Sexual violence: Accountability framework must include everyone involved

A robust framework for accountability against sexual violence in armed conflicts must include all actors, irrespective of their affiliations and motivations, India has said as it stressed the need to understand the nexus between terrorism, trafficking and sexual violence to address the scourge.

First Secretary in India's Permanent Mission to the UN Paulomi Tripathi said at the UN Security Council high-level open debate on Sexual Violence in Conflict that improving response to sexual violence in armed conflicts by the Security Council cannot be pursued in isolation and the normative work done outside the Council regarding equal rights and empowerment of women must continue to inform the discussions.

The UN Security Council called upon warring parties around the globe to implement concrete commitments to fight the heinous, barbaric and all-too-often silent phenomenon of sexual violence during conflict.

Adopting a resolution by a vote of 13 in favour to none against, with veto-wielding permanent members China and Russia abstaining, the Council reiterated its demand for the complete cessation of all acts of sexual violence by all parties to armed conflict.

Despite commendable advances both in policy and practice in combating sexual violence, the gap between what is recommended and the reality in the field remains. We need to better understand the dynamic complexities, that manifests as sexual violence in armed conflict, in order to prevent the atrocities, to end the culture of impunity and to rehabilitate and reintegrate the survivors, she said.

Tripathi stressed that a robust framework for accountability against sexual violence in armed conflicts must seek to include all actors, irrespective of their affiliations and motivations. Further, the conceptualisation of sexual violence primarily as a tactic of war' has become pervasive.

She, however, added that restricting one's understanding to the notion of instrumentality of sexual violence in armed conflicts runs the risk of rendering invisible the "other" victims of such atrocities.

These invisible victims could include boys and men, or those violated by civilians and humanitarian actors with other motivations. Framework of accountability and reparation must address their sufferings, she said.

She also emphasised that a fragmented conceptualisation of sexual violence in armed conflicts often leads to decoupling of the issue from its socio-cultural, political and economic context, adding that interventions based on limited considerations typically attempts to treat the symptoms rather than the underlying ailment.

The understanding of nexus between terrorism, trafficking and sexual violence must inform action in this regard. The Council must push for greater cooperation on countering terrorism and effective implementation of the sanctions regimes, she said, adding that the UN must also prioritise support to national governments to adopt stronger legal, administrative and justice systems for protecting the rights of the victims, prosecuting the perpetrators and addressing long-term consequences of abuses on the individual, family and community.

In order to address deep-rooted inequality and subordination in the society, greater participation of women in conflict resolution and post-conflict reconciliation processes needs to be promoted.

Tripathi also pointed out that mainstreaming of gender perspective in peace operations and increasing women's representation in peacekeeping are prerequisites for prevention and response.

In this regard, India welcomed the Uniformed Gender Parity Strategy to increase the number of women peacekeepers, and is ready to deploy a Female Engagement Team in the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and a women Formed Police Unit in the UN Mission in South Sudan this year.

Tripathi also made a reference to the situation in 1971, when appalling atrocities were perpetrated against women with impunity by the armed forces of a State in India's immediate neighbourhood in 1971, saying memories of the time "remains vivid" and the scars of these wounds are yet to heal.

The perpetrators of these crimes are now masquerading as champions of justice in order to cover their misdeeds, she said.

The Council reiterated its deep concern that despite its repeated condemnation of violence against women and children in situations of armed conflict, including sexual violence the phenomenon continues to occur, often with impunity, and in some situations has become systematic and widespread, or reached appalling levels of brutality.

Several experts, high-profile activists and survivors briefed the Council. Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Nadia Murad from Iraq recalled that ISIS enslaved thousands of Yazidi girls and women before the eyes of the world in a genocide that continues today.

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Sri Lanka police carry out controlled explosion on motorcycle

Sri Lanka remained on high alert as police on Wednesday carried out a controlled explosion of a suspicious motorcycle parked near a cinema hall here.

The police said that the area near the Savoy Cinema at Wellawatta, South Colombo was cleared and the controlled explosion was carried out by the bomb disposal squad to check the motorcycle which had no owner.

No explosives were found in the vehicle.

Sri Lankan police have asked all motorists and motor cyclists to leave their contact numbers in their vehicles when they leave them parked in the city.

Security forces have launched nationwide search operations to nab the perpetrators of the Easter Sunday bomb attacks that claimed more than 350 lives. Several people have been arrested in connection with the attacks.

The Islamic State terror group has claimed responsibility for the devastating blasts when seven suicide bombers carried out the series of blasts that tore through churches and luxury hotels in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, in the country's worst terror attack.

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Egyptians overwhelmingly approve changes extending Sisi's rule

National Election Authority head Lashin Ibrahim announced at a press conference that 88.83 per cent out of the 44.33 per cent of Egypt's voters who turned out to cast their ballots during the three-day referendum, approved the amendments. According to Ibrahim, only a 11.17 per cent voted no.

These amendments to the constitution would see President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's rule extended to 2030.

"The referendum came out in the best possible way, worthy of Egypt's future and its aspirations for tomorrow," Ibrahim added.

The 64-year old leader will be able to run for another six-year term after his current term ends. Sisi, who won his first term in 2014, has been head of the country unopposed ever since. He was re-elected in March 2018 with more than 97 per cent after challengers either withdrew from the race or were disqualified.

Sisi, a former army general, took to power a year after the army overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Morsi following mass protests against his single turbulent year in power.

Parliament, stacked with Sisi loyalists, voted in favour of the constitutional amendments last week.

Voters were given less than a week to consider the changes to 20 articles.

Another amendment extends Sisi's power over the legislative branch. It will allow him to create an upper house known as a senate, one third of whose members will be hand-picked by the president.

Yet another additional power the president will wield is the authority to appoint members of the judiciary.

The proposal for the amendments were submitted by pro-Sisi MPs. But the electoral commission has said that it has not received any formal complaints about irregularities and has denied any wrongdoing.  

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Malawi implements first ever child vaccine against malaria

In a landmark move, Malawi on Tuesday became the first country in the world to implement a child vaccine against malaria, as reported by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The RTSS vaccine works by training the immune system to identify and attack the malaria parasite. The parasite, which enters the body through mosquito bites, kills thousands of people across the world every year, with Sub-Saharan Africa carrying a disproportionately high share of the global malaria burden. Children are the most vulnerable group that are susceptible to contracting this disease. In fact, malaria claims the life of a child every two minutes.

Created after a long period of thirty years, this vaccine is the first of its kind to demonstrate a significant reduction in malaria among children. It has a 40% success rate of preventing the deadly disease, which includes a 30% chance of prevention against life-threatening malaria. “We know the power of vaccines to prevent killer diseases and reach children, including those who may not have immediate access to the doctors, nurses and health facilities they need to save them when severe illness comes”, says Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO’s Regional Director for Africa on the significance of this vaccine. She further commented that this is “a day to celebrate as we begin to learn more about what this tool can do to change the trajectory of malaria through childhood vaccination”.

The vaccine underwent five years of clinical trials conducted on 15,000 people spanning seven countries. It should be administered in four doses; once a month for three months and then again at 18 months. However, concerns have been raised against the practical implementation of this schedule since it not in sync with the normal immunization schedules in the country. Further, there is no surety regarding whether parents might bring their children for all four doses. There are also questions regarding vaccine safety if used on a routine basis.

The vaccine is a part of a package of measures to be taken to prevent malaria, which includes insecticide-treated bed nets and indoor spraying of insecticides.

The WHO-coordinated vaccine program is slated to soon be incorporated in Ghana and Kenya, in a collaborative effort with the countries’ ministries of health. The pilot countries were chosen among 10 African countries, on the basis of well-functioning malaria and immunization programs as well as areas having moderate to high transmission of malaria.

The program aims to reach 360,000 children per year across the three countries. The vaccine developer and manufacturer for this is GSK, which will donate around 10 million vaccine doses for the pilot program. “Delivering the world’s first malaria vaccine will help reduce the burden of one of the most pressing health challenges globally. This novel tool is the result of GSK employees collaborating with their partners, applying the latest in vaccine science to contribute to the fight against malaria”, said Dr. Thomas Breuer, Chief Medical Officer of GSK Vaccines.

The program has been primarily financed with the help of three global health funding bodies viz. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; and Unitaid. This phase of the program is expected to be completed by the year 2023, as reported by PATH, a non-profit organization that is one of the partners working in this capacity with the health ministries of the selected countries.   

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Easter blasts: Sri Lankan defence secretary, police chief asked to resign

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has asked Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando and country's police chief Pujith Jayasundara to resign after their failure to prevent the deadly suicide blasts despite having the prior intelligence inputs about the attacks, a media report said Wednesday.

In his address to the nation for the first time since the Easter Sunday blasts that killed 359 people and wounded more than 500 others, Sirisena last night said he will make make changes in top positions in the security establishment within the next 24 hours.

President Sirisena has requested Inspector General of Police (IGP) Jayasundara and Defence Secretary Fernando to resign from their posts, the Sunday Times reported, quoting sources close to the president.

Sirisena last night said that the people were questioning why action had not been taken by the top security officials despite the availability of intelligence support from a friendly neighbouring country.

Former Army Commander Daya Ratnayake is being considered for the post of Defence Secretary, the paper added.

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the devastating Easter blasts in Sri Lanka and identified the seven suicide bombers who were involved in the attacks. 

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Pak journalist gets IPI's Press Freedom Hero award

A Pakistani journalist has won the World Press Freedom Hero award of The International Press Institute (IPI) for his "critical" and "tenacious coverage" of the civil-military relations in Pakistan.

The IPI, a global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in over 100 countries, named Dawn Assistant Editor Cyril Almeida as its 71st World Press Freedom Hero.

IPI's World Press Freedom Hero Award honours journalists "who have made significant contributions to the promotion of press freedom, particularly in the face of great personal risk".

IPI said that Almeida was recognised for his critical and tenacious coverage of civil-military relation in Pakistan.

"Almedia's scrutiny of the Pakistani military-security complex has made both him and Dawn a target," the Vienna-based IPI said in its statement.

The journalist had been in headlines for reporting about a meeting between ousted premier Nawaz Sharif and army leaders in which the former reportedly demanded action against militants.

The Pakistan Army was angry at the news leak, known as Dawnleaks, which was termed as security breach and demanded action against officials and the journalist.

In 2016, Almeida was briefly placed on the Exit Control List (ECL) after publishing a story regarding a top-level meeting of civil-military leaders.

Later, the journalist again faced the wrath when he interviewed Sharif after he was ousted by the court. In the interview Sharif hinted at negligence to take action against militants involved in the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

The press freedom watchdog noted that the retaliation against Almeida and Dawn for their journalism comes "amid a rapidly deteriorating environment for the press" in the country.

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Notre-Dame Fire: Twitter sparks controversy, disputes it was an accident

On April 15 at around 6.30 pm, a fire broke out in the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. The fire spread rapidly because of the windy conditions at the time and destroyed the spire and roof of the 850-year-old iconic structure. It was fully extinguished many hours later at around 9.30 am the next day.

Official investigations so far have concluded that most likely there was an electrical short-circuit. Though the investigation is only in its initial phase, the uncovered evidence have led investigators to believe that the horrific events of last week was just accidental. This is considering the fact that they have not yet searched for evidence in the interior of the cathedral to further substantiate the hypothesis―primarily due to safety risks. Nevertheless, the Paris prosecutor’s office has conveyed that they have not yet ruled out other causation theories and that they are adamant to look into all possible leads.

Social media users, however, have sparked controversy by stating that the most probable cause―an electrical short-circuit―is not substantial enough to instigate a fire as great as the Notre-Dame blaze.

Sotiri Dimpinoudis ❁‏@sotiridi

#Breaking: The French news site @le_Parisien has made a video, that the wood "oak" does not burn that quickly and that it takes time to get ignited and burn like it did at the cathedral de #NotreDame de #Paris. And speculates that a electrical shortcut would be impossible to burn

471

02:34 - 23 Apr 2019

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The video states that they cannot verify the validity and credibility of their information; by the end of the video, it is acknowledged that it was created by “amateurs”. Nonetheless, it should not be disregarded that such unsubstantiated claims is actually being considered by the readers. They are considering it seriously enough to raise doubts whether the official theory is real.

Lee Morgan@LMY746

After seeing several demonstrations of blow torches failing to set light to oak beams despite fierce heat trained at close range for 5 minutes at a single point I think it's fair to say a short circuit wasn't the cause of the #NotreDame fire.

So..

WHAT WAS THE CAUSE?#Paris

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02:36 - 22 Apr 2019

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These doubts are invariably raising the question “what was the real cause?”

Among other theories is the recent find of a “computer glitch” in the fire alarm system. Reportedly, the alarm system went off at around 6 pm. For reasons unclear, there was a computer bug which misdirected the police of the location causing them to be late to the scene of the fire by 23 minutes.

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Kim, Putin vow to seek closer ties at first talks

North Korea's Kim Jong Un is hoping for a win today at his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, his first ever. The meeting comes months after his second meeting with Trump that faltered. Both leaders are hoping for closer ties.

The duo will meet at Vladivostok, a far eastern city in Russia. Putin is keen to put forward Moscow as a player in a global flashpoint.

In brief statements before heading in to the talks, both leaders expressed their hopes for strengthening historic ties.

“I think it will be a very useful meeting in developing the relationship between the two countries, who have a long friendship and history, into a more stable and sound one,” Kim said.

“As the world is focused on the Korean peninsula, I think we will hold a very meaningful dialogue,” Putin told Kim he supports ongoing efforts to ease tensions on the Korean peninsula and wants to boost economic ties.

“I am confident that your visit... will help us to better understand how we can resolve the situation on the Korean peninsula and what Russia can do to support the positive processes that are currently taking place,” Putin added.

Moscow was a crucial backer of Pyongyang for decades and their ties go back to the founding of North Korea, when the Soviet Union installed Kim's grandfather Kim II Sung as a leader.

The USSR reduced funding to the North as it began to seek reconciliation with Seoul in the 1980s, but Pyongyang was hit hard by its demise in 1991.

Kim's government has been facing shortfalls at the UN this year and will need Moscow to boost aid.

Russia has provided some $25 million in food aid to North Korea in recent years, according to the Kremlin.

Kim was greeted at Vladivostok by a military orchestra. White gloved attendants were seen running alongside his armoured train to wipe the dust from any surfaces that he might touch. With this meeting, Putin hopes to push Russia's agenda of opposing US international influence.

In an interview with China's official People's Daily published on Thursday, Putin lashed out at “countries claiming sole global leadership”.

“They carelessly trample on the norms and principles of international law, resort to blackmail, sanctions and pressure, and try to force their values and dubious ideals on entire countries and populations,” said Putin, who is heading to China after the talks for another summit.

The Vladivostok meeting follows repeated invitations from Putin since Kim embarked on a series of diplomatic overtures last year.

The Kremlin has said the focus of Thursday's talks will be on finding “a political and diplomatic solution to the nuclear problem on the Korean Peninsula” but that no joint statement or signing of agreements was planned.

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Sri Lanka continues crackdown on terror suspects; 16 held

Authorities in Sri Lanka continued their search operations with the help of army and arrested 16 more suspects in connection with the horrific Easter Sunday blasts in which more than 350 people were killed.

The arrested people were being interrogated at length by investigation sleuths in connection with the country's deadliest attack.

Nine suicide bombers, believed to be the members of a local Islamist extremist group National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ), carried out a series of devastating blasts that tore through three churches and three luxury hotels.

As many as 359 people have been killed in the attacks while 500 others injured, according to authorities.

Officials said that with the arrest of 16 more people on Wednesday, the total number of suspects under police custody has risen to 76.

Many of the arrested people have suspected links to the NTJ, the group blamed for the bombings. However, the NTJ has not claimed responsibility for the attacks.

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attacks and identified suicide bombers who carried out the devastating blasts.

Authorities have deployed thousands of troops to help police carry out search operations.

Over 5,000 army personnel have been deployed around the country.

"During the last 24 hours, there have been no major incidents. We have deployed over 6,300 troops. This includes 1,000 from the Airforce and 600 from the Navy," military spokesman Brigadier Sumith Atapattu said.

Meanwhile, a minor explosion happened behind the magistrate's court at Pugoda, the western province town, 40 Kms north of Colombo. There was no immediate report of any casualty.

Search operations of suspected properties, arrests and detention of people and to place road blocks for such operations have been facilitated by the newly-enforced emergency regulations.

The regulations were adopted without a vote in Parliament on Wednesday.

The curfew which was imposed at 10 PM on Wednesday was lifted at 4 AM on Thursday.

President Maithripala Sirisena has convened an all-party meeting. He would meet religious leaders. Both parleys are to discuss the attacks dubbed as among the five deadliest terrorist attacks carried out since the 9/11 in the US.

Though Sirisena has asked police chief Pujith Jayasundera and defence ministry secretary Hemasiri Fernando to step down, there was no confirmation if they have resigned.

The police chief's position is an independent post determined by the Constitutional Council. He cannot be constitutionally removed unless he resigns himself or removed thorough a parliamentary procedure, officials said.

Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, the head of the local catholic church, has asked all churches to stop masses until the situation improved, his office said.

On Wednesday, the Sri Lankan government admitted that "major" intelligence lapses led to the horrific coordinated attacks.  

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Lanka Catholic churches suspend public mass until situation improves

Sri Lanka's Catholic churches on Thursday suspended all public services until the security situation improves as the head of the church urged politicians to leave aside differences to rebuild the country struck by the Easter Sunday bombings that killed nearly 360 people.

Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, the head of the local Catholic church, said that Easter Sunday's attacks were coordinated by an organised group with powerful nations behind them and also noted that these attackers had no religion.

All Catholic churches were asked to stop public mass until the security situation improves, Cardinal Ranjith's office quoted him as saying.

"There will be no public mass said until further notice," an official said.

He urged the government to leave aside all political differences and work together at this time to rebuild the country again.

Sri Lankan media and some ministers have criticised the rift between President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe after it emerged that authorities had prior intelligence from India and the US about the possible attacks by the National Tawheed Jamath (NTJ) jihadist group.

Nine suicide bombers, believed to be the members of a local Islamist extremist group NTJ, carried out a series of devastating blasts that tore through three churches, two of them Catholic, and three luxury hotels packed with Easter worshippers on Sunday.

Security has been beefed up in Sri Lanka as the army increased its deployment by 1,300 to 6,300, with the navy and airforce also deploying 2,000 more personnel.

Also, drone flights were banned and licences issued to commercial operators were suspended with immediate effect.

The Sri Lankan authorities Thursday intensified their raids with the help of the army and arrested 16 more suspects in connection with the country's worst terror attack that killed nearly 360 people and left over 500 injured.  

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Sri Lanka beefs up security around mosques after intelligence inputs of terror attack

Security has been beefed up around "a certain category of mosques" in Sri Lanka after intelligence warning that the Islamist extremist group blamed for the deadly Easter blasts was planning an attack on them during Friday prayers, a media report said Thursday.

Nine suicide bombers, believed to be members of local Islamist extremist group called National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ), carried out a series of devastating blasts that tore through three churches and three luxury hotels on the Easter Sunday, killing 359 people.

A letter, signed by DIG Priyantha Jayakody on behalf of Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundara, warned that the group which had carried out the Easter blasts was planning an attack on mosques on Friday, the Times Online reported.

The letter dated April 24, 2018 said a certain category of mosques identified as 'Awliya Mosques' could be possible target for these attacks.

"Security has been tightened in the vicinity of all mosques owing to these possible attacks. Therefore, the public need not worry," Jayakodi said.

The letter was addressed to the Presidential Security Division, the Special Security Division, and the Prime Minister's Security Division urging that the matter be brought to the immediate attention of the relevant authorities.

Chairman of the Dewatagaha Mosque in Colombo said that the State Intelligence Service has informed him of a possible threat by the group, which was involved in the Sunday's carnage.

He said that intelligence officers have also informed him that other mosques too would be warned of a possible attack in order for devotees to remain vigilant of possible threats.

Meanwhile, Minister of Muslim Religious Affairs Abdul Haleem has requested the community members to avoid gathering for congregational prayers this Friday.

"We stand with the Christian brothers and sisters during their time of grief," he said in a statement.

The Lankan authorities Thursday intensified their raids with the help of the army and arrested 16 more suspects in connection with the attacks, taking the total number of suspects under police custody to 76. Many of the arrested people have suspected links to the NTJ.

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but the government has blamed the NTJ.

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