Wichita

Kremlin dismisses doctors' complaints they were exposed to radiation after blast

Doctors who treated the victims of a military test explosion have accused Russian authorities of carelessly exposing them to radiation and then forcing them to keep silent. Staff from the Arkhangelsk regional hospital were not informed at first that they were treating irradiated patients, and protective measures were not taken until the next day, they told Russian media this week. In some cases, staff said they were falsely told patients had been decontaminated. One doctor was later found to have the isotope Caesium-137 in his muscle tissue. He was told he must have eaten too many “Fukushima crabs” during a trip to Thailand, his colleague told the news outlet Meduza. Other patients at the hospital may also have been exposed, a doctor also told Meduza, speaking on condition of anonymity. “We just want not to be contaminated and not to die, at least when it can be avoided easily,” he said. “Not a word was ever said about this." Vladimir Putin disembarks from a helicopter for a meeting with president Emmanuel Macron in France on Monday Credit: Alexei Druzhinin/Kremlin via Reuters FSB security agents reportedly pressured staff to sign non-disclosure agreements. Radiation levels spiked this month in the northern Arkhangelsk region after an engine blew up at a missile testing site near the town of Nyonoksa, killing at least five people and injuring six in an accident that remains shrouded in secrecy. Asked on Thursday whether the state was trying to clamp down on information about the accident, Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov sparred back and forth with journalists and claimed that “someone wants to deliberately inflame media coverage, distort reality and present the situation as if there were implications of danger”. If doctors were made to sign non-disclosure agreements, he added, they should “fulfil their obligation” and not speak to the press anonymously. Locals participate in a folk festival in Nyonoksa, where activists have called for additional radiation testing Credit: Sergei Yakovlev/AP  “(Mr) Putin is being given concrete information based on readings from instruments, based on an appraisal of the situation on the ground, an absolutely professional one,” Mr Peskov said. “And there's no reason not to trust this information.” The defence ministry initially reported that two people had been killed when a “liquid-fuel reactive propulsion system” exploded, but the state nuclear concern then said five of its employees were dead. The military also denied that radiation had spiked, but civilian authorities said gamma particle levels in the nearby military city of Severodvinsk had been more than tripe the safe limit for a half hour after the accident. Activists have called for further testing in Nyonoksa itself and measurements of alpha and beta particles.

Brazilian president says country lacks money to fight Amazon fires

The Brazilian government lacks the resources to fight a record number of wildfires burning in the Amazon rainforest, Jair Bolsonaro, the president, said on Thursday, weeks after telling donors he did not need their money. "The Amazon is bigger than Europe, how will you fight criminal fires in such an area?" he asked reporters as he left the presidential residence. "We do not have the resources for that." Fires in the Amazon have surged 83 per cent so far this year compared to the same period a year earlier, government figures show, destroying vast swathes of a forest considered a vital bulwark against climate change. Although fires are a regular and natural occurrence during the regular dry season at this time of year, environmentalists blamed the sharp rise on farmers setting the forest alight to clear land for pasture. On Wednesday, Mr Bolsonaro said, without supporting evidence, that non-governmental organisations were behind the fires. Questioned again on Thursday about those comments, he said he could not prove that NGOs, for whom he has cut funding, were lighting the fires but that they were "the most likely suspects." The Right-wing president has repeatedly said he believes Brazil should open the Amazon up to business interests, to allow mining and logging companies to exploit its natural resources. "As NGOs lose funding... What can they do?," he asked. "Try to take me down, try to take me down. That's all that's left for them to do." Brazil is facing growing international criticism over its handling of the Amazon, 60 per cent of which lies in the country. Earlier this month, Norway and Germany suspended funding for projects to curb deforestation in Brazil after becoming alarmed by changes to the way projects were selected under Mr Bolsonaro. At the time, when asked about the loss of German funding, Mr Bolsonaro said “Brazil does not need that.” Other officials have expressed concern over the fires. Brazil's lower house speaker, Rodrigo Maia, said on Twitter he would create "an external committee" to monitor the burning of the rainforest. He also vowed to form a group "to evaluate the situation and propose solutions to the government." The Bishops Conference for Latin America expressed concern about what it called "a tragedy," and on Thursday called on countries to take immediate action to protect the rainforest and the communities that live in and around it. "We urge the governments of the Amazon countries, especially Brazil and Bolivia, the United Nations and the international community to take serious measures to save the world's lungs," the Bishops Conference said. "If the Amazon suffers, the world suffers," the statement said.

Clashing statements expose rift in Iraqi paramilitary force

The head of Iraq's paramilitary forces supported by Iran on Thursday walked back a statement by his deputy the day before in which he blamed Israeli drones and held the U.S. responsible for a series of attacks on bases run by the militias. Faleh al-Fayyadh said the statement by his deputy, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, did not represent the view of the mainly Shiite militias known as Popular Mobilization Forces — or the view of the Iraqi government. The statements highlight divisions within the paramilitary force, which is headed by al-Fayyadh but practically run by his deputy, a powerful military commander known for his anti-American sentiments.

Did you hear the one about the German city that doesn't exist?

A German city is offering a reward of €1m (£900,000) to anyone who can prove it doesn’t exist. The city of Bielefeld in north-western Germany launched the bizarre marketing stunt this week to mark the 25th anniversary of one of the country’s longest running jokes. The Bielefeld conspiracy theory is often held up as proof that the Germans do have a sense of humour after all. The joke, which originated in an early internet meme, is that the city doesn’t exist and that there is a national conspiracy to pretend that it does. What makes the joke effective is that practically everyone in Germany plays along — including Angela Merkel, who famously said after a visit to the city: “So it does exist. Well, at least I had the impression I was there.” Over the years the people of Bielefeld have not always taken kindly to being the butt of a national joke. But now it seems the city has decided to join in — and turn the joke on its head. Even Angela Merkel has played along with the joke Credit: FABRIZIO BENSCH/REUTERS “We thought the anniversary would be a nice occasion to put the Bielefeld conspiracy to bed,” says an announcement on the city’s website. “That's why we call on all intellectual overachievers in this country to prove to us that Bielefeld really does not exist. The prize for the ultimate proof: €1m.” The stunt is the work of the city’s marketing company, which says it’s 99.9 per cent sure no one can come up with incontrovertible proof. But in the unlikely event that some one does manage to prove the city doesn’t exist, it has assured taxpayers they won’t have to foot the bill, which will be paid out of the company’s coffers. The Bielefeld conspiracy theory originated in a 1994 internet post by Achim Held, a student who wrote: “Bielefeld? That just doesn’t exist.” The joke hinges on the fact Bielefeld, a city of some 330,000 people, lies far from other urban centres in a relatively lightly populated corner of north-western Germany that is eccentrically named East Westphalia. Proponents of the conspiracy theory even maintain that Bielefeld railway station is a carefully staged set to fool passengers on trains that pass through. And they will doubtless claim the offer of a €1m prize is just another sham to pretend the city exists

'Sorry!' Johnson puts foot in it at Macron's palace

An invitation to the gilded Elysee palace of France's president in Paris usually prompts a sense of decorum and formality in a visitor of any rank. During crunch talks over Brexit with French President Emmanuel Macron -- who Johnson insisted on repeatedly addressing as "Monsieur le President" -- the British premier joked and waved his hands flamboyantly. The episode appeared part of a shared joke with Macron, who could be seen laughing heartily.

UN report condemns sexual violence by Myanmar military

Sexual violence carried out by Myanmar's security forces against the country's Muslim Rohingya minority was so widespread and severe that it demonstrates intent to commit genocide as well as warrants prosecution for war crimes and crimes against humanity, a U.N. report charged Thursday. Its report on sexual and gender-based violence in Myanmar covers the Kachin and Shan ethnic minorities in northern Myanmar as well as the Rohingya in the western state of Rakhine.

Macron backs more Brexit talks but insists no concessions

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday backed holding further talks to avoid Britain crashing out of the EU without a deal but rejected major concessions, as he hosted Prime Minister Boris Johnson just over two months ahead of the planned British exit. Echoing comments by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Macron supported allowing another month to find a solution to the vexed issue of the Irish border which has bedevilled negotiations since 2017. "We need to try to have a useful month," Macron said alongside Johnson, adding that France was nonetheless planning for all scenarios and "notably that of no deal" when Britain exits the EU on October 31.

Mozambique, Russia sign energy, security deals

Mozambique's President Filipe Nyusi signed energy and security agreements with Russian's Vladimir Putin on Thursday in the first visit by a leader from the southern African state in two decades. Nyusi's visit came weeks his government signed a peace deal with former rebel movement Renamo and just two months before elections where the Mozambique leader will seek a second term. Russia has been looking to expand its influence in Africa and oil and gas producer Mozambique already signed a debt swap agreement with Moscow in 2017.

Syrian convicted of Germany stabbing that sparked protests

A German court on Thursday convicted a Syrian man over a fatal stabbing in the city of Chemnitz last year that touched off far-right protests. Judges convicted asylum-seeker Alaa S. of manslaughter and dangerous bodily harm in the killing last August of 35-year-old Daniel Hillig. The 24-year-old defendant, whose last name wasn't released in line with German privacy laws, was sentenced to 9 years and 6 months in prison, slightly less than the 10-year-sentence prosecutors had demanded.

Angela Merkel calls for EU-wide climate neutrality by 2050

German Chancellor Angela Merkel called Thursday for the European Union to support ambitious targets for the entire 28-nation bloc to become climate neutral. Merkel made her appeal after she and members of her "climate Cabinet" met their Dutch counterparts at the official residence of Prime Minister Mark Rutte to share experiences on how best to shift their economies to sustainable energy sources. The working lunch came as Germany is set to miss its own emissions goals for 2020 by a wide margin, even as Merkel's government acknowledges that it has to further ramp up its ambition by next year as part of its commitment under the 2015 Paris climate accord.

Syrian government opens corridor for civilians in rebel area

Syrian authorities opened Thursday a "humanitarian corridor" so civilians from a besieged, rebel-held area in the north of Hama province can leave and move to parts of the country controlled by the government, the Foreign Ministry said. Government warplanes, meanwhile, carried out an airstrike close to a Turkish military post in northwestern Syria, raising tensions between the two neighbors. Turkey is a strong backer of the Syrian opposition and rebels fighting President Bashar Assad's forces.

Some Egyptian rights activists dismiss country's new NGO law

Some Egyptian human rights activists Thursday hailed the country's new law regulating non-governmental organizations as a step forward, while others dismissed it as more of the same restrictive measures. It amends Egypt's notorious law regulating local as well as international NGOs working in the country. "These are nominal amendments that do not change anything about the oppressive nature of the law or its hostility to civil society organizations namely human rights groups," said Mohamed Zaree, a human rights lawyer with the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies.

Midway Through His Year, Our 52 Places Traveler Answers Readers' Questions

Some mornings when I wake up, it takes me a few minutes to remember where I am. I look around my hotel room, piecing together how I ended up here. Then, once I've calibrated my internal GPS (coffee helps), it's time to start exploring.Days of the week and even what month it is matter less when your routine is one of perpetual movement. So, the halfway point -- stop number 26 -- sneaked up on me. It came and went without any fanfare, and before I knew it I was on another plane to place number 27.But milestones lend themselves to reflection, so we took the opportunity to slow down for a second and tap you, fellow travelers, for questions you might have about my journey. Here are my answers to a selection of the many great questions we received, ones that we thought would be most helpful and offer a little behind-the-scenes peek into my strange, but wonderful, day-to-day. (You can also join me on Reddit at noon on Aug. 21 for a live AMA.)______Meaningful connections The most profound travel experiences often seem to come about by chance. How do you manage to make meaningful connections with people and places when you're only in each spot for a few days?_____I feel extra pressure to make connections, considering I'm looking for stories, not just things to see and eat. Still, I've been constantly surprised how easy it is to meet good people when traveling alone.You get from the universe what you put into it -- not in some quasi-mystical way, but in terms of attitude. I find that if I walk into a bar, or a town square, hoping to meet someone, I often do.We are naturally curious animals, and more often than not, someone is going to step in if I'm looking lost (which I often am) or if I'm not staring into the void of my phone. Usually, I'm not even the one who initiates conversation. At least once per place, I'm blown away by the generosity of complete strangers.______Planning (or lack thereof) How much planning do you do before you get to a place?_____Close to none. With the frenetic pace of this trip, it doesn't leave me much time to plan. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it as a travel strategy, but it sure is fun.I'm lucky to have a great team back in New York City who helps me with some of the booking and research, but when I get off the plane, I'm usually stepping into a five- or six-day stretch with no concrete plans. It's changed the way I travel. I'm less concerned with checking sights off a list, and far more interested in going for long walks and seeing what happens.You're not going to find serendipity -- that Golden Ticket of solo travel -- if you don't give it the space to happen.______Updates on Iran Are you still going to Iran? Could you please share the details about getting a visa -- or deciding not to go?_____It looks, for now, like going to Iran will be impossible. Americans can still visit the country as part of an organized tour group, but it gets a lot more complicated when you're a journalist. I have to be transparent about my work, and in talking to those at The New York Times with more experience in the region, it became clear that it would be next to impossible to get a journalist visa right now.I still get regular messages from Iranians welcoming me to their country and offering to take me around. I hope I get there some time, but unfortunately 2019 isn't going to be it.______Travel Zen You seem to be in go-mode constantly. How do you balance seeing things and reporting with your well-being -- and being Zen?_____I don't -- but I'm trying to get better at it.It baffles me that (knock on wood) I haven't gotten sick yet, and that I'm still going strong. I'm tired. Like, very tired. I try to get enough sleep, but often don't; and I try to eat well, but mostly just eat too much.There's something that happens when I arrive in each place, where adrenaline takes over and I immediately hit the ground running. I've been trying to give myself days off, but I can count the number I've successfully taken on one hand. Travel is just too exciting; I'm constantly weighing the cost of doing just one more thing, and "doing" always wins.That said, in each place, I'll give myself at least one afternoon when I leave the camera at the hotel and take my proverbial reporter's hat off, and just be in a place for real, with no agenda other than to soak it in.______Climate change and carbon footprints In what ways, if any, have you witnessed the impact of climate change thus far? And how have your travels affected your sense of our planet's future? Do you feel optimistic? How do you reconcile the carbon footprint you're creating with all your travels?_____A few places are on the list this year expressly because they might disappear because of climate change. Seeing these phenomena -- like the ephemeral ice caves of Lake Superior -- puts a lump in your throat that doesn't go away. It's one thing to think abstractly about a problem as big as climate change, but it's another to see it up close and hear how it's affecting real places.There's an obvious contradiction that comes out of this, of course: How can I talk about climate change when my flights are causing so much damage to the environment? I recognize the paradox, and I'm not encouraging everyone to go to 52 places in 52 weeks. Nor am I saying everyone should descend on Ontario's Ice Caves next winter.I hope that by reporting what I'm seeing, I'm helping bring more attention to the threats of climate change, beyond, for example, weather patterns or food systems. The beauty of our planet -- what inspires us to get off our couches and see it with our own eyes -- is at risk of extinction, too. Little things, like traveling with reusable bags, water bottles and cutlery, and buying carbon offsets for the thousands of miles I'm flying this year, do make a difference, even if it's a small one.None of it is a panacea, not even close, but it helps. I've also encountered a lot of places around the world that are doing a much better job with environmental conversation than we are. (Good luck finding a plastic bag in Chile.)______Staying healthy Have you gained weight or lost any weight? How do you stay healthy?_____Considering the amount of food I consume on a daily basis, I was surprised to find that I've actually lost quite a bit of weight. It comes from being on my feet and on the move most of the day, instead of sitting at a desk. I try to eat healthy, though sometimes that sixth serving of cheese focaccia just looks too good to pass up.After I threw out my back and was bedridden for a day in Uzbekistan, I'm stretching and doing strengthening exercises most days. I still haven't figured out how to get enough sleep. But that's what 2020 is for, I guess.______Coping with loneliness I've found that loneliness can be a challenge on extended travels. What advice do you have for making friends and meeting people in unfamiliar surroundings, especially when language may be a barrier?_____I still get nervous meeting people all the time. But the potential rewards -- new friends, a local's perspective on a place -- always outweigh the initial feeling of discomfort. So just go for it, even if you don't speak the language. You'll be surprised how far pointing and translation apps can go. Of course, putting yourself out there is a lot easier as a straight, ethnically ambiguous man, and I fully acknowledge that privilege. Sadly, not everyone can -- or even should -- take down those barriers.Loneliness happens. I've felt it many times. There was that time on a highway in Wyoming when a John Prine song came on the radio and punched me right in the gut. Or when I was sitting under the most beautiful night sky I've ever seen in Chile's Elqui Valley and I just wanted my partner to be there, to share it with me. But it's feelings that make us human, and I've learned to lean into loneliness when it comes. It makes the moments you're surrounded by people you could never even imagine that much more special.______Travel essentials What gear and clothes have you found essential?_____Those who follow this column are going to roll their eyes, but merino wool is still my biggest travel revelation. I hate doing laundry, especially on the road, and so anything that increases the number of times I can wear something without washing it is a godsend.In terms of tech, I couldn't imagine this trip without my noise-canceling headphones. They're obviously bulkier than earbuds, but I love the full immersion I can have while on flights, which is some of the only time I have to really relax, catching up on music and creating my own little cocoon of peace.______Managing risks You take a lot of risks that I would/should not take as a solo/single female traveler. For example: I would meet new friends for dinner, but I probably wouldn't get into a car with them. Have you gotten into any situations on this trip that made you nervous? What safety tips do you have for solo travelers?_____I have tried during the first half of this trip to emphasize that the decisions I make and the things I do should never be a boilerplate "how to travel" manual for everyone. The risks worth taking are going to be different for every person. I'm fine with getting blind drunk with a bunch of Georgians in the middle of the woods, because that's what I am personally comfortable with, but I wouldn't necessarily advise that for everyone.Travelers need to take the precautions that make sense given their particular circumstances and the situation they find themselves in. When people ask me if a certain place would be safe for a solo female traveler, I don't give a yes or no answer. That's a calculation that comes down to the individual.There are some common sense things you can do to minimize any risks you do take, though. I always know the emergency number for every country I'm in. I've shared my location on my phone with a few people back home so that if they haven't heard from me for a couple of days they can make sure I'm where I'm supposed to be. If I'm going into a potentially risky situation -- barhopping in Slovakia with some dude I've just met, say, or going on a full-day solo hike in Norway -- I'll tell someone back home about it first.But it really comes down to your own comfort level. You can have a perfectly pleasant and highly rewarding trip without taking the kinds of risks that I do.______Livable locales Have you visited any places that you felt you could settle down and live in?_____Many! I'm a weird case: I grew up in five different countries and have always had a pretty fluid sense of home. So it's not unusual for me to imagine myself living somewhere far from New York City.Specifically though, so far I've fantasized about moving into a 19th-century apartment in Plovdiv, Bulgaria; buying a beach shack and a surfboard in Santa Catalina, Panama; and trading the MTA for Tashkent's masterpiece of a subway system -- just to name a few.______Impromptu tour guides Where and how do you meet the people featured in your articles who show you around or act as impromptu tour guides? Do you know them in advance or are you just super friendly?_____Most of the time it's by pure chance -- a run-in at a bar or cafe, or a smile that turns into a conversation. Or they're friends of friends, sometimes three or four times removed. I also get messages on social media that lead to in-person encounters with locals.The people who really deserve the "superfriendly" designation, though, are the ones who let me into their worlds.This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

No Rohingya turn up for planned repatriation to Myanmar

COX'S BAZAR, Bangladesh (AP) — No Rohingya Muslims staying in crowded refugee camps in Bangladesh turned up for a planned repatriation to Myanmar on Thursday because they want to be guaranteed safety and citizenship first, officials said. Bangladesh refugee commissioner Abul Kalam said none of the 295 families interviewed since Tuesday by the Bangladesh government and the U.N.'s refugee agency had agreed to return to Myanmar.

Taiwan Really Wants to Buy the THAAD Missile Defense System and F-35 Stealth Fighters

In response to questions on whether Taiwan has received related information on such arms sales, Wu said again there has been no official word from the U.S.As we have recently reported Taiwan could be next country to buy the F-35.In fact according to Focus Taiwan, on Apr. 5, 2017 an official from Taiwan told the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee that the island welcomes the sale of the F-35 stealth fighter.However according to the country Ministry of National Defense Wu Pao-kun there has been no official word from Washington regarding the issue.Currently Taiwan is looking for a fighter with short-take off and vertical-landing (STOVL)capabilities, hence the need for the “B” variant of the F-35.Noteworthy Wednesday’s hearing came after Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper claimed that U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration would like to sell Taiwan both the F-35 and the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system.In response to questions on whether Taiwan has received related information on such arms sales, Wu said again there has been no official word from the U.S.Wu also added that his country doesn’t need to deploy THAAD system urgently since the long-range early-warning radar (EWR) system in Hsinchu County, northern Taiwan, has similar functions to those of THAAD.As we have explained in our previous post the U.S. is expected to announce a new package of weapons sales to Taiwan, possibly after the summit meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. A claim confirmed also by Reuters which, citing unnamed U.S. officials, said that “the Trump administration is crafting a big new arms package for Taiwan that could include advanced rocket systems and anti-ship missiles to defend against China.”This article by Dario Leone originally appeared on The Aviation Geek Club in 2017.Image: DVIDShub.

A Letter to the Editor Regarding "Constraining Iran Requires Ending its Colonization of Arabistan"

Editor’s Note: The National Interest has always stood for publishing a variety of perspectives on the most pressing international security and foreign policy challenges of the day as well as doing all we can to present all sides of a debate. Keeping with that mantra, we offer the following response to a recent piece in our publication authored by Alireza Miryousefi, Ph.D., Minister & Head of Media Office at the Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations. To the Editors:Your piece “Constraining Iran Requires Ending its Colonization of Arabistan,” by Sheikh Abdullah Al Khazaal, August 18, 2019, is a fictitious piece, riddled with factual errors. The title alone—use of the word “colonization”—is wrong and against known historical facts: what your author refers to as “Arabistan” and what in reality is Khuzestan, has always been a part of Iran, its people are Iranian, and they always will be.A quick look at any map, going all the way back to ancient times and drawn by the Greeks or Romans, shows that to be a fact.There is no Iranian colonization in any part of Iran, and our Iranian ethnic Arabs would agree. The fact that foreign or colonial powers have tried to dismantle Iran by provoking separatist sentiments in some parts of Iran where there are ethnic minorities is no secret. It is also a fact that these sentiments are always agitated by enemies of Iran from the outside, as evidenced by this very article which is written by the grandson of an infamous early 20th Century separatist from Khuzestan. (Had you mentioned that the author's grandfather, Sheikh Khaz’al, was a separatist, your readers might have had an inkling that the author is not an unbiased or neutral observer, but in fact has an agenda and is agitating against Iran's sovereignty.)Iran is a multi-ethnic nation with a history that goes back millennia. In fact, as the world’s first nation state, ethnic diversity is in Iran’s DNA. While (provoked) separatist attitudes can be seen everywhere—certainly in Europe as evidenced in its recent post-communist past—agitating for separatism in Iran and in other countries in the region will only undermine stability and security in the entire region.The media, and in particular your distinguished magazine, should not, in our opinion, even implicitly encourage secession. We strongly oppose this approach, and expect your magazine to take the necessary steps to prevent the publishing of such dangerous provocations in the future.Alireza Miryousefi, Ph.D., is the Minister & Head of Media Office at the Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations. He can be reached at alireza.miryousefi@un.int. Follow him on Twitter @miryousefi.Image: Wikipedia.

UN warns Yemenis could face food aid cuts after Saudi and UAE pledges fail to materialise

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have been accused of “leaving Yemenis to die” after the United Nations revealed they have paid only a fraction of the $1.2bn promised in aid to the war-torn country. At a UN pledging conference in February, donors pledged $2.6 billion, including $1.5bn  (£1.2bn) by Saudi and the UAE, but to date less than half the amount has been received. The UN said nearly all donors have paid most or all of their 2019 pledges, while some have paid even more. But the largest donors – Yemen’s neighbours in the coalition and the biggest players in the conflict – have so far paid only a modest share of what they have promised. According to a spokesman, Abu Dhabi has paid only $16m and Riyadh $127m. "When money doesn't come, people die," the UN said in a statement released on Wednesday. Homeless children stand on the road from Khoukha to Taiz in Yemen Credit: AP Saudi's announcement of funding was made to great fanfare at a press conference held in Riyadh. PR advisers to the kingdom had told the Telegraph, which was in attendance, that it hoped it would garner some much-needed good publicity.   "Saudi Arabia spends $50 billion every year on turning Yemen into a moonscape and creating millions of refugees in the process,” said Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle, who sits on the Committees on Arms Controls in the Commons. “But they refuse to spend a fraction of that figure on ensuring the survivors of their air campaign and blockade don't starve to death. Some ally." The UN is now warning that unless significant new funding is received in the coming weeks, food rations for 12 million people in the war-torn country will be reduced and at least 2.5 million malnourished children will be cut off from life-saving services. The organisation was already forced to suspend most vaccination campaigns in May, and without new money a "staggering" 22 life-saving programs in Yemen will close in the next two months. An injured Yemeni child receives medical aid at an emergency room in the Saada province early on November 20, 2018, following a reported air strike Credit: AFP The Saudi government did not immediately respond to the Telegraph’s request for comment. The conflict in Yemen began with the 2014 takeover of the capital, Sanaa, by Iran-backed Houthi Shia rebels who control much of the country's north.  A Saudi-led coalition that includes the UAE allied with Yemen's internationally recognised government has been fighting the Houthis since 2015.  Saudi’s air and sea blockade had helped create the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, leaving millions suffering from food and medical care shortages and pushing the country to the brink of famine. Its indiscriminate bombing of schools and hospitals has left thousands dead, leading EU allies to call for an arms embargo. "Millions of people in Yemen, who through no fault of their own are the victims of this conflict, depend on us to survive," Lisa Grande, UN humanitarian chief in Yemen, said. "All of us are ashamed by the situation. It's heart-breaking to look a family in the eye and say we have no money to help."  She said it was grateful to donors who have lived up to their promises, but said of the 34 major UN humanitarian programs in Yemen only three are funded for the entire year.  Several have been forced to close in recent weeks, Ms Grande said, and many large-scale projects designed to help destitute, hungry families have been unable to start. Without new funds in the coming weeks, she said, 19 million people will also lose access to health care, including 1 million women who depend on the UN for reproductive health services.  In addition, Ms Grande said, clean water programs for 5 million people will have to shut down at the end of October and tens of thousands of displaced families may find themselves homeless.

South Korea to scrap military intelligence sharing pact with Japan as trade dispute worsens

South Korea said Thursday it will terminate its military intelligence-sharing pact with Japan amid intensifying trade and diplomatic disputes with Tokyo. The decision comes as Seoul and Tokyo are locked in a tit-for-tat trade and diplomatic dispute following a series of South Korean court rulings against Japanese firms, requiring them to pay for forced labour during World War II. Japan had removed South Korea from a so-called white list of countries that receive preferential export treatments earlier this month "without presenting clear justifications", said Kim You-geun, a national security official at the presidential Blue House in Seoul. He said Tokyo had done so citing security concerns and a loss of trust with South Korea, and that caused "significant change" in the nature of defence cooperation. "In such a situation, we have determined it is not in the national interest to maintain the agreement that was signed for the purpose of exchanging sensitive military intelligence," he added. The dispute between the two US allies has raised concerns over the potential implications for their security cooperation in the face of North Korean missile tests, and the possible impact on global supply chains. The intelligence pact was signed in November 2016 with Washington's backing in response to North Korea's missile launches and nuclear tests to better coordinate the gathering of information about the reclusive state.

Tough Brexit Talk But Neither Side Has Given Up on Breakthrough

(Bloomberg) -- Angela Merkel’s challenge to Boris Johnson to find a Brexit solution in the next 30 days sounds impossible. But while both sides are talking tough, officials in private say there’s still time to salvage a deal.The latest person to sound skeptical about the British prime minister’s chances of taking the U.K. out of the European Union with an agreement was a senior French official close to President Emmanuel Macron. A no-deal Brexit is now the likeliest scenario, the official said on Wednesday.His remarks reflect the mood across the bloc since the Brexit deal, agreed between former Prime Minister Theresa May and Brussels in November, was rejected three times by the U.K. Parliament and Johnson was installed in Downing Street. The premier has struck a more belligerent tone than his predecessor, demanding the removal of the contentious part of the agreement dealing with the Irish border. He’s also promised to take the U.K. out of the EU on Oct. 31 “do or die” -- without a deal if necessary.The deadlock is genuine. The EU remains broadly united on the issue and isn’t ready to throw Ireland to the wolves by conceding to Johnson’s demands to cut the so-called backstop, the mechanism designed to ensure a check-free border on the island of Ireland that will be the U.K.’s new land frontier with the bloc.But there are small signs of movement -- on both sides.Despite his apparent preconditions, Johnson met German Chancellor Merkel in Berlin, and will hold talks with Macron in Paris on Thursday. And though his letter this week laying out his objections to the backstop was immediately dismissed by the bloc, there are now signs of engagement on the issue, which European diplomats said was at least a start.Deal Hopes“We in the U.K. want a deal,” Johnson said alongside Merkel in Berlin. “We seek a deal. And I believe that we can get one.”Johnson expects to talk further about Brexit at the Group of Seven summit in Biarritz, France, at the weekend, and while neither side predicts any kind of breakthrough, diplomats said there’s time for more twists with just 71 days left until the U.K. is due to leave.“You will simply have to wait a little bit longer to see whether we will come up with a solution,” Merkel told reporters at the joint press conference. She said the EU had always thought the U.K. could do it in two years -- a reference to the transition period that forms part of the Brexit deal.“But maybe you can also find it within the next 30 days,” she said to Johnson. “Why not?”While some in Britain seized on that as a sign Germany was ready to shift -- Johnson described it as a “blistering timetable” he was “more than happy with” -- it could simply have been an expression of the difficulty of the task.Onus on U.K.Merkel said it’s up to the U.K. to put forward workable alternatives to the backstop, and that the EU needs to know how Britain sees future ties to the bloc. Johnson agreed the “onus is on us” to solve the border issue, though he pointed to measures that have already been dismissed in three years of Brexit talks, including trusted trader programs and electronic pre-clearing of goods.The backstop is despised by Brexiteers in Johnson’s Conservative Party because it keeps the U.K. tied to many of the EU’s customs rules.Officials in Brussels and European capitals are increasingly eyeing an EU summit on Oct. 17-18, just two weeks before the U.K.’s leaving date. There’s every chance the two sides won’t have come to an agreement by then, or even at that meeting, officials said. Work will continue to try to get one right up until the U.K. leaves, they said.On Thursday, a senior EU official told reporters in Brussels a no-deal Brexit is the most likely outcome, though the bloc is hoping Johnson can bring substantive ideas to his meeting with EU President Donald Tusk on Sunday.Rebel MPsEuropean officials are also closely watching events in the U.K. Parliament, knowing that if politicians there can block a no-deal split, Brexit will probably be delayed again. Johnson has said this threat from British lawmakers is what’s discouraging the EU from shifting -- a claim European diplomats deny.Former Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond is among a group of ex-ministers in Parliament talking about blocking a no-deal Brexit. Main opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn invited other senior lawmakers to meet him on Tuesday to discuss “all tactics” to stop a no-deal departure.But it’s not clear whether that’s possible. Only once Parliament has returned on Sept. 3 are the tactics, and level of support, likely to be clear.In Berlin, Johnson invoked the EU’s history of last-minute compromises. The question is whether the bloc will oblige.“I’ve in my life watched a lot of European negotiations and, believe me, it looks at first as though it’s irresistible force and immovable object, and what in my experience happens is that people find a way through,” he said. “It’s in the final furlong generally when the horses change places and the winning deal appears.”(Updates with senior EU official in 15th paragraph.)\--With assistance from Jessica Shankleman, Helene Fouquet, Robert Hutton, Alex Morales and Arne Delfs.To contact the reporter on this story: Ian Wishart in Brussels at iwishart@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Ben Sills at bsills@bloomberg.net, ;Flavia Krause-Jackson at fjackson@bloomberg.net, Stuart Biggs, Alex MoralesFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

Trump Says He’s the ‘Chosen One’ to Take on China Over Trade

(Bloomberg) -- Terms of Trade is a daily newsletter that untangles a world embroiled in trade wars. Sign up here. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he’s the “chosen one” to wage a trade war with China and asserted that he’s winning.“This is a trade war that should have taken place a long time ago,” Trump told reporters at the White House. He added: “Somebody had to do it. I am the chosen one.”Trump routinely criticizes previous presidents for failing to take on what he says are China’s unfair trade practices.China has called looming U.S. tariffs a violation of accords reached by Trump and Xi Jinping, vowing retaliation.Tensions between the world’s two biggest economies rose significantly this month after Trump said he would tariff another $300 billion of Chinese goods, prompting Beijing to halt U.S. agricultural purchases and allow the yuan to weaken. Top negotiators from the two countries talked over phone last week, and the U.S. delayed some tariffs by splitting the $300 billion list of Chinese products into two separate ones.“Although the U.S. will delay tariffs on some Chinese goods, any new tariffs from America will unilaterally escalate the trade tensions,” China’s Ministry of Commerce Spokesman Gao Feng said in a press conference on Thursday. If the U.S. follows through with the new tariffs, China will have to take “corresponding measures” to retaliate. He said they will release those measures when they have more information about the specifics, without giving a set time frame.(Updates with Chinese Ministry of Commerce comments.)To contact the reporter on this story: Jordan Fabian in Washington at jfabian6@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Alex Wayne at awayne3@bloomberg.net, Justin Blum, Joshua GalluFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

North Korea's Worst Fear: South Korea Is Getting an F-35 Armed Aircraft Carrier

South Korea’s carrier will sail into crowded seas. Japan's cabinet on Dec. 18, 2018 approved a plan to modify the Japanese navy's two, 27,000-ton-displacement Izumo-class helicopter carriers to embark F-35B stealth fighters.South Korea is getting an aircraft carrier. The vessel could help Seoul’s navy to compete with its main rivals, the Chinese and Japanese fleets.(This first appeared several weeks ago.)The South Korean joint chiefs of staff decided on July 12, 2019 to acquire an assault ship capable of operating fixed-wing aircraft, Defense News reported. The vessel presumably would embark vertical-landing F-35B stealth fighters.Seoul for years has mulled a purchase of F-35Bs to complement the country’s land-based F-35As.“The plan of building the LPH-II ship has been included in a long-term force buildup plan,” a spokesman for the joint chiefs told Defense News, using an acronym for “landing platform helicopter.”“Once a preliminary research is completed within a couple of years, the shipbuilding plan is expected to be included in the midterm acquisition list,” the spokesman added.The new LPH will displace around 30,000 tons of water, roughly twice as much as the South Korean navy’s two LPH-Is displace. The older assault ships embark only helicopters. A 30,000-ton vessel easily could operate a dozen or more F-35Bs plus other aircraft.Acquiring a carrier represents “a symbolic and meaningful step to upgrade the country’s naval capability against potential threats posed by Japan and China,” Kim Dae-young, an analyst with the Seoul-based Korea Research Institute for National Strategy, told Defense News.The new flattop is part of a wider naval buildup in South Korea. The South Korean government on April 30, 2019 approved plans to acquire new destroyers and submarines for the country’s fast-growing navy.The $6-billion acquisition include three Aegis destroyers armed with ballistic-missile interceptors and three submarines equipped with their own launchers for land-attack missiles.The new ships could help Seoul’s navy to expand beyond its current, largely coastal mission. The main threat to South Korea is North Korea, specifically the North’s huge force of artillery that in wartime quickly could demolish Seoul and endanger millions of people.But looking beyond the North Korean threat, South Korea clearly has ambitions to develop a far-sailing “blue-water” navy.The South Korean navy in 2019 operates 68 major warships including 16 submarines, 12 destroyers, 13 frigates, 13 corvettes and 14 amphibious warfare ships. The fleet also includes scores of patrol boats, mine-warfare vessels and auxiliaries.The three new Sejong the Great-class destroyers and three new Dosan An Chang-Ho-class submarines apparently will expand the fleet rather than replace older vessels.“The new Aegis destroyers will be outfitted with an upgraded missile launch system which will allow them to intercept ballistic missiles,” Yonhap news agency reported. “They will also represent a marked upgrade in detection and tracking abilities.”The navy currently possesses three of the Sejong the Great-class destroyers that it acquired between 2008 and 2012. The 11,000-ton-displacement destroyers are among the most heavily-armed in the world and boast 128 vertical missile cells for SM-3 air-defense missiles and Hyunmoo-3C cruise missiles.At present the American-made SM-3 is most effective as a terminal- or boost-phase missile-interceptor, meaning it possess the speed, range and altitude performance to hit enemy ballistic missiles when they’re first launching or in their final seconds of flight.But the U.S. Missile Defense Agency plans to modify the SM-3 and test it for the most difficult, mid-course-phase intercepts, when an interceptor must climb outside of the atmosphere. Exo-atmospheric interceptions require special sensors and other capabilities.Among Asian powers, Japan is also equipping its destroyers with SM-3s for missile-defense missions.South Korea however is unique in fitting its submarines with launchers for ballistic land-attack missiles. The 3,400-ton-displacement Dosan An Chang-Ho-class subs will come with vertical launchers that can fire Chonryong cruise missiles and Hyunmoo-2 ballistic missiles.The boats’ land-attack capabilities could help Seoul to target Pyongyang’s 13,000 artillery pieces, potentially minimizing the damage that North Korea could inflict on the south.More than 30 million people including hundreds of thousands of foreigners live within range of North Korea's artillery. Barrages in the opening hours of a full-scale war could kill or injure 250,000 people, the U.S. Defense Department estimated.The new submarines during wartime also would hunt North Korea’s own large but aging fleet of subs. Pyongyang operates around 70 undersea vessels, including around 20 Soviet-designed Romeo-class attack boats and scores of midget submarines.South Korea’s carrier will sail into crowded seas. Japan's cabinet on Dec. 18, 2018 approved a plan to modify the Japanese navy's two, 27,000-ton-displacement Izumo-class helicopter carriers to embark F-35B stealth fighters.The modifications should result in the Japanese fleet operating, for the first time since World War II, flattops with fixed-wing aircraft.The Chinese navy has two carriers. Another is under construction. Beijing’s fleet could possess as many as six aircraft carriers by the mid-2030s, experts told state media. They could be a mix of conventional and nuclear-powered vessels.Even the smallest Chinese carrier displaces around 60,000 tons of water, making it twice as big as South Korea’s own, future flattop.David Axe serves as Defense Editor of the National Interest. He is the author of the graphic novels  War Fix, War Is Boring and Machete Squad.

Report: 2 Iranian lawmakers arrested for 'disrupting' market

Iran's semi-official Fars news agency says two lawmakers have been arrested for unspecified actions described as "disrupting" the country's car market. The report says the two lawmakers — Fereydoun Ahmadi and Mohammad Azizi — were initially taken to the Evin prison in Tehran but they were later released for about $85,000 in bail.

Former UN Economist Becomes Prime Minister in Crisis-Hit Sudan

(Bloomberg) -- A Sudanese economist who’s worked for the United Nations and African Development Bank was sworn in as the first prime minister since President Omar al-Bashir’s overthrow, pledging to overhaul the country’s ravaged economy.Abdalla Hamdok, the opposition’s choice for the premiership, took the oath of office late Wednesday. He’s the latest person to join a transitional government that’s meant to rule for three years and divide powers between pro-democracy activists and the military that ousted Bashir. His appointment came after months of protests, crackdowns and stalled negotiations.“The slogan of ‘freedom, peace and justice’ will be the program of the transitional period,” Hamdok told reporters in the capital, Khartoum. He said that “with the right vision and right policies we will be able to address this economic crisis” that’s seen inflation rocket over 45% and shortages of fuel, bread and banknotes.Sudan’s turmoil has been closely watched in North Africa and the Middle East, where the uprisings earlier this decade that unseated presidents from Tunisia to Yemen are fresh in the memory. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have pledged $3 billion in aid to Sudan, where soaring costs of living sparked the demonstrations in late 2018. The Gulf states’ prior interventions in uprisings have acted to bolster national armies or maintain the status quo.Another major component of the transitional government -- a so-called sovereign council made up of six civilian and five military representatives and holding some executive powers -- was sworn in earlier Wednesday. Its head is Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, a lieutenant-general who led the previous military council, and Mohamed Hamdan, the leader of a militia accused of a fatal crackdown on protesters also has a place. A cabinet of technocrats is set to be announced later this month.A graduate of universities in Manchester, England, and Khartoum, Hamdok was a policy economist at the African Development Bank and also worked with the International Labour Organization in Zimbabwe. More recently, he served as the deputy executive secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa.The government, including members of the main Freedom and Change opposition coalition, will tackle “the immediate challenges through a recovery program that will address peoples’ needs and the issues of inflation and availability of commodities including wheat, fuel, medicines,” Hamdok said. He also said work is needed to restore trust in the “banking sector that has almost collapsed.”Other people on the sovereign council include:Mohamed Alfaki Suleman, a journalist, author and leading member of the Sudanese Unionist PartyAlsidig Touwer Kafi, a physics professor and prominent member of Sudan’s Baath PartyRaja Nicole Issa, a lawyer and one of only two women membersShams Aldin Kabashi, a lieutenant-general who was spokesman for the military council(Updates with comment from premier starting in first paragraph.)To contact the reporter on this story: Mohammed Alamin in Khartoum at malamin1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Alaa Shahine at asalha@bloomberg.net, Michael Gunn, Giulia CamilloFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

This Isn’t the Madman Theory. This Is a Madman President.

Photo Illustration by Lyne Lucien/The Daily Beast/GettyAt this moment, on another Earth, a man is locked in a padded cell, nodding to the gibbering chorus of voices in his head and smearing out his manifesto on the grimy walls of the asylum using a jagged fingernail and his bodily fluids.This chorus tells him things, you see. They warn him of the many hands posed to strike him, and demand revenge for every slight. They praise him, stroke his ego, and feed his rage.On this Earth, the asylum is the bedlam of 1600 Pennsylvania, the inmate is the President of the United States, and instead of managing this dangerous patient, the staff sings his praises and encourages his worst behaviors.The recognition that Donald J. Trump—President of the United States, Commander in Chief of the U.S. armed forces, leader of the Republican Party and now King of Israel and Chosen One—is, to use the psychiatric term of art, batshit crazy is dawning even on the slowest members of society. Also, that there’s not a damn thing we can do about it until November of 2020.The Trump Doctrine Is Sicker and More Terrifying Than EverThe big cons of the first term haven’t just been embarrassing flops but concatenating failures putting our economy and security at existential risk. The tax bill blew out the debt and deficit to unimaginable depths. North Korea’s serial humiliation of Trump proved to Kim Jong Un that he could pants the President of the United States and move the DPRK closer to full nuclear capabilities to threaten our allies and even our own shores.The cruel nostalgia of Trump’s promises to restore coal, steel, and auto jobs are shattered on the altar of President Bigly Negotiator's moronic shitshow of an unwinnable trade war. The fact that he was spanked by Denmark, a country the size of Delaware, after his absurd “Buy Greenland” campaign was just one more humiliation of a President who clearly likes having his ass handed to him by bijou nations. The Trump campaign and the early days  of his administration were marked by the charming window when most of his supporters—and frankly, much of the mainstream media—believed that the vomitus spraying out of Trump's mouth was part of some clever psychological game, quantum chess to own the libs. Only idiots and zealots believe that now. The howling vacuum of need within Trump's soul had already distorted every normal human emotion for decades, but now the stress of the presidency and the realities of his lasting failures have pushed him closer to a very public mental breakdown. In business, Trump could paper over his bankruptcies, flops, asinine remarks, and failed cons.The presidency is different. His rising mania and rage come from the sure knowledge that history’s cold, brutal eye will allow no later revision, no long-term rethinking of his legacy, or even wry nostalgia over the grim era in which he presides. His failures, cruelty, caprice, corruption, and hairstyling tips will be graven in stone as a warning to future Americans. This isn’t madman theory. This is just a mad man.Gradually, and then suddenly—as Hemingway said of bankruptcy—came the realization that the lies Trump tells and the claims Trump makes aren’t deliberate or strategic. They are a roadmap of his pocked and scarred mental landscape. What the boobs defended for three years as sales talk and typical Trumpian bullshitting is more and more indefensible. From economic claims to immigration scare stories to his constant mendacity about the wall, the lies—or whatever they are, given how inclined he is to trust what the voices in his head tell him—are seen as less crafted, and more crazy. Jeb Bush once promised us that Donald Trump would be the chaos president. Call me crazy, but I’d trade the low energy candidate for President Nutjob in a hot second. Donald Trump is America's Loki, only without the charm and wit.On that other Earth where Trump is getting the help he needs and the rest of us have a normal President, 50 percent of the nation would disagree that man or woman on any given day. But no one would wake up thinking, “Hey, I wonder if this is the day that  Barack Obama nukes Denmark?” or “Is George H.W. Bush gonna declare war on Belize because they tweeted something critical of him?” No matter the partisan differences, we had the luxury of going about our lives with the knowledge that the men charged with running the country were, fundamentally, mentally sound. Only his most deluded followers still buy that the phrase “Stable Genius” can be applied without irony to this president.Donald Trump, the conqueror of Greenland, victor of World Trade War I, King of the Jews, richest man in the world, number-one lover man of all ladies, and golden god astride the Fruited Plain is the tallest, smartest, most handsome, best-hung President in this or any era. Just ask him. Or the voices in his head.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

Iran unveils home-grown missile defence system

Iran unveiled its new home-grown air defence system on Thursday at a time of increased tensions with the United States. Iranian officials have previously called Bavar-373 the Islamic republic's first domestically produced long-range missile defence system. Tehran began making Bavar -- which means "believe" -- after the purchase of Russia's S-300 system was suspended in 2010 due to international sanctions.

13 world leaders ranked by how tall they are

From the tall Xi Jinping to the short Michael D. Higgins to the mysterious height of Kim Jong Un, the height of world leaders varies wildly.

Iran's president says 'talks are useless' in dealing with US

Iran's president struck a muscular tone on dealings with the U.S., saying Thursday that "talks are useless" as Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers crumbles further. President Hassan Rouhani made the comment in a speech in Tehran during the unveiling of the Bavar-373, a long-range surface-to-air missile system that he described as an improvement to the Russian S-300. "Now that our enemies do not accept logic, we cannot respond with logic," Rouhani said in the televised speech.

Russia's Navy Is Getting Stronger (But Where are the Aircraft Carriers?)

It is this kind of pragmatic focus on small, cost-efficient vessels that has sustained the Russian Navy’s sweeping modernization program.A coterie of new ships at Russia’s annual Navy Day Parade in Saint Petersburg reflects the rapidly changing face of the Russian Navy as it forges ahead with a far-reaching modernization program.First established in 1939 as an annual Soviet holiday to “mobilize the working masses around the construction of a Workers’ and Peasants’ Soviet Navy,” Navy Day was canceled in 1980 and reinstated in 2006 by presidential decree of Vladimir Putin. However, it was not until 2017 that Saint Petersburg was designated as the permanent site of the main Naval Parade that has since served as a staging post for the Russian Navy to display flagship hardware intermixed with historical vessels.First, a few notable omissions. Russia’s geriatric, problem-ridden Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier was unsurprisingly missing from the event, as it is reportedly undergoing extensive repairs on the heels of a devastating devastating drydock crane incident late last year. More curious is the absence of the Petr Velikiy (Peter the Great)  battlecruiser, the world’s largest surface military vessel and the star of the 2017 Navy Day Parade. However, the exclusion of Petr Velikiy makes ample sense in the context of a 40-strong parade lineup that sought to reflect the Russian Navy’s gradual transition into a lean, local, rapid-response force.(This first appeared in early August 2019.)Occupying a prominent place in the parade’s spearhead was the second Admiral Gorshkov-class frigate, Admiral Kosotonov, coming it at a displacement (vessel weight) of 4,500 tons and armed with Russia’s unique Paket-E/NK anti-submarine/anti-torpedo system. Also present was Gremyashchiy, the flagship of the new Gremyashchiy heavy corvette class that builds on the technical progress of the already formidable Stereguschiy-class.Of all the upcoming submarine prototypes that could have been shown, it is surprising that the Russian Navy chose the Lada-class Kronstadt submarine; while potentially a sign that Rubin Central Design Bureau is making progress on Lada’s Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system, Kronstadt’s inclusion could just as easily be nothing more than a nod to the fact that the parade was held from the naval base of “Kronstadt,” just west off Saint Petersburg.Vladimir Putin’s Parade Day press statement did not neglect to mention even Russia’s recent line of small missile ships, and for good reason: there is an increasing consensus around compact, highly maneuverable vessels as the future of Russian anti-ship/cruise missile delivery. As former Captain Leonid Yudnikov put it in a Parade Day interview, “the problem of surface ships is solved by accelerated construction of small missile ships, the ships that successfully hit terrorists in Syria with the help of cruise missiles… A modern-day missile, which is, first of all, cruise missiles like Calibre, have become compact, while the range of these missiles is very long, up to 2-2,500 kilometres. And they are convenient to be placed on small military ships because these ships have good navigability. They can be located in both territorial waters and small water bodies with conditions for their maintenance.”It is this kind of pragmatic focus on small, cost-efficient vessels that has sustained the Russian Navy’s sweeping modernization program-- according to Putin’s parade day address, “the navy’s level of modern armaments and military equipment exceeds 62%.” The devil, as ever, is in the details: a substantial portion of Putin’s 62% metric comes from Soviet-era vessels that have been that been refitted with modern armaments or electronics.Nevertheless, the navy’s lean and small 2019 parade lineup of illustrates that the Russian Navy has taken significant, if not at times painful steps over the past several decades to pave the way for new projects by retiring large swathes of its Soviet naval inheritance.Mark Episkopos is a frequent contributor to The National Interest and serves as research assistant at the Center for the National Interest. Mark is also a PhD student in History at American University.

Forget About the F-35: This Is America's Deadliest Plane of All (It Can Kill Billions)

Of course, the U.S. military has a ground-based strategic Global Operations Center in Nebraska, and land-based transmitters for communicating with the nuclear triad. However, the E-6’s sinister purpose is to maintain the communication link between the national command authority.In a military that operates Raptor stealth fighters, A-10 tank busters, B-52 bombers and Harrier jump jets, the U.S. Navy’s placid-looking E-6 Mercury, based on the 707 airliner, seems particularly inoffensive. But don’t be deceived by appearances. Though the Mercury doesn’t carry any weapons of its own, it may be in a sense the deadliest aircraft operated by the Pentagon, as its job is to command the launch of land-based and sea-based nuclear ballistic missiles.This first appeared in December 2017.Recommended: This Video Shows What Happens if Washington, D.C. Is Attacked with Nuclear WeaponsRecommended: 8 Million People Could Die in a War with North KoreaRecommended: Why North Korea Is Destined to Test More ICBMs and Nuclear WeaponsOf course, the U.S. military has a ground-based strategic Global Operations Center in Nebraska, and land-based transmitters for communicating with the nuclear triad. However, the E-6’s sinister purpose is to maintain the communication link between the national command authority (starting with the president and secretary of defense) and U.S. nuclear forces, even if ground-based command centers are destroyed by an enemy first strike. In other words, you can chop off the head of the U.S. nuclear forces, but the body will keep on coming at you, thanks to these doomsday planes.The E-6’s basic mission is known as Take Charge and Move Out (TACAMO). Prior to the development of the E-6, the TACAMO mission was undertaken by land-based transmitter and later EC-130G and Q Hercules aircraft, which had Very Low Frequency radios for communication with navy submarines. Interestingly, France also operated its own TACAMO aircraft until 2001, four modified Transall C-160H Astarté transports, which maintained VLF communications with French ballistic-missile submarines.The first of sixteen E-6s entered service between 1989 and 1992. These were the last built in a very long line of military variants of the venerable Boeing 707 airliner, in particular the 707-320B Advanced, also used in the E-3 Sentry. Bristling with thirty-one communication antennas, the E-6As were originally tasked solely with communicating with submerged Navy submarines. Retrofitted with more fuel-efficient CFM-56 turbojets and benefiting from expanded fuel tanks, the E-6A could remain in the air up to fifteen hours, or seventy-two with inflight refueling.To use its Very Low Frequency radios, an E-6 has to fly in a continuous orbit at a high altitude, with its fuselage- and tail-mounted VLF radios trailing one- and five-mile-long wire antennas at a near-vertical attitude! The VLF signals can be received by Ohio-class nuclear ballistic-missile submarines hiding deep underwater, thousands of miles away. However, the VLF transmitters’ limited bandwidth means they can only send raw data at around thirty-five alphanumeric characters per second—making them a lot slower than even the old 14k internet modems of the 1990s. Still, it’s enough to transmit Emergency Action Messages, instructing the ballistic-missile subs to execute one of a diverse menu of preplanned nuclear attacks, ranging from limited to full-scale nuclear strikes. The E-6’s systems are also hardened to survive the electromagnetic pulse from nuclear weapons detonating below.Between 1997 and 2006, the Pentagon upgraded the entire E-6A fleet to the dual-role E-6B, which expanded the Mercury’s capabilities by allowing it to serve as an Airborne Nuclear Command Post with its own battle staff area for the job. In this role it serves as a backup for four huge E-4 command post aircraft based on the 747 Jumbo jet. The E-6B has ultra-high-frequency radios in its Airborne Launch Control system that enable it to remotely launch land-based ballistic missiles from their underground silos, a task formerly assigned to U.S. Air Force EC-135 Looking Glass aircraft—yet another 707 variant. The E-6’s crew was expanded from fourteen to twenty-two for the command post mission, usually including an onboard admiral or general. Additional UHF radios give the E-6B access to the survivable MILSTAR satellite communications network, while the cockpit is upgraded up with new avionics and instruments from the 737NG airliner. The E-6B can be distinguished in photos by its additional wing-mounted pods.The Mercury’s abundant communications gear allows it to perform nonnuclear Command, Control and Communications (C3) operations as well. For this reason, E-6s have at times been deployed to Europe and the Middle East to serve as flying C3 hubs. For example, VQ-4 was deployed in Qatar for three years from 2006 to 2009, where it relayed information such as IED blast reports and medical evacuation requests from U.S. troops in Iraq who were out of contact with their headquarters.Two Navy Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadrons currently operate the E-6: VQ-3 “Ironmen” and VQ-4 “Shadows,” both under the Navy Strategic Communications Wing 1. These have their home at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma, but also routinely forward deploy out of Travis AFB in California and Patuxent River Naval Air Station in Maryland. At least one E-6 is kept airborne at all times. E-6s on the submarine-communication mission often fly in circles over the ocean at the lowest possible speed—for as long as ten hours at a time. Those performing the nuclear command post mission typically remain on alert near Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. The E-6’s nuclear mission has also made its operations occasional fodder for conspiracy theorists and foreign propaganda outlets.The E-6 platform should remain in service until 2040 thanks to a service-life extension program and continual tweaks to its systems and radios. While the Mercury has demonstrated its usefulness as an airborne communication hub for supporting troops in the field, the airborne command post will be considered a success if it never has to execute its primary mission. The heart of nuclear deterrence, after all, is convincing potential adversaries that no first strike will be adequate to prevent a devastating riposte. The E-6s are vital component in making that threat a credible one.Sébastien Roblin holds a master’s degree in conflict resolution from Georgetown University and served as a university instructor for the Peace Corps in China. He has also worked in education, editing and refugee resettlement in France and the United States. He currently writes on security and military history for War Is Boring.This first appeared last year.Image: Creative Commons.

New Zealand's speaker feeds colleague's baby during debate

Photos of New Zealand's parliamentary speaker cradling a colleague's baby as he presided over a debate have drawn praise on social media. Trevor Mallard, speaker in the country's House of Representatives, posted an image on his Twitter page of him feeding MP Tamati Coffey's newborn son while in the speaker's chair. He captioned the snap: "Normally the Speaker's chair is only used by Presiding Officers but today a VIP took the chair with me. Congratulations tamaticoffey and Tim on the newest member of your family." The pictures have since been shared and liked hundreds of times, with many hailing Mr Mallard for taking on the babysitting duties. "New Zealand....you might be a small country, but you have a huge lesson to teach the world!", one Twitter user said, while another added: "That is the most beautiful thing I've seen in years." Normally the Speaker’s chair is only used by Presiding Officers but today a VIP took the chair with me. Congratulations @tamaticoffey and Tim on the newest member of your family. pic.twitter.com/47ViKHsKkA— Trevor Mallard (@SpeakerTrevor) August 21, 2019 Mr Coffey's son was born via a surrogate to him and his partner Tim Smith in July. Other MPs also rushed to praise Mr Coffey for bringing the baby into the parliament chamber and shared an image of him holding his son. Green Party MP Golriz Ghahraman wrote on Twitter: "Who needs to see this today? Every single last one of us, that's who. Here's a brand new papa holding his new born in our House of Representatives right now." Who needs to see this today? Every single last one of us, that’s who. Here’s a brand new papa holding his new born in our House of Representatives right now ��❤️ pic.twitter.com/NU00SHfKFT— Golriz Ghahraman (@golrizghahraman) August 21, 2019 "Lovely to have a baby in the House, and what a beautiful one," said fellow Green Party MP Gareth Hughes. New Zealand's prime minister Jacinda Ardern made history last year by becoming the first female world leader to bring her baby to the United Nations general assembly. And in the UK, Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson brought along her baby as she sat on Parliament's famous green benches in January - in what was thought to be a first during a Commons debate. But not all countries are so relaxed about allowing babies in parliament. Trevor Mallard holds a Member of Parliament's baby during a parliamentary session in Wellington Credit: Reuters Kenyan politicians walked out in protest earlier this month over a decision to eject their colleague who was holding her young child during a session of the legislature. Zulekha Hassan Juma was ejected from the floor of the National Assembly with her five-month-old baby. Christopher Omulele, temporary speaker of the National Assembly, said: "As much as she might want to take care of her child, this is not the place for it."

Rohingya still fear safety in Myanmar, repatriation unlikely

COX'S BAZAR, Bangladesh (AP) — The repatriation of hundreds of Rohingya Muslims appeared unlikely to proceed as planned Thursday after those who were eligible told the U.N. refugee agency and the Bangladesh government they didn't want to return to Myanmar unless their citizenship and safety were ensured. "We have not found anybody yet who has agreed to go back, but all our preparations are in place," said Khaled Hossain, a senior official with the Refugee, Relief and Rehabilitation commissioner's office. Members of at least 221 Rohingya Muslim families were interviewed Wednesday and Tuesday ahead of the repatriation that was scheduled to start Thursday.

Farmers Will Love This Plan To Fight Climate Change at Home

Democratic presidential contenders are increasingly singling out agriculture as the next great frontier for climate action, pushing plans that would empower rural and farming communities while addressing the sector’s contributions to greenhouse gas emissions.That trend represents a mounting scientific consensus that any effective efforts to counter global warming will need to involve overhauling land use, which accounts for almost a quarter of emissions globally. It also comes two weeks after the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a sweeping report highlighting the extent to which agriculture and other forms of land use are contributing to climate change.On Wednesday, Gov. Jay Inslee (D-WA) became the latest Democratic presidential hopeful to home in on the connection between agriculture and global warming. Inslee, who has devoted his entire campaign to climate action, rolled out a “Growing Rural Prosperity” initiative, the sixth major climate-oriented plan from the governor.The plan “will reinvigorate America’s rural and farming communities, while empowering farmers to benefit from enormous economic opportunities as we build America’s clean economy and work to defeat climate change,” Inslee said in a statement.Under the new proposal, farmers would play a key role in combatting climate change. A government-funded Carbon Farming initiative would pay farmers for their efforts to remove carbon emissions from the atmosphere, as well as methane reduction projects. Inslee would also launch a new Advanced Research Projects Agency–Agriculture (ARPA-Ag) to work on innovation in the sector, along with boosting biofuel efforts nationally.The plan is framed as a boon to rural communities, and Inslee pledges to “revitalize rural economies” through an expansion of renewable energy coupled with an expansion of rural broadband connectivity. The proposal, moreover, would strengthen protections for farmworkers, who are already suffering the impacts of climate change, studies show. Inslee would also “support new, diverse, women, and young farmers” in their efforts to establish careers.Additionally, the plan would seek to improve forest health and public lands, along with “new protections” for indigenous spaces. Budgeting for the Conservation Stewardship Program would also triple under Inslee, bolstering support for farmers conserving their land.“Farmers can’t afford runaway climate change, and America can’t defeat climate change without the help of farmers. My plan will grow a new, more prosperous and sustainable future for our entire nation,” Inslee pledged.The governor’s proposal is sweeping in scope and comes at a moment of reckoning for agriculture. On August 8, the IPCC rolled out a lengthy report specifically identifying the ways in which land use is contributing to global warming. That analysis cites food production as a key point of concern. Cattle and rice fields alone generate around half of all methane emissions, while farming practices more broadly contribute to soil degradation, weakening the planet’s defense against rising temperatures.Those findings aren’t new — climate scientists have singled out agriculture for years as a leading emissions source. Now, however, the issue is gaining political traction.Farmers are a key voting demographic in states like Iowa, where the presidential caucus will be important for White House hopefuls. Historically, that has meant candidates shy away from topics that could cost them with voters, like overhauling agriculture. But with climate change emerging as a top concern for voters, Democratic presidential contenders are increasingly identifying land use — and agriculture in particular — as a policy opportunity.In addition to Inslee, a number of candidates have rolled out rural policy platforms that touch on farming and climate change, in an unprecedented break from prior elections. InsideClimate News reported last week that at least 12 of the Democratic candidates currently running for president have made statements or issued policies connecting agriculture to global warming. Among them are several frontrunners, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT).Many of the 2020 contenders have also endorsed the Green New Deal, a blueprint for swiftly shifting the United States to net-zero emissions. The proposal is vague, but asserts that a change in farming practices will be necessary in order to achieve its end goal. Much like the plans proposed by candidates like Inslee, the Green New Deal calls for a partnership between farmers and the government to cut pollution while advancing sustainable practices.Even as these efforts gain momentum, they are facing resistance. Scientists with the Department of Agriculture (USDA) have continued to produce reports underscoring the link between the sector and global warming. But President Donald Trump’s administration has downplayed the impacts of climate change and USDA researchers say their work is being stifled. Meanwhile, two USDA bureaus are undergoing a controversial relocation out of Washington, D.C., to the Midwest — a move some employees worry is retaliation for the department’s climate research.This article originally appeared at ThinkProgress on August 21, 2019.E.A. Crunden covers climate policy and environmental issues for ThinkProgress.Image: Reuters.

UK's Johnson to hold Brexit talks with Macron after Merkel offers glimmer of hope

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits Paris on Thursday, a day after Berlin offered a glimmer of hope that an agreement could be reached to avoid a chaotic "no deal" Brexit. On the second leg of his first foreign visit since taking office, Johnson will meet his French counterpart at the Elysee palace to press home his message that elements of the UK's impending divorce from the European Union must be renegotiated. Macron on Wednesday dismissed Johnson's demands that the EU reopen negotiations on the Irish border, saying that the bloc had always been clear it would not agree.