another of the allegations made was that a "crush depth rape list" is common across the service in which women and men are marked in the order they would be raped in a catastrophic event.

The specific allegation made to the investigation, their consideration of the evidence and their conclusion on the balance of probabilities were all redacted.

But the report does say the allegation led to several recommendations, one of them being administrative action as a result of the findings.

Another allegation was that bras were stolen from the laundry, leading to a recommendation that personnel be given the resources to wash their own underwear.

Royal Navy whistleblower who raised alarm about abuse on UK submarines tells of relief after investigation

Sky News
Fri 4 October 2024 


A whistleblower says she feels relief after the Royal Navy apologised for misogyny, bullying and unacceptable behaviour that she experienced while serving.

A long-awaited investigation into sexual harassment and abuse on board the UK's nuclear-armed submarines found "intolerable" behaviour - and it said more needs to be done despite the Royal Navy's recent attempts to improve the experience of personnel.

Sophie Brook - who raised the alarm in 2022 - spoke to Sky News following a meeting with the head of the Royal Navy, Admiral Sir Ben Key.


She said she welcomed the Navy's apology to her but she wants to see meaningful changes.

"I am appreciative of the full and unreserved apology that the First Lord Sea has given me," she said.

"That means a lot to have had that both verbally and in a written letter and acknowledgment of everything that happened.

"I have relief that it's finally come to an end."

Ms Brook first spoke to Sky News in October 2022 when she detailed misogynistic abuse and bullying that she said led her to self-harm, including finding a serving officer naked in her bed and having an officer stick his tongue in her ear while she looked through a periscope.

Describing her ordeal, she said: "I was punched in the kidneys while I was on the periscope, I had someone lick my ear while I was again on the periscope and the same person put their penis in my pocket.

"It ranged from quite minor to serious incidents but even the minor ones - when they're repeated or sustained over a number of months or years, actually they start to weigh you down."

Ms Brook previously told Sky News she initially raised concerns internally about her alleged mistreatment. But she claimed that the Royal Navy turned on her, accusing her of fraud and of revealing information about the movement of a submarine.

She was formally dismissed from the service in June 2022 and handed a five-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months. By that time, she had already resigned and left the navy.

On the fraud charge, Ms Brook said she decided to plead guilty at court-martial because she had not been allowed more time to produce bank records that she claimed showed she had made car journeys that she had claimed petrol money for.

On the litigation, a Royal Navy spokesperson said previously: "All court martial trials are independent and presided over by a judge advocate, who is appointed in the same way as judges in other courts and ensures that matters are handled fairly and in compliance with the law."

Admiral Key ordered an internal inquiry into the claims made by Brook and other women about their treatment while serving in the elite Submarine Service.

In a statement, Admiral Key said: "The conclusion of the investigation into misconduct in the Submarine Service marks an inflection point for the Royal Navy.

"The investigation has confirmed misogyny, bullying and other unacceptable behaviours did occur during the investigation period, and this is intolerable.

"As the head of the Royal Navy, today I also offer a public apology, both to Ms Brook and to any personnel - past or present - that have been subject to any form of unacceptable behaviour during their time in service. I am truly sorry."

The number of women serving in the Royal Navy remains low and even more so in the Submarine Service where women were only allowed to serve from 2014.

Sky News understands in the last two years alone, there have been nearly 30 investigations into misogyny and sexual offences, and more than 20 individuals have been discharged.

Ms Brook said she hopes the Navy's response is not just a token gesture, but a starting point for real, substantive change.

She said: "I think all that really matters is that the actions in future change...

"Certainly everything that the government was saying they are doing in the Royal Navy to improve things in the submarine service sounds like they should work and should improve the lived experience of people.

"Hopefully as long as these things do happen, it will make life better."

Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK


Royal Navy chief apologises after investigation finds ‘bullying and misogyny’ in submarine service

Jane Dalton
Fri 4 October 2024 

A Royal Navy investigation found ‘misogyny, bullying and other unacceptable behaviours’ in the submarine service (Getty)


The head of the Royal Navy has apologised after an investigation found “misogyny, bullying and other unacceptable behaviours” in the submarine service.

There was at least one report of rape, and women suffered lewd comments and sexual gestures, an official report has revealed.

The first sea lord, Admiral Sir Ben Key, ordered an investigation two years ago into allegations made by former lieutenant Sophie Brook, who had described a “constant campaign of sexual bullying”.

The report found numerous cases of abuse, lewd comments and ‘at least’ one report of rape (Getty)

Sir Ben said on Friday: “The investigation has confirmed misogyny, bullying and other unacceptable behaviours did occur during the investigation period, and this is intolerable. During the investigation process, Ms Brook made several requests for redress.

“Those that are within my gift to offer – I have. When I met with Ms Brook this morning, I apologised to her personally and unreservedly, praising her courage in coming forward.

“As the head of the Royal Navy, today I also offer a public apology, both to Ms Brook and to any personnel – past or present – that have been subject to any form of unacceptable behaviour during their time in service. I am truly sorry.”

He added: “We must be better than this and do better than we have.”

Ms Brook said she was still concerned about ‘the navy’s commitment to delivering meaningful change’ (Getty)

Ordering the investigation in 2022, he branded the allegations “abhorrent”, promising: “Anyone who is found culpable will be held accountable for their actions regardless of their rank or status.”

A heavily redacted final report of the investigation into allegations across the submarine service listed numerous incidents of abuse and harassment by male submariners, some of whom were senior officers, against their female colleagues.

Among the most serious were at least one report of rape, while others included lewd comments and sexual gestures.

Administrative action, “up to and including discharge from the Royal Navy”, has been taken against “several individuals”, according to an executive summary published alongside the full report.

Ms Brook told Sky News she was still concerned about “the navy’s commitment to delivering meaningful change”.

She said: “It is my hope that this report is not just a token gesture but a starting point for real substantive change.

“I came forward not just to see justice for myself but to shine a light on a culture that for too long has been permitted to thrive within some of the most elite branches of the armed forces.”

The Ministry of Defence said it was improving reporting mechanisms for sexual offences and that it had a zero-tolerance policy for sexual offences.


Women in UK's submarine forces suffered bullying and abuse by male colleagues, probe finds

PAN PYLAS
Fri 4 October 2024

LONDON (AP) — Women in the submarine forces in the U.K.’s Royal Navy suffered multiple incidents of abuse and harassment by male submariners, some of whom were senior officers, including of “at least” one report of rape, according to an internal investigation published Friday.

The heavily redacted report arose from allegations by former Lt. Sophie Brook of a “constant campaign of sexual bullying” she had endured while in the service.

The head of the Royal Navy apologized to Brook personally as the investigation's findings were made public while praising her "courage" in coming forward.

Admiral Ben Key, who ordered the probe in 2022 after the allegations came to light, said the “investigation has confirmed misogyny, bullying and other unacceptable” behavior.

"This is intolerable," he said. "Today I also offer a public apology, both to Ms. Brook and to any personnel — past or present — that have been subject to any form of unacceptable behavior during their time in service. I am truly sorry.”

Brook, who has since left the submarine service, said “multiple people” had contacted her with similar concerns after she first went public with her accusations.

After leaving the Royal Navy in early 2022, Brook was subsequently given a suspended jail sentence for sharing in an email sensitive information about her experience in the submarine service.

The report stated that there have been sanctions “up to and including discharge from the Royal Navy” against “several individuals.”

In a statement provided to Sky News, Brook said she “remains concerned about the Navy’s commitment to delivering meaningful change."

“I came forward not just to see justice for myself but to shine a light on a culture that for too long has been permitted to thrive within some of the most elite branches of the Armed Forces," she said.

Women make up about 10% of full-time Royal Navy personnel and have been eligible to serve on submarines since 2011, with the first women joining three years later.

Chagos diaspora angry at lack of input on islands' fate

Marie HEUCLIN
Fri 4 October 2024 

Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean is one of the most important 

US military bases and was used for wars in Afghanistan and Iraq 

Raymonde Desiree was 25 when she was forced to leave her native Chagos Islands as Britain emptied the Indian Ocean archipelago of its inhabitants to make way for a strategic military base.

Fifty-one years later, the petite matriarch says she, like many Chagossians living in Britain, is angry at not being given a say in the islands' fate as they are now handed over to Mauritius.

Britain announced Thursday that it would transfer sovereignty of the remote archipelago but keep the joint American-British base on Diego Garcia island, an agreement US President Joe Biden hailed as "historic".


But in Crawley, a town south of London that is home to a large Chagossian community, members of the diaspora described the announcement as the latest in a long line of injustices.

Desiree recalled giving birth to her first child on the boat that took her to the Seychelles from the Chagos Islands, as Britain emptied the archipelago of its inhabitants shortly after granting independence to Mauritius -- but not the Chagos -- in 1968.

From there, she was sent to Mauritius, where she "suffered", especially from discrimination, she told AFP through an interpreter, speaking her native Creole.

Granted British citizenship, like the other roughly 2,000 Chagos inhabitants who were expelled, she eventually moved to Britain in 2004.

She said the new deal left her "saddened".

"When I was born, the Chagos Islands weren't under Mauritius," she said.

"I will never be Mauritian," said Jemmy Simon, 36, whose grandparents were among those expelled from the Chagos.

Despite her British passport, "I'm Chagossian," she said.

"Going back to the Chagos Islands under Mauritian rule, that's not going to happen. We were not consulted... They should have given us the right of self-determination."

- 'Uprooted' -

The deal aims to put to rest half a century of legal battles over the islands.

It comes after the International Court of Justice recommended in 2019 that Britain hand them over.

During the hearings, Britain apologised for the "shameful" eviction of islanders. But it ignored the ICJ ruling at the time.

Under the agreement, members of the Chagossian diaspora will be allowed to return -- though not to Diego Garcia, the largest of the archipelago's roughly 50 islands.

But "that's where my parents are from", said Marilyn Ladouceur, 65, adding that the deal had left her "extremely angry".

Born in Mauritius, she recalled an impoverished childhood there before moving to Britain in 2004.

The deal, she said, will turn the Chagos Islands "into another Mauritius".

United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk on Friday urged Britain and Mauritius to make sure the ensuing treaty cementing the deal will "fully embrace human-rights driven solutions to the outstanding issues of remedy and reparation of the wrongs of the past".

It should "enable the Chagossian people to return to their ancestral territories... (and) build sustainable and prosperous futures", he said in a statement.

But beyond the difficulties of repopulating a remote archipelago and despite the promise of financial assistance under the deal, a return looks unlikely for many Chagossians now living in Britain.

Louis Vivian Marie, 72, said he had felt "uprooted" ever since leaving the islands at seven or eight years old.

"How can such a thing happen?" he says he still wonders.

But he says he plans to stay in Britain with his Mauritius-born wife, who is applying for British citizenship.

Desiree, meanwhile, has abandoned her dream of returning.

"I'm too old," she said, adding she was also unsure in what kind of condition she would find her long-deserted island.

mhc/alm/fjb/jhb/js

UK cedes Chagos Islands to Mauritius in deal securing Diego Garcia military base

NEWS WIRES
Thu 3 October 2024 




The UK agreed on Thursday to renounce sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, an archipelago of more than 60 islands in the Indian Ocean, but agreed a deal with Mauritius to secure the future of a UK-US military base on the island of Diego Garcia.

The British government agreed Thursday to hand sovereignty of the long-contested Chagos Islands, an archipelago of more than 60 islands in the Indian Ocean, to Mauritius, in a deal to secure the future of a strategically important U.K.-U.S. military base.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the agreement will secure the future of the base at Diego Garcia, the largest in the chain of remote islands off the tip of India that has been under British control for over 50 years.

The base, which is home to around 2,500 personnel, mainly Americans, has been involved in military operations including the 2003 war in Iraq and the long-running war in Afghanistan.

Britain's Labour government said without the deal the secure operation of the military base would be under threat, with contested sovereignty and legal challenges, including through various international courts and tribunals.

The agreement also paves the way for the potential return of the few people still alive who were forcibly displaced from their homes on the islands decades ago.


Where are the Chagos Islands, why has the UK given them to Mauritius and what about the Falklands?

William Mata
Fri 4 October 2024 

Where are the Chagos Islands, why has the UK given them to Mauritius and what about the Falklands?


The UK Government has reached a political agreement to allow Mauritius to take sovereignty over the Chagos Islands.

The historic agreement struck this week means Mauritius will assume sovereignty over the archipelago while the joint US-UK military base remains on Diego Garcia island.

Reaction to the deal was mixed, with some hailing the end to a bitter and long-running dispute over Britain's last African colony.

But others, including Tory leadership candidates, suggested it could undermine UK security.

Here is what it means.

The Chagos Islands (Google Maps)
Where are the Chagos Islands?

The chain of Indian Ocean islands are claimed by Mauritius but are actually more than 2,000km away from the African nation.

Chagos has seven atolls and around 60 islands; of these, Diego Garcia is by far the largest.

Mauritius is an island off the east coast of Madagascar, also an island, which is off the coast of south-east Africa.

Chagos archipelago is a strategic point in the Indian Ocean between Africa and India, which is why it is a useful spot for nations seeking regional influence.

Around 3,000 people live on the islands, who are mostly British and American servicemen.

Britain is giving up sovereignty of the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean in return for securing the long-term future of a strategically important military base (John Parker/Sylvia Cordaiy Photo Library Ltd/Alamy/PA)

How did the UK come to have the islands?

The islands were home to the Chagossian people before they were expelled in the Sixties and Seventies by the US and UK governments as they established an airbase on Diego Garcia.

The Chagossians mostly then settled in Mauritius and have not been allowed back since, although the new agreement paves the way for their return.

There is a joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia, part of the cluster of islands in the Indian Ocean that makes up the Chagos Islands (PA Media)

Why has Britain handed it to Mauritius?

Human rights campaigners, who have called for full reparations to generations affected by the forcible displacement of islanders, argued the deal does not go far enough to address the wrongs of the past.

Chagossians were forced to leave the central Indian Ocean territory in the Sixties and Seventies to make way for the military base.

The expulsions are regarded as a shameful parts of Britain's modern colonial history and Chagossians have spent decades fighting to return to the islands.

The United Nations' highest court, the International Court of Justice, previously ruled the UK's administration of the territory was unlawful and must end.

A joint statement from the UK and Mauritius governments said the new deal will be subject to a treaty that will "address wrongs of the past and demonstrate the commitment of both parties to support the welfare of Chagossians".

The Foreign Office said the agreement means the status of the base will be undisputed and legally secure.

Former Downing Street chief of staff Jonathan Powell (PA Archive)
Could China now develop a base?

There have been concerns raised by Labour’s political opponents that the agreement will allow China to develop influence in the area.

Former foreign secretary James Cleverly described the move as "weak, weak, weak" while former security minister Tom Tugendhat suggested it risked allowing China to gain a military foothold in the Indian Ocean.

Jonathan Powell, the prime minister's special envoy for negotiations between the UK and Mauritius, said China would not be able to develop a base in the Chagos Islands.

He said United States officials have been "intimately involved" in the negotiations, telling Times Radio: "Every single sentence and paragraph has been through an inter-agency process, all of the agencies in Washington. We've secured all of their red lines in that negotiation.

"When you come to see the detailed treaty, which is really quite long with the exchanges of letters, you'll see that this idea of a Chinese base is just hooey. It can't happen, won't happen.”

The treeless landscape of the Falkland Islands (PA Media)
Will the UK now hand back the Falkland Islands to Argentina?

After the UK agreed to return the Chagos Islands, the Argentine foreign minister, Diana Mondino, said it is time to take steps for the Malvinas (as the Argentinians call the islands) are returned.

"We welcome this step in the right direction and the end to outdated practices,” she said.

“Following the path we have already taken, with concrete actions and not empty rhetoric, we will recover full sovereignty over our Malvinas Islands.

"The Malvinas were, are and will always be Argentine."

Argentina has long wanted back the Falklands but residents of the islands voted 99 per cent in favour of remaining part of the UK in 2013.

In a statement earlier on Thursday, Falklands governor Alison Blake sought to reassure residents that Britain's commitment to the South Atlantic territory was "unwavering".

She said the historical context of the two territories was "very different".
What other territories does the UK have?

British overseas territories are listed by the government as:

Anguilla


Ascension


Bermuda


British Virgin Islands


Cayman Islands


Falkland Islands


Gibraltar


Montserrat


St Helena


Tristan da Cunha


Turks and Caicos Islands

Gang jailed over 'shocking' McDonald's slavery case

Leigh Milner
BBC News, East of England
Reporting from Southwark Crown Court, London
Brian Farmer
BBC News, East of England

BBC

Three gang members who trafficked 12 people from eastern Europe have been jailed after being convicted of trafficking and modern slavery.

Men and women had been forced to work in various places including McDonald’s in Caxton, Cambridgeshire, and at a bakery in Hertfordshire, prosecutors said.

Zdenek Drevenak, 47, was given a 13-year jail term, Jiri Cernohous, 49, a nine -year term and Martin Slovjak, 46, a four-year term at Southwark Crown Court.

All three, who come from the the Czech Republic and lived in Enfield, north London, were found guilty at Southwark Crown Court in May.

Crown Prosecution Service
(left-right) Jiri Cernohous, Martin Slovjak and Zdenek Drevenek have been convicted of trafficking, forced labour and servitude offences

"The victims, who spoke little or no English, were forced to work in various roles at a bakery in Hoddesdon, a car wash, a McDonald’s restaurant, as well as carry out domestic household tidying and cleaning," said a spokeswoman for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) after Friday's sentencing.

"The wages earned were routinely withheld from the victims aside from the occasional release of a derisory sum."

She said "vulnerable" people from the Czech Republic and Slovakia were "often selected" from "poor or rural" backgrounds with a "view to being exploited".

They had been housed in Enfield, she added.

'Invisible handcuffs'


Specialist prosecutor Kate Mulholland said victims were "controlled and manipulated" in the "most despicable way".

She described the case as "shocking... [they] may not have been under lock and key, but their ability to escape was undermined by the various methods of control – and as a result they remained trapped in ‘invisible handcuffs’".

The CPS said victims had passports and identity documents confiscated.

Gang members went on trial after an investigation by the Metropolitan Police.


A recent BBC report told how signs of modern slavery, including paying the wages of four men into one bank account, were missed and victims were exploited for more than four years.

McDonald’s UK said it had improved systems for spotting "potential risks", while the British Retail Consortium said its members would learn from the case.

Crown Prosecution Service
Monika Daducova is awaiting sentence for similar modern slavery offences


The CPS said a fourth gang member also convicted of similar offences, Monika Daducova, 44, also living in Enfield, would be sentenced on a date to be fixed.

Israel acting with impunity in Middle East, says former Irish President

MEMO
October 4, 2024 


Former Irish President Mary Robinson attends a press conference after the first meeting of the International Working Group on Environmental Consequences of Military Actions held in Kyiv, Ukraine on June 29, 2023. [Vladimir Shtanko – Anadolu Agency]

Former Irish President, Mary Robinson, on Friday accused Israel of acting with impunity in the Middle East, highlighting what she sees as a lack of restraint on the part of global powers, particularly the US, Anadolu Agency reports.

Her comments came amid heightened tensions in the region, with Israeli air strikes reported in southern Beirut and the Occupied West Bank.

Speaking on RTE’s Morning Ireland, Robinson, representing The Elders—an international non-governmental organisation founded by Nelson Mandela and Richard Branson—emphasized the need for de-escalation from all parties involved in the conflict.

She stressed that The Elders condemn violence on all sides and are in no way anti-Israeli or anti-Semitic.

“All parties need to de-escalate and recognise that military aggression and retaliatory attacks cannot solve this conflict,” she said. “Civilians are paying the price for the pursuit of military approaches over dialogue and political solutions.”

READ: 1 year of Gaza genocide: Pro-Israel bias pervades Western media, says expert

Robinson highlighted the contrast in the international community’s response to Israeli and Palestinian civilians, criticising Israelis’ protection from potential Iranian attacks while accusing global powers of failing to provide any form of protection for Palestinian civilians in Gaza and Lebanese civilians.

This disparity, according to Robinson, illustrates a broader imbalance in the international response to the crisis.

She added that The Elders have long called for the US to restrain Israel’s military actions through measures such as the suspension of arms transfers.

“Arms transfers, especially of offensive weapons that are not required for legitimate self-defence, cannot be justified in a context where international humanitarian law is being violated,” she argued.

Robinson specifically criticized US President, Joe Biden, for continuing to supply arms to Israel despite widespread harassment of violations of international law. “International humanitarian law is being horribly transgressed,” she said, referring to the impact of Israel’s recent attacks in Gaza.

In her strongest remarks, Robinson condemned what she called Israel’s “overreaction” in Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths of nearly 42,000 people and countless injuries, particularly among children.

She warned that the current escalation, which includes strikes on Lebanon, has the potential to spark further conflict with Iran.

“This bad right-wing government of Israel has decided it can now attack aggressively,” Robinson said. “It has over-reacted in relation to Gaza and decimated Gaza with not just 42,000 killed, but think of the injuries, particularly to children, life-affecting injuries. Now the people of Lebanon and the potential for retaliatory attacks on Iran.”

Regional tensions have escalated due to Israel’s brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed over 41,800 people, mostly women and children, following a Hamas attack last year.

The conflict spread to Lebanon with Israel launching deadly strikes across the country, which have killed more than 1,100 people and injured over 3,000 others since 23 September.

The international community has warned that Israeli attacks in Lebanon could escalate the Gaza conflict into a wider regional war.