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renegadetribune--2019-09-22--The Price of Freedom US Drone Massacres Dozens of Afghan Farmers as They Slept
| 2019-09-22T00:00:00 |
renegadetribune
|
The Price of “Freedom”? US Drone Massacres Dozens of Afghan Farmers as They Slept
|
Jalalabad, Afghanistan — Imagine for a moment that you had just finished a long day’s work with two hundred other farmers. You were settling down to relax for the night, when out of nowhere, Hellfire missiles rain down from drones in the sky and blow up dozens of your coworkers, maiming and tearing limbs from dozens more. Imagine if this happened inside the United States. Imagine the reaction from politicians and the US war machine looking to right this wrong. Would you, as an American citizen sit idly back and accept the excuse given by the country who carried out that attack? Would you accept the wholesale slaughter of your fellow citizens by the dozen if the country who led the attack said it was a mistake and we did it to “help” you? What if it was one of your children killed in the attack? Or your brother, sister, father, mother, or grand parent? Would you simply accept that this slaughter was a mistake and the “help” you are receiving from this country is worth it? Well, that is exactly what the United States is asking Afghanistan to do right now after a drone strike Wednesday night slaughtered 30 innocent civilian farmers as they rested from a long day’s work picking pine nuts. The attack also left 40 others maimed and mangled. “The workers had lit a bonfire and were sitting together when a drone targeted them,” tribal elder Malik Rahat Gul told Reuters by telephone from Wazir Tangi. According to Reuters, a survivor of the drone strike said about 200 laborers were sleeping in five tents pitched near the farm when the attack happened. “Some of us managed to escape, some were injured but many were killed,” said Juma Gul, a resident of northeastern Kunar province who had traveled along with laborers to harvest and shell pine nuts this week. Naturally, the US is responding to the situation with a canned response and refusing to accept responsibility. “U.S. forces conducted a drone strike against Da’esh (IS) terrorists in Nangarhar,” said Colonel Sonny Leggett, a spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan. “We are aware of allegations of the death of non-combatants and are working with local officials to determine the facts.” Residents of the Nangarhar province spoke publicly Thursday and demanded the U.S. take responsibility for this murder. “Such mistakes cannot be justified. American forces must realize (they) will never win the war by killing innocent civilians,” said Javed Mansur, a resident of Jalalabad city. This slaughter comes on the heels of a rather disturbing report released by the United Nations in April detailing how in the first part of 2019, US forces and their allies killed more civilians than the Taliban and other terrorist groups. According to the most recent UN data, Afghan civilians were killed in greater numbers by NATO and pro-government security forces in the first three months of 2019 than by armed militants. Half of those slaughtered by allied troops were women and children. In spite of countless drone bombs raining down from the skies, Hellfire and Tomahawk missiles flattening buildings, and mass graves filled with collateral damage, the US has absolutely nothing to show for it except physically and psychologically damaged veterans and a massive trillion dollar debt. The Congressional Research Service, for example, concluded in 2015 that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have cost U.S. taxpayers $1.6 trillion. However, according to a report from TIME magazine last year, that number is a gross underestimate. As TFTP previously reported, according to an analysis from the “Costs of War Project” from Brown University’s Watson Institute, by the end of 2018, the U.S. War on Terror cost America taxpayers more than $5.6 trillion, which is an average of $23,386 per taxpayer. As The Nation noted, that estimate does not include several factors such as “the psychic costs to the Americans mangled in one way or another in those never-ending conflicts. They don’t include the costs to this country’s infrastructure, which has been crumbling while taxpayer dollars flow copiously and in a remarkably—in these years, almost uniquely—bipartisan fashion into what’s still laughably called ‘national security.’” After 18 years, there is no sign that the War on Terror is ending anytime soon, but surely the United States is finally close to defeating Al Qaeda—right? Unfortunately, the opposite is true. A report from the Los Angeles Times noted that in 2018, “Al Qaeda may be stronger than ever,” and instead of destroying the group, “U.S. policies in the Mideast appear to have encouraged its spread.” While Al Qaeda may have started out as a small terrorist group, it has now grown into a massive network that is flourishing in Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, Syria, and Libya—all countries where the U.S. has actively carried out bombing campaigns in recent years. Coincidence? Not at all. Ask yourself this question, how many future terrorists did the United States create yesterday? Do you think that the children of those slain by a decade of bombing and constant threats of drone strikes will simply forget about the atrocities inflicted upon them? Do you think that the parents who watched their babies blown apart by predator drones, or the hospital workers who watched as US bombs rained down from the sky — will just turn the other cheek? In reality, the US War on Terror has had the opposite effect on “fighting terrorists.” It is creating them. For the last 18 years, the US has actually been planting a garden in which a million Osama Bin Ladens would grow. The truth is that since 9/11, the US and their NATO allies have fostered a breeding ground for extremist and fundamentalist groups. As Americans have sat back and said nothing over the last two decades, the military industrial complex was sowing the seeds for perpetual war, which left unchecked will inevitably lead to the demise of the American empire or total human annihilation—whichever comes first.
|
renegade
|
http://www.renegadetribune.com/the-price-of-freedom-us-drone-massacres-dozens-of-afghan-farmers-as-they-slept/
|
2019-09-22 12:27:49+00:00
| 1,569,169,669 | 1,570,222,509 |
conflict, war and peace
|
massacre
|
470,047 |
rferl--2019-07-29--Eighty-Six Muslim Victims of Prijedor Massacre Laid To Rest in Bosnia
| 2019-07-29T00:00:00 |
rferl
|
Eighty-Six Muslim Victims of Prijedor Massacre Laid To Rest in Bosnia
|
A funeral was held on July 27 for 86 Muslim victims of a massacre in the northwestern city of Prijedor by Bosnian Serb forces in the early 1990s during the Bosnian war. Hundreds assembled to pay their respect to the victims who were found in 2017 in a mass grave in a mountainous region of central Bosnia. The victims were mostly male and many teenagers. They were part of a group of more than 200 mostly Bosnian Muslim civilians as well as several Catholic Croats who were held in a detention camp in the Prijedor region. They were told they would be part of a prisoner exchange on August, 21, 1992. They were executed instead after disembarking a bus and told to line up on the edge of a cliff. So far, 181 victims of the massacre have been identified. Serb forces killed about 3,200 people, including 250 women and 100 children, in the region after taking it over in April 1992. At least 650 people are still missing. In January 2018, prosecutors in Bosnia-Herzegovina said German had authorities arrested Milorad Obradovic, a former member of Bosnian Serb forces, on suspicion of committing war crimes. Obradovic was accused of participating in the detention of some 120 Bosnian Muslim civilians near Prijedor in July 1992 before they were massacred. Another suspect in the same case, Slobodan Knezevic, was arrested in Montenegro in December 2017. Bosnia's 1992-95 war resulted in the death of an estimated 100,000 people and the displacement of some 2.6 million more. As part of the 1995 Dayton accords that mostly ended the violence, Bosnia was broken into two constituent states: a Muslim-Croat federation and the Republika Srpska.
| null |
https://www.rferl.org/a/muslim-victims-of-prijedor-massacre-laid-to-rest-in-bosnia/30082104.html
|
2019-07-29 22:59:54+00:00
| 1,564,455,594 | 1,567,535,478 |
conflict, war and peace
|
massacre
|
470,519 |
rferl--2019-08-31--Taliban Launch Massive Attack On Afghan City Of Kunduz Amid Peace Talks
| 2019-08-31T00:00:00 |
rferl
|
Taliban Launch 'Massive' Attack On Afghan City Of Kunduz Amid Peace Talks
|
KUNDUZ, Afghanistan -- Taliban militants have launched a major attack on one of Afghanistan’s largest cities, despite holding talks with the United States aimed at ending the country’s nearly 18-year conflict. Afghan officials said Taliban militants attacked the strategically important northern city of Kunduz from different directions early on August 31, killing at least 15 people and wounding 75. The office of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said Afghan security forces had repelled the attack in some parts of the city, while other officials said that more than 30 militants had been killed. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid in a Twitter post called the attack "large-scale," while the police spokesman in Kunduz Province reportedly said the attack was "massive" and involved "intense" battles. Provincial council member Ghulam Rabani Rabani told AP that after Afghan security forces had tried for hours to push the militants from the center of Kunduz, a suicide bomber struck at the city's main intersection. The news agency quoted Interior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi as saying 10 people were killed and five wounded in the attack. Presidential spokesman Sediq Seddiqi told reporters the attack was "completely against the peace talks" taking place between the United States and the Taliban. Expectations that a breakthrough in the talks might lead to a peace deal, including a timetable for the withdrawal of thousands of U.S. troops, had been on the rise. The U.S. special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, who is involved in the negotiations, tweeted that he had "raised the Kunduz attack in talks today, telling the Taliban that violence like this must stop." Khalilzad added that General Scott Miller, who commands U.S. forces in Afghanistan, had arrived in Kunduz to assist Afghan forces in defending the city. In a separate tweet, Khalilzad said that "ultimately, war will only end when all sides agree it must end." But he added that "I am confident we are on the only practical path to reducing violence and achieving peace." Despite the violence, Khalilzad on September 1 tweeted again, saying that U.S. and Taliban negotiators are "at the threshold of an agreement" as they concluded their latest round of talks. "We are at the threshold of an agreement that will reduce violence and open the door for Afghans to sit together to negotiate an honorable and sustainable peace," he wrote. He added that he would be traveling to Kabul later in the day to consult with government officials there. Kunduz briefly fell to the Taliban in 2015 and has come under attack several times since then. Pockets of fighting were reported in parts of the city, and a provincial council member, Ghulam Rabani Rabani, told the AP news agency that Taliban militants had control of the city hospital. The militants took hospital patients as hostages, Defense Ministry spokesman Rohullah Ahmadzai told reporters in Kabul. He did not say how many. "We could very easily attack, but we don't want civilian casualties," he said. The Afghan Interior Ministry said at least 34 Taliban fighters were killed in ground and air operations in three areas of Kunduz city and clearance operations were under way. Electricity and most telephone services were cut, and residents were sheltering in their houses, making it difficult to gain a complete picture of the fighting. "There is no water and electricity. There is nothing. The situation in Kunduz is very worrying,” one local man, Shah Rasool, told RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan. U.S. President Donald Trump said on August 30 that the United States had good negotiations going on with the Taliban but had not yet reached a deal. A day earlier, Trump said that the United States will continue to maintain a force in Afghanistan even after any deal is agreed. The Taliban has long demanded a complete pullout of all foreign forces from the country. About 20,000 foreign troops, most of them American, are now in Afghanistan as part of a U.S.-led NATO mission to train, assist, and advise Afghan forces. Some U.S. forces carry out counterterrorism operations.
| null |
https://www.rferl.org/a/taliban-launches-major-attack-against-kunduz-amid-ongoing-afghan-peace-talks/30139230.html
|
2019-08-31 08:26:36+00:00
| 1,567,254,396 | 1,569,416,875 |
conflict, war and peace
|
massacre
|
577,917 |
theantimedia--2019-09-23--Wedding Party Bombing US Forces Have Massacred 70 Afghan Civilians in 1 Week
| 2019-09-23T00:00:00 |
theantimedia
|
Wedding Party Bombing: US Forces Have Massacred 70 Afghan Civilians in 1 Week
|
(CD) — Dozens of Afghan civilians are dead, local officials said Monday, following operations carried out late Sunday by U.S. and Afghan forces targeting al Qaida fighters. The incident in the southern province of Helmand, which came just days after a U.S. drone strike killed at least 30 farm workers in eastern Nangarhar province, highlights the fragile situation for civilians as the U.S. enters its 19th year of war in Afghanistan. Details on exactly how many people were killed and who was responsible for the Sunday attacks remain unclear, a fact attributed at least in part to the area being under Taliban control. The U.S. has blamed the “majority of the deaths” on al Qaida. U.S. and Afghan officials say they’re investigating. Omar Zwak, a spokesman for the Helmand governor, said an undetermined number of civilians were killed after an explosion at an insurgent weapons depot that had been targeted by government forces late Sunday. But Haji Attaullah Afghan, head of the provincial council in Helmand, said a two-vehicle wedding convoy was fired upon by military helicopters, and that civilians were killed in both vehicles. According to provincial council member Abdul Majid Akhundzada, at least 40 civilians, including many women and children, were killed, CBS News reported. Josh Jacques, a spokesman for U.S. Forces-Afghanistan told Stars and Stripes that “we did conduct targeted precision strikes against barricaded terrorists firing on Afghan and U.S. forces,” and said the operation was to target militants presenting “an imminent threat.” “The locals are trapped in a war between the Taliban and the U.S. and Afghan forces,” one local resident told CBS News. “We told the Taliban, ‘don’t settle foreign militants near our houses,’ we told the Afghan government, ‘don’t target us if militants live in the middle of our houses, that is not our wish or our fault. We can’t stop anyone. Don’t kill us.'” Such pleas follow evidence that civilians have good reason to be fearful of violence. The Times noted that “[v]iolence has surged in Afghanistan since months of peace negotiations between the United States and the Taliban were aborted on Sept. 7.” And, earlier this year, the United Nations said that U.S.-backed forces killed more Afghan civilians than the Taliban and other armed anti-government groups did in the first three months of 2019. This article was chosen for republication based on the interest of our readers. Anti-Media republishes stories from a number of other independent news sources. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect Anti-Media editorial policy. Since you’re here… …We have a small favor to ask. Fewer and fewer people are seeing Anti-Media articles as social media sites crack down on us, and advertising revenues across the board are quickly declining. However, unlike many news organizations, we haven’t put up a paywall because we value open and accessible journalism over profit — but at this point, we’re barely even breaking even. Hopefully, you can see why we need to ask for your help. Anti-Media’s independent journalism and analysis takes substantial time, resources, and effort to produce, but we do it because we believe in our message and hope you do, too. If everyone who reads our reporting and finds value in it helps fund it, our future can be much more secure. For as little as $1 and a minute of your time, you can support Anti-Media. Thank you. Click here to support us
|
Andrea Germanos
|
http://theantimedia.com/wedding-party-bombing-us-forces-killed-70-afghan-civilians-1-week/
|
2019-09-23 21:38:27+00:00
| 1,569,289,107 | 1,570,222,461 |
conflict, war and peace
|
massacre
|
951,479 |
thesun--2019-04-04--Syrian regime begins bombing last rebel enclave of Idlib killing 17 civilians including kids amid
| 2019-04-04T00:00:00 |
thesun
|
Syrian regime ‘begins bombing last rebel enclave of Idlib killing 17 civilians including kids’ amid fears of Aleppo-style mass-slaughter
|
FORCES battling the regime of Bashar al-Assad are boxed into their last enclave amid fears of an Aleppo-style bloodbath among trapped civilians. Syrian government forces have been shelling and bombing Idlib, in the northwest of the war torn country, with at least 17 civilians killed over the past 24 hours, a war monitoring group said today. The government forces' artillery fire targeted several locations and about half of those killed were under 18 years old, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The area is home to millions of refugees who fled the rebel held city of Aleppo, which was last year reduced to rubble by warplanes from Russia, which is backing the dictator's regime. The eight year civil war has killed nearly 400,000 people, according to estimates, in scenes reminiscent of the urban devastation of World War 2. It also echoes the siege of Aleppo in 2016 and 2017 whereby thousands died as beautiful buildings which stood proud for centuries were reduced to dust and rubble by hundreds of air raids. The area had been subject to a ceasefire agreement struck in September between Russia and Turkey to avert a humanitarian catastrophe. Moscow is the government's strongest ally while Turkey backs some rebel groups. The northwest, including Idlib province and parts of Hama and Aleppo provinces, is home to about three million people, half of whom have already been internally displaced, the United Nations says. Early this year, the jihadist groups in the northwest seized most of the enclave from other rebel factions. Turkish-backed insurgents hold an adjacent enclave in northern Aleppo province where there is no active fighting with the government. Last week the human rights organisation Amnesty International highlighted six incidents where blood banks, clinics and bakeries had been destroyed in air raids and artillery attacks. Lynn Maalouf, Middle East Research Director at Amnesty International, said: “Eight years into the crisis, the Syrian government continues to show utter disregard for the laws of war and the lives of civilians. “Deliberate attacks on civilians and on civilian objects, including hospitals and other medical facilities, and indiscriminate attacks that kill or injure civilians are war crimes. “Russia and Turkey, as the key backers of the parties to the conflict, should heed the warning of the UN and ensure that the imminent offensive on Idlib prioritises the protection of civilians and does not exacerbate the humanitarian crisis.” For the latest news on this story keep checking back at Sun Online. Thesun.co.uk is your go to destination for the best celebrity news, football news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Download our fantastic, new and improved free App for the best ever Sun Online experience. For iPhone click here, for Android click here. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thesun and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.
|
Patrick Knox
|
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/8789227/syria-rebels-last-stand/
|
2019-04-04 10:50:06+00:00
| 1,554,389,406 | 1,567,544,041 |
conflict, war and peace
|
massacre
|
126,360 |
dailybeast--2019-12-10--Judgment Day’s Coming for U.S.-Backed Troops Who Slaughtered Men, Women, and So Many Children at El
| 2019-12-10T00:00:00 |
dailybeast
|
Judgment Day’s Coming for U.S.-Backed Troops Who Slaughtered Men, Women, and So Many Children at El Mozote
|
LOS QUEBRACHOS, El Salvador—The helicopters were the first sign of danger. They arrived carrying troops to the mountainous region of Morazán in northeast El Salvador on Dec. 10, 1981. José Amparo Martínez, 30 at the time, knew why they were there. “They came to kill,” Martínez said. Martínez, his wife, and four kids fled to the hills. They trekked through ridges and ravines while rounds of gunfire echoed in the distance. “The massacre lasted three days,” Martínez said. “They grabbed women, children and elderly people, anyone who didn’t leave. And they killed them.” When the gunfire died down and it seemed the soldiers had left, Martínez returned to find his parents dead. Six of his immediate family members were killed in those three days. The survivors fled to Honduras. The El Mozote massacre, named for one of the towns where it was carried out, claimed almost a thousand lives—the most brutal single episode of El Salvador’s 12-year civil war that ended in 1992. At the time, the Reagan administration was sending millions to the Salvadoran military and training soldiers in the name of fighting communism. Decades after the conflict ended, the El Mozote massacre is one of the most emblematic cases of human rights abuses carried out with support from the U.S. government that has yet to see justice. Now, 38 years later, convictions for Salvadoran military officers may finally be within reach. An ongoing trial against 17 high-level military officers has made important progress recently and a verdict seems near. Victims hope it will be the first step towards accountability for all those involved—the officers who ordered the massacre and the U.S. government. “ What I want is reparations for the damage from both the Salvadoran and U.S. governments, ” said Martínez, who is part of an association of victims and survivors of the massacre. “ Because they didn ’ t care about ordering them to kill all those kids and women and elderly. ” By the time the helicopters touched down in December 1981 in Morazán, the region was already heavily patrolled by the Salvadoran military because of a nearby guerrilla camp called La Guacamaya. The country was in the early years of a civil war between an armed guerrilla insurgency and the Salvadoran military. The Cold War had turned this small Central American nation roughly the size of Massachusetts into a battleground in the U.S. fight to contain the spread of communism. The Reagan administration was sending $1 million a day to El Salvador. Only Egypt and Israel were receiving more U.S. aid. Salvadoran troops received counter-insurgency training at the controversial School of the Americas, which later was revealed to include lessons on torture, extortion and execution. That December, the Salvadoran government launched an offensive called Operation Rescue (Operación Rescate) that they called an “anti-guerrilla” action. The Atlacatl Battalion, which had been trained at the School of the Americas, was dispatched to Morazán. Its commander, Domingo Monterrosa, was a favorite of U.S advisers for his adoption of cruel counterinsurgency tactics which earned him a reputation as one of El Salvador's most brutal commanders. What happened next is considered one of the worst massacres in modern Latin American history. Soldiers arrived in the area on Dec. 10 with the goal of wiping out the guerrillas in the area. They began interrogating villagers: Where are the guerrillas? Have you been helping them? Or worse yet, are you one of them? The next day, soldiers rounded up women, children and elderly people in the small, mountainous town of El Mozote, home to about 20 families. They locked most women and children in the convent. They locked others in houses. The men were tortured and executed. The soldiers open fired on the convent with machine guns, killing mainly women and children. When they finished, they burned the houses. The soldiers used the same tactics to execute peasants in other nearby villages over the course of three days. Only a few were able to flee or hide. “ Only ashes were left, ” said Pedro Martínez, an 84-year-old survivor (no relation to José Amparo Martínez). “ We ’ re only alive because we were able to hide where they couldn ’ t see us. ” An official government list of victims published decades later counted 978 killed. More than half were minors, 250 were younger than six. Word of the massacre soon spread through radio reports. Sofía Romero had fled El Mozote for a nearby city shortly before the massacre because a group of soldiers had raped her and threatened to kill her. Her parents and some of her siblings stayed behind. She thought of them when she heard the news on the radio. Worried, she took the bus to check on them. As she got close, others who had heard of the massacre convinced her not to enter the town. But she met two men who had been there who confirmed her worst fear. “ They said there were no more people there, ” said Romero, now 57. “ I started to cry and cry and cry. ” Reporters from The Washington Post and the New York Times went to investigate the heinous crimes and soon published victims’ reports of the massacre. In response, the US ambassador then sent two officials to investigate. They reached a different conclusion. “Civilians did die during Operation Rescate, but no evidence could be found to confirm that government forces systematically massacred civilians in the operation zone,” Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs, Thomas Enders told Congress in February 1982. Enders disputed the body count based on the estimated population of the village, ignoring the fact that reports said the massacre occurred in multiple towns. Cables released in the 1990s confirm that the U.S. embassy did in fact know about the El Mozote massacre and many other human rights abuses in El Salvador. But the Reagan administration did not want to reveal this information to lawmakers so that Congress would continue sending money to the Salvadoran government. “Look, it was an American-trained battalion. The United States was supporting the Salvadoran government,” said former New York Times journalist Raymond Bonner, one of the first reporters to cover the story. “It’s not really an issue of if the United States knew it at the time or knew it 24 hours later. They knew it.” Still, for years, the Salvadoran military and U.S. officials cast doubt over victims ’ accounts of the massacre, portraying the deaths as the result of a clash between guerrillas and troops. But widespread disbelief in their story didn ’ t stop survivors from seeking justice. “ You consider what has happened and you see it as an obligation to speak, ” said José Amparo Martínez. “ When they kill your parents and your family, you become outraged. ” The first group of survivors came forward in 1990 to open a case against Salvadoran military officers, a risky move that could have cost them their lives with the civil war still raging around them. “At that time, there wasn’t any judicial independence,” said Ovidio Mauricio González, a lawyer with human rights legal group Tutela Legal, who has worked on the case since the beginning. In January 1992, guerrilla rebels finally signed a peace accord agreement with the Salvadoran government to end 12 years of fighting that left more than 75,000 dead. Victims hoped justice would soon come. But shortly after, the Salvadoran Congress passed an amnesty law that prevented prosecution for crimes carried out during the civil war. Justice seemed out of reach in El Salvador. “Supposedly it was a closed case. We kept pressuring so that they would investigate the people who carried out these acts, but they never wanted to,” said Mauricio González. “There was nothing we could do in terms of the criminal prosecution [in El Salvador].” So victims took their case to the Inter-American Court for Human Rights. They won. In 2012, the court issued a sentence that confirmed the victims’ accounts of events and ordered the Salvadoran state to investigate the massacre and provide reparations for victims. That same year, then-President Mauricio Funes, the first person elected to the presidency as part of the party formed by guerrillas, traveled to El Mozote on the 20th anniversary of the peace accords to issue a public apology for the massacre. “I’m convinced that the best way to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the peace accords is advancing with recognition of the truth,” he said in a speech in El Mozote. Even with this public apology, the fight for justice was not over yet. In 2016, the country ’ s Supreme Court voted to overturn the amnesty law in a historic ruling. For the first time in decades, justice was within arm ’ s reach. Lawyers for the victims petitioned to reopen the case, which is currently ongoing. Seventeen military officers stand trial for a dozen crimes, including rape, murder, torture and forced disappearance. Nearly 50 victims and survivors have testified before the court. After more than two years, the case reached a breakthrough recently. In early November, two former soldiers testified that the U.S.-trained Atlacatl Battalion killed innocent women, children and elderly civilians on orders from high-level military officers, including Monterrosa, the U.S. golden boy and commander of the Atlacatl Battalion who was killed by a guerrilla-set bomb in his helicopter in 1984. Monterrosa remains a controversial figure in El Salvador, revered by some and despised by many others. In June 2019, the newly inaugurated president, Nayib Bukele, ordered Monterrosa's name be removed from a military building, once again sparking the debate on whether his military career was filled with merits or atrocities. The testimony was the first time anyone from the military testified in favor of the victims. “It’s clear that these types of action came from higher orders and that the Atlacatl Battalion carried out orders from the state,” David Morales, a lawyer for the human rights organization Cristosal, said to reporters outside the court room in November. Diplomatic correspondence from U.S. embassy officials shows that the U.S. now recognizes the victims’ version of events at El Mozote: a massacre of unarmed peasants rather than a confrontation between the army and guerrillas. Former U.S. ambassador Jean Manes wrote in a cable that she considers the El Mozote trial to be a “test case for civil war accountability” and "barometer for the ability of the Salvadoran justice system to tackle its complex history and stubbornly entrenched impunity.” But the U.S. still has not taken responsibility for its role in the massacre or other human rights abuses during El Salvador ’ s civil war. The U.S. embassy in El Salvador did not respond to a request for a direct comment by the time of publication. Now, victims eagerly await a verdict. Many survivors well into their eighties are racing against the clock. “I’m almost ready to leave this world,” said 84-year-old Pedro Martínez as he listed off his ailments including high blood pressure and arthritis. “They want to erase history, but we just want justice.”
|
Anna-Cat Brigida
|
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/thedailybeast/articles/~3/xIhiKArnm1I/el-salvadors-el-mozote-massacre-was-horrific-the-wait-for-justice-long-but-its-coming
|
Tue, 10 Dec 2019 09:45:02 GMT
| 1,575,989,102 | 1,575,979,446 |
conflict, war and peace
|
massacre
|
404,343 |
pamelagellerreport--2019-11-06--Terror in Thailand: Muslims slaughter 15 people in endless bloody jihad
| 2019-11-06T00:00:00 |
pamelagellerreport
|
Terror in Thailand: Muslims slaughter 15 people in endless bloody jihad
|
Racked by Islamic terror and violence, this peaceful Buddhist country cannot sustain this relentless campaign of terror and carnage. Where are the news reports on this horror? The cries of buddhaphobia? What do they want? An Islamic state, of course, here the everywhere. The Muslim south has been waging a bloody jihad that has killed more than 7,000 people over the last decade. According to the 2000 census, 94.6% of the country’s population self-identified as Buddhist and Muslims comprise 4.9% of the population. Here again, anywhere Muslims immigrate, eventually but always, conflict gives way to war. Show me one country or region where this is not the case. What are the Muslims killing for? An Islamic state, of course. Where aren’t they killing for an Islamic state? Big C is the “Walmart” of Thailand. • Thailand: Devout Muslims murder three and wound 22 with jihad bomb at pork stall • Thailand Mass Muslim Terror Attacks involved OVER 50+ BOMBS and hundreds of pounds of explosive, schools, bridges bombed, widespread outages • Jihadis Declare War on Thailand on Eve of New Constitution: Scores of Mass Attacks, ‘Biggest Attack in Years’ • Jihadis plant CAR BOMB in Thailand on day of “peace talks’ with jihadisWave of Islamic Terror Hits Thailand: Rocked by 11 bombs in ONE DAY in Resort Areas YALA, THAILAND – At least fifteen people were killed in attacks by suspected Muslim militants in Thailand’s violence-racked south, an army spokesman said on Wednesday, the latest incident in the 15-year bloody insurgency. Thailand’s three southernmost provinces have been in the grip of a conflict that has killed more than 7,000 people, as Malay Muslim militants fight for more autonomy from the Thai state. The region is under martial law, heavily policed by the military and sometimes staffed with trained civilian volunteers, with residents and rights groups accusing them of heavy-handed tactics. Late Tuesday militants struck two checkpoints in Yala province manned by civil defense volunteers, opening fire on them as a group of villagers stopped to talk, southern army spokesman Pramote Prom-in told AFP. In the largest death toll in years, “12were killed at the scene, two more (died) at the hospital, and one died this morning,” said Pramote, adding that five others were injured. The attackers took M-16 rifles and shotguns from the checkpoints, he said. “These acts were by militants.” Nails were also scattered on the roads in an apparent effort to slow the security forces, the army said in a separate statement. The areas surrounding the checkpoints have been closed off and are currently under forensic investigation. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha said the perpetrators must “be brought to justice,” according to Defense Ministry spokesman Kongcheep Tantravanich. Rebels seeking autonomy for the culturally distinct region bordering Malaysia have been fighting the Buddhist-majority Thai state, which colonized the area over a century ago. The conflict is characterized by tit-for-tat attacks that usually target symbols of the Thai state and its security forces but civilians from both Muslim and Buddhist communities often get caught in the crossfire. The violence has bled into tourist destinations, like in 2012 when a series of car bomb in Songkhla province’s Hat Yai killed 13 people. The incidents have been fewer in recent years, but the hits have been “more intense,” said Don Pathan, an expert on the so-called Deep South. Tuesday’s attack marked the largest coordinated effort “in a very long time,” he added. It comes days after Bangkok hosted the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, which brought head of states from all over the world — along with hundreds of foreign press media, said Pathan. “It (the attack) is a reminder that they are still here,” he said. The rebels accuse the state of railroading their distinct culture as well as carrying out routine abuses which go unpunished. The latest incident stoking outrage in the region was the death of Abdulloh Esormusor, a Muslim man who was detained by the military and left in a coma after being interrogated at a notorious Thai detention center. Suspects are routinely taken for interrogation and held under emergency laws in detention centers where rights groups have documented torture. Days after Abdulloh’s detention, four people were killed in a late-night attack on a military outpost, fueling speculation of a retaliatory operation. A week later several small bombs exploded in Bangkok, injuring four people as the city hosted a major summit attended by top diplomats, including U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Thailand has linked the bombs to southern insurgents and said the devices used were similar to those found in the south — though no group ever claimed responsibility for the attacks. The Truth Must be Told Please take a moment to consider this. Now, more than ever, people are reading Geller Report for news they won't get anywhere else. But advertising revenues have all but disappeared. Google Adsense is the online advertising monopoly and they have banned us. Social media giants like Facebook and Twitter have blocked and shadow-banned our accounts. But we won't put up a paywall. Because never has the free world needed independent journalism more. Everyone who reads our reporting knows the Geller Report covers the news the media won't. We cannot do our ground-breaking report without your support. We must continue to report on the global jihad and the left's war on freedom. Our readers’ contributions make that possible. Geller Report's independent, investigative journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe our work is critical in the fight for freedom and because it is your fight, too. Please contribute to our ground-breaking work here. Make a monthly commitment to support The Geller Report – choose the option that suits you best.
|
Pamela Geller
|
https://gellerreport.com/2019/11/terror-thaoland-muslims-slaughter-15.html/
|
Wed, 06 Nov 2019 16:47:18 +0000
| 1,573,076,838 | 1,573,062,421 |
conflict, war and peace
|
massacre
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404,669 |
pamelagellerreport--2019-12-12--Islamic Terror in Africa: Jihadis Slaughter 70 Soldiers in Ambush in Niger
| 2019-12-12T00:00:00 |
pamelagellerreport
|
Islamic Terror in Africa: Jihadis Slaughter 70 Soldiers in Ambush in Niger
|
Another unimaginable massacre in an unending war that will get little to no press for fear of offending the hypersensitivities of the Muslim world. More than 70 soldiers feared killed in ambush in Niger Islamist extremists suspected of attack that underlines growing insecurity in region More than 70 soldiers are thought to have been killed in an ambush by suspected Islamist militants at a military post in western Niger. The strike in In-Atès near the border with Mali on Tuesday night emphasises the growing insecurity in a wide belt of poor and anarchic territory in west Africa and, if the death toll is confirmed, is the deadliest on Niger’s forces in recent memory. It came just days before a summit in France where President Emmanuel Macron is expected to meet regional leaders to discuss the future of the French military’s deployment in the Sahel, which stretches across Africa, south of the Sahara. The Nigerien military has not released casualty figures, but a senior official who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed the provisional toll to reporters. Local media reported that the attackers, who have not yet been identified, first targeted communications equipment at the remote base before over-running its defences. A tweet sent from the account of the president, Mahamadou Issoufou, late on Wednesday said that he was returning early from an overseas trip in Egypt following the reported attack. The violence was only 30 miles (48km) from Ouallam, where four US service members died along with four Nigerien soldiers two years ago when their joint patrol came under fire in a massive ambush. Islamic extremists with links to both Islamic State and al-Qaida have long carried out attacks across the vast desert region. The French military mission and a regional Sahel force have failed to stem the violence. This year has also seen extremist groups increase their presence in neighbouring Burkina Faso. In 2015, 46 soldiers and 28 civilians were killed in an attack by Boko Haram, the Islamist extremist group, on a military post on Lake Chad. Last month, gunmen in Burkina Faso killed nearly 40 civilians in an ambush on a convoy transporting workers for a Canadian goldmining company. Two hundred and fifty British troops are scheduled to be deployed in a UN peacekeeping mission in neighbouring Mali in 2020. Weapons have flooded the region in recent years, many of which were brought from Libya into Mali after the death of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, enabling various groups to pursue different agendas. The Truth Must be Told Please take a moment to consider this. Now, more than ever, people are reading Geller Report for news they won't get anywhere else. But advertising revenues have all but disappeared. Google Adsense is the online advertising monopoly and they have banned us. Social media giants like Facebook and Twitter have blocked and shadow-banned our accounts. But we won't put up a paywall. Because never has the free world needed independent journalism more. Everyone who reads our reporting knows the Geller Report covers the news the media won't. We cannot do our ground-breaking report without your support. We must continue to report on the global jihad and the left's war on freedom. Our readers’ contributions make that possible. Geller Report's independent, investigative journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe our work is critical in the fight for freedom and because it is your fight, too. Please contribute to our ground-breaking work here. Make a monthly commitment to support The Geller Report – choose the option that suits you best.
|
Pamela Geller
|
https://gellerreport.com/2019/12/jihadis-ambush-slaughter-niger.html/
|
Thu, 12 Dec 2019 01:15:29 +0000
| 1,576,131,329 | 1,576,152,462 |
conflict, war and peace
|
massacre
|
494,902 |
sottnet--2019-01-15--After Israel slaughtered Gaza during Cast Lead Obama admin met with Israeli generals to counterac
| 2019-01-15T00:00:00 |
sottnet
|
After Israel slaughtered Gaza during 'Cast Lead', Obama admin met with Israeli generals to counteract damning Goldstone Report and get Israel's story out
|
But there is nothing to show for that That investigation two years later So in 2014 Israel undertook Operation Protective Edge, and killed 2200 in Gaza over 51 days - 500 of them children. This is the tenth anniversary of "Cast Lead," Israel's three-week-long onslaught on Gaza that took nearly 1,400 lives, 318 of them children, and that as much as anything helped shift the American view of the conflict, causing young progressives to side with Palestinians.During those three weeks of horrifying images, President-elect Obama had nothing critical to say and Israel did him a favor in return: it ended the bombing/invasion two days before he was inaugurated.Then in September the UN Human Rights Council issued a bombshell of its own,, which documented what it calledduring the onslaught, chiefly the Israeli pattern of deliberately striking civilian targets, including schools, mosques, homes, and a flour mill and a chicken farm.The Obama administration worked to stymie the report at international bodies, and in the end the report went nowhere (defused by its author, Judge Richard Goldstone, who under huge pressure from his own community retracted the allegation that civilians were intentionally targeted).The greatest impact the Goldstone report had was on international opinion. Now a State Department cable has been leaked in which US diplomatic officials The cable is remarkable because it shows how closely Obama officials were working with alleged war criminals to counter Israel's bad press and help Israel "tell its story" and show the "lessons learned" from the massacre. Also because the cable reveals what a crisis the Goldstone Report was to Israel's reputation."It shows how vulnerable Israel can be to public opinion," Norman Finkelstein, the author of Gaza: An Inquest into its Martyrdom , writes to me. "It's not been noticed that Israel ceased using white phosphorus after Cast Lead because of the bad p.r... They do worry about public opinion. That's why I'm skeptical when people say, 'Israel can do whatever it wants.' Not true."Finkelstein also notes the role of an Obama aide as a general-whisperer: Michael Posner, then assistant secretary for democracy, human rights, and labor.Indeed, throughout the cable, Israeli generals admit that mistakes were made and promise that there will be consequences. And the Israeli air force general even says bluntly that the artillery and tank units were careless when it came to hurting Palestinian civilians. The American officials urge the Israelis to do independent investigations so as to salvage the country's reputation.The Goldstone Report was in the news for two full years. But apart from a storm of fury against the report, Israeli officials never had to account. The cable shows that this meeting was as much of a trial as the top Israeli brass ever got: discussions with a handful of American State Department officials who were concerned about the report's conclusions, including Posner who had met with Goldstone . That was all. And they got off the hook!Here are some excerpts from the cable, which was leaked by Wikileaks It begins by saying that Posner and the US ambassador, James Cunningham, met with seven Israeli generals (Chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi, Yoav Galant, Amir Eschel, Avishai Mandelblit, Yossi Heymann, Ido Yuval, and Yuval Halamish, a former general now heading the "Goldstone committee" for the army) and the Israelis promised there was going to be accountability!Posner was very sympathetic:The Israeli generals insisted that they had not targeted civilians, but it was asymmetric warfare in which terrorists worked in civilian settings. One general gave Posner a lesson in terrorism.One of the headings in the cable is, "Getting the Israeli Story Out."But the world wasn't really listening.The officials discussed several atrocities, including the targeting of a house where a large number of members of the al-Samouni family had taken refuge.Mandelblit was the chief investigator for the Israeli army as head of the Military Advocate General (MAG) Corps.. B'Tselem, the human rights group, condemned the finding, sayingand it had been undertaken too late. "The investigations were all opened at a very late stage - the first, to B'Tselem knowledge, in October 2009, a full ten months after the operation had ended." I.e., after the Goldstone Report came out and embarrassed Israel.Israel Air Force Commander Major General Ido Nehushtan went further than the other generals in his meeting with Posner, saying that the air force took precautions not to hurt civilians that the army did not.The Israeli generals also emphasized what was widely reported at the time: that the Israeli public was all for the Gaza massacre. Notice the generals don't say what the news reports do say (here in 2012, and in 2014 ) that it's Israeli Jews who are so overwhelmingly in support.Here is the pressure that the U.S. applied:Again, Norman Finkelstein states that the white phosphorus concession is an important point.Finkelstein goes on:Let me emphasize that there was no accountability: the Israelis did nothing under Posner's gentle suasion. B'Tselem reported five years on that " Israeli authorities have proven they cannot investigate suspected violations of international humanitarian law by Israel in the Gaza Strip" and said there had been three indictments in all for Cast Lead.Posner is now a professor of ethics and finance at NYU's Stern School of Business now a fellow at the Atlantic Council with an expertise in Israel, democracy development, and terrorism. They are hardly alone as Obama officials who pooh-poohed the Goldstone Report. Hillary Clinton did so as secretary of state, Samantha Power as ambassador to the United Nations, and Suzanne Nossel, a State Department human rights official. In fairness, this is a story about the power of the Israel lobby; and Power had to get the absurd rabbi Shmuley Boteach as her sherpa to the lobby in order to gain her U.N. job; and Nossel is now the head of PEN America and has lately taken a worthy action re Israeli human rights abuses.
| null |
https://www.sott.net/article/404973-After-Israel-slaughtered-Gaza-during-Cast-Lead-Obama-admin-met-with-Israeli-generals-to-counteract-damning-Goldstone-Report-and-get-Israels-story-out
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2019-01-15 13:54:22+00:00
| 1,547,578,462 | 1,567,552,471 |
conflict, war and peace
|
massacre
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595,708 |
thedailybeast--2019-09-05--The US in Afghanistan Talking Peace and Waging War Doesnt Count All The Civilians It Slaughters
| 2019-09-05T00:00:00 |
thedailybeast
|
The U.S. in Afghanistan, Talking Peace and Waging War, Doesn’t Count All The Civilians It Slaughters
|
LOY MANDA, Afghanistan–Bloodied and broken, 13 members of an extended family were lifted, one by one, from a minibus and placed in wheelchairs and on hospital beds with clean white sheets. The out patient department at Emergency Hospital in Helmand’s capital Lashkar Gah was soon beyond capacity. Nurses from throughout the building rushed to assist. The victims ranged in age from four to fifty. They’d been at home on the afternoon of November 24, 2018, when two Taliban fighters entered their compound in the village of Loy Manda, in Helmand’s Nad-i Ali District. Obaidullah, the patriarch of the family, pleaded with the fighters to leave, but before they did, they fired over a wall at a passing Afghan and American military convoy. In response, an American warplane—an A-10 ”Warthog”—made two strafing runs over the house. Hundreds of rounds of ammunition—bullets the size of large carrots—fired by a weapon designed to disable armoured tanks, poured out of the plane’s Gatling gun. The two Taliban fighters had fled. Instead, Obaidullah and his 15-year-old son Esmatullah were killed; 13 others suffered broken bones and shrapnel injuries from head to toe. One boy, 14-year-old Ehsanullah, lost both his eyes. In May this year, The U.S. Department of Defense released its Annual Report on Civilian Casualties. In table format, an entry for Helmand on the same date states: “Operation Type: Air. Killed: 0. Injured: 4.” The war in Afghanistan will soon enter its 19th year. In Qatar, U.S. and Taliban representatives have been hashing out a preliminary agreement that would see a withdrawal timeline for international troops in return for a Taliban guarantee that it would disavow terrorist groups with transnational aspirations seeking to use Afghanistan as a base. In contrast, on the battlefield, both sides are ramping up their military campaigns in an effort to strengthen their negotiating positions. As a result, the number of civilians caught in the crossfire is increasing, too. In its latest report on civilian casualties, the United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA) found that this year, for the first time since it began counting, pro-government forces, including international forces, were responsible for more civilian deaths than the Taliban and the so-called Islamic State’s Afghanistan branch combined. The primary reason for this is an escalation of the U.S. air war in Afghanistan. In a conflict that has been unpopular with the American public—and now its president—for years now, the downplaying of the number of Afghan civilians killed in the crossfire is one way the U.S. military—which one senses is more committed to Afghanistan than its political leaders—can mitigate opposition at home. Today, the rented house Obaidullah’s family was in when it was struck by the warplane last November, is empty. During the day, columns of sunlight pour through a dozen watermelon-sized holes in the roof: evidence of the missile-like bullets that also tore holes through its inhabitants. After they were discharged from hospital, Obaidullah’s two wives and their surviving children moved to the village of Shawal, which is under Taliban control, further north in the same district, with Obaidullah’s brothers. Day to day security in most rural parts of Afghanistan isn’t so much dictated by who controls the area as by how far it is from the front line. Nor does the side of a front line one chooses to live on necessarily indicate sympathy for one faction or the other. Loy Manda, where the family lived when their house was struck, was the front line. They hoped moving farther from it, even though that meant going deep into Taliban territory, would be safer. The escalation of the air war, however, means that calculation is no longer a reliable measure of safety. Ehsanullah was 14 when he was brought into the emergency hospital last November. His face was a mess of raw flesh and dried, rusty blood. He had already lost one eye; the other was ruptured and would later be removed by surgeons. The rest of his body was bruised, broken, burned and punctured by debris thrown out as the rounds impacted around him. Without sight, his hearing has become increasingly sensitized, and the sound of aircraft terrifies him. Air strikes are even more common in Shawal now than they were in Loy Manda. “I’m always scared of the aircraft now,” he says. “I’m scared they’re going to target us again.” On top of this, Ehsanullah requires help with even the simplest of tasks. “Now I can’t do anything; I can’t even find my way,” he says. “Even when I want to move I need the help of someone.” That job has fallen to his younger brother, Rahmatullah, who never leaves his brother’s side. Rahmatullah himself arrived in the emergency room that day with his intestines resting on his stomach. The U.S.-led Resolute Support military mission in Afghanistan refused to respond to several recent enquiries about the incident and the DOD’s accounting of civilian victims. The U.S. military maintains that it makes condolence payments to civilian victims of its operations, but a Resolute Support spokesperson was unable to confirm whether such a payment had been made to Obaidullah’s family. The family says they received nothing. The DoD report states its “assessments seek to incorporate all available information... DoD updates existing assessments if new information becomes available, including new information received from NGOs or other outside organizations.” The details of this and The Daily Beast’s January report were both supplied to Resolute Support’s public affairs office, which again refused to address the issue. UNAMA, which has sparred with both Resolute Support and the Taliban over methodologies concerning the assessment of civilian casualty figures, issued an unusually biting statement in an August 3 press release: “ ... all parties to the conflict have a poor track record on investigating, publicly reporting their findings and taking appropriate follow-up measures to address incidents in which civilians are killed or injured.” The statement continued: “UNAMA recognizes that in the context of the war in Afghanistan, all parties are prone to issue tendentious pronouncements.” Andrew J. Bacevich, professor emeritus of history and international relations at Boston University told The Daily Beast, “The U.S. military is deeply invested in a self-image that is undermined by evidence that it has caused civilian casualties. U.S. forces want to be seen as using violence with great precision–killing only those they intend to kill. Evidence to the contrary damages the prestige of the armed services and can undercut their standing in the eyes of the American people. In that sense, the issues here go well beyond Afghanistan per se.” When Obaidullah’s family moved to Shawal after leaving the hospital, in the very same village was another family who had also been bombed. On October 10 last year, six weeks before the Loy Manda strike, Abdul Ahad was at home with his family in the farming village of Shawal when the sounds of fighting began nearby. Shawal was on the northern—Taliban-controlled—side of a wide irrigation canal that still marks the front line in Nad-i Ali district today, so while airstrikes were common, ground engagements like this were rare. He told the story under the shade of a tree outside Shawal recently; it was so hot that steam didn’t rise from his cup of boiling green tea. The jet engines of American bombers could be heard wavering on the wind miles above. Ahad’s house was one point of a triangle, with American and Afghan special forces on a second point and Taliban fighters on a third. Both groups were shooting across, but not toward his house. The soldiers were a quarter mile away, the Taliban, he said, about twice that distance. Some 70-80 yards away was another large compound, inside which four families lived in separate houses. Haji Salaam was in one of them with two of his brothers and their wives and children. When he sensed the fighting getting close he told everyone to stay inside. Out of nowhere, Abdul Ahad felt the thump of two almost simultaneous explosions. But the airstrikes hadn’t hit the compound from which the Taliban were firing. They’d struck Haji Salaam’s house, where he and his family had been sheltering, and it was now engulfed in a cloud of smoke and dust. Ahad waited until the fighting finished and then made his way quickly across the field to his neighbor’s compound. The outer walls were still intact but once inside he saw that at least one of the houses had been completely levelled. Afghan and American soldiers arrived in more than a dozen armoured vehicles within minutes, as did other neighbors. Haji Salaam had survived. “ When they came to the house,” he says, “they claimed there was Taliban in the house firing at us. I told them we are not Taliban, we are all civilians.” The Americans and their Afghan counterparts stayed for almost an hour. Some helped while others stood guard in case of a Taliban ambush. By the time they’d left, 11 dead bodies had been pulled from the rubble. Seven of them were less than nine years of age. Five under the age of 15 were injured but survived. According to the DOD report, no one was injured in the strike, and only one civilian was killed.
| null |
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/thedailybeast/articles/~3/ulKjY0A57To/the-us-in-afghanistan-talking-peace-and-waging-war-doesnt-count-all-the-civilians-it-slaughters
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2019-09-05 20:22:17+00:00
| 1,567,729,337 | 1,569,331,158 |
conflict, war and peace
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massacre
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707,175 |
theguardianuk--2019-08-04--Dont call them Syrias child casualties This is the slaughter of the innocents
| 2019-08-04T00:00:00 |
theguardianuk
|
Don’t call them Syria’s child casualties. This is the slaughter of the innocents
|
Murdered children are no longer news. International media coverage of the war in Afghanistan, where [child deaths](https://www.stripes.com/news/un-american- airstrikes-contribute-to-record-number-of-children-civilians-killed-in- afghanistan-1.570188) reached an all-time high last year, is sporadic at best. In Yemen it is estimated that at least [85,000 under- fives](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/21/yemen-young-children- dead-starvation-disease-save-the-children) have died of starvation since 2015, a figure that numbs the mind. In Syria, especially, it is hard to keep count because [children are being killed almost every day](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/07/syrias-war-child-casualties- rise-190727104715534.html) – and who is really counting? Harrowing images briefly capture public attention. One of the more recent showed [five-year-old Riham struggling amid the rubble of her bombed home in Ariha](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/07/year-riham-killed-idlib- airstrike-190725165654917.html), in Syria’s north-western Idlib province, to save her baby sister, Tuqa. Riham died later in hospital along with her mother and another sister. Thanks to her efforts, and White Helmet rescuers, Tuqa survived. But the following day, at least another 10 civilians, including three children, were killed in air raids on villages and towns in rebel-held areas of Idlib, Aleppo and Hama. According to [Save the Children](https://www.savethechildren.org/us/about-us/media-and-news/2019 -press-releases/more-children-killed-in-idlib), more children have been killed in the past month than in the whole of 2018. Monitors say there have been 800 deaths since the Syrian regime’s Russian-backed offensive in Idlib began in April, 200 of them children. Most of these murders were not captured on video. There are more comfortable ways to describe child deaths. The word “casualty” suggests the killings might even be accidental. But murder is what it is, and what it should be called. These are war crimes and crimes against humanity, ultimately carried out at the behest of two leaders – Syria’s Bashar al-Assad and Russia’s Vladimir Putin – who must one day face justice, or else international law is meaningless. “Intentional attacks against civilians are war crimes, and those who have ordered them or carried them out are criminally responsible for their actions,” [Michelle Bachelet](https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/07/1043241), the UN’s human rights chief, declared last week. Earlier in Syria’s eight-year war, she said, the world had shown considerable concern. “Now, airstrikes kill and maim significant numbers of civilians several times a week and the response seems to be a collective shrug.” The Russian and Syrian leaders [deny that they are deliberately targeting civilians](https://www.dw.com/en/syria-russia-denies-responsibility-for- deadly-air-strikes/a-49703098). They lie, just as they repeatedly lied about [chemical weapons attacks](https://www.armscontrol.org/blog/2018-09-23/what- you-need-know-about-chemical-weapons-use-syria). Accumulating evidence from the past three months points to a premeditated policy of pulverising Idlib’s civilian population in order to isolate and root out rebels and jihadists. In a tactic previously used around Damascus and in Aleppo city, dozens of hospitals, clinics, schools, markets and public places in Idlib have been bombed. “The violence has escalated over the past month, leading to more people killed or wounded than at any time so far this year,” [Doctors Without Borders](https://www.msf.org/increasing-numbers-dead-and-wounded-situation- idlib-deteriorates-syria) reported last week. “Bombing and shelling ... has forced more than 450,000 people to flee north,” the charity said. Now a new refugee crisis looms as [displaced families](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-security-idlib/rebels-say- russia-led-raids-target-cities-in-syria-northwest-idUSKCN1UO23P) head for Turkey and, perhaps, Europe and the UK. Governments may soon be forced to pay closer attention. The western allies insist they are desperately concerned about Syria’s civilians. But at a security council meeting last week[ Mark Lowcock](https://www.france24.com/en/20190731-un-lowcock-warns-worst- humanitarian-disaster-century-syria-idlib), the UN’s chief aid and emergency relief coordinator, lambasted them (and Russia and China) for “doing nothing for 90 days as the carnage continues in front of your eyes”. Were they finally prepared, he asked, “to listen to the children of Idlib?” The answer Lowcock got was not the one he wanted. In a bid to bypass the usual Russian veto, a majority of council members prevailed on the UN secretary- general to [launch an inquiry](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria- security-un/two-thirds-of-u-n-security-council-ask-u-n-chief-for-syria- hospital-attacks-inquiry-idUSKCN1UP29U) into the destruction of Idlib’s hospitals and other UN-supported facilities. But, like similar inquiries, it will probably be boycotted by the regime and its findings ignored. Of urgent, forceful action to stop the killing there was none. Possibly reacting to this storm of criticism, Assad’s regime, backed by Moscow, [offered a limited truce](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/08 /syria-agrees-conditional-ceasefire-rebel-held-idlib-190801180202440.html) on Friday, conditional on opposition forces quitting a buffer zone created last September and repeatedly violated by both sides. That’s a big ask. Ceasefires typically do not last long in Syria. Assad’s forces, unsuccessful so far in their bid to overrun Idlib, may simply want time to regroup. The battle for Idlib goes to the heart of what governments on all sides really do care about: the future balance of power in Syria. A closely related issue, for example, is who controls post-Islamic State areas of north-east Syria. US troops are still there, despite Donald Trump’s vow to withdraw them. So, too, are the Turks. US cooperation with Syrian Kurdish forces, whom Turkey regards as terrorists, has brought renewed threats of a [Turkish military land grab](http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/top-military-brass-assesses-potential- turkish-op-into-eastern-syria-145262) east of the Euphrates, akin to last year’s operation in Afrin. Meanwhile, [anti-refugee sentiment ](https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/.premium-in-turkey-and-lebanon- syrian-refugees-met-with-growing-hostility-1.7606715)inside Turkey appears to be surging – another problem for fleeing Idlib residents. Iran, too, is jockeying for position. Its militias have reportedly sat out the Idlib offensive, but its support for Damascus is undiminished, as shown by its continuing oil deliveries to Syria’s Baniyas refinery. In June, offshore underwater pipelines there were [blown up by mystery attackers](https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena/2019/07/31/iranian-oil-spills- on-syrias-shores-a-brief-osint-overview-of-an-environmental-incident/), according to the Bellingcat investigatory website.This coincided with limpet mine attacks on tankers in the Gulf that were blamed on Iran (which denied involvement). And it shortly preceded Britain’s seizure, apparently on US orders, of a fullyloaded [Iranian tanker off Gibraltar](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/20/britain-lured-into- deadly-trap-on-iran-by-trump-hawk-john-bolton). Is it possible Trump and his neighbourhood friends are more interested in pursuing their vendetta with Iran than saving saving Syrian children’s lives? The only-too-obvious answer to that question – a grim question of priorities – holds the key to the universally shaming, unfinished tragedy of Idlib.
|
Simon Tisdall
|
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/03/syria-idlib-child-deaths-airstrikes-assad-putin-russia
|
2019-08-04 06:00:00+00:00
| 1,564,912,800 | 1,567,534,897 |
conflict, war and peace
|
massacre
|
709,558 |
theguardianuk--2019-09-06--Britain is behind the slaughter in Yemen Heres how you could help end it David Wearing
| 2019-09-06T00:00:00 |
theguardianuk
|
Britain is behind the slaughter in Yemen. Here's how you could help end it | David Wearing
|
Nothing can diminish the threat of a disorderly Brexit, or the significance of Boris Johnson’s recent anti-democratic prorogation of parliament. That those stories lead the news is no surprise. But when our government provides crucial support to a campaign of indiscriminate killing in [Yemen](https://www.theguardian.com/world/yemen) that has claimed the lives of thousands of people, and this is treated as a footnote in our politics rather than a national scandal, it is plain that something has gone badly wrong. This week a [report by UN experts](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/03/uk-us-and-france-may- be-complicit-in-yemen-war-crimes-un-report) warned that Britain could be complicit in war crimes through its arming of the Saudi Arabia-led coalition intervening in Yemen’s civil conflict. [The report](https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/YemenGEE/Pages/Index.aspx) is the latest in a long line from the UN and the world’s most respected NGOs documenting a consistent pattern of violations. The experts note that leading arms providers like the UK “have a specific influence” on the belligerents “and may be held responsible for providing aid or assistance for the commission of international law violations”. About [100,000 people](https://www.theguardian.com/global- development/2019/jun/20/human-cost-of-yemen-war-laid-bare-as-civilian-death- toll-put-at-100000) have met violent deaths since March 2015, and the blockade imposed by the Saudi-UAE coalition is the primary cause of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, pushing millions to the brink of famine. Save the Children estimates that [85,000 infants](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/21/yemen-young-children- dead-starvation-disease-save-the-children) have died from starvation or preventable disease. The UN experts raise the real possibility that starvation is being employed as a war tactic. British complicity in that ought to be unthinkable. Aerial bombing by the Saudis – [frequently indiscriminate](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/16/yemen-school- bus-bombing-one-of-50-strikes-on-civilian-vehicles-this-year) – is responsible for most of the civilian deaths, and that bombing is [completely dependent](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/apr/03/britain-war- in-yemen) on British and American support. The US and UK supply the bombs, the planes that drop the bombs, training for the pilots, and the spare parts and maintenance that keep the planes in the sky. Any idea that these complex weapons systems would simply be replaced by Russia or China were Britain to refuse to provide this support is a myth. The reality is that Washington and London could have stopped the Saudis’ war any time they liked. This indefensible situation has continued for so long partly because it has not received a level of political attention commensurate with the magnitude of the catastrophe. Our government is to blame for its own policies, but the failure to put sufficient pressure on it to end those policies is something the rest of us are responsible for. Yemeni children attend class in a bomb-damaged school in Taez on the first day of the new academic year on 3 September. Photograph: Ahmad Al-Basha/AFP/Getty Images Politicians of the centre, for example, are never shy of flaunting their supposed internationalist credentials, but many of these same figures [either support or have nothing to say about](https://novaramedia.com/2019/04/05/on- foreign-policy-the-independent-group-will-offer-nothing-but-the-elite- consensus/) British arms sales to Saudi Arabia. Indeed, most of the British- built planes now pulverising Yemen were sold to the Saudis by [New Labour](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2007/sep/16/money1). The Jeremy Corbyn leadership has the correct stance on Yemen in opposing the current British role, but it is hard to believe that the official opposition could not have done more to push the issue up the agenda, given the depth of British complicity in the suffering of that country’s people. The media also have questions to answer. Academic observers like myself owe a debt to brave journalists like [Iona Craig](https://theintercept.com/staff /iona-craig/), [Bel Trew](https://www.independent.co.uk/author/bel-trew), [Nawal al-Maghafi](https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/nawal-al-maghafi) and [Orla Guerin](https://rts.org.uk/article/orla-guerin-making-middle-east-home), whose reporting from Yemen is invaluable to our research. But collectively, this story is not given the sustained prominence it needs if the government is going to be held to account. Too much of the commentariat, while enthused by the prospect of Britain staging a “humanitarian intervention” when an official enemy is committing atrocities, appear unable to comprehend a situation where the atrocities are being committed by Britain’s allies with Britain’s help. These failures extend to wider civil society too. Leading NGOs have done indispensable work in [documenting](https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2015/09/the-ugly-truths- of-yemens-war-must-not-stay-buried-in-the-rubble/) the war’s costs and attempting to raise the alarm. Campaign Against Arms Trade launched a judicial review of UK arms sales whose [recent court success](https://www.theguardian.com/law/2019/jun/20/uk-arms-sales-to-saudi- arabia-for-use-in-yemen-declared-unlawful) has caused a big headache for Downing Street. But large swathes of the left have simply not done enough. It is tragic that the major demonstrations we saw over the invasion and occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq have never materialised to end the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia. These collective failings have let the government and its Gulf allies off the hook, and Yemeni civilians have paid the price. For a nation that talks endlessly about its place in the world, much of Britain’s political culture remains intensely parochial, self-absorbed, and remarkably casual about the huge humanitarian costs of its behaviour in the global south. This mixture of chauvinism and unconscious racism is of course a legacy of empire. And it is by no means limited to the Brexiteers. There are, however, competing traditions to be found in Britain, of genuine internationalism and solidarity. [Two-thirds of the public](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/05/most-britons-believe- selling-arms-to-saudis-is-unacceptable) oppose arms sales to Saudi Arabia, including [half of Conservative voters](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/yemen-civil-war- uk-saudi-arabia-arms-sales-bombing-emergency-debate-stephen- twigg-a8532191.html). There is enormous potential for civil society and the political class to give voice and force to these passively-held opinions. Britain is more than capable of doing right by the Yemeni people. But first we will need to take a long, honest look in the mirror. • David Wearing is a specialist on UK foreign policy in the Middle East
|
David Wearing
|
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/sep/06/britain-slaughter-yemen-planes-bombs-politicians-media
|
2019-09-06 10:27:29+00:00
| 1,567,780,049 | 1,569,331,085 |
conflict, war and peace
|
massacre
|
1,093,367 |
wakingtimes--2019-10-15--Mainstream Media Propaganda – ABC Uses KY Gun Range Video As Evidence Of Turk Kurd ‘Slaughter In Syr
| 2019-10-15T00:00:00 |
wakingtimes
|
Mainstream Media Propaganda – ABC Uses KY Gun Range Video As Evidence Of Turk Kurd ‘Slaughter In Syria’
|
As the Western corporate media becomes apoplectic with rage over the fact that the United States appears to be withdrawing from Northern Syria and the Syrian government is reclaiming territory in the same area, the propaganda coming from those outlets is increasing. Along with catcalls of Syria being “Trump’s Saigon” from war criminals like Susan Rice, MSM is also attempting to frame the narrative of “abandoning the Kurds” in order to pressure the Trump administration into remaining in an unjust and unwinnable war. Perhaps an act of brazen propaganda or perhaps an oversight, ABC recently ran a propaganda piece regarding the “Slaughter In Syria,” a phrase used to denote Trump’s apparent betrayal of the Military-Industrial Complex and to paint a withdrawal as an act of complicit genocide. Alongside the report, however, was an accompanying video, that appeared to show the firefight taking place in that “slaughter.” The problem is that this video was apparently taken in 2017 inside the United States at a place called Knob Creek Gun Range, in West Point, Kentucky. As Becket Adams writes for the Washington Examiner in their article, “ABC News’ ‘Slaughter In Syria’ Footage Appears To Come From A Kentucky Gun Range,’ ABC aired supposedly shocking footage Monday and Sunday purporting to be from the frontline battle between the Syrian Kurds and the invading Turks. The only problem is: The footage appears to come from a nighttime machine gun demonstration at the Knob Creek Gun Range in West Point, Kentucky. After seeing a comment from Wojciech Pawelczyk, I began making some calls. As of this writing, it appears ABC indeed aired footage recorded in the Kentucky and claimed it was from Syria. The network has since pulled the video. “We’ve taken down video that aired on World News Tonight Sunday and Good Morning America this morning that appeared to be from the Syrian border immediately after questions were raised about its accuracy,” a network representative told the Washington Examiner. “ABC News regrets the error.” A representative for the gun range also told the Washington Examiner that they are still investigating ABC’s reporting, adding further that the images aired by the network “look to be” from their Kentucky property. “As of right now,” the representative added, “it seems to be our footage.” Note that the sequence and shape of explosions is identical in the following ABC and Kentucky videos, as are some of the features of the terrain amid the explosions. But we might actually be dealing with two different videos of the same Kentucky live-fire event from slightly different angles. In the independent film of the live-fire event in Kentucky, you can clearly see taller objects in the foreground that seem to appear as silhouettes in the ABC footage: As he spoke, ABC aired footage showing undisclosed gunmen firing tracer bullets at undisclosed targets, causing massive, fiery explosions. Furious stuff indeed. Earlier, on Sunday, ABC News anchor Tom Llamas also aired the allegedly shocking footage, claiming it showed a fierce Turkish attack on Kurd civilians. “The situation rapidly spiraling out of control in northern Syria. One week since President Trump ordered U.S. forces out of that region, effectively abandoning America’s allies in the fight against [the Islamic State],” he said. Llamas then described the video as it aired on-screen. “This video right here appearing to show Turkey’s military bombing Kurd civilians in a Syrian border town. The Kurds, who fought alongside the U.S. against ISIS. Now, horrific reports of atrocities committed by Turkish-backed fighters on those very allies,” he added. The intro to the show he anchored,ABC World News Tonight, also claimed of the footage: “A border town, bombarded by Turkey’s military!” The footage would indeed be stunning were if actually from northern Syria. It would be horrific were it actually to show a Turkish assault on Kurd civilians. But it does not show that. The footage, which appears to be from 2017, shows American gun enthusiasts putting on a terrific pyrotechnic show for an audience in Kentucky. In fact, the Machine Gun Shoot and Military Gun Show, which involves the very popular night shoot, is a bi-annual event at the Kentucky gun range. People love the show. They love it so much, in fact, that they record it and post footage of it to social media. This isn’t the first time major media corporations have posted incorrect video/audio reports regarding the Syrian crisis. In 2017, CNN was caught faking statements coming from a Syrian witness who was talking of starvation. CNN, however, changed the quotes to read that he was afraid of Assad’s bombs. CNN was also famous for the “Syrian Danny” fiasco where a firefight was coordinated with CNN producers in order to make it appear that democracy-loving peaceful protesters were being murdered by the Syrian government. This propaganda piece was only topped in comedic value by “Gay Girl In Damascus” of NPR fame, which later turned out to be a straight man in England. You can enjoy some of the Knob Creek Videos here below if you like. You may also feel good in the knowledge that no Kurds were abandoned during the making of these videos: Brandon Turbeville – article archive here – is an author out of Florence, South Carolina. He is the author of six books, Codex Alimentarius — The End of Health Freedom, 7 Real Conspiracies,Five Sense Solutions and Dispatches From a Dissident, volume 1 and volume 2, The Road to Damascus: The Anglo-American Assault on Syria,and The Difference it Makes: 36 Reasons Why Hillary Clinton Should Never Be President. Turbeville has published over 1,000 articles dealing on a wide variety of subjects including health, economics, government corruption, and civil liberties. Brandon Turbeville’s podcast Truth on The Tracks can be found every Monday night 9 pm EST at UCYTV. He is available for radio and TV interviews. Please contact activistpost (at) gmail.com.
|
WTStaff
|
https://www.wakingtimes.com/2019/10/15/abc-uses-ky-gun-range-video-as-evidence-of-turk-kurd-slaughter-in-syria/
|
Tue, 15 Oct 2019 20:32:48 +0000
| 1,571,185,968 | 1,571,178,901 |
conflict, war and peace
|
massacre
|
227,660 |
globalresearch--2019-01-28--Israeli General Mounts Challenge to Netanyahu by Flaunting Gaza Carnage
| 2019-01-28T00:00:00 |
globalresearch
|
Israeli General Mounts Challenge to Netanyahu by Flaunting Gaza Carnage
|
With April’s elections looming, Benjamin Netanyahu has good reason to fear Benny Gantz, his former army chief. Gantz has launched a new party, named Israeli Resilience, just as the net of corruption indictments is closing around the prime minister. Already, at this early stage of campaigning, some 31 per cent of the Israeli public prefer Gantz to head the next government over Netanyahu, who is only months away from becoming the longest-serving leader in Israel’s history. Gantz is being feted as the new hope, a chance to change direction after a series of governments under Netanyahu’s leadership have over the past decade shifted Israel ever further to the right. Like Israel’s former politician generals, from Yitzhak Rabin to Ehud Barak and Ariel Sharon, Gantz is being portrayed – and portraying himself – as a battle-hardened warrior, able to make peace from a position of strength. Before he had issued a single policy statement, polls showed him winning 15 of the 120 parliamentary seats, a welcome sign for those hoping that a centre-left coalition can triumph this time. But the reality of what Gantz stands for – revealed this week in his first election videos – is far from reassuring. In 2014, he led Israel into its longest and most savage military operation in living memory: 50 days in which the tiny coastal enclave of Gaza was bombarded relentlessly. By the end, one of the most densely populated areas on earth – its two million inhabitants already trapped by a lengthy Israeli blockade – lay in ruins. More than 2,200 Palestinians were killed in the onslaught, a quarter of them children, while tens of thousands were left homeless. The world watched, appalled. Investigations by human rights groups such as Amnesty International concluded that Israel had committed war crimes. One might have assumed that during the election campaign Gantz would wish to draw a veil over this troubling period in his military career. Not a bit of it. One of his campaign videos soars over the rubble of Gaza, proudly declaring that Gantz was responsible for destroying many thousands of buildings. “Parts of Gaza have been returned to the Stone Age,” the video boasts. This is a reference to the Dahiya doctrine, a strategy devised by the Israeli military command of which Gantz was a core member. The aim is to lay waste to the modern infrastructure of Israel’s neighbours, forcing survivors to eke out a bare existence rather than resist Israel. The collective punishment inherent in the apocalyptic Dahiya doctrine is an undoubted war crime. More particularly, the video exults in the destruction of Rafah, a city in Gaza that suffered the most intense bout of bombing after an Israeli soldier was seized by Hamas. In minutes, Israel’s indiscriminate bombardment killed at least 135 Palestinian civilians and wrecked a hospital. According to investigations, Israel had invoked the Hannibal Procedure, the code name for an order allowing the army to use any means to stop one of its soldiers being taken. That includes killing civilians as “collateral damage” and, more controversially for Israelis, the soldier himself. Gantz’s video flashes up a grand total of “1,364 terrorists killed”, in return for “three-and-a-half years of quiet”. As Israel’s liberal Haaretz daily observed, the video “celebrates a body count as if this were just some computer game”. But the casualty figure cited by Gantz exceeds even the Israel army’s self-serving assessment – as well, of course, as dehumanising those “terrorists” fighting for their freedom. A more impartial observer, Israeli human rights group B’Tselem, estimates that the Palestinian fighters killed by Israel amounted to 765. By their reckoning, and that of other bodies such as the United Nations, almost two-thirds of Gazans killed in Israel’s 2014 operation were civilians. Further, the “quiet” Gantz credits himself with was enjoyed chiefly by Israel. In Gaza, Palestinians faced regular military attacks, a continuing siege choking off essential supplies and destroying their export industries, and a policy of executions by Israeli snipers firing on unarmed demonstrators at the perimeter fence imprisoning the enclave. Gantz’s campaign slogans “Only the Strong Wins” and “Israel Before Everything” are telling. Everything, for Gantz, clearly includes human rights. It is shameful enough that he believes his track record of war crimes will win over voters. But the same approach has been voiced by Israel’s new military chief of staff. Aviv Kochavi, nicknamed the Philosopher Officer for his university studies, was inaugurated this month as the army’s latest head. In a major speech, he promised to reinvent the fabled “most moral army in the world” into a “deadly, efficient” one. In Kochavi’s view, the rampaging military once overseen by Gantz needs to step up its game. And he is a proven expert in destruction. In the early stages of the Palestinian uprising that erupted in 2000, the Israeli army struggled to find a way to crush Palestinian fighters concealed in densely crowded cities under occupation. Kochavi came up with an ingenious solution in Nablus, where he was brigade commander. The army would invade a Palestinian home, then smash through its walls, moving from house to house, burrowing through the city unseen. Palestinian space was not only usurped, but destroyed inside-out. Gantz, the former general hoping to lead the government, and Kochavi, the general leading its army, are symptoms of just how complete the militaristic logic that has overtaken Israel really is. An Israel determined to become a modern-day Sparta. Should he bring about Netanyahu’s downfall, Gantz, like his predecessor politician-generals, will turn out to be a hollow peace-maker. He was trained to understand only strength, zero-sum strategies, conquest and destruction, not compassion or compromise. More dangerously, Gantz’s glorification of his military past is likely to reinforce in Israelis’ minds the need not for peace but for more of the same: support for an ultranationalist right that bathes itself in an ethnic supremacist philosophy and dismisses any recognition of the Palestinians as human beings with rights. Note to readers: please click the share buttons above. Forward this article to your email lists. Crosspost on your blog site, internet forums. etc. A version of this article first appeared in the National, Abu Dhabi. Jonathan Cook won the Martha Gellhorn Special Prize for Journalism. His books include “Israel and the Clash of Civilisations: Iraq, Iran and the Plan to Remake the Middle East” (Pluto Press) and “Disappearing Palestine: Israel’s Experiments in Human Despair” (Zed Books). His website is www.jonathan-cook.net. He is a frequent contributor to Global Research. Featured image is from The Jerusalem Post
|
Jonathan Cook
|
https://www.globalresearch.ca/israeli-general-mounts-challenge-netanyahu-flaunting-gaza-carnage/5666745
|
2019-01-28 13:14:09+00:00
| 1,548,699,249 | 1,567,550,498 |
conflict, war and peace
|
massacre
|
701,851 |
theguardianuk--2019-06-02--Stop the carnage doctors call for an end to Syria hospital airstrikes
| 2019-06-02T00:00:00 |
theguardianuk
|
Stop the carnage: doctors call for an end to Syria hospital airstrikes
|
Dozens of prominent doctors have called for urgent action to halt the bombing campaign by Syrian and Russian planes that has targeted more than 20 hospitals in Syria’s north-west, putting many out of action and leaving millions of people without proper healthcare. Coordinates for many of those hit had been shared with the regime and its Russian backers by the United Nations in an effort to protect civilians. The Syrian opposition were promised war planes would avoid identified sites on bombing raids; instead they have endured more than a month of fierce attacks. Since late April, in defiance of a truce brokered by Moscow and Ankara last year, regular airstrikes on opposition-held territory in northern Idlib province have killed hundreds of civilians and displaced hundreds of thousands more, rights groups say. They have also destroyed key parts of the healthcare system, says a letter from doctors around the world published in the Observer. “We are appalled by the deliberate and systematic targeting of healthcare facilities and medical staff,” they warned. “Their [the medical staff’s] job is to save lives, they must not lose their own in the process.” Signatories include Denis Mukwege, a gynaecologist who won the Nobel peace prize last year, Peter Agre, a physician who won the Nobel prize in chemistry in 2003, MP and doctor Sarah Wollaston, and Terence English, former president of the Royal College of Surgeons, as well as David Nott, a surgeon who works in war zones, and Zaher Sahloul, a Syrian exile, doctor and founder of a medical charity. They urged the UN to investigate the targeting of listed hospitals and asked the international community to put pressure on Russia and Syria to stop targeting medical centres and reverse funding cuts to surviving hospitals and clinics that are now overwhelmed by refugees. One paediatrician, Abdulkader Razouk, described to the Observer how he and his colleagues evacuated an entire hospital including dialysis patients, mothers in labour and premature babies in incubators, as airstrikes began in their town, at least 12 miles from the frontline. “After the airstrikes, but before the direct attack, we knew the hospital would be targeted,” he said in a phone interview about the Tarmala hospital, which was eventually hit on 10 May. “Only a few medical staff stayed to provide emergency response.” The airstrike destroyed more than half the hospital and much of its equipment from beds and generators to the operating theatres, emergency services and pharmacy. Staff went back briefly to hunt through the rubble for any supplies that survived the onslaught but the building is now abandoned. “It would be impossible to rebuild and reopen now,” Razouk said. “The airstrikes are continuing and still targeting the hospital until this moment, even though it’s empty.” The May bombing was not the first attack on the hospital. That came in 2015, first with the Syrian military’s wildly inaccurate barrel bombs, and later by Russian missiles, that destroyed a residential building next door but spared the clinic itself. In 2018 there was a direct hit on the clinic but then it was able to reopen after repairs. However the damage after the latest attack was so severe that it is beyond repair, and anyway most of the civilians it served have fled, Razouk said. “This was the worst attack, it has been very tough, there is no possibility whatsoever to continue work there,” he said. “Life can’t return to this area, especially under these brutal attacks. There are no people, not even animals, there’s nothing left in there, it’s like a doomed land. There is no hope to go back.” He and other staff are opening a new temporary hospital near the Turkish border, where most of the residents of Tarmala have fled and are now living in refugee camps. It will have some of the neonatal incubators and dialysis machines evacuated before the strike, but there is a desperate need for more supplies. Around 80 medical facilities – including clinics and hospitals – have been shut because of damage in attacks or because of fear they will be targeted, said Mohamad Katoub from the Syrian American Medical Society. The huge number of refugees displaced by attacks has left those that are still operating overwhelmed. “The tactic of attacking health and other civilian infrastructure in Syria is not new, displacement is not new, these are all chronic issues. But this is the biggest displacement ever, and it is much further beyond our capacity as NGOs to respond,” he said. Turkey, which backs Idlib’s rebel groups, is already home to 3.6 million Syrians and faces the dilemma of whether or not to absorb any of the newly displaced. A group were reportedly planning a protest march to the border at the weekend. The de-escalation deal brokered last autumn saved Idlib and the surrounding countryside from an impending government assault. At the time, aid agencies warned that a military campaign would put the lives of 3 million civilians at risk, and trigger the worst humanitarian crisis of an already protracted and bloody war. But the agreement has unravelled since January, when the hardline Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) wrested control of the area from more moderate rebels. Damascus and Moscow have said the HTS takeover legitimises the current campaign against Idlib as they are targeting terrorists not covered by the ceasefire deal. Many civilians in Idlib now feel they have been caught between the harsh rule of HTS and the intensified regime assault, and say that life has all but ground to a halt. “I was studying at Idlib university but I’ve had to stop going. So has my sister,” said 22-year-old Raja al-Assaad, from Ma’arat al-Nu’maan, which has been under heavy attack. “Some people have left to try to go to Turkey but the truth is that there is nowhere to go. Nowhere in Idlib is safe. And in my town we already have lots of people who have been displaced from lots of other areas of Syria.” “All normal life has shut down and there is nothing for us to do except wait for death.”
|
Emma Graham-Harrison and Bethan McKernan
|
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/02/doctors-global-appeal-stop-syria-bombing-hospitals-idlib
|
2019-06-02 05:00:30+00:00
| 1,559,466,030 | 1,567,539,368 |
conflict, war and peace
|
massacre
|
437 |
21stcenturywire--2019-07-01--Israels Latest Attack on Syria Launched From Lebanese Airspace Killed Civilians
| 2019-07-01T00:00:00 |
21stcenturywire
|
Israel’s Latest Attack on Syria Launched From Lebanese Airspace, Killed Civilians
|
Israeli warplanes carried out more attacks on Syria early Monday morning, using Lebanese airspace once again, and targeting alleged Syrian and Iranian-backed military positions in Homs and southwest of Damascus in the town of Sahnaya. Multiple media outlets, inside and outside Syria, are reporting at least over a dozen civilians killed and many more wounded. The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported the dead included a baby and that other children were also wounded in the attacks. What is still not clear is the true nature of Israel’s targets, specifically, the number of Hezbollah outposts it claims were targeted. This is not the first time Israeli jets violated Lebanese airspace and Syria’s sovereignty. Kevork Almassian of Syriana Analysis provides a detailed breakdown of Israel’s latest attack on Syria. Watch:
|
21wire
|
https://21stcenturywire.com/2019/07/01/israels-latest-attack-on-syria-launched-from-lebanese-airspace-killed-civilians/
|
2019-07-01 21:59:10+00:00
| 1,562,032,750 | 1,567,537,304 |
conflict, war and peace
|
massacre
|
89,665 |
channel4uk--2019-10-14--Dozens of civilians killed and injured in Turkish attacks in Syria
| 2019-10-14T00:00:00 |
channel4uk
|
Dozens of civilians killed and injured in Turkish attacks in Syria
|
Dozens of civilians have been killed and injured in Turkish attacks and tens of thousands of people have fled their homes because of the danger. Turkey’s so-called “safe zone” is proving anything but. Dozens of civilians have been killed and injured in Turkish attacks and tens of thousands of people have fled their homes because of the danger. Our International Editor Lindsey Hilsum began the day in north-eastern Syria, but as the Assad regime’s forces spread across the Kurdish-administered region towards the team’s location, it became unsafe for them to stay.
|
Lindsey Hilsum
|
https://www.channel4.com/news/dozens-of-civilians-killed-and-injured-in-turkish-attacks-in-syria
|
Mon, 14 Oct 2019 18:46:58 +0000
| 1,571,093,218 | 1,571,093,385 |
conflict, war and peace
|
massacre
|
199,777 |
fortruss--2019-10-10--UN Investigation Reveals May 5 US Air Attacks on Afghan Drug Labs Killed 30 Civilians
| 2019-10-10T00:00:00 |
fortruss
|
UN Investigation Reveals May 5 US Air Attacks on Afghan Drug Labs Killed 30 Civilians
|
New York, USA – US air attacks on alleged Taliban drug labs in Afghanistan killed or wounded dozens of civilians in May, said a United Nations report, which has been rejected by the US military. The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) conducted a four-month investigation into the May 5 air attacks that hit more than 60 sites the US and Afghan forces identified as drug-production facilities in the western provinces of Farah and Nimroz, Al-Jazeera reported. UNAMA and the UN human rights office announced in a joint report released on Wednesday that there were at least 30 deaths among the 39 civilian casualties. The number included 14 children and five women killed or wounded in the air raids, which the UN said violated international humanitarian law as the victims were non-combatants. “UNAMA has assessed that the personnel working inside the drug production facilities were not performing combat functions. They were therefore entitled to protection from attack, and could only have lost this protection if, and for such time, as they had been directly participating in hostilities,” the report added. The US Forces-Afghanistan (USFOR-A) issued a statement, rejecting the UN report and claiming there were no casualties. “USFOR-A is fighting in a complex environment against those who intentionally kill and hide behind civilians, as well as use dishonest claims of non-combatant casualties as propaganda weapons,” the statement said. “USFOR-A took extraordinary measures to avoid the deaths or injuries of non-combatants,” Statement added. Since late 2017, US forces have attacked sites believed to be used for processing drugs as part of efforts to cut off funds to the Taliban group. Facilities that help fund parties involved in the 18-year war are considered civilian objectives under international humanitarian law, and thus drug labs and their workers are unlawful targets, the report concluded. Afghanistan’s security forces and US-led NATO forces have been heavily criticized for inflicting civilian casualties during their raids and air attacks. At least 3,812 civilians have been killed or wounded in the first half of 2019, UNAMA said in a report published in July, noting a big increase in the number of casualties caused by government and NATO-led troops. It added that 1,366 civilians were killed and another 2,446 wounded in the six months to June 30. The report attributed 717 civilians killed and 680 wounded to pro-government forces, representing a 31 percent increase from the corresponding period in 2018. Taliban and fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, ISIS or Daesh) armed group killed 531 Afghans and wounded 1,437, according to the UNAMA report. The US formally ended its combat mission in Afghanistan in 2014 but still provides extensive air and other support to local forces battling both the armed groups.
|
Drago Bosnic
|
https://www.fort-russ.com/2019/10/un-investigation-reveals-may-5-us-air-attacks-on-afghan-drug-labs-killed-30-civilians/
|
Thu, 10 Oct 2019 18:30:13 +0000
| 1,570,746,613 | 1,570,745,501 |
conflict, war and peace
|
massacre
|
317,406 |
mintpressnews--2019-05-16--77 Civilians Killed or Wounded in Sanaa as Saudi Airstrikes Target Yemeni Capital
| 2019-05-16T00:00:00 |
mintpressnews
|
77 Civilians Killed or Wounded in Sana’a as Saudi Airstrikes Target Yemeni Capital
|
SANA’A, YEMEN — “Where am I?” muttered 50-year-old Ahmed Sharf al Adeini, as neighbors pulled him from the rubble of his home after it was hit by a Saudi airstrike. Al Adeini lost his wife and children in the attack and later died after succumbing to his injuries at the al Thwarah General Hospital. Al Adeini is among at least 77 civilians — including women and children, as well as two Russian citizens — who were killed or injured in a wave of Saudi-led Coalition airstrikes on various neighborhoods of Yemen’s capital, Sana`a on early Thursday. Dozens of civilians also sustained injuries in the attacks. The son of Abdullah Sabri, the president of the Union of Yemeni Journalists, was also among the dead. The Sabri home was destroyed in the attack. The airstrikes that targeted the home of al Ahmed Sharf al Adeini killed his entire family, including four children. The six bodies of the al Adeini family were retrieved from the rubble — a soon-to-die father, his children and his wife, all buried together. Three mentally disabled people were also reportedly killed in the attack, including a child and his father as they walked through a populated residential neighborhood that was targeted. The airstrikes leveled parts of one neighborhood in which seven more homes were destroyed, forcing families to flee in their pajamas. “We were asleep; it was 8 a.m. when a large explosion woke us up. Airstrikes bombed our neighbor,” a local resident told MintPress. Under dim lights and amid panicked screams, rescuers struggled to retrieve bodies from the rubble. MintPress cameras documented the rescue efforts while bystanders filmed on their phones as a victim was being pulled out from under the rubble. “So far we’ve recovered more than 10 [bodies] including four disabled people and the family of al Adeini, all of them dead,” a local resident assisting in the rescue efforts told MintPress, drenched in sweat and wearing only his underwear. The Ministry of Public Health and Population announced in a statement on Thursday that the number of casualtiesl had risen to 77, victims of the Saudi attacks on the Raqas residential neighborhood. “After operations to recover victims and wounded from the rubble was complete, 77 were counted among the killed and wounded,” Dr. Yousef al Hadheri, spokesman of the Ministry of Health, told MintPress. The death toll could rise due to the intensity of the strikes and the number of those who have been seriously injured, while other civilians, dead or wounded, are still trapped under the rubble. The situation for Yemen’s healthcare sector is especially dire given that the Coalition’s blockade of Yemen has prevented medicine and other critical commodities from reaching around 8.4 million people, many of whom are believed to be on the verge of starvation. The attacks have enraged local residents, who took to the streets of Raqas to condemn the airstrikes and loss of civilian life, calling for counter-attacks on Coalition forces. Most here hold the United States responsible for the attacks, as the U.S. supplies Saudi Arabia with advanced weapons as well as logistical and intelligence assistance. Saudi warplanes also struck a building housing Yemen’s Ministry of Information and more than 20 airstrikes struck targets in civilian areas across Sana`a on Thursday morning. The official spokesman of Ansar Allah, the political wing of the Houthis, called the airstrikes in Sana`a a crime, and proof of the military and political failure of the Saudi forces. The Saudi-led Coalition confirmed that its warplanes carried out airstrikes in Sana`a on Thursday. “We have begun to launch airstrikes targeting sites operated by the Houthis militia, including in Sana`a,” a Coalition official, who declined to be identified, told AFP. So far the United States has not commented on the airstrikes. Feature photo | Rubble peppers the streets of a heavily-populated residential neighborhood in Sana’a, Yemen following a wave of Saudi airstrikes on May 16, 2019. Photo | AMC Ahmed AbdulKareem is a Yemeni journalist. He covers the war in Yemen for MintPress News as well as local Yemeni media.
|
Ahmed Abdulkareem
|
https://www.mintpressnews.com/77-civilians-killed-wounded-in-sanaa-as-saudi-airstrikes-target-yemen-capital/258573/
|
2019-05-16 19:57:44+00:00
| 1,558,051,064 | 1,567,540,528 |
conflict, war and peace
|
massacre
|
503,281 |
sottnet--2019-07-04--Rogue Israels latest attack on Syria launched from Lebanese airspace killed civilians
| 2019-07-04T00:00:00 |
sottnet
|
Rogue Israel's latest attack on Syria launched from Lebanese airspace, killed civilians
|
Israeli warplanes carried out more attacks on Syria early Monday morning, using Lebanese airspace once again, and targeting alleged Syrian and Iranian-backed military positions in Homs and southwest of Damascus in the town of Sahnaya.Multiple media outlets, inside and outside Syria, are reporting at least over a dozen civilians killed and many more wounded. The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported the dead included a baby and that other children were also wounded in the attacks.What is still not clear is the true nature of Israel's targets, specifically, the number of Hezbollah outposts it claims were targeted. This is not the first time Israeli jets violated Lebanese airspace and Syria's sovereignty Kevork Almassian of Syriana Analysis provides a detailed breakdown of Israel's latest attack on Syria. Watch:
| null |
https://www.sott.net/article/416178-Rogue-Israels-latest-attack-on-Syria-launched-from-Lebanese-airspace-killed-civilians
|
2019-07-04 13:16:39+00:00
| 1,562,260,599 | 1,567,536,981 |
conflict, war and peace
|
massacre
|
506,182 |
sottnet--2019-09-19--30 civilians killed in accidental airstrike in Afghanistan 20 killed in Taliban car bombing - 140
| 2019-09-19T00:00:00 |
sottnet
|
30 civilians killed in 'accidental' airstrike in Afghanistan, 20 killed in Taliban car bombing - 140 wounded overall
|
At least 50 people have been killed in an air strike and a car bombing in Afghanistan, as U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad prepares to brief U.S. lawmakers on his peace talks with the Taliban.The September 19 incidents come after the collapse of negotiations between Washington and the militants and just days ahead of a presidential election.Officials said, in eastern Afghanistan, whilein the war-wracked country's south.The air strike was aimed at destroying a hideout used by Islamic State militants, but itnear a field, three government officials said.Sohrab Qaderi, a provincial council member in eastern Nangarhar Province, said a drone strike killed 30 workers in a pine-nut field and at least 40 others were injured.Attullah Khogyani, a spokesman for Nangarhar's governor, told RFE/RL the air strike occurred in the Khogyani district. "There are fears civilians are among the dead, and we are carrying out an investigation to identify the bodies," he said.The Afghan Defense Ministry confirmed the strike, but refused to share casualty details immediately. U.S. forces were not immediately available for comment.Meanwhile, officials said a Taliban car-bomb attack in Zabul Province killed at least 20 people and wounded 97 on September 19., Rahmatullah Yarmal, the provincial governor, told RFE/RL.Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, a spokesman for the Taliban, said his group was responsible for the attack.Officials told Tolo News that "ambulances have also been called from Kandahar city to transfer the wounded to hospitals in Kandahar Province. Most of the victims have been taken to private hospitals."Two recent attacks claimed by the militants killed at least 48 people in Afghanistan, although Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the Taliban's chief negotiator, told the BBC on September 18 that the "doors are open" to a resumption of talks to end the 18-year war.Taliban negotiators have refused to talk directly with the government in Kabul, labeling them as "puppets" of the West.Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan, is due to brief a House of Representatives committee on peace negotiations.The House Foreign Affairs Committee said that Khalilzad will hold a classified briefing for the entire panel early on September 19.
| null |
https://www.sott.net/article/420672-30-civilians-killed-in-accidental-airstrike-in-Afghanistan-20-killed-in-Taliban-car-bombing-140-wounded-overall
|
2019-09-19 17:44:02+00:00
| 1,568,929,442 | 1,569,008,338 |
conflict, war and peace
|
massacre
|
506,375 |
sottnet--2019-09-23--At least 40 civilians including 12 children killed at Afghan wedding party during a US-backed mili
| 2019-09-23T00:00:00 |
sottnet
|
At least 40 civilians, including 12 children, killed at Afghan wedding party during a US-backed military raid gone wrong
|
A US-backed raid by the Afghanistan security forces on an Islamist militants' hideout in the Helmand province turned into a bloodbath when a nearby wedding party was hit as well and dozens of civilians were killed and injured.The raid on the hideout, located in the central Afghan town of Musa Qala, occurred late on Sunday. The targeted facility has somehow been used by both the Taliban and Al Qaeda to train suicide bombers, according to local officials.The operation, however, turned into carnage as a wedding party was being held next door with a large group of civilians in attendance."We were going to the bride's house for the henna ceremony, some of us were outside the home and some inside, [when] suddenly the battle began...We told the security forces that we were not members of the Taliban," Mohammad Salim, a survivor of the massacre and a relative of the victims, told Reuters.Colonel Sonny Leggett, a spokesman for US forces stationed in the country, said they participated in the raid, conducting "precision strikes against barricaded terrorists firing on Afghan and US forces." The majority of the killed civilians were struck by the militants' small arms fire and explosions of their munition cashes and suicide belts, he claimed.As the US-Taliban peace talks collapsed two weeks ago, violence in the war-torn country is on the rise and it has already taken a heavy toll on civilians.The bombing run targeted Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) militants, who seemingly happened to "hide" among the farmers.
| null |
https://www.sott.net/article/420885-At-least-40-civilians-including-12-children-killed-at-Afghan-wedding-party-during-a-US-backed-military-raid-gone-wrong
|
2019-09-23 21:03:56+00:00
| 1,569,287,036 | 1,570,222,462 |
conflict, war and peace
|
massacre
|
528,150 |
sputnik--2019-03-16--At Least 4 Killed 36 Civilians Hurt as Mine Explodes in Deir ez-Zor - Reports
| 2019-03-16T00:00:00 |
sputnik
|
At Least 4 Killed, 36 Civilians Hurt as Mine Explodes in Deir ez-Zor - Reports
|
As a result of the blast in the village of Shoula, four local residents were killed and 36 people were injured, SANA reported. The years-long armed conflict in Syria appears to be nearing its end, according to reports, although the country is still burdened with routine violent clashes and the presence of armed rebel and terrorist groups. Syrian military engineering units regularly carry out operations to clear mines and other types of explosive devices left throughout the country by retreating terrorists. READ MORE: French Carrier Strike Group Joins Operations Against Daesh – US Central Command According to United Nations data made public in January, the Daesh terror group continues to control parts of Deir ez-Zor in the middle Euphrates river valley, where some civilians remain trapped amid continued airstrikes. UN assessments on Syria reportedly continue to cast doubt on a declaration by US President Donald Trump in December 2018 that Daesh had been defeated. READ MORE: At Least 15 Killed, Dozens Injured in Terrorist Attack in Syria's Deir ez-Zor Syria has been engulfed in a civil war since 2011, with government forces fighting numerous opposition factions and terrorist groups. The conflict has significantly worsened the humanitarian situation in the Arab republic, forcing an estimated 12 million people to flee their homes or flee the country, according to UN reports. *Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist group banned in Russia and many other countries.
| null |
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201903161073303916-syria-mine-explosion-casualties/
|
2019-03-16 19:06:00+00:00
| 1,552,777,560 | 1,567,546,039 |
conflict, war and peace
|
massacre
|
531,494 |
sputnik--2019-04-16--Six Civilians Five Syrian Troops Killed After Militants Shelled Aleppo
| 2019-04-16T00:00:00 |
sputnik
|
Six Civilians, Five Syrian Troops Killed After Militants Shelled Aleppo
|
"Over the past day terrorists have attacked Sanjeka in Latakia province and Aleppo. As a result of shelling at al-Hamdaniyah district in Aleppo six civilians and five Syrian servicemen were killed," the centre said. In the meantime, Syrian authorities continue to work on amnesty for those "who evade from military service, including those among refugees and former members of illegal armed groups," the statement noted, adding that in total, over 57,000 people were granted amnesty. Syria is recovering its infrastructure. According to the Russian military, over 31,000 houses, more than 800 educational facilities and over 150 medical centres have already been rebuilt in the country. Also, a humanitarian corridor and the Jleb mobile checkpoint have been set up in order to prevent a humanitarian disaster in the Rukban refugee camp. Buses have been sent for "the voluntary and unimpeded return of temporarily displaced persons from the al-Tanf area to the places of their permanent residence," the statement added. Damascus has been gradually regaining control over the crisis-hit country ravaged by terrorists as the war in the region enters its ninth year. Now the Syrian administration is trying to create favourable conditions for repatriating some 5.6 million refugees who, according to the UN Refugee Agency, have fled to neighbouring states.
| null |
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201904161074167739-syria-civilians-militants-aleppo/
|
2019-04-16 01:24:37+00:00
| 1,555,392,277 | 1,567,542,874 |
conflict, war and peace
|
massacre
|
533,081 |
sputnik--2019-05-02--US Military Killed 120 Civilians Abroad in 2018 - Pentagon
| 2019-05-02T00:00:00 |
sputnik
|
US Military Killed 120 Civilians Abroad in 2018 - Pentagon
|
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US military operations killed about 120 civilians and injured 65 others in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and Somalia in 2018, a new US Department of Defense (DoD) report revealed on Thursday. “DoD assesses that there are credible reports of approximately 120 civilians killed and approximately 65 civilians injured during 2018 as a result of US military operations in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and Somalia," the report said. The annual report showed the number of civilian casualties in 2018 decreased from the nearly 800 civilians killed and more than 200 injured in US military operations in 2017. The Defense Department attributed the decline in civilian casualties to a reduction in military activities after the extensive operations undertaken in 2017 to liberate the cities of Mosul, Iraq and Raqqa, Syria from the Daesh* terror group. READ MORE: Trump Vows US to Fight Daesh 'Whenever it Operates' In late April, Amnesty International and the monitoring group Airwars reported that the US-backed military operation in Raqqa killed more than 1,600 civilians in 2017. On 6 March, the White House announced President Donald Trump's decision to revoke an executive order that required the US administration to provide public reports on the number of civilians killed in military strikes outside war zones. *Daesh (also known as IS/ISIS/ISIL/Islamic State) is a terrorist group banned in Russia.
| null |
https://sputniknews.com/us/201905021074649288-us-civilian-casualties-dod/
|
2019-05-02 14:28:00+00:00
| 1,556,821,680 | 1,567,541,437 |
conflict, war and peace
|
massacre
|
539,823 |
sputnik--2019-08-02--US Killed More Civilians in Afghanistan Than the Taliban Shocking UN Report
| 2019-08-02T00:00:00 |
sputnik
|
US Killed More Civilians in Afghanistan Than the Taliban – Shocking UN Report
|
Although US troops are supposed to be no longer engaged in actual combat they are on the ground and provide arms, training and logistics to the fledgeling Afghan army. The US air force also provides air support and executes deadly airstrikes regularly. At least 3,812 civilians have been killed or wounded in the first half of 2019, the United Nations said, noting a big increase in the number of casualties caused by government and NATO-led troops. The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) called the toll "shocking and unacceptable", and urged parties to Afghanistan's 18-year war to heed a demand from Afghan delegates at a recent peace conference in Doha, the capital city of Qatar, to reduce civilian casualties to zero. The United Nations report said 83 percent of casualties from airstrikes were attributed to “international military forces,” essentially pointing the finger at the United States military, which is the only member of the international coalition in Afghanistan that carries out airstrikes. The Afghan Air Force was responsible for about 10 percent. In the first six months of the year, the conflict killed nearly 1,400 civilians and wounded about 2,400 more. Afghan forces and their allies caused 52 percent of the civilian deaths compared with 39 percent attributable to militants — mostly the Taliban, but also the Islamic State* [Daesh in Arabic]. The figures do not total 100 percent because responsibility for some deaths could not be definitively established. So 717 civilians have been killed by the US and its allies compared to 531 civilians killed by the Taliban or others. Even the mainstream US paper, The New York Times, was compelled to state: “Afghan security forces and their American-led international allies have killed more civilians so far this year than the Taliban have, the United Nations said in a report on Tuesday, once again raising alarm that ordinary Afghans are bearing the brunt of an increasingly deadly 18-year war”. The United States has bombed and/or invaded: Iraq, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Iran, Cuba, Panama, Pakistan, Nicaragua, Grenada, Vietnam, Laos, Guatemala and Cambodia to name just a few of the examples we are aware of. Yet mainstream media discussions about 'threats to world peace' never mention the trigger happy US. Sure North Korea, Iran, Russia and Venezuela are mentioned and demonised constantly but never the country that is actually the most aggressive and dangerous on the planet. If you are looking for the single biggest threat to world peace look no further than the United States of America. A recent United Nations Report confirms that fact. In the last few weeks the ratcheting up of hysteria and demonising of Iran has been put into full gear. A country that has not invaded another nation for 200 years and has itself been invaded twice in the last century, 1941 and 1980, is the biggest threat on the world stage according to US billionaire owned media outlets. In 1980 Iran was attacked by Saddam Hussein’s Iraq whom the US and UK were supporting, encouraging and arming Hussein to the teeth. A bloody and brutal eight-year conflict ensued which claimed several million lives. Iran did not seek or start that war but accepted a United Nations-brokered ceasefire in 1988. They have no desire to start any new wars. In the intervening period between 1980 and now, however, the US and UK not only switched from arming and supporting Saddam Hussein, they actually invaded Iraq in 2003 to illegally depose him and killed over one million Iraqi civilians in the process. The Iraq war was based on a false premise of weapons of mass destruction possession. Dossiers were invented, grainy videos were created and a compliant press and media went into overdrive to propagandise on behalf of the US and UK. President George Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair deliberately lied to their respective political chambers to justify an unnecessary and brutal ‘shock and awe’ strategy of carpet bombing followed by physical invasion. There were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and they both knew it. After all the US and UK possessed the receipts for all the weapons Saddam Hussain had. The US and UK had sold those weapons to him during his most tyrannical years in power. When he was gassing the Kurds and killing almost 5,000 mostly women and children in Halabja in March 1988 he was using US and UK supplied planes and materials. After the atrocity both the US and UK continued to supply Iraq and Saddam with arms. Since the 2003 invasion, Iraq has been a basket case nation. Infrastructure decimated, political structures destroyed and over one million civilian lives extinguished. American media duped many Americans into believing Iraq was behind the horrible 9/11 attacks which devastated New York. They had absolutely nothing to do with 9/11 and al Qaeda or ISIS* Islamic terrorists had no presence or base in Iraq prior to 2003. Now the country is riven with ISIS sponsored terror attacks and religious and tribal civil wars. Only weeks ago the capital Baghdad witnessed a suicide bomb attack that claimed 250 civilian lives, the largest single civilian loss of life since 2003. American invasion and intervention has been a disaster for Iraq and its population. The civilised world has to unite and muster the courage to expose the dastardly role of the US in destabilising so much of the world through deadly bombings and invasions and the economic terrorism of sanctions designed to cripple countries abilities to produce enough food to feed their populations and build the sanitary infrastructures to keep them safe from disease. The brutal economic sanctions imposed on Iran, Venezuela and Cuba right now are not only illegal they are also immoral. Despite scores of United Nations condemnations for such unilateral and illegal actions the US persists in its deadly cowboy actions. America has now been informed it is killing more civilians in Afghanistan than the Taliban or other supposed terrorists. If facts like that don’t convince them to change tack and stop interfering militarily and economically in other countries uninvited what the hell will? *al Qaeda, Taliban and Daesh (Islamic State, ISIL, ISIS, IS) are terrorist organisations banned in Russia and many other countries. The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Sputnik.
| null |
https://sputniknews.com/columnists/201908021076444802-us-killed-more-civilians-in-afghanistan-than-the-taliban--shocking-un-report/
|
2019-08-02 18:20:00+00:00
| 1,564,784,400 | 1,567,535,052 |
conflict, war and peace
|
massacre
|
568,075 |
tass--2019-07-26--Over 100 civilians killed in Syria in past ten days UN
| 2019-07-26T00:00:00 |
tass
|
Over 100 civilians killed in Syria in past ten days — UN
|
"At least ten different locations (eight in Idlib and two in rural Aleppo) have experienced civilian casualties as a result of airstrikes in the past ten days alone, causing a minimum of 103 civilian deaths, including at least 26 children," she said. GENEVA, July 26. /TASS/. More than 100 civilians have been killed in airstrikes in the Syrian provinces of Idlib and Aleppo in the past ten days, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said in a statement on Friday. "These are civilian objects, and it seems highly unlikely, given the persistent pattern of such attacks, that they are all being hit by accident," Bachelet noted, pointing out that "intentional attacks against civilians are war crimes, and those who have ordered them or carried them out are criminally responsible for their actions." Bachelet expressed concern that the war in Syria "is no longer on the international radar." "Now, airstrikes kill and maim significant numbers of civilians several times a week, and the response seems to be a collective shrug, with the Security Council paralyzed by the persistent failure of its five Permanent Members to agree to use their power and influence to stop the fighting and killing once and for all," she pointed out. According to the UN high commissioner for human rights, "influential parties, including those that agreed to reduce hostilities as part of the de-escalation agreement, should urgently use their influence to halt the current military campaign and bring the warring parties back to the negotiating table." "It is essential that there is a cessation of hostilities in order to give the on-going political negotiations room to breathe. The alternative is just more mindless death and destruction in a war without end," Bachelet emphasized. In accordance with a decision made by Russia, Iran and Turkey - the guarantors of the Syrian ceasefire - de-escalation zones were set up in Syria in May 2017. They include the Idlib Province, some parts of its neighboring areas in Latakia, Hama and Aleppo provinces, Eastern Ghouta, as well as some areas in the Daraa and al-Quneitra provinces in southern Syria. Damascus took control of three of the four zones in 2014, but the zone covering the Idlib province and certain parts of Latakia, Hama and Aleppo provinces is still controlled by terrorists from the Jabhat al-Nusra terror group (outlawed in Russia).
| null |
https://tass.com/world/1070554
|
2019-07-26 11:43:49+00:00
| 1,564,155,829 | 1,567,535,699 |
conflict, war and peace
|
massacre
|
577,769 |
theantimedia--2019-06-01--US Remains in Denial About How Many Civilians They Killed in Iraq and Syria
| 2019-06-01T00:00:00 |
theantimedia
|
US Remains in Denial About How Many Civilians They Killed in Iraq and Syria
|
(CD) — The U.S.-led coalition that launched airstrikes against Iraq and Syria against ISIS admitted Friday that those attacks killed civilians, but the number they reported—1,302 deaths in a nearly five-year period—was immediately dismissed as too low by the human rights organization Amnesty International. “While all admissions of responsibility by the U.S.-led coalition for civilian casualties are welcome, the coalition remains deeply in denial about the devastating scale of the civilian casualties caused by their operations in both Iraq and Syria,” the group’s senior crisis response advisor, Donatella Rovera, said in a statement. The coalition, in a statement announcing the findings of its internal review, said that of the “34,502 strikes between August 2014 and the end of April 2019” it found that “at least 1,302 civilians have been unintentionally killed by coalition strikes.” That number, while 1,302 people too many, is still far below projections from other organizations over the past. “Even in cases where the coalition has admitted responsibility this has only happened after civilian deaths were investigated and brought to its attention by organizations such as Amnesty International and Airwars,” said Rovera. In April, a study by Amnesty and Airwars projected that 1,600 civilians died in coalition airstrikes in the Syrian city of Raqqa alone from June to October 2017, a number that, in four months, is higher than the coalition’s total findings for over four years across two countries. “We hope to finally see an honest assessment of the devastating impact that U.S. lethal strikes have had on the civilians in Raqqa,” Daphne Eviatar, director of Amnesty’s Security with Human Rights program, said at the time. “The public deserves to know how many civilian casualties our government is responsible for, and the survivors deserve acknowledgement, reparations, where appropriate, and meaningful assistance to rebuild their lives.” Friday’s report indicates that despite calls for more detailed analysis and investigation, an honest assessment may not be a priority for the coalition. This article was chosen for republication based on the interest of our readers. Anti-Media republishes stories from a number of other independent news sources. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect Anti-Media editorial policy. Since you’re here… …We have a small favor to ask. Fewer and fewer people are seeing Anti-Media articles as social media sites crack down on us, and advertising revenues across the board are quickly declining. However, unlike many news organizations, we haven’t put up a paywall because we value open and accessible journalism over profit — but at this point, we’re barely even breaking even. Hopefully, you can see why we need to ask for your help. Anti-Media’s independent journalism and analysis takes substantial time, resources, and effort to produce, but we do it because we believe in our message and hope you do, too. If everyone who reads our reporting and finds value in it helps fund it, our future can be much more secure. For as little as $1 and a minute of your time, you can support Anti-Media. Thank you. Click here to support us
|
Eoin Higgins
|
http://theantimedia.com/us-denial-civilians-killed-iraq-syria-amnesty/
|
2019-06-01 02:53:14+00:00
| 1,559,371,994 | 1,567,539,500 |
conflict, war and peace
|
massacre
|
691,404 |
theguardianuk--2019-02-24--Afghanistan UN says record number of civilians killed in 2018
| 2019-02-24T00:00:00 |
theguardianuk
|
Afghanistan: UN says record number of civilians killed in 2018
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A record number of civilians were killed in Afghanistan last year according to a UN report, which blames an increase in suicide bombings by Islamic State and airstrikes by US-led coalition forces. In its annual report published on Sunday, the UN assistance mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said 3,804 civilians were killed in 2018, the highest toll since it began compiling figures in 2009. Another 7,189 were wounded. The report comes as the US peace envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, intensifies efforts to find a peaceful solution to the 17-year war. Khalilzad, who was appointed in September, is to begin another round of talks with the Taliban on Monday in Qatar, where the group maintains a political office. The UN envoy, Tadamichi Yamamoto, called the increase in civilian casualties “deeply disturbing and wholly unacceptable”. Hundreds of thousands of Afghans have also been displaced by the conflict, both within and beyond the country’s borders. The reports blames insurgents for 63% of civilian deaths and injuries in 2018. It says the Taliban were responsible for 37%, Isis 20%, and other armed groups 6%. The government and its US and Nato allies were blamed for 24%, a significant increase on 2017, with many the result of increased airstrikes. “For the first time since 2009 when it began systematically documenting civilian casualty figures, UNAMA recorded more than 1,000 civilian casualties from aerial operations,” the report said. The US military says it carried out 6,823 airstrikes in 2018, the highest figure in six years. More than 32,000 civilians have been killed and 60,000 wounded since the UN began compiling figures 10 years ago. “It is time to put an end to this human misery and tragedy,” said Yamamoto. “The best way to halt the killing and maiming of civilians is to stop the fighting. That is why there is all the more need now to use all our efforts to bring about peace.” The US and the Taliban have openly embraced a strategy of talking while fighting, with the Taliban carrying out near-daily attacks on the Afghan security forces. Afghan forces are fighting the Taliban throughout the country with support from their US-led allies. They have also been attacking Isis positions, particularly in eastern Afghanistan, where the group is based.
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Associated Press in Kabul
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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/24/afghanistan-un-says-record-number-of-civilians-killed-in-2018
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2019-02-24 12:46:14+00:00
| 1,551,030,374 | 1,567,547,508 |
conflict, war and peace
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massacre
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705,256 |
theguardianuk--2019-07-07--At least 544 civilians killed in Russian-led assault in Syria rights groups say
| 2019-07-07T00:00:00 |
theguardianuk
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At least 544 civilians killed in Russian-led assault in Syria, rights groups say
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At least 544 civilians have been killed and over 2,000 people injured since a Russian-led assault on the last rebel bastion in north-western Syria began two months ago, according to rights groups and rescuers. Russian jets joined the Syrian army on 26 April in the biggest offensive against parts of rebel-held Idlib province and adjoining northern Hama provinces in the biggest escalation in the war between the Syrian president, Bashar al Assad, and his enemies since last summer. The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), which monitors casualties and briefs various UN agencies, said the 544 civilians killed in the hundreds of attacks carried out by Russian jets and the Syrian army include 130 children. Another 2,117 people have been injured. “The Russian military and its Syrian ally are deliberately targeting civilians with a record number of medical facilities bombed,” Fadel Abdul Ghany, chairman of SNHR,said. Russia and its Syrian army ally deny their jets hit indiscriminately civilian areas with cluster munitions and incendiary weapons, which residents in opposition areas say are meant to paralyse everyday life. Moscow says its forces and the Syrian army are fending off terror attacks by al-Qaida militants whom they say hit populated, government-held areas, and it accuses rebels of wrecking a ceasefire deal agreed last year between Turkey and Russia. Last month the US-based Human Rights Watch said the Russian-Syrian joint military operation had used cluster munitions and incendiary weapons in the attacks, along with large air-dropped explosive weapons with wide-area effects in populated civilian areas, based on reports by first responders and witnesses. Residents and rescuers say the two-month-old campaign has left dozens of villages and towns in ruins. According to the United Nations, at least 300,000 people have been forced to leave their homes for the safety of areas closer to the border with Turkey. “Whole villages and towns have been emptied,” said the Idlib-based Civil Defence spokesman Ahmad al Sheikho, saying it was the most destructive campaign against Idlib province since it completely fell to the opposition in the middle of 2015. On Friday, 15 people, including children, were killed in the village of Mhambil in western Idlib province after Syrian army helicopters dropped barrel bombs on a civilian quarter, the Civil Defence group and witnesses said. The heads of 11 major global humanitarian organizations warned at the end of last month that Idlib stood at the brink of disaster, with 3 million civilian lives at risk, including 1 million children. “Too many have died already” and “even wars have laws” they declared, in the face of “multiple attacks by government forces and their allies on hospitals, schools and markets,” the UN-endorsed statement said. Last Thursday an aerial strike on Kafr Nabl hospital made it the 30th facility to be bombed during the campaign, leaving hundreds of thousands with no medical access, according to aid groups. “To have these medical facilities bombed and put out of service in less than two months is no accident. Let’s call this by what it is, a war crime,” Dr Khaula Sawah, vice president of the US-based Union of Medical Care and Relief Organisations, which provides aid in the north-west, said in a statement.
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Reuters
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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/07/at-least-544-civilians-killed-in-russian-led-assault-in-syria-rights-groups-say
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2019-07-07 02:52:58+00:00
| 1,562,482,378 | 1,567,536,584 |
conflict, war and peace
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massacre
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781,994 |
theintercept--2019-04-25--Coalition Airstrikes in Raqqa Killed at Least 1600 Civilians More Than 10 Times US Tally Report
| 2019-04-25T00:00:00 |
theintercept
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Coalition Airstrikes in Raqqa Killed at Least 1,600 Civilians, More Than 10 Times U.S. Tally, Report Finds
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of September 5, 2017, Mohannad al-Tadfi rushed over to his brother’s six-story apartment building in Raqqa, Syria. Mohannad’s brother, Lattuf, lived on the ground floor with his wife, Samiha, their six children, and his mother, Amina. Other families had fled the city, leaving the building mostly vacant, but Amina was bedridden from diabetes, and medicine was in short supply. “I had managed to find some insulin for my mother and I rushed over to bring it to her,” Mohannad told researchers from the human rights group Amnesty International. “I was planning to return later that day with my wife and children to wait for the area to be liberated” from the Islamic State, which had made Raqqa the capital of its self-declared caliphate. But two hours after Mohannad left his mother’s side, an airstrike by the U.S.-led coalition destroyed the apartment building, killing Lattuf’s entire family. Mohannad al-Tadfi is one of more than 400 witnesses or survivors interviewed by Amnesty International, which, along with the monitoring group Airwars, released their most comprehensive report Thursday on the coalition’s air and artillery campaign during the four-month offensive to retake the city in 2017. The groups found that coalition strikes killed at least 1,600 civilians. Amnesty researchers in Syria were able to directly verify 641 of those deaths and said there were “very strong, multiple source reports” for the rest. The groups were able to collect the names of more than 1,000 civilians killed. The findings, published along with an interactive database based on two years of on-the-ground investigations, provide the most methodical estimate to date of the death toll from coalition bombing, even as Pentagon officials continue to downplay the damage of the U.S.-led air campaign. “I didn’t come to Raqqa with any preconceived ideas of what had or had not happened,” Donatella Rovera, a crisis investigator for Amnesty, said in a video released by the group. “But what I came to discover is that little to no protection was afforded to the thousands of civilians who were trapped in the city.” ISIS lost control of Raqqa in October 2017, when the city was recaptured by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in what was hailed a key milestone in reclaiming territory once held by the terror group. But four years of ISIS rule and four months of fighting left the city in ruins, with more than 11,000 buildings destroyed. During the fighting, ISIS used booby traps, land mines, and snipers to prevent civilians from fleeing, trapping thousands of people and leaving them vulnerable to what former Defense Secretary James Mattis called “annihilation tactics.” “The public deserves to know how many civilian casualties our government is responsible for, and the survivors deserve acknowledgement, reparations, where appropriate, and meaningful assistance to rebuild their lives,” said Daphne Eviatar, director of the Security With Human Rights program at Amnesty International USA. According to a statement from Amnesty, the groups regularly engage with the U.S., U.K., and French militaries about civilian casualties. As a result, the coalition has admitted responsibility for killing 159 civilians in Raqqa, but the U.S. has dismissed most of the allegations as “non-credible.” In 2017, Gen. Stephen Townsend, then the commander of the task force leading the fight against ISIS, wrote in Foreign Policy that the U.S. conducts thorough assessments, which have shown that less than 1 percent of airstrikes result in “a credible report” of civilian casualties. “Assertions by Airwars, along with claims by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and media outlets that cite them, are often unsupported by fact and serve only to strengthen the Islamic State’s hold on civilians, placing civilians at greater risk,” Townsend wrote. However, monitoring groups have pointed out that it is extremely rare for U.S. personnel to interview eyewitnesses or victims of airstrikes, and they are only likely to concede civilian casualties that are observable by their own intelligence feeds. As a result, over the course of the U.S. anti-ISIS campaign, Airwars estimates that more than 7,700 civilians have been killed in Iraq and Syria, while as of March, the Pentagon estimated fewer than 1,300 deaths. “Essentially what I’ve been doing here is the work that the coalition should be doing,” Rovera says in the Amnesty video. “They have been bombarding the city. They should be here looking at the impact that that has had on the civilian population.”
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Alex Emmons
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https://theintercept.com/2019/04/25/coalition-airstrikes-in-raqqa-killed-at-least-1600-civilians-more-than-10-times-u-s-tally-report-finds/
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2019-04-25 12:19:08+00:00
| 1,556,209,148 | 1,567,541,855 |
conflict, war and peace
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massacre
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1,011,108 |
thetelegraph--2019-07-23--More than 50 Syrian civilians killed in Idlib by Russian and Assad regime strikes
| 2019-07-23T00:00:00 |
thetelegraph
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More than 50 Syrian civilians killed in Idlib 'by Russian and Assad regime strikes'
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Regime and Russian air strikes killed 50 people in northwest Syria on Monday, most of them in a crowded market, a war monitor said, in the latest violence to plague the opposition bastion. In the town of Maaret al-Numan in Idlib province, men covered in blood were carried away from the market by residents and rescue workers, who used mattresses as makeshift stretchers, an AFP photographer said. He saw the corpse of one man sprawled on the ground near a motorcycle, rubble surrounding his lifeless body. With his eyes closed and his face covered in dust, another man clutched the arms of two people helping him out of the bombed area, the photographer added. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said air strikes on the vegetable market and surrounding areas in Maaret al-Numan killed 36 civilians and two unidentified persons.
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Agence France-Presse
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https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/07/23/50-syrian-civilians-killed-idlib-russian-assad-regime-strikes/
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2019-07-23 07:51:10+00:00
| 1,563,882,670 | 1,567,536,053 |
conflict, war and peace
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massacre
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1,017,292 |
thetelegraph--2019-10-09--US meth lab strikes in Afghanistan killed at least 30 civilians says UN
| 2019-10-09T00:00:00 |
thetelegraph
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US meth lab strikes in Afghanistan killed at least 30 civilians says UN
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An American blitz on dozens of Taliban drug factories in Western Afghanistan killed at least 30 civilians and may have left dozens more dead, a United Nations report has found. United States aircraft struck more than 60 methamphetamine labs earlier this year during a one-day onslaught to deny Taliban insurgents income from the lucrative drug trade. The raids killed at least 30 civilians according to a UN investigation and may have killed a further 30. The UN also said the raids broke international law because drugs workers are not considered a legitimate military target. American forces in Afghanistan immediately disputed the reports findings, saying they disagreed with the UN's methods, analysis and “narrow definition” of legitimate targets. A spokesman said the labs had been under lengthy surveillance before they were struck and “extraordinary measures” had been taken to avoid killing civilians. Col Sonny Leggett said he was “deeply concerned” by the UN's methods and findings. Taliban insurgents have long been accused of obtaining huge sums from the country's extensive opium trade, as militants tax production and levy protection money. Methamphetamine production has recently been added to the country's drugs business, with UN officials earlier this year warning seizures were growing exponentially.
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Ben Farmer
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https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/10/09/us-meth-lab-strikes-afghanistan-killed-least-30-civilians-says/
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Wed, 09 Oct 2019 09:36:05 GMT
| 1,570,628,165 | 1,570,626,329 |
conflict, war and peace
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massacre
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1,031,619 |
thetorontostar--2019-12-26--UN condemns attack that killed 17 civilians in north Yemen
| 2019-12-26T00:00:00 |
thetorontostar
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UN condemns attack that killed 17 civilians in north Yemen
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CAIRO - The United Nations has condemned an airstrike on a busy market that killed at least 17 people earlier this week in northern Yemen, a region which has been under control of Yemen’s Iran-backed rebels known as Houthis. The office of the U.N. human rights co-ordinator in Yemen did not say who was behind the attack but a Saudi-led coalition has been waging war against the Houthis since 2015, trying to restore the internationally recognized government to power. Thousands of Yemeni civilians have died in airstrikes. The U.N. statement said that along with the 17 killed, including 12 Ethiopian migrants who had reached Yemen in search of a better life, another 12 civilians were wounded in the strike on the Al-Raqw market in the northern province of Saada on Tuesday. It was the third time in a month that the market had been targeted, the U.N. added, saying the number of killed and wounded in the three attacks has reached 89. The local Houthi rebel authorities heavily restrict access for journalists and rights groups to the region of Saada, which has seen some of the war’s worst fighting. The attacks on the market are deeply troubling, said the Yemen U.N humanitarian co-ordinator, Lise Grande. “Every attack of this kind is a gross violation. The parties responsible for this, and other atrocities, must be held accountable.” Yemen’s conflict erupted in 2014, when the Houthis overran the capital, Sanaa, and much of the north, pushing out Yemen’s internationally recognized government and ushering in a civil war that has killed tens of thousands of people. The fighting has also left millions suffering from food and medical shortages and pushed the country to the brink of famine. Houthi spokesman Yehia Sarea tweeted later on Wednesday that “these crimes” by the the Saudi-led coalition “will not go by unnoticed“ and pledged that the victims would be avenged. He put the death toll at least 20. The two different tolls could not immediately be reconciled. Sarea also posted images on social media purporting to show the casualties from the airstrike. Get more of the Star in your inbox Never miss the latest news from the Star. Sign up for our newsletters to get today's top stories, your favourite columnists and lots more in your inbox Sign Up Now
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Noha Elhennawy - The Associated Press
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https://www.thestar.com/news/world/middleeast/2019/12/26/un-condemns-attack-that-killed-17-civilians-in-north-yemen.html
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Thu, 26 Dec 2019 06:27:39 EST
| 1,577,359,659 | 1,577,361,736 |
conflict, war and peace
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massacre
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88,724 |
channel4uk--2019-05-29--Civilians reportedly killed in Syrian government onslaught on Idlib
| 2019-05-29T00:00:00 |
channel4uk
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Civilians reportedly killed in Syrian government onslaught on Idlib
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Syrian activists say at least 14 people have been killed in the latest onslaught by government warplanes and artillery on the last rebel stronghold in the country. The attacks mark a month since government forces escalated their offensive on Idlib, which is home to three million people and where the UN says humanitarian operations are at risk due to the bombardment. A warning: there are some distressing images in this report.
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Paraic O'Brien
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https://www.channel4.com/news/civilians-reportedly-killed-in-syrian-government-onslaught-on-idlib
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2019-05-29 18:27:46+00:00
| 1,559,168,866 | 1,567,539,862 |
conflict, war and peace
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massacre
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7,505 |
airwars--2019-04-25--At least 1,600 civilians died in US-led Coalition actions at Raqqa, major new study finds
| 2019-04-25T00:00:00 |
airwars
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At least 1,600 civilians died in US-led Coalition actions at Raqqa, major new study finds
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Amnesty and Airwars investigation says civilian harm during battle for Raqqa is ten times higher than Coalition admits A major new study by Amnesty International and Airwars has concluded that at least 1,600 civilians died in Coalition strikes on the city of Raqqa in 2017 during the battle to evict so-called Islamic State – ten times the number of fatalities so far conceded by the US-led alliance, which had admitted 159 deaths to April 24th. The two organisations are calling on the US and its British and French allies to properly investigate all reports of civilian harm at Raqqa; to be transparent about their tactics, methods of attack, choice of targets, and precautions taken in the planning and execution of their strikes; and to create a fund to ensure that victims and their families receive full reparation and compensation. The major project – which saw Amnesty field researchers on the ground for almost two months in Raqqa – is featured in a new interactive website, Rhetoric versus Reality: How the ‘most precise air campaign in history’ left Raqqa the most destroyed city in modern times, which is described by Amnesty as ‘the most comprehensive investigation into civilian deaths in a modern conflict.’ “Thousands of civilians were killed or injured in the US-led Coalition’s offensive to rid Raqqa of IS, whose snipers and mines had turned the city into a death trap. Many of the air bombardments were inaccurate and tens of thousands of artillery strikes were indiscriminate, so it is no surprise they killed and injured many hundreds of civilians,” says Donatella Rovera, Senior Crisis Response Adviser at Amnesty International. “Coalition forces razed Raqqa, but they cannot erase the truth. Amnesty International and Airwars call upon the Coalition forces to end their denial about the shocking scale of civilian deaths and destruction caused by their offensive in Raqqa.” Almost 500 alleged Coalition harm events have so far been identified by Amnesty and Airwars researchers during the battle for Raqqa, in which more than 3,000 civilians were locally alleged killed. On four site visits to the broken city, Amnesty researchers spent a total of around two months on the ground, carrying out site investigations at more than 200 strike locations and interviewing more than 400 witnesses and survivors. Amnesty International’s innovative Strike Trackers project also identified when each of more than 11,000 destroyed buildings in Raqqa was hit. More than 3,000 digital activists in 124 countries took part, analysing a total of more than two million satellite image frames. The organisation’s Digital Verification Corps, based at six universities around the world, also analysed and authenticated video footage captured during the battle. Airwars researchers had independently tracked 429 locally alleged civilian harm events during the battle for Raqqa, and this comprehensive dataset also formed a key part of the study. Three Airwars team members were seconded to the Raqqa project, where they worked alongside Amnesty researchers to analyse open-source evidence – including thousands of social media posts and other material – and to build a database of more than 1,600 civilians credibly reported killed in Coalition strikes. The organisations also gathered names for more than 1,000 of the victims. Amnesty International has directly verified 641 of those names on the ground in Raqqa, while there are very strong multiple source reports for the rest. Shihab Halep from the Airwars Syria team helped build the database of victim names for Raqqa. “We were able to document at least 1,000 civilians killed by the Coalition and its proxies on the ground. The international community needs to find a way to hold Coalition forces accountable for their actions, to ensure that the same will not be committed in the future and to bring justice for these innocent victims and for their families,” he says. Hanna Rullmann and Sophie Dyer worked with Amnesty to incorporate Airwars’ own findings into the study – along with the organisation’s engagements with the Coalition on hundreds of reported casualty events: “Bringing together Airwars’ vast remote monitoring data with Amnesty’s field investigations was a huge undertaking. Victim names became invaluable in matching the different research threads. The result is a comprehensive and undeniable picture of massive civilian loss of life throughout the battle,” says Sophie. By the time the offensive to capture Raqqa began in June 2017, ISIS had ruled the city for almost four years. Previous investigations by Amnesty and others detailed how the terror group had perpetrated war crimes and crimes against humanity, torturing or killing anyone who dared oppose it. However as the new study reports, most of the destruction during the battle for Raqqa was caused by incoming Coalition air and artillery strikes – with at least 21,000 munitions fired into the city over a four month period. The United Nations would later declare it the most destroyed city in Syria, with an estimated 70% laid waste. Both Amnesty and Airwars have frequently shared their findings on civilian harm at Raqqa with the US-led alliance. As a result, the Coalition has so far admitted responsibility for killing 159 civilians – around 10% of the minimum likely toll, according to the new study. The Coalition has routinely dismissed the remainder of reported deaths as “non-credible.” Yet to date the alliance has failed to adequately probe civilian casualty reports, or to interview witnesses and survivors – admitting that it does not carry out site investigations. “The Coalition needs to fully investigate what went wrong at Raqqa and learn from those lessons, to prevent inflicting such tremendous suffering on civilians caught in future military operations,” says Chris Woods, Director of Airwars. Raqqa has been described by the United Nations as the most destroyed city in Syria (Image courtesy of Amnesty International) Rhetoric versus Reality brings to life the stories of families who lived and died by taking users on a journey through Raqqa: meeting survivors, hearing their testimonies and visiting their destroyed homes. From the bombed-out bridges spanning the Euphrates to the largely demolished old city near the central stadium, no neighbourhood was spared. Developed with Holoscribe’s creative team, the interactive website combines photographs, videos, 360-degree immersive experiences, satellite imagery, maps and data visualisations to highlight the cases and journeys of civilians caught under the Coalition’s bombardment. Users can also explore data on civilians who were killed, many of them after having fled from place to place across the city. One of the first neighbourhoods to be targeted was Dara’iya, a low-rise, poorer district in western Raqqa. In a ramshackle, half-destroyed house, Fatima, nine years old at the time, described how she lost three of her siblings and her mother, Aziza, when the Coalition rained volleys of artillery shells down on their neighbourhood on the morning of June 10th 2017. They were among 16 civilians killed on that street on that day alone. Fatima lost her right leg and her left leg was badly injured. She now uses a wheelchair donated by an NGO to get around and her only wish is to go to school. In December 2017 the Coalition dismissed the event as ‘non credible’ – claiming that “there is insufficient evidence to find that civilians were harmed in this strike.” In another tragic incident, a Coalition air strike destroyed an entire five-storey residential building near Maari school in the central Harat al-Badu neighbourhood in the early evening of September 25th 2017. Four families were sheltering in the basement at the time. Almost all of them – at least 32 civilians, including 20 children – were killed. Again, the Coalition would later dismiss the event as ‘non credible. “Planes were bombing and rockets were falling 24 hours a day, and there were IS snipers everywhere. You just couldn’t breathe,” one survivor of the September 25th strike, Ayat Mohammed Jasem, told a TV crew when she returned to her destroyed home more than a year later. “I saw my son die, burnt in the rubble in front of me. I’ve lost everyone who was dear to me. My four children, my husband, my mother, my sister, my whole family. Wasn’t the goal to free the civilians? They were supposed to save us, to save our children.” Many of the cases documented for the project likely amount to violations of international humanitarian law and warrant further investigation, says Amnesty. Despite their own best efforts, NGOs like Amnesty and Airwars will never have the resources to investigate the full extent of civilian deaths and injuries in Raqqa. The organisations are therefore urging US-led Coalition members to take three key steps. • To put in place an independent, impartial mechanism to effectively and promptly investigate reports of civilian harm, including violations of international humanitarian law, and make the findings public. • That Coalition members who carried out the strikes, notably the USA, the UK and France, must be transparent about their tactics, specific means and methods of attack, choice of targets, and precautions taken in the planning and execution of their attacks. • And that Coalition members must create a fund to ensure that victims and their families receive full reparation and compensation. A spokesperson for the Coalition told Airwars that the alliance takes all allegations of civilian harm seriously: “The current number for completed investigations of civilian casualties between June-October 2017 is 180. Of note, there are still open allegations under investigation. Amnesty International provided us with 86 new allegations, 43 of which had already been assessed as credible and previously reported or were deemed not credible because the allegation did not corroborate with our strike records. We requested that Amnesty International provide us with additional information on the remaining 43 allegations if they have it so that we would be able to determine whether we could conduct an investigation.” The spokesperson added that “We are willing to work with anyone making allegations or providing new, credible information. We continue to be open and transparent about our strikes and civilian casualty reports, which are posted and can be checked online.”
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Airwars Staff
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https://airwars.org/news-and-investigations/raqqa-amnesty-airwars/
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Thu, 25 Apr 2019 12:00:26 +0000
| 1,556,208,026 | 1,570,759,173 |
conflict, war and peace
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massacre
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7,511 |
airwars--2019-10-22--Investigation accuses Dutch military of involvement in 2015 Iraq airstrike which led to deaths of 70
| 2019-10-22T00:00:00 |
airwars
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Investigation accuses Dutch military of involvement in 2015 Iraq airstrike which led to deaths of 70 civilians
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Airwars suspends cooperation with Netherlands defence ministry until possible role of Dutch F-16s in lethal event is clarified On Friday October 18th, Dutch news organisations NRC and NOS published a story in which they accused the Dutch military of being responsible for a 2015 airstrike on an ISIS weapon storage facility in the city of Hawijah, Iraq, that led to the deaths of at least 70 civilians. The Dutch Ministry of Defence has so far refused to confirm or deny its involvement in one of the deadliest Coalition airstrikes in the war against ISIS. Airwars has since announced the suspension of its ongoing engagement with defence ministry on transparency and accountability issues, until the Dutch government confirms or denies whether it was involved in the event. On the night of June 2nd-3rd, 2015, aircraft belonging to the international Coalition against ISIS bombed an IED facility in the city of Hawijah, in Iraq’s Kirkuk province. Subsequent explosions from stored munitions killed at least 70 civilians, Coalition officials confirmed to NRC and NOS. The Airwars assessment of the incident, based on local reporting and investigations by others, concluded that at least 26 children and 22 women were among those killed at Hawijah that day. Many victims were refugees from other parts of the country, who had found shelter in buildings surrounding the weapon storage facility. More than 100 civilians were also injured in the attack. According to local reports Airwars analysed, as many as 100 ISIS militants may also additionally have been killed. Until now, no Coalition member has publicly claimed responsibility for an airstrike that Bas News described at the time as “one of the worst mass casualty incidents in Iraq since the 2003 invasion.” Journalists at the Dutch newspaper NRC and the public broadcasting foundation NOS investigated the incident for many months, as they suspected possible Dutch involvement following a letter sent by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defence to the House of Representatives in April 2018. In that letter, ministers revealed that the Dutch Public Prosecution Service had investigated four air strikes – out of a total of approximately 2,100 munitions released – that the Netherlands had carried out between October 2014 and June 2016. The Public Prosecution Service concluded that three out of the four investigated incidents indeed seemed to have led to civilian casualties. However any further information on these four strikes – such as place, date and time of the attack – was omitted. The Public Prosecution Service furthermore stated that while it was likely that these three Dutch strikes had killed civilians, it saw no reason to prosecute as in its view, the rules of war had been followed. At the time, researchers and journalists noted that the first described case in the letter showed a potential resemblance to what had happened in Hawijah, three years earlier. The two ministers wrote about this first incident that “it […] was an attack by Dutch F-16s on a facility where so-called vehicle borne IEDs [car bombs] were manufactured. […] The IED factory later turned out to have contained many more explosives than was known or could be estimated in advance. It is very likely that this attack resulted in civilian casualties.” Requests for confirmation by Airwars and journalists on whether the ministry was indeed referring to the incident of Hawija have remained unanswered until now. In a press conference the day after the Hawijah incident, American commander Lt General John Hesterman had also said that a “fairly small weapon” was used in the strike. According to NRC’s reconstruction of their investigation, weapon experts it consulted had concluded Hesterman must have been talking about GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs. In 2015, only two Coalition allies were using this type of munition in their military actions in Syria and Iraq: the United States and the Netherlands. However US and British armed drones were also using smaller 100lb Hellfire missiles at the time. Both NRC and NOS visited the site of the airstrike in 2019, collecting on the ground statements from affected communities. They furthermore spoke to both US and Dutch officials. Kees Versteegh, one of the journalists working on the investigation, said in NRC’s daily podcast that several anonymous officials had confirmed to him that it was in fact a Dutch F16 that dropped the bomb. Responding to the investigation, Minister of Defence Ank Bijleveld tweeted that she could “neither confirm nor deny” Dutch responsibility for the Hawijah incident “at this moment”, but that she hoped to be able to do so in the near future. “We want to put the safety of everyone, especially the pilots, first”, Bijleveld stated, according to NRC. Prime Minister Mark Rutte was also questioned by journalists about the allegations, but answered that “while it is terrible when civilian casualties occur”, that he could not comment on the allegations. Defence Minister Ank Bijleveld says she can ‘neither confirm nor deny’ Dutch involvement in a deadly 2015 strike Members of Parliament have been demanding that the Minister provides clarity on the topic, so far unsuccessfully. Sadet Karabulut, MP for the opposition Socialist Party (SP), who has submitted several motions regarding transparency on civilian casualties in the past, tweeted: “We weren’t told anything at all. Every time, we asked for [information]. We never got an answer. The minister has a problem if this is true and has a lot to explain. I want to know everything. All information should be on the table now very quickly, and we should have a debate.” MP Isabelle Diks of GroenLinks stated that “it is unbelievable that the House of Representatives is only now hearing through the press, that in the event of a Dutch attack, so many civilian victims have fallen, while the House of Representatives has specifically asked about this on several occasions.” She said she expected an explanation from the Minister soon. Joël Voordewind, MP for the ChristenUnie, also demanded answers on Twitter: “Why was there no follow-up investigation by the Public Prosecutor’s Office on the bombing in Hawija, hardly any compensation paid, and why was it not foreseen that a second explosion could occur, resulting in so many civilian casualties? I expect clear answers.” And Salima Belhaj, MP for D66 which is a part of the government coalition, insisted that future civilian casualties must be communicated as fast as possible to parliament. While the Dutch government has so far yet to officially confirm its involvement in the deadly attack, Defence Minister Bijleveld made a further statement on October 19th regarding compensation for relatives of the victims of the airstrike and those who suffered material loss. According to NOS, Bijleveld claimed that “it is the international agreement that it will be settled in the country itself [Iraq]”. This contradicts statements made by CENTCOM to Airwars in 2016 that each member nation of the alliance was individually responsible for any payouts for civilian harm resulting from its own actions. Airwars and Airwars Stichting issued a statement noting that it would be a “national scandal if the defence ministry and successive governments have withheld the death of 70 civilians resulting from a Dutch military action more than 4 years ago”, and calling for an urgent factual statement from both the Ministry of Defence and the government. Airwars has additionally suspended planned further talks with defence officials on transparency and accountability for civilian harm, until the Dutch government has publicly clarified any involvement in this incident.
|
Laurie Treffers
|
https://airwars.org/news-and-investigations/investigation-accuses-dutch-military-of-involvement-in-2015-iraq-airstrike-which-led-to-deaths-of-70-civilians/
|
Tue, 22 Oct 2019 14:00:59 +0000
| 1,571,767,259 | 1,572,548,837 |
conflict, war and peace
|
massacre
|
216,041 |
france24--2019-07-01--Israeli missile strike kills civilians says Syrian state media
| 2019-07-01T00:00:00 |
france24
|
Israeli missile strike kills civilians, says Syrian state media
|
Jack Guez, AFP | An F-16 Block 52 fighter jet, belonging to the Polish air force, takes off during the 'Blue Flag' multinational air defence exercise at the Ovda air force base, north of the Israeli city of Eilat, on November 8, 2017. Israeli warplanes fired missiles targeting Syrian military positions in Homs and the Damascus outskirts in an attack that killed at least four civilians and wounded another 21, Syrian state media said. The Syrian military said Syrian air defences had confronted the attack, which was launched from Lebanese airspace. An Israeli military spokeswoman, asked about the report, said: "We don't comment on such reports." Syrian state-run broadcaster al-Ikhbariya said the four civilians including a baby had been killed in Sahnaya, south of Damascus, as "a result of the Zionist aggression". State news agency SANA said an additional 21 people had been wounded. SANA also reported that Syrian air defences had brought down a number of the missiles. In recent years, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria that it says have targeted its regional arch foe, Iran, and the Lebanese Hezbollah group, which it calls the biggest threat to its borders. Iran and Hezbollah are fighting on the side of President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian war, and Israel says they are trying to turn Syria into a new front against Israelis.
|
NEWS WIRES
|
https://www.france24.com/en/20190701-israeli-missile-strike-kills-civilians-says-syrian-state-media
|
2019-07-01 03:21:08+00:00
| 1,561,965,668 | 1,567,537,420 |
conflict, war and peace
|
massacre
|
216,275 |
france24--2019-07-26--In northwestern Syria civilians continue to die in a war that wont end
| 2019-07-26T00:00:00 |
france24
|
In northwestern Syria, civilians continue to die in a war that won't end
|
Many are still dying in the Syrian government's three-month-long raid on Idlib, the last province still holding out against the regime. Syrian photographer Anas al-Dyab, who was working with AFP, is one of the latest victims. Every day, several dozen people perish under the bombs. In Syria, Russian and regime air raids on the northwestern province of Idlib, which still eludes the control of President Bashar al-Assad, and on the neighbouring provinces of Aleppo, Hamah, and Lattakia remain intense. In the past 10 days, air strikes by the Syrian government and its allies on schools, hospitals, markets and bakeries have killed at least 103 civilians, including 26 children, UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said in a statement on Friday. “These are civilian objects, and it seems highly unlikely, given the persistent pattern of such attacks, that they are all being hit by accident,” Bachelet said, adding that the rising toll had been met with “apparent international indifference”. Among the many victims of the conflict is Anas al-Dyab, a 22-year-old photographer and videographer who worked with AFP and whose photos were published by FRANCE 24 along with articles on Syria. The young man was killed on July 21 in air strikes on the town of Khan Sheikhoun along with 17 other civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH) and the White Helmets, a volunteer search and rescue organization operating in rebel areas. Anas al-Dyab was one of their volunteers. The funeral of the citizen journalist was held in a mosque before his remains, wrapped in a shroud bearing the White Helmets logo, were buried in a cemetery in Idlib city. The bombings prevented him from being buried in Khan Sheikhoun. "He was killed while trying to show the world what's happening in Syria." "This is a great loss for us," Raëd Saleh, the director of the White Helmets, told AFP, accusing Moscow and Damascus of complicity with the rebels and jihadists. “He was killed while trying to show the world what is happening in Syria.” According to the OSDH, the freelance photographer, who had been wounded several times during the conflict, lost his life while taking refuge in the basement of a three-storey building. He was with two members of the rebel group Jaich al-Ezza, formerly supported by Washington and active in parts of Idlib province and neighbouring Hama province. "I will only leave Khan Sheikhoun as a martyr," he had once vowed, according to his family. CNN, which interviewed him in March, paid tribute to him by publishing several of the photos he had taken in recent months. Since western journalists have great difficulty covering the war in Syria, al-Dyab’s job was to document, through photos on his Twitter account, the daily lives of the country’s inhabitants, the white helmet rescue operations in which he was involved and the aftermath of the bombings on Khan Sheikhoun. The town, targeted in April 2017 by a sarin gas attack that the UN attributed to the Syrian regime, was deserted after several thousand inhabitants fled. "They target innocent civilians and try to kill as many of us as possible," he said from a hospital bed, where he was being treated for leg injuries he sustained during a bombing on September 8, 2018 while filming the damage caused by a previous air raid. While calling for help, he left his camera running to record "evidence to incriminate this criminal [President Bashar al-Assad] and send him to an international court". More than 630 civilians killed since the end of April The Damascus regime and its Russian ally have intensified their bombardments of the Idlib region, which has been dominated by rebels and jihadists, including the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group (the former Syrian branch of Al Qaeda), since late April. Over the last three months, more than 630 civilians have died, according to the OSDH, while more than 400,000 people have been displaced, according to the UN. "Idlib's nightmare is getting worse. We have witnessed one of the deadliest attacks on civilian areas since the beginning of the military escalation almost three months ago," Mark Cutts, the United Nations’ Deputy Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis said on July 22. The military action continues despite a September 2018 agreement between Russia and Turkey supporting certain rebel groups and aimed at preventing a major offensive in Idlib by forces loyal to Damascus. The agreement provided for a "demilitarized zone" to separate territories held by jihadists and rebels from those held by the government.
|
FRANCE 24
|
https://www.france24.com/en/20190726-northwestern-syria-civilians-dying-war-wont-end-un-russia-air-strikes
|
2019-07-26 13:38:32+00:00
| 1,564,162,712 | 1,567,535,766 |
conflict, war and peace
|
massacre
|
229,920 |
globalresearch--2019-07-01--Videos Israeli Strikes on Damascus and Homs Injure and Kill Many Civilians
| 2019-07-01T00:00:00 |
globalresearch
|
Videos: Israeli Strikes on Damascus and Homs Injure and Kill Many Civilians
|
Early on July 1, Israeli warplanes carried out a series of airstrike on several military targets in the Syrian capital of Damascus and in the central governorate of Homs. The Syrian Arab Air Defense Forces (SyAAF) intercepted several Israeli missiles over Damascus and south of Homs. However, most of the missiles hit their targets. According to pro-government sources, military positions in the districts of al-Mazzeh, al-Dimass and Jomrayah north and northwest of Damascus, as well as three bases in the outskirt of the city of Homs were hit. One of the Israeli missiles hit a civilian area in the district of Sahnaya west of Damascus. The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) said that 4 civilians, including a 3-month old baby, were killed as a result. 22 other civilians, mostly women and children, were injured. This was the first time an Israeli strike on Syria led to civilian casualties. This is a dangerous development that may force Damascus to rethink its strategy towards Israel. The Israeli strike was one of the biggest this year, which confirms that Tel Aviv is not only determined to go on with its attacks on Syria, but also to step-up their scale and intensity. Note to readers: please click the share buttons above or below. Forward this article to your email lists. Crosspost on your blog site, internet forums. etc.
|
South Front
|
https://www.globalresearch.ca/videos-israeli-strikes-damascus-homs-injure-kill-many-civilians/5682359
|
2019-07-01 14:58:27+00:00
| 1,562,007,507 | 1,567,537,323 |
conflict, war and peace
|
massacre
|
317,167 |
mintpressnews--2019-02-26--Scores of Civilians Left Dead in Wake of Saudi Air Campaign on Yemen-Saudi Border
| 2019-02-26T00:00:00 |
mintpressnews
|
Scores of Civilians Left Dead in Wake of Saudi Air Campaign on Yemen-Saudi Border
|
YEMENI-SAUDI BORDER — As the widely unpopular Saudi-led, U.S.-backed war on Yemen continues to push the country deeper into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, Saudi Arabia has launched a vicious campaign to secure Jizan, its vulnerable southern border region with Yemen, which has been its Achilles heel in its brutal assault on its southern neighbor. Yemen’s Houthi fighters, the primary force resisting the Saud-led occupation of Yemen, frequently target the Saudi military in Jizan, sending a stark reminder to the Kingdom that its war on Yemen will inevitably be felt at home. Scores of civilians were killed in the past week after Saudi Arabia launched a fresh round of airstrikes against the Saudi-Yemeni border region of Hajjah in northwestern Yemen. Most of the victims, including many women and children, were from a single family that resided in the strategic Kushar directorate, an area Saudi Arabia has been attempting to capture since last week. Two civilians were also killed in a separate Saudi airstrike on Sunday that targeted a rescue operation in the al-Safiah district of Hajjah. Rescuers were attempting to recover victims from the rubble of a home that was leveled in a previous Saudi airstrike when Saudi jets returned and attacked the home a second time. That same day in Nihm, which lies southeast of Hajjah, Saudi airstrikes targeted the home of Saleh Mohammed al-Tuggi, killing three women and an elderly man. Saudi ground forces — comprised of an array of local mercenaries and allied Salafi extremist groups, including al Qaeda, and equipped with the latest U.S.-supplied weaponry — have been fighting a fierce ground campaign to take the high ground on the Saudi-Yemeni border district that overlooks Hajjah’s strategic city of Haradh. Haradh lies near the Saudi border region of Jizan. On the outskirts of Haradh, Saudi warplanes and Apache attack helicopters conducted airstrikes on the Kuhlan al-Sharf district, hitting a dozen targets including the al-Sudah school and forcing hundreds of civilians to flee to Hajjah city and to the nearby capital, Sana’a. Responding to the Saudi incursion, the Houthis and allied Yemeni military renewed attacks on military positions in southern Saudi Arabia, taking control of a number of sites in areas east of the Jizan and Najran regions and killing dozens of Saudi and foreign troops, as well as capturing Western-supplied weapons. Saudi authorities said in a statement Saturday evening that the soldiers had been killed in battles with the Houthis in Saudi Arabia’s southern border regions. The Saudi military also published images of a funeral of one of the soldiers in the al-Ahsa region. Yemen’s Houthi-allied armed forces announced that they struck a gathering of Saudi troops in the al-Bug district north of Sa’ada with a high-precision Badr P-1 ballistic missile. The attack left an unspecified number of soldiers either killed or wounded, according to a Yemeni armed-forces source. The media branch of the Houthis’ political wing, Ansar Allah, released footage showing strategic Saudi military locations being captured deep inside Saudi territory. The footage shows U.S., and what appears to be Austrian weapons caches, captured when the Houthis took control of Saudi military bases in al-Sawh in Saudi Arabia’s southwestern region of Najran, 900 kilometers (559 miles) south of the Saudi capital Riyadh. Watch | Houthi forces after they captured a Saudi military position in southern Saudi Arabia. Weapons caches can be seen in the background Despite being equipped with the latest U.S.armaments, Saudi troops and their allied mercenaries fled their posts upon confrontation, leaving behind caches of weapons including American-made armored vehicles as well as Austrian Kalashnikovs and sniper rifles. A source inside of Yemen’s military revealed that the Houthi-allied Yemeni army plans to launch additional operations in a bid to control more Saudi military sites inside the Kingdom’s southern regions of Jizan, Asir and Najran, for as long as the coalition continues its military campaign against Yemen’s Hajjah province. ِA commander of the Saudi Electronic Planning Squad was also killed after his armored vehicle was targeted in Hadabah Sudeis in Najran, southern Saudi Arabia. The ongoing Saudi-led military campaign against Yemen has resulted in the deaths of 15,250 civilians, including 3,527 children and 2,277 women, according to the Legal Center for Rights and Development in Yemen, a non-governmental organization monitoring human-rights violations immediately after their occurrence. These figures will likely increase as a result of the latest Saudi attacks on Hajjah. Other groups have put the number of civilians killed in the war much higher. Moreover, 23,822 civilians — among them 3,526 children and 2,587 women — have sustained injuries and are suffering from a shortage of medical supplies and treatment resulting from a crippling Saudi land, air, and sea blockade. The Center further noted that the Saudi-led Coalition has caused the deaths of nearly 2,200 Yemenis from cholera. According to a statement given to MintPress News by a high-ranking military official in Yemen, the latest fighting has resulted in the deaths of a number of British military personnel. The high-ranking source told MintPress that at least nine British soldiers were killed or injured in the mountainous northwestern province of Sa’ada near Saudi Arabia’s southern border region of Najran on February 24, when the Yemeni army, supported by Houthis fighters, launched a military operation against British-led mercenary forces as they were preparing to launch an attack. A yet unknown number of British soldiers were also killed in the Marib province of eastern Yemen when the Houthi-allied Yemeni military targeted British SAS (Special Air Service) battalions. The SAS troops were traveling in unmarked trucks and dressed in local Yemeni clothes, according to a military source who also confirmed that a number of British troops were evacuated in an Emirati helicopter to a U.S. military base in Djibouti. A high-ranking Saudi military commander — Brigadier General Salih Balaid al-Marqashi, commander of Saudi operations in the Baqim district of Sa’ada — was killed on Friday when Houthi-allied Yemeni troops mounted an attack to retake the Murabba Shaja area near Saudi Arabia’s southern border region of Najran. The Coalition, led by Saudi Arabia and backed by the United States and other Western powers, has killed tens of thousands of Yemeni civilians since 2015 when the war began. Moreover, the coalition’s blockade of food and medicine has plagued the country with an unprecedented famine and triggered a deadly outbreak of preventable disease that has cost thousands of civilians their lives. Top Photo | A screenshot from a video released by the Houthi-affiliated Ansar Allah Media Center, shows the moment a Saudi jet targeted a home in Yemen’s Hajjah province near the Yemen-Saudi border. Screenshot | AMC Ahmed AbdulKareem is a Yemeni journalist. He covers the war in Yemen for MintPress News as well as local Yemeni media.
|
Ahmed Abdulkareem
|
https://www.mintpressnews.com/civilians-dead-wake-saudi-air-campaign-yemen-saudi-border/255586/
|
2019-02-26 18:20:04+00:00
| 1,551,223,204 | 1,567,547,219 |
conflict, war and peace
|
massacre
|
317,352 |
mintpressnews--2019-04-29--US-Led Bombing Campaign in Syria Killed 1600 Civilians and Left Raqqa Most Destroyed City in Moder
| 2019-04-29T00:00:00 |
mintpressnews
|
US-Led Bombing Campaign in Syria Killed 1,600 Civilians and Left Raqqa ‘Most Destroyed City in Modern Times’
|
An “unprecedented” new study released on Thursday revealed that the U.S.-led bombing campaign on Raqqa, Syria in 2017—which one military commander at the time claimed was the “most precise air campaign in history”—killed an estimated 1,600 innocent civilians while leveling the city on a scale unparalleled in recent decades. The research collated almost two years of investigations into the assault on Raqqa, the groups said in a statement, and “gives a brutally vivid account” of the enormous number of civilian lives lost as “a direct result” of thousands of coalition air strikes and tens of thousands of US artillery strikes in Raqqa from June to October 2017. The report—”Rhetoric vs. Reality: How the ‘Most Precise Air Campaign in History’ Left Raqqa the Most Destroyed City in Modern Times“—is detailed on the interactive website created by investigative news organization Airwars and the human rights group Amnesty International-USA which carried out what they call the “most comprehensive investigation into civilian deaths in a modern conflict.” The findings confirm that the U.S.-led coalition has admitted to just a fraction of the civilian carnage it has caused in Syria, even as it has boasted of the care it’s taken in avoiding such casualties and the precision of the Raqqa offensive. According to the report: US, UK and French forces also launched thousands of air strikes into civilian neighborhoods, scores of which resulted in mass civilian casualties. In one tragic incident, a Coalition air strike destroyed an entire five-story residential building near Maari school in the central Harat al-Badu neighborhood in the early evening of 25 September 2017. Four families were sheltering in the basement at the time. Almost all of them – at least 32 civilians, including 20 children – were killed. A week later, a further 27 civilians – including many relatives of those killed in the earlier strike – were also killed when an air strike destroyed a nearby building.” “I saw my son die, burnt in the rubble in front of me,” Ayet Mohammed Jasem, one of the few survivors of the later attack, told the investigators. “I’ve lost everyone who was dear to me. My four children, my husband, my mother, my sister, my whole family. Wasn’t the goal to free the civilians? They were supposed to save us, to save our children.” At the time of 2017 assault on Raqqa it was U.S. Lieutenant General Stephen J. Townswend, commander of the coalition, who said, “I challenge anyone to find a more precise air campaign in the history of warfare…The Coalition’s goal is always for zero human casualties.” But the researchers argue the evidence belies those claims and, as part of the report, both groups demanded accountability for what was done to the city and its people. “The coalition needs to fully investigate what went wrong at Raqqa and learn from those lessons, to prevent inflicting such tremendous suffering on civilians caught in future military operations,” said Chris Woods, director of Airwars, in a statement. Donatella Rovera, a crisis investigator for Amnesty, shared some of what she found in Raqqa in a video the group released along with the report. “When I first came to Raqqa after the war, I knew that relentless American, British, and French bombardment killed civilians and destroyed much of the city,” Rovera said. “What I came to discover was that little or no protection was afforded to the thousands of civilians who were trapped in the city,” she added. “Raqqa is the most destroyed city in modern times in terms of percentage. There is no part of Raqqa which has been left untouched.” During their investigation, the groups also listened to the stories of survivors like nine year old Fatima Hussein Ahmad who lost her mother, Aziza, and three siblings in artillery strikes on their neighborhood. as well sustaining injuries that required the amputation of her right leg. “I was thrown over there by the explosion,” she told Amnesty during an interview from a burnt out home near where the attack took place. Almost two years later, she still cannot walk and uses a wheelchair donated by an NGO to get around. She told the researchers her only wish is to go back to school. The interactive website contains a whole section of stories from the ground, including one of 32 people, 20 children among them, who were killed in an air strike near a school and another where civilians were targeted as they crossed a river with no way to escape. The U.S. has claimed to have unleashed 30,000 rounds of artillery on the city during the offensive, while the U.K. and France helped to carry out thousands of air strikes. The U.S. strikes represent the equivalent of one strike every six minutes for four months. “Many of the air bombardments were inaccurate and tens of thousands of artillery strikes were indiscriminate, so it is no surprise they killed and injured many hundreds of civilians,” said Rovera. “Coalition forces razed Raqqa, but they cannot erase the truth,” she added. “Amnesty International and Airwars call upon the Coalition forces to end their denial about the shocking scale of civilian deaths and destruction caused by their offensive.” Civilians—who for four years had been essentially held captive in Raqqa by ISIS as the armed group set up checkpoints restricting movement, planted land mines in exit routes, and used residents as human shields—suffered fresh brutality from the U.S. and its allies as they claimed to be “liberating” the city. The two groups interviewed about 400 survivors and surveyed 200 attack sites throughout the city, examining the ruins of residential buildings and neighborhoods. Analyzing social media posts, satellite images, and other material, Amnesty and Airwars have identified the shellings that destroyed about 11,000 buildings and the names of more than 1,000 victims. But even with access to the groups’ meticulous research, which they have shared with the coalition, military leaders have admitted to only 159 civilian deaths during the Raqqa campaign—10 percent of the number determined by Airwars and Amnesty—despite the fact that the coalition does not carry out its own investigations. The report comes ahead of an expected report from the Trump administration regarding civilian casualties that resulted from the coalition’s strikes. “We hope to finally see an honest assessment of the devastating impact that U.S. lethal strikes have had on the civilians in Raqqa,” said Daphne Eviatar, director of Amnesty’s Security with Human Rights program. “The public deserves to know how many civilian casualties our government is responsible for, and the survivors deserve acknowledgement, reparations, where appropriate, and meaningful assistance to rebuild their lives.” Feature Photo | A U.S.-backed Syrian fighter from the SDF stands amidst the ruins of buildings near the Clock Square in Raqqa, Syria October 18, 2017. (Erik De Castro/Reuters)
|
Julia Conley
|
https://www.mintpressnews.com/us-bombing-campaign-syria-killed-1600-civilians/257966/
|
2019-04-29 15:42:06+00:00
| 1,556,566,926 | 1,567,541,715 |
conflict, war and peace
|
massacre
|
317,551 |
mintpressnews--2019-09-24--Saudis Blame Iran for Aramco Strikes But Retaliate by Bombing Yemeni Civilians
| 2019-09-24T00:00:00 |
mintpressnews
|
Saudis Blame Iran for Aramco Strikes But Retaliate by Bombing Yemeni Civilians
|
AMRAN, YEMEN — Unlike the burning fields of neighboring Saudi Arabia, in Yemen scenes of massive fires have become commonplace, a reality that civilians do not accept but have come to expect. For nearly five years, since the Saudi-led Coalition began its bombing campaign in Yemen, Yemeni residents have watched as their neighbors’ homes have burned to the ground, often with whole families still inside, and as schools, factories, hospitals, mosques, and markets are rendered into piles of soot and ash following massive infernos sparked by near-constant Saudi airstrikes. Yet, unlike the attacks on Saudi oil facilities, rarely do the attacks on Yemen garner international media coverage or condemnation. Thirty-two-year-old Yemeni Bedouin Saleh Masoud Jarwan did not expect that he and his family would be the next victims of the Saudi airstrikes, but on Monday Saleh was killed along with six family members in an airstrike by Coalition jets in Yemen’s Amran province. Saleh had hoped that Yemen would be safe after the attack on the Saudi Aramco facility, assuming that the attack would be enough to encourage the Kingdom to halt its drone and missile attacks against Yemen. The scene of the attack was illuminated in red from the massive fires that followed the airstrikes, and this fire was not fueled by oil but by the bodies of more than ten civilians, including women and children. The screaming and crying of two children who survived the initial onslaught provided a backdrop to the shouts of rescuers who frantically worked their shovels and called out to victims as they worked to free Saleh and his family from the rubble of the mosque that collapsed on them in the airstrike. The Coalition is estimated to have carried out at least 42 airstrikes in just a 24-hour period alone. By 2 a.m. on Sunday, local residents in the al-Sawad district of North Amran were living in horror as they sheltered in schools and mosques hoping to escape death from above as at least 12 Coalition airstrikes leveled their neighborhood. Thekra, Moamer, and Kubra — three young girls between the ages of three and eight — were among those who took refuge in a local mosque, only to be killed after Saudi warplanes brought it down over their heads. In the village of al-Addi in the Harf Sufyan district, the air was suffused with the smell of charred bodies after a Saudi airstrike hit a car, instantly killing the two civilians inside. That attack was followed hours later by airstrikes targeting the nearby home of Ahmed Jimaie. On Tuesday, 16 civilians, including four women and seven children, were killed when Saudi airstrikes hit the home of Abbas al-Halmi in Qataba, Al-Dali governorate, according to a local resident who spoke to MintPress but was unable to provide further details on the attack. The bodies of three children were later recovered from the rubble of that attack, adding to the already staggering death toll. MintPress obtained graphic footage of the attack showing the father of Abbas al-Halmi retrieving the body part of one of his deceased relatives from the rubble. The Grand Mufti of Yemen, Shams al-Din Sharaf al-Din, the highest religious authority in Yemen, laid blame on those who declared solidarity with Saudi Arabia following last week’s Aramco attacks but remain silent in the face of atrocities committed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in Yemen. These latest Saudi-led Coalition attacks came days after Yemen’s Houthis announced responsibility for a spate of retaliatory attacks against positions inside Saudi Arabia. It is unclear why the Coalition launched the ostensibly retaliatory attacks on Yemen, as they claim that it was Iran, not the Houthis, that carried out the oil-field attacks. Mahdi al-Mashat, Ansarullah’s (the Houthis’ political bloc) president of the Supreme Political Council in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, warned that Yemenis would not hesitate to “launch a period of great pain if their calls for peace were ignored.” Al-Mashat made the comments following an announcement that the Houthis would temporarily cease all retaliatory missile and drone attacks against the Saudi monarchy as part of a Yemeni peace initiative. Al-Mashat said: That announcement came just three days before the Coalition launched its deadly attacks in Amran. The United Nations welcomed Ansarullah’s proposal, saying in a statement issued on Saturday by the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, that it marked an important opportunity to move forward with all necessary steps to reduce violence, military escalation, and unhelpful rhetoric. Griffiths emphasized that the implementation of the proposal by the Houthis was in good faith and could send a powerful message of their will to end the war. Saudi Arabia has so far refused to accept the offer and Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir dismissed it, saying, “We judge other parties by their deeds [and] actions and not by their words, so we will see.” The peace initiative follows Houthi airstrikes on two of Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities in Abqaiq and Khurais, which led to a suspension of about 50 percent of the Arab kingdom’s crude and gas production. That attack on a vital economic interest of the Kingdom garnered widespread support among many in Yemen’s capital city of Sana’a. On September 14, the day of that attack, hundreds of thousands of residents from Sana’a and its neighboring provinces took to the streets carrying Yemeni flags and holding banners emblazoned with messages of steadfastness and support for Houthi drone and missile forces. For many, the Houthis’ setting fire to the Kingdom’s Aramco oil fields represented the last hope to quell Saudi attacks on Yemen. In a staggering show of solidarity on Sunday, an estimated 1,200 cars filled the streets of 70th Area, a neighborhood in southern Sana’a, to drop off food donations for families of victims of Saudi airstrikes. According to many of the families, the attack on Aramco is revenge for the blood of the estimated 100,000 people killed in the Saudi-led Coalition’s war in Yemen. Indeed, the Coalition has used systematic economic strangulation as a weapon of war — targeting jobs, infrastructure, the agricultural sector, fuel and water pumping stations, factories, and the provision of basic services, as well as imposing a land, sea and air embargo impacting the country’s imports, causing the spread of famine throughout the country. This, to the many in Yemen who celebrated the Aramco attack, is sufficient justification for targeting the heart of Saudi Arabia’s economy. However, many still doubt that the Houthis were capable of carrying out an attack of the scale and range of the one that struck Saudi Arabia — instead accusing Iran of orchestrating the attacks. Others await the results of an international investigation, but the Houthis, who comprise a major component of Yemen’s resistance to Saudi interference in their country, say the evidence that they carried out the attacks exists and that they will share it with the media. The Houthis over the past two years have launched a series of sophisticated attacks on Saudi coalition targets deep inside the Kingdom, establishing a precedent for the most recent attacks. Houthi officials say the attacks on the Aramco facilities were launched from three different locations, based on their flight endurance and designated targets, and that various types of combat drones were used in the attack, some capable of carrying four precision-guided bombs and of striking their targets from several angles. Moreover, the Houthis’ third-generation Qasef (Striker) combat drones and long-endurance Sammad-3 (Invincible-3) drones have an operational range of 1,500 kilometers to 1,700 kilometers. The attack on Aramco came at a time when the de facto leader of the Kingdom, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was attempting to refloat the much-delayed public offering of Aramco shares, and that attack would not likely not have succeeded without the cooperation of members of Saudi royalty and former Saudi officers, according to some Houthi sources. Feature photo | An explosion follows a Saudi-led airstrike in Sanaa, Yemen, Jan. 11, 2017. Hani Mohammed | AP Ahmed AbdulKareem is a Yemeni journalist. He covers the war in Yemen for MintPress News as well as local Yemeni media.
|
Ahmed Abdulkareem
|
https://www.mintpressnews.com/saudi-arabia-blame-iran-aramco-strikes-retaliate-bombing-yemen-civilians/262051/
|
2019-09-24 19:12:32+00:00
| 1,569,366,752 | 1,570,222,309 |
conflict, war and peace
|
massacre
|
348,959 |
newspunch--2019-07-01--Israeli Missile Attack Kills Civilians In Syria
| 2019-07-01T00:00:00 |
newspunch
|
Israeli Missile Attack Kills Civilians In Syria
|
Sixteen people,including a baby were killed and 21 injured in Israeli missile strikes near the Syrian cities of Damascus and Homs according to Syrian state media . The Sana news agency said that Israeli jets targeted military bases, linked to Iranian forces, from Lebanese airspace at around midnight on Sunday. Press TV reports: The Syrian air defense earlier said its forces had shot down three missiles launched by Israeli warplanes on Sunday night from Lebanese airspace towards some Syrian sites. SANA quoted a military source as saying that the aggression targeted military sites in Homs and the suburbs of Damascus. The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also claimed that the strikes had targeted a research center and a military airport west of the city of Homs. Following the explosions near Damascus, Israeli jet fighters reportedly flied at low altitudes in the Lebanese airspace. The Israeli regime launches airstrikes on the Syrian territory from time to time. Such aggressive moves are usually viewed as attempts to prop up terrorist groups suffering defeats at the hands of Syrian government forces. Israel used to be very careful with its operations over Syria after Russia equipped Damascus with the advanced S-300 surface-to-air missiles in October 2018.
|
Niamh Harris
|
https://newspunch.com/israeli-missile-attack-kills-civilians-in-syria/
|
2019-07-01 20:22:39+00:00
| 1,562,026,959 | 1,567,537,348 |
conflict, war and peace
|
massacre
|
468,660 |
rferl--2019-03-25--Thirteen Civilians Mostly Children Believed Killed In Afghan Air Strike UN Report Finds
| 2019-03-25T00:00:00 |
rferl
|
Thirteen Civilians, Mostly Children, Believed Killed In Afghan Air Strike, UN Report Finds
|
Thirteen civilians were killed, mostly children, in an air strike by "international forces" near the northern Afghan city of Kunduz last week, according to preliminary findings of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). "The mission expresses serious concern that initial fact-finding indicates that 10 of those killed were children, part of the same extended famil...displaced by fighting elsewhere in the country," UNAMA said in a statement on March 25. It said that three more civilians were apparently wounded in the incident, which occurred in the Telawka neighborhood close to Kunduz city on the night of March 22-23, during “operations conducted by pro-government forces against Taliban in the area.” “Work is ongoing to verify all civilian casualties that occurred during military operations that were conducted around the time of the air strike,” the statement said. A spokeswoman for the NATO-led Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan said on March 24 that U.S. forces had carried out an air strike in the area, but she said the mission had not confirmed it had caused civilian casualties. Sergeant Debra Richardson said the mission aims to prevent civilian casualties but noted that Taliban militants intentionally hide among civilians. The war in Afghanistan killed more civilians in 2018 than at any time since records have been kept, UNAMA said in a February report, blaming the increase on unprecedented suicide bombings by militant groups and air strikes carried out by U.S.-led forces. It said that the conflict killed 3,804 civilians and wounded another 7,189 in 2018, an 11 percent increase from the previous year. The civilian death toll is the highest number since UNAMA began tallying figures in 2009.
| null |
https://www.rferl.org/a/thirteen-civilians-mostly-children-believed-killed-in-afghan-air-strike-un-report-finds/29840653.html
|
2019-03-25 10:07:06+00:00
| 1,553,522,826 | 1,567,544,950 |
conflict, war and peace
|
massacre
|
470,083 |
rferl--2019-07-30--UN Afghan Civilians Dying At Shocking Level
| 2019-07-30T00:00:00 |
rferl
|
UN: Afghan Civilians Dying At 'Shocking' Level
|
KABUL -- A total of 1,366 civilians have been killed and 2,446 more were injured in Afghanistan's conflict during the first six months of this year, according to the United Nations. The latest figures from the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), released in a July 30 report, showed a 27 percent drop in casualties for the first half of 2019 compared to the same period last year, which was a record. While the UN welcomed the drop, it "continues to regard the level of harm done to civilians as shocking and unacceptable," UNAMA said in a statement. Afghanistan's bloody toll continued to climb amid a months-long, U.S.-led push to forge a deal with the Taliban to end the nearly 18-year war. The Taliban controls or contests around half of Afghanistan, more territory than at any time since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001 ousted the group from power. UNAMA said ground engagements caused the most civilian casualties in the first six months of 2019, causing one-third of the overall total, followed by the use of improvised explosive devices and air strikes. The Taliban, the Islamic State, and other groups fighting against Afghan government forces caused 52 percent of the casualties, the report said. Among the 985 documented civilian casualties attributed to militants were government officials, tribal elders, aid workers, religious scholars, and mullahs. Extremists were also behind attacks that caused casualties in places of worship and culture. Pro-government forces killed 717 people and injured 680, a 31 percent increase on the same period last year. However, a spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, USFOR-A, disputed UNAMA's data. "USFOR-A rejects UNAMA's methods and findings. Sources with limited information and conflicted motives are not always credible," Colonel Sonny Leggett said in a statement. "We follow the highest standards of accuracy and accountability and always work to avoid harm to civilian noncombatants," Leggett said. UNAMA said that women continue to be "disproportionately" affected by the war, which caused the deaths of 144 women and injured 286. Child casualties comprised nearly one-third of the overall civilian casualties, with 327 deaths and 880 injured. U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad is expected to return to Qatar in the next week for an eighth round of direct talks with Taliban negotiators. The United States is aiming to achieve a peace pact that would see foreign forces quit Afghanistan in return for security guarantees by September 1, ahead of the Afghan presidential election that is scheduled toward the end of that month. Both Washington and the Taliban have said recently that they were making progress toward reaching a peace deal, but the militant group has so far refused to meet directly with the Afghan government, saying it is illegitimate and is a puppet of foreign states.
| null |
https://www.rferl.org/a/un-nearly-4-000-afghans-killed-or-wounded-in-first-half-of-2019/30082662.html
|
2019-07-30 04:46:06+00:00
| 1,564,476,366 | 1,567,535,369 |
conflict, war and peace
|
massacre
|
497,091 |
sottnet--2019-02-13--Collateral damage When US bombs incinerated 408 civilians in Iraqs Amiriyah shelter
| 2019-02-13T00:00:00 |
sottnet
|
'Collateral damage': When US bombs incinerated 408 civilians in Iraq's Amiriyah shelter
|
On this day in 1991, over 400 people lost their lives when the US dropped two 2,000-pound smart bombs on a Baghdad air-raid shelter. But because it was the 'good guys' who did it, the massacre is not remembered as it should be.'Collateral damage'. The first time I remember those words being used was in the first Gulf War. There was plenty of 'collateral damage' in that conflict. In other words, lots of innocent people were killed.the BBC's Jeremy Bowen reported. One poor man said 11 of his family had been in the shelter. Another wept as he said he had lost his wife and children.The US 'defense' was that they had thought the shelter was a command and control bunker. Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was using his people as human shields. Yet, as a Human Rights Watch report later noted, the Pentagon conceded that the bunker had been used for civil defense in the Iran-Iraq war, and US officials "gave no warning that they considered its protected status as a civilian shelter to have ended."Award-winning anti-war journalist John Pilger noted the interrogation that Jeremy Bowen received when he reported on the crime. "'Are you absolutely certain it wasn't a military bunker?" he was asked, or words to that effect.Of course,And we are always told we have to 'move on' very quickly from these 'mistakes' and 'accidents'."Consider the dreadful toll of Iraqi civilian deaths in the intense bombing campaignAll this was barely mentioned at the time, even on the BBC and the 'quality' press, and is now all but forgotten," writes David Cromwell of Media Lens, in his book 'Why Are We The Good Guys?'The Iraqi press called for the US to be tried for war crimes over the Amiriyah strike. But of course it never happened. In 2001, on the 10th anniversary of the bombing, the US-funded Radio Free Iraq broadcast an interview with an unnamed Iraqi who claimed that there was something not quite right about the air-raid shelter. But even he said he did not know whether or not the bunker was a command and control center and admitted he was not in a "position to give an expert opinion."Two years later,What is revealing is how the Amiriyah Incineration has - outside of Iraq - disappeared down the memory hole. Let's suppose that instead of America or one of its allies carrying out the attack it had been Russia, Iran, or another 'official enemy'. Then we'd never have heard the last of it.We can be sure that it would have been the subject of at least one major Hollywood film and we'd have annual reminders of the heinous crime. To their credit, the British band Radiohead did write a song about the massacre entitled 'I Will' which included the lyric "little baby's eyes," but you need to search very hard for other references in popular culture.Because by not remembering the dead of Amiriyah we are saying that those killed by the US and its allies are lesser beings than those killed by its geo-strategic rivals.It's not just in Iraq where this has happened.At first they tried to blame the atrocity on Yugoslav forces. But when evidence emerged that it was a NATO strike - the alliance claimed that the pilot had believed it to be a military convoy. And of course, the blame for this "tragic accident" was passed on to the 'official enemy'."NATO regrets any harm to innocent civilians, and reminds that the circumstances in which this accident occurred are wholly the responsibility of (Yugoslav) President Milosevic and his policies," said NATO spokesperson Jamie Shea, sounding just like Martin Fitzwater eight years earlier.The US-led war in Afghanistan has also been marked by a high level of 'collateral damage'."My brother is buried under here. What can we do? Our lives are ruined," said a distraught Mohammed Afzl as he surveyed the rubble following the US strike Again, the US tried to blame others - questioning whether it had really been a wedding. It's a tradition to fire celebratory shots in the air at Pashtun weddings, but the US claimed this was "hostile fire," so it was ok to bomb. Later, President Bush expressed his 'sympathy' to the mourning families and his 'hope that such kind of accidents won't happen again'. But of course they did, with great regularity.Dating back to Amiriyah, we can discern a clear pattern when 'collateral damage' occurs:a) The hit is described as a 'tragic mistake/accident', made because we were fighting 'the bad guys' (indirectly blaming the 'bad guys' for forcing us to be there).Or...b) The hit is blamed on the 'bad guys' directly., not Israel's, in the same way that every death during the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia was the fault of Milosevic.c) If there is a real outcry, then it's a case of: don't worry, we will hold our own internal inquiry! An internal inquiry which of course ends up exonerating the perpetrators.What we don't get and what the families of those killed in Amiriyah are still waiting for is justice.So spare a thought for the 408 today and all the other innocent victims of 'collateral damage', because we're really meant to have forgotten them.
| null |
https://www.sott.net/article/407140-Collateral-damage-When-US-bombs-incinerated-408-civilians-in-Iraqs-Amiriyah-shelter
|
2019-02-13 17:01:30+00:00
| 1,550,095,290 | 1,567,548,727 |
conflict, war and peace
|
massacre
|
535,670 |
sputnik--2019-06-17--Militant Fire in Syrias Aleppo Kills 11 Civilians - Russian MoD
| 2019-06-17T00:00:00 |
sputnik
|
Militant Fire in Syria's Aleppo Kills 11 Civilians - Russian MoD
|
“The Kudehi settlement in Aleppo province was subjected to mortar fire from the positions of militants of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham terrorist group [former Jabhat al-Nusra, banned in Russia]... As a result of the shelling, 11 civilians were killed and 15 wounded," Bakin said. Earlier in the day it was reported that 12 people were killed and 15 injured following an attack against a village in the Syrian province of Aleppo. At the time, a source in the local police force said that the attack killed a Syrian serviceman and injured several women and children. The attack also caused significant property damage. Syria has been mired in a civil war since 2011, with government forces fighting numerous opposition groups as well as militant and terrorist organizations. In late April, terrorists increased attacks on the Syrian provinces of Hama, Aleppo and Latakia, also attempting to attack Syrian army positions in the region. Government forces responded by intensifying attacks on the terrorists remaining in Idlib. Last week, Russia initiated an agreement on the full cessation of hostilities in the Idlib de-escalation zone. *Nusra Front, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham are terrorist groups banned in Russia and many other countries.
| null |
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201906171075920971-militant-fire-in-syrias-aleppo-kills-11-civilians---russian-mod/
|
2019-06-17 19:03:11+00:00
| 1,560,812,591 | 1,567,539,040 |
conflict, war and peace
|
massacre
|
544,567 |
sputnik--2019-09-21--Criminal Carelessness US Airstrikes Kill Afghan Civilians Cause Destruction of Society
| 2019-09-21T00:00:00 |
sputnik
|
‘Criminal Carelessness’: US Airstrikes Kill Afghan Civilians, Cause ‘Destruction of Society’
|
“One of the things that’s heartbreaking about this - these are pine nut farmers,”Terrell told host Brian Becker. “I [have] visited Afghanistan, and especially my young friends there, just like young people in our cities, it’s: ‘How do I make legitimate living?’ And while the war in Afghanistan these last 18 years has destroyed any legitimate economy, any industry, any agriculture, the one thing that has been able to flourish has been the opium trade. And how are people to make a living if pine farmers are in danger? It’s horrible.” The attack, which was targeting a Daesh hideout, instead took the lives of civilian farmers who were collecting pine nuts in Wazir Tangi in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, Reuters reported. "Initial indications are members of Daesh were among those targeted in the strike," Colonel Sonny Leggett, a spokesperson for the US-led coalition in Afghanistan is quoted as saying by Al-Jazeera. "However, we are working with local officials to determine whether there was collateral damage." The latest attack against civilians in Afghanistan is not an isolated incident, Terrell explained. “This [has] happened over and over again. [Former US President Barack] Obama insisted the drone strikes happen when we face an imminent threat and only when there is near certainty of no civilian casualties. This is what they’ve said over and over again. It’s the same policies that have been going on for 18 years. It’s carelessness; it’s criminal carelessness. Often the media will express it as a failed attempt at nation building, and it’s not at all. It's been [the] very destruction of a society, and Americans have to realize that and come to terms with just exactly what we've done to Afghanistan and what we are continuing to do,” Terrell explained. A United Nations report published last month found that US airstrikes were responsible for more deaths of Afghan civilians than Taliban attacks were. “That was a crime most likely perpetrated from American soil … The admission that there was civilian casualties only comes when there’s tremendous pressure … [The Afghanistan war is an] attack on a people, and it should stop, and there should be reparations,” Terrell added. Afghanistan has long been in a state of political turmoil, with the government unable to establish full control over the country's territory due to various terrorist factions, in particular the Taliban and Daesh. In 2017, with Afghanistan’s armed forces struggling to respond to terrorist attacks within the country, US President Donald Trump announced a resolution to send more troops to the war-torn state, while also appealing to NATO members to assist by deploying more of their service members to the war zone. The Taliban and the US were trying to reach a peace deal that would include the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan and assurances from the Taliban that the country will not be used as a safe haven for terrorists. The US has long insisted that the Afghan government take part in the peace negotiations, but the Taliban considers the government a puppet of the US, and has repeatedly stated that it is the only stakeholder in Afghanistan that will deal with the US. However, earlier this month, Trump declared that the US peace talks with Taliban “are dead” after the group claimed responsibility for a car bomb explosion in Kabul that killed dozens of people, including an American soldier. The views and opinions expressed in the article do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik.
| null |
https://sputniknews.com/analysis/201909211076855686-criminal-carelessness-us-airstrikes-kill-afghan-civilians-cause-destruction-of-society/
|
2019-09-21 00:34:48+00:00
| 1,569,040,488 | 1,570,222,570 |
conflict, war and peace
|
massacre
|
546,172 |
sputnik--2019-10-09--At Least 30 Civilians Dead in US Strikes on Afghan Meth Labs, UN Says
| 2019-10-09T00:00:00 |
sputnik
|
At Least 30 Civilians Dead in US Strikes on Afghan Meth Labs, UN Says
|
At least 30 civilian were killed in US airstrikes on several drug-making facilities in Afghanistan in May, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a report on Wednesday. UNAMA claimed that they had “verified 39 civilian casualties (30 deaths, five injured and four undetermined), including 14 children and one woman, due to the 5 May airstrikes”. The agency also said that they had obtained “credible information” about an additional 30 deaths, mostly women and children, and that they trying to verify the claims. UNAMA argued that the methamphetamine production facilities were owned and operated by criminal groups, which is why they “did not meet the definition of legitimate military objectives under international law”. The agency concluded that the factories and workers inside “may not be lawfully made the target of attack based on their possible economic or financial contribution to the war effort of a party to a conflict”. US Forces-Afghanistan (USFOR-A) immediately rejected the UNAMA findings, insisting in a statement that the “precision” strikes had accurately targeted meth labs. USFOR-A also lambasted the UN agency’s “narrow definition” of legitimate targets. “In addition to imagery collection during the precision strikes, USFOR-A conducted exhaustive assessments of the facilities and surrounding areas after the strikes. Combined assessments determined the strikes did not cause deaths or injuries to non-combatants,” the statement pointed out. USFOR-A insisted the meth labs were run and owned by the Taliban, who they claimed used the revenue to "fund ongoing indiscriminate violence against innocent Afghans". The May 5 raids in Farah and Nimroz province were carried out after “comprehensive intelligence confirmed that all personnel inside of the laboratories were Taliban combatants”, the command argued. The US military focused on undermining the Taliban’s meth industry after multiple strikes against the militant group’s opium processing plants in 2017 and early 2018 failed to damage the insurgents’ revenue flow. According to UN statistics, roughly 16,000 civilians have been killed in the Afghanistan war since 2009. In August, the UN claimed in a report that the US and its allies in Afghanistan have been responsible for more civilian deaths in the country than the Taliban. At least 3,812 civilians have been killed or wounded in the first half of 2019, the report said, noting a big increase in the number of casualties caused by government and NATO-led troops. The US and its allies launched a military operation in Afghanistan in 2001 after the 9/11 attacks, which were staged by the al-Qaeda* terror group, backed by then Taliban-led government of Afghanistan. The Taliban and the US are trying to reach a peace deal that would include the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan and assurances from the Taliban that the country will not be used as a safe haven for terrorists.
| null |
https://sputniknews.com/world/201910091076998452-afghanistan-civilians-us-airstrikes-taliban/
|
Wed, 09 Oct 2019 16:48:18 +0300
| 1,570,654,098 | 1,570,631,934 |
conflict, war and peace
|
massacre
|
572,628 |
tass--2019-10-18--At least 13 civilians killed by Turkish air strike against refugee convoy in Syria — TV
| 2019-10-18T00:00:00 |
tass
|
At least 13 civilians killed by Turkish air strike against refugee convoy in Syria — TV
|
MOSCOW, October 18. /TASS/. Turkish warplanes on Friday attacked a convoy of refugees on the Tell-Tamer - Ayn Issa road in northern Syria, the Al Mayadeen television network reports. The strike reportedly left 13 killed and injured 70 others. The Syrian SANA news agency earlier reported that Turkish jets killed five civilians and wounded 20 more in an attack on Umm al-Heyr community. Reports on more injuries are also coming from the district of Zerkan situated east of Ras al-Ayn town also struck by Turkish Air Force. At least eight people were injured there. On Friday, the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) accused the Turkish Armed Forces of carrying out attacks on civilians in the town of Ras al-Ayn in northeast Syria. "Despite the agreement to halt the fighting, [Turkish] air and artillery attacks continue to target the positions of fighters [and] civilian settlements [in Ras al-Ayn]," a Kurdish representative said in a statement. On Thursday, the United States and Turkey reached an agreement to pause the Peace Spring operation. Turkey consented to a 120-hour ceasefire so that Kurdish units making up the coalition of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) could leave the areas of the border security zone that Ankara is attempting to create. Turkey designates a terrorist status to many Kurdish organizations. If Kurds leave the area, the Turkish Armed Forces' operation will be ceased pursuant to the agreement reached by Ankara and Washington.
| null |
https://tass.com/world/1083944
|
Fri, 18 Oct 2019 16:30:29 +0300
| 1,571,430,629 | 1,571,416,138 |
conflict, war and peace
|
massacre
|
773,507 |
theindependent--2019-10-11--Under the bombs: The first days of Turkey's 'safe zone' have been anything but for ci
| 2019-10-11T00:00:00 |
theindependent
|
Under the bombs: The first days of Turkey's 'safe zone' have been anything but for civilians trapped in northeast Syria
|
When the bombing started, Azad Murad was away from his family. He learned that his home town of Qamishli was being shelled when he received a panicked phone call from his wife. “She was crying. She didn’t know what was happening and she told me to come home now,” he said. He felt helpless, even more so when he heard his children crying in the background. “I didn’t know what to do. It was the most difficult moment,” he told The Independent. It was the same for thousands of residents of border towns and villages in northeast Syria this week, when Turkey launched a long-threatened attack against Kurdish forces in the area. More than 100,000 people have fled their homes in the first three days of the operation, many without any idea of where they will go. At least 15 civilians have been killed, among them three children. Aid agencies said that vital services have been interrupted, including medical facilities and water supplies. The conflict has been years in the making, but the scale and speed with which Turkey launched its attack appears to have taken many by surprise. The offensive was set into motion when Donald Trump unexpectedly gave Turkey the green light to attack the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), effectively abandoning a key US ally. The SDF worked closely with the US military in the years-long fight against Isis in Syria, acting as the main fighting force on the ground while US jets supported them from the air. It lost 12,000 fighters in the battle to defeat the Isis caliphate. That alliance had infuriated Ankara, which considers the group a terrorist organisation for its links to separatists inside Turkey. Turkey says its operation is aimed at creating a “safe zone” some 20 miles deep all along the border, free of Kurdish forces. But the campaign, the stated aim of which is to bring “stability” to Turkey’s southern border, has turned a once relatively peaceful part of Syria into a warzone once more. In the time since the bombing began, Mr Murad has been sheltering with his wife, three children and elderly parents inside their house. Most shops are closed in the multi-ethnic city of Qamishli, home to 250,000 people. “I’m playing music for my children when we hear shelling. This is the only option we have,” he said. Mr Murad has reason to worry. Video released from a hospital in Qamishli on Thursday showed the chaotic scene as two children hit by artillery fire were rushed into the emergency room. Mohamed, 15, was killed by the attack. His sister, 8, whose foot was shown dangling from her shattered leg by just a thread, later had her limb amputated. “Everyone was yelling and screaming in the hospital. The children’s aunt was crying, begging people to share blood, they needed a rare B-type for the little girl,” said Sharine, a resident of the city who went to the hospital to help. “The doctors tried to reassure the aunt but in the last second they had to admit the little girl would lose her leg. Everyone looked horrified,” she told The Independent. On Friday, the once bustling city was hit by more intense artillery. In the afternoon, a suspected car bomb struck a police headquarters in the city, sending plumes of smoke rising into the air. Turkish artillery and jets have targeted towns and villages all the way along the border, but much of the ground fighting has been focused on the towns of Ras al-Ayn and Tal Abyad. Residents there were given little warning before Turkish jets screeched across the sky on Wednesday to begin their attack. Thousands piled into cars and jumped into the back of pick-up trucks in fear of the fighting. “We left in large numbers sharing cars, while we were under fire. People were terrified of the Turkish factions,” said Sara, who fled Tal Abyad for the city of Kobani. Hundreds of civilians reportedly turned up at the gates of a US base near Kobani demanding protection. Many who have been forced to flee their homes expressed surprise that the US, which one not long ago patrolled the border area alongside the SDF, had abandoned them. “We are in shock. How, after all the resistance and eliminating Isis, could this happen to us? We were once the safest city now most of the people have fled and only a few are left in town,” she said. “The children are suffering terribly,” she added. “Before I left, I saw a six-year-old boy crying and asked his mother am I going to die?” The scale of the initial displacement has taken aid groups by surprise, but the worst may be yet to come. Some 450,000 people live within 3 miles of the border, where Turkey hopes to introduce its safe zone. The International Rescue Committee predicts that the new hostilities will displace 300,000 more in the immediate future. That movement of people will likely create another crisis in a region already struggling. At least 700,000 of the 1.7 million people in northeast Syria need humanitarian assistance, according to the UN. Many local staff working for aid agencies have fled to safety with their families. In the absence of an organised aid effort, families are finding shelter where they can. Fawaz Saydo, a teacher from the town of Tel Tamer, opened up the doors of the school where he works to people fleeing towns further north. “We have put people in schools and houses as much as possible, but there is not enough space. People have gone down themselves to the streets to take people into their homes. There is no food relief or medical relief reaching us,” he told The Independent. “Civilian areas not just military posts are being targeted,” he added. “A water point that supplied the whole of Hasakah was hit by the Turkish forces, so now Hasakah has been without water. There have been attempts to fix the water supply but we currently have no water.” The chaos of the first three days of the offensive is likely to pale in comparison to what comes next. Amnesty International warned Friday that the Turkish offensive could spark a devastating humanitarian catastrophe. “Hostilities will impact and restrict access to humanitarian aid, pushing the civilian population – which has already suffered years of violence and displacement – to the brink,” said Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Europe director. The rights group said it documented indiscriminate attacks committed by the Turkish military and allied armed groups, and to a lesser extent Kurdish forces, the last time Turkey launched an operation against the SDF in the towns of Afrin and Azaz in northern Aleppo. It said scores of civilians were killed in the fighting. The chaos of the past few days is now giving way to fear of what comes next. Mr Murad and tens of thousands of others are now figuring out what to do. “Yesterday we were all discussing what options we have,” he says. None of them are good. “To flee to Turkey? To Kurdistan region of Iraq? To the countryside? And what if I am forced to fight? Or if I choose to fight defend the region? “I don’t know what to do. I have kids. I have an old father and mother to take care of them.” Many reserve a special anger for Mr Trump – who not long ago was a popular figure in this part of the world. “People call him a crazy person who cares only for money. And a big liar,” said Mr Murad. “The US left the people to their dark destiny.”
|
Richard Hall
|
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/turkey-syria-invasion-trump-kurds-latest-isis-sdf-middle-east-a9152306.html
|
Fri, 11 Oct 2019 14:28:00 GMT
| 1,570,818,480 | 1,570,836,054 |
conflict, war and peace
|
massacre
|
126,806 |
dailybuzzlive--2019-12-13--Female bodybuilder, 82, clobbers intruder
| 2019-12-13T00:00:00 |
dailybuzzlive
|
Female bodybuilder, 82, clobbers intruder
|
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — An intruder didn’t count on an 82-year-old woman living alone being an award-winning bodybuilder with nerves of steel. Willie Murphy was getting ready for bed one night late last month at her home in Rochester, New York, when a man pounded on the door and said he needed an ambulance, Murphy told radio station WHAM. She called police but wouldn’t open the door. Then, she said, the man broke in and skulked through the dark house. “He picked the wrong house to break into,” Murphy said. First, she clobbered him with a table. Then she poured shampoo in his face and was beating him with a broom when police arrived. “I was whaling on that man,” Murphy told the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. “‘Cause I said to myself, ‘If it’s my time to go to hell, I’m taking him with me!'” The man got his ambulance ride, after all. He was sent to a hospital, and police tweeted a selfie with Murphy, calling her “tough as nails.” Murphy works out almost daily at Rochester’s Maplewood YMCA and said she can deadlift 225 pounds — more than twice her weight. She can do one-handed pullups and one-handed pushups. She won the World Natural Powerlifting Federation Lifter of the Year award in 2014. “She really helps dispel the myths of aging,” said Michelle LeBoo, a program coordinator at the Maplewood YMCA. Murphy is “a strong, beautiful woman” who does things “for the benefit of others,” LeBoo added. Murphy said she hopes her story inspires people of all ages.
|
Daily Buzz Live
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http://dailybuzzlive.com/female-bodybuilder-82-clobbers-intruder/
|
Fri, 13 Dec 2019 20:49:47 +0000
| 1,576,288,187 | 1,576,282,203 |
sport
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bodybuilding
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154,954 |
drudgereport--2019-11-27--82-Year-Old Bodybuilding Grandma Takes Down Burglar...
| 2019-11-27T00:00:00 |
drudgereport
|
82-Year-Old Bodybuilding Grandma Takes Down Burglar...
|
— An 82-year-old female bodybuilder fought back against a man who broke through the door into her home, holding him down until police officers arrived. Willie Murphy of Rochester, New York, said she was getting ready for bed Thursday just after 11 p.m. when a man began pounding on her door, urging her to call an ambulance for him, WHAM reported. “He was outside and saying, ‘Please call an ambulance,’ saying, ‘I’m sick, I’m sick,'” she said. Murphy said she called the police, but the man became angry and broke through the door. “It’s kind of semi-dark and I’m alone, and I’m old. But guess what, I’m tough,” she said, baring her muscular arms. What the suspect likely didn’t realize is Murphy is an award-winning bodybuilder who works out at the YMCA almost every day. The athletic grandmother can deadlift 225 pounds. Murphy says she hid as the suspect walked through her house. At some point, she grabbed a nearby table. “I took that table and I went to working on him,” she said. “And guess what? The table broke.” The man fell to the floor. “And when he’s down,” she continued, “I’m jumping on him.” Murphy says once the suspect was down, she ran and grabbed a bottle of shampoo and squirted it on the man’s face as he tried to get up. Next, she started whacking him with a broom. “He picked the wrong house to break into,” Murphy said. “So they come in,” she said. “He’s laying down already because I had really did a number on that man.” The 28-year-old suspect, who police say was intoxicated, was taken to a nearby hospital. Murphy says she does not plan to press charges.
| null |
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DrudgeReportFeed/~3/puYN2vRQz7o/
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Wed, 27 Nov 2019 00:16:37 GMT
| 1,574,831,797 | 1,574,813,859 |
sport
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bodybuilding
|
242,455 |
hotair--2019-11-18--There's a bodybuilding and powerlifting competition just for trans athletes
| 2019-11-18T00:00:00 |
hotair
|
There's a bodybuilding and powerlifting competition just for trans athletes
|
Virtually every time we’ve brought up the subject of transgender athletes in competitive sports here, the news has been less than good. For the most part, the stories inevitably wind up dealing with males “transitioning” to females who compete against actual women and wind up dominating the sport. Unfortunately, a solution to this issue that satisfies all parties has remained elusive to say the least. But in at least two sports, some people are moving into a new field of gender categorization that could offer an answer. The sports are bodybuilding and powerlifting, and a group in Georgia has been hosting competitive events specific to transgender athletes. We’ll get back to why this is important in a moment. This tale begins with Josey Lynn Davis, a transgender bodybuilder who was looking for opportunities to compete after the entire “transition” process. (NY Post) “I didn’t know what would be said about me, so I was scared,” Davis, who lives near Knoxville, Tenn., tells The Post. But after a bit of Google searching, she found an organization where she would feel comfortable showing her stuff: the International Association of Trans Bodybuilders and Powerlifters (IATBP), an organization that puts on a competition every October in Atlanta. Not only was Davis the first trans woman to compete, but she also won first place in the women’s bikini division. The organization in question is the International Association of Trans Bodybuilders and they are hosting competitive events in both bodybuilding and powerlifting. (I should issue a trigger warning for those who require such things. That link has a lot of photos.) This may seem well off the beaten path, but here’s why I wanted to point this out. We’ve already seen serious problems in competitive powerlifting where transgender athletes are winning medals and shutting out actual females in women’s events. But if the organizations running these competitions feel forced to accept transgender athletes, real females are eventually just going to be shut out. Perhaps what the IATBP is doing here could provide a template. Granted, this only applies to two sports so far, but as long as the rules are made clear up front they could at least clear up the issue for weightlifters and other sports could follow suit. That way, everyone gets to compete but the unfairness factor is removed and competitive women’s sports can remain purely for naturally born women. It’s a problem that most in the media are not willing to tackle thus far, unfortunately. Take for example this recent article from Wired. Titled, “The Trans athlete revolution is here,” it celebrates the “amazing victories” by trans athletes in female sports. Transgender athletes are having a moment. At all levels of sport, they’re stepping onto the podium and into the headlines. New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard won two gold medals at the Pacific Games, and college senior CeCé Telfer became the NCAA Division II national champion in the 400-meter run. Another senior, June Eastwood, has been instrumental to her cross-country team’s success. At the high school level, Terry Miller won the girls’ 200-meter dash at Connecticut’s state open championship track meet. These recent performances are inherently praiseworthy—shining examples of what humans can accomplish with training and effort. But as more transgender athletes rise to the top of their fields, some vocal opponents are also expressing outrage at what they see as transgender athletes ruining sports for cisgendered girls and women. To be fair to the author, the Wired article does go into the questions we’ve been addressing here about testosterone suppression and all the rest, as well as the debate over allowing transgender athletes to compete against women in the first place. But as the author notes, there have been few promising solutions offered. This idea of a third division in all sports doesn’t seem to be popular with everyone, however. They quote one athlete who says, “I don’t want to compete in a third category, which many people would see as a freak category.” It may not satisfy everyone, but simply running up the white flag and allowing competitive women’s sports to be essentially destroyed isn’t an acceptable solution either. Until we eventually get a ruling from the Supreme Court (assuming it ever arrives) on definitions of sex and gender and the boundaries of what qualifies as a mental health issue versus some new warping of medical science, these problems will remain with us. But at least when it comes to sports, a third division in all areas of competition where everyone can participate while preserving women’s sports might at least be a start.
| null |
https://hotair.com/archives/2019/11/18/theres-bodybuilding-powerlifting-competition-just-trans-athletes/
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Mon, 18 Nov 2019 18:31:33 Z
| 1,574,119,893 | 1,574,122,762 |
sport
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bodybuilding
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549,898 |
sputnik--2019-11-18--‘Iranian Hulk’ Sajad Gharibi to Take Part in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship
| 2019-11-18T00:00:00 |
sputnik
|
‘Iranian Hulk’ Sajad Gharibi to Take Part in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship
|
Internet sensation Sajad Gharibi, an extreme bodybuilder from Iran with an outrageously puffed-up physique, has joined the boxing fight club, according to MMA Fighting on Sunday. Gharibi, whose other nickname is “the Persian Hercules”, is set to debut next year, BKFC President David Feldman said. “We’re going to do a show entitled ‘USA vs. Iran: World War III,’ ” Feldman said. “[Gharibi] is literally our biggest signing we’ve ever had.” Gharibi gained fame in 2016 not only for his bizarre behemoth build but because he vowed to join the fight against terrorists in Syria. His Instagram, which has 458,000 followers, is the place where he shows off his muscles and lifts more than his own body weight.
| null |
https://sputniknews.com/us/201911181077334486-iranian-hulk-sajad-gharibi-bare-knuckle-fighting-championship/
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Mon, 18 Nov 2019 04:50:52 +0300
| 1,574,070,652 | 1,574,106,931 |
sport
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bodybuilding
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707,489 |
theguardianuk--2019-08-08--Extreme gains how the sports supplement industry bulked up
| 2019-08-08T00:00:00 |
theguardianuk
|
Extreme gains: how the sports supplement industry bulked up
|
Not so long ago, shopfronts filled with rows of gaudy coloured plastic barrels boasting the potential of “extreme gains” and “shredded” or “ripped” physiques were a high street rarity. In 2019, they are as common as the corner store, replete with a dizzying array of products promising to dissolve body fat, build muscle and help you work out harder, for longer. But the industry came under a cloud last month when the Australian swimmer Shayna Jack suggested her recent positive drug test may have been the result of contaminated sports supplements. So what is in those barrels? Who uses such products? And how dangerous are they? Sports supplements include an array of substances from run-of-the-mill multivitamins to complex concoctions that purport to build muscle and increase speed. The simplest and most common of these is protein powder – usually whey protein from cow’s milk, but varieties have expanded in recent years to include soy, pea, hemp, rice, and even sweet potato proteins – which assist in muscle repair after a strenuous workout. Other common sports supplements include creatine and amino acids for muscle energy, performance-enhancing “pre-workouts” and fat burners, also known as thermogenics, which supposedly increase the body’s metabolism to burn fat. Sports supplements are not just taken by Olympic athletes and AFL players. The primary market for sports nutrition products is males aged between 19 and 30. The Australian gym and fitness industry is now worth about $2.5bn, and the market share of vitamin and supplements stores has grown alongside it, with bricks and mortar stores worth about $533.5m and online sales worth $159.2m, according to IbisWorld. Together they represent a corporate juggernaut fuelled by the idolisation of sports stars on one hand and the cultural obsession with fitness and a particular Instagrammable aesthetic on the other. The giant tubs of protein powder and little sachets of formula have their cultural roots in the world of bodybuilding. With their cartoonishly large muscles, fake tan and oiled up flex-poses, bodybuilders may seem a long way from Olympic swimming, but the small group of (mostly) men who pioneered the modern incarnation of the sport on Muscle Beach, California, in the 1960s and 1970s sparked a massive shift in physical ideals perceived by people across the western world. The aesthetic of a particular kind of physique and body-fat-to-muscle ratio – representing a kind of exaggerated masculine and feminine – have permeated all aspects of contemporary physical culture, primarily through Hollywood. And fitness practices have followed suit. In bodybuilding, supplementation is king. Mike Debenham, a personal trainer and retired professional bodybuilder (he was three times crowned Mr New Zealand) told Guardian Australia supplements played a critical role during the 23 years he competed. “When I was competing I rattled when I walked because there were so many supplements going through me,” he says. “It was just dependent on what time of day it was as to what I would take. The list would be as long as my arm.” As he rose through the ranks of the sport, he was sponsored by various supplement companies who would provide products free or at very little cost. He eventually opened his own supplement store franchise on the Sunshine Coast in 2012. He says the average consumer was interested in “the next best, greatest pre-workout”, often ignoring basics like nutrition. He says the practice of trying to find a quick fix made people more likely to take risks. “Protein powder’s protein powder. It’s been around for 40 years and it will be around for another 40 years,” he says. “But it’s those pre-workouts and fat burners that seem to be the real crux of the industry in the supplements era. People come in and they go, ‘what’s the strongest, best, hottest pre-workout you have?’” Clint Hill, 40, who has worked for 23 years as a specialist strength and conditioning coach for professional and semi-professional sportspeople as well as the general population, also names pre-workouts as the area in which muscle-hungry gym junkies were most enthusiastic. “I’ve seen incredibly diligent people get amazing effects by the use of supplements, even caffeine, to get a result in the gym. It can be done very well. The other side of it is that people can take everything that their mate told them to take rather than getting proper advice,” he says. Much like vitamins, the effectiveness of supplements is often disputed, and depends on many things including the supplement, the individual and the context in which it’s taken. While most people who use them will probably have no major adverse effects, sports supplements have occasionally been deadly. In Australia, sports supplements generally fall within the purview of the Therapeutic Goods Administration, though classification is complex. It takes into consideration things like each product’s ingredients, the claims being made about it, the way it’s labelled, and the form in which it comes (eg. pills, powder, bars, etc). The products must be either “listed” or “registered” with the TGA depending on their risk level. Manufacturers must comply with particular principles, and those products classified as “low-risk” can only contain active ingredients from a TGA pre-approved list. Evaluation and oversight of the manufacturers, however, is the job of the product’s “sponsor” – that is, the person legally responsible for it being in Australia. The TGA does randomly audit manufacturers and products for compliance, as well as in response to complaints or reports of adverse events. But there have been multiple incidents of contaminated products or products with unlisted ingredients making their way to market. Many products bought over the internet from overseas-based sites are not TGA regulated, and the TGA has repeatedly issued warnings about quality control and safety of these products. The New South Wales health authority issued warnings in 2018 about workout supplements that contained the chemical 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP), saying it had contributed to deaths locally and overseas. Other contaminants that have been found in supplements include methylhexaneamine (DMAA), which the TGA made illegal in 2012 due to concerns that it could be lethal, and the structurally similar compound 1,3-dimethylbutylamine (DMBA). Asada warned athletes in 2014 that DMBA may have been replacing DMAA in off-the-shelf supplements after the TGA ban. DMBA itself was banned in 2017. Even apparently innocuous substances can be dangerous. West Australian Meegan Hefford, 25, an aspiring bodybuilder, died earlier this year after a rare genetic condition left her body unable to cope with her extremely high-protein diet, which included protein supplements, resulting in a toxic build-up of nitrogen in her system. On New Year’s Day in 2018, Lachlan Foote, 21, died at his home in Blackheath, NSW, from caffeine toxicity after including pure caffeine powder in a protein shake he consumed after a night out. The US Food and Drug Administration last year issued a warning about pure caffeine powder after it had been linked to two deaths, saying a teaspoon could contain the equivalent of 28 cups of coffee. The particular subset of drug that Shayna Jack tested positive for was a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM), developed to treat muscle wasting diseases. All SARMs are classified as Schedule 4 controlled substances by the TGA in Australia, which means they require a prescription. Nevertheless, bodybuilders and other athletes have been known to procure them. Asada issued a warning to athletes in November last year about Ligandrol. It has also repeatedly warned athletes over the past decade about the potential for supplements to contain unlisted and banned ingredients. Hill, who has been involved with Asada and Wada’s clean sport program and drug testing at both a professional and semi-professional level, says the information and communication from the anti-doping bodies has been very clear, particularly for professional sportspeople. “It’s very difficult to believe anyone would put themselves in a situation where they didn’t ask everything they could about a supplement they were taking,” he says. Debenham sold his supplements store after only a few years, partly because he believed that most players in the industry did not take consumer safety and product integrity seriously enough. In comments echoed by Hill, Debenham says there are a few supplement companies using only local ingredients, and some that batch-tested routinely to prevent contamination and to be able to market themselves to professional sporting bodies as a trusted product. But these companies are the exception. “People are always trying to push the limits and some supplement companies will try and ride that knife’s edge.”
|
Stephanie Convery
|
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/aug/09/extreme-gains-how-the-sports-supplement-industry-bulked-up
|
2019-08-08 18:00:25+00:00
| 1,565,301,625 | 1,567,534,599 |
sport
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bodybuilding
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987,007 |
thesun--2019-11-19--I’m A Celebrity star James Haskell’s body transformation comes from extreme training regimes and die
| 2019-11-19T00:00:00 |
thesun
|
I’m A Celebrity star James Haskell’s body transformation comes from extreme training regimes and diets
|
I'M A CELEBRITY star James Haskell's incredible body transformations and intensive workout regimes have been revealed. The retired rugby player - who signed for MMA promotion Bellator in August - is looking to become King of the Jungle after signing on to appear in the hit ITV show. The 34-year-old amassed 77 England caps during his 17-year rugby career, featuring in two World Cups. Haskell - who announced his retirement from rugby earlier this year - was even named "man of the series" during England’s famous 3-0 series victory against Australia in 2016. And now the ex-Wasps star is pursuing a new sport, with his first MMA fight inside the Octagon expected to take place during the first half of 2020. The heavyweight has got his fitness regime and nutrition down to a fine art, but that doesn't mean the celeb has always had abs of steel. Over the years, Haskell has consistently shown his ability to cut weight and transform the look of his body. In his own words, Haskell went from a ‘melted wheelie bin’ to being in fine shape by following his own 12-week Lean Gains programme in 2016. He suffered a toe injury which kept him out of action, during which time he ballooned to 19st. At the time he said: "The idea is to come back fitter, more mobile and powerful. "I have enjoyed my down time and allowed myself to put on weight and sadly not good weight at that." Over the next nine weeks he shed the excess weight and turned his body into a vision of ripped muscles. The Lean Gains programme uses German Volume Training (GVT), a system for bodybuilders, powerlifters and Olympic lifters to increase muscle, mass and strength. It also involves Hypertrophy-Specific Training (HST), a method of strength training to induce muscle growth quickly and effectively. On his YouTube channel, the sportsman demonstrates his other workout routines to shift the extra pounds. He showcases a plethora of workout ideas including blast workouts, cross fit and HIIT (high-intensity interval training). The athlete combines a mixture of workout routines to maximise endurance, strength and agility. Combining strength and cardio work also allows Haskell to accelerate calorie burning whilst maintaining muscle mass. To refine his MMA skills, Haskell trains at London Shootfighters in Wembley, the same training facility as Bellator superstar, Michael 'Venom' Page. There the former Northampton Saints ace trains with a mixture of MMA pros including Sam Showering, who also switched to fighting after retiring from rugby. Haskell maintains a peak fitness regime outside the gym too, with his wife Chloe Madeley on hand to prepare meals. His 6ft 4 in, 18.5 stone frame is sustained with six meals a day - totalling a whopping 3560 calories. To maximise performance, Haskell gets through six-to-eight litres of waters per day while also consuming 310g of protein daily. Like most of us, the 34-year old loves junk food, but he eats rice cakes and nut butter to curb any cravings. With Haskell now in the Australian jungle, he will have to adjust to a new physical challenge in the form of bushtucker trials and surviving on just 700 calories a day.
|
Natasha Hooper
|
https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/10367055/james-haskell-workout-regime-celeb/
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Tue, 19 Nov 2019 21:15:45 +0000
| 1,574,216,145 | 1,574,209,648 |
sport
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bodybuilding
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968,410 |
thesun--2019-06-26--Wife thrown in police cell and dragged to court after nagging bodybuilder husband to do the hooverin
| 2019-06-26T00:00:00 |
thesun
|
Wife thrown in police cell and dragged to court after nagging bodybuilder husband to do the hoovering
|
A WIFE was thrown in a cell and dragged to court — for asking her husband to help with the chores. Valerie Sanders claimed she only asked Michael, 58, to vacuum, clean patio doors and not go to the gym so often. But she was prosecuted for “controlling behaviour”. The case was thrown out just before a trial. She added that she was “treated like a criminal” just for nagging her bodybuilder husband to do some hoovering and claimed he spent hours at the gym or washing his car rather than help out at home. She said she left notes for her 16st spouse to do chores at the house they shared with two dogs — until cops were called in. Two vans and four officers turned up, and 4ft 10in Valerie was charged with “coercive or controlling behaviour” — usually used to protect vulnerable women. After 14 months of “hell”, the case collapsed this week moments before a trial was due to start. Cleaning firm boss Valerie said: “It’s outrageous this ever got to court.” But Michael, 58, hit back: “I’m not sure if she should have gone to court or not. That was not my decision – but she was controlling. She was constantly on at me. “She used to leave the vacuum out or the polish and wanted me to clean every day because of the dogs.” The couple met online in 2012 and married two years later. After being made redundant as a CCTV operator, Michael got a job as a gym manager. Valerie, who has two grown-up daughters, said he then became obsessed with bodybuilding. She recalled: “He was training all the time. He was eating five or six meals a day and mushing up all his food in the blender. “We stopped going out for meals. I was working and he was at the gym from early in the morning until late at night. I just didn’t see him. If he wasn’t in the gym he was washing his car for hours. "He started to do bodybuilding competitions. It wasn’t attractive. It was like cuddling an ironing board. He started to take Viagra because he said he couldn’t get an erection, blaming the steroids. “But when he took the tablets it made him sniffy and snotty so I refused to sleep with him.” Jobcentre staff carrying out a routine check noticed Michael’s mood had changed for the worse — and he blamed his home life. In April 2018 staff told police who turned up soon after at their house in Catterick, North Yorks. Valerie said: “I was taken to the station and locked in a cell. I’ve never been in trouble. I was horrified. I felt like a criminal.” She was charged the next day and recalled: “I had my house keys taken away. I had to stay at a friend’s mum’s.” She denied being “coercive or controlling”, insisting: “I’d leave a note asking him to vacuum parts of the house and clean the patio doors. We have two miniature dachshunds. But he would spend four hours cleaning his car – so of course I complained. “Surely it isn’t controlling behaviour otherwise every married couple would be in court?” Michael, also a former prison officer, claimed Valerie initially encouraged the bodybuilding — and then the complaints started. He said: “She said I was training too much and didn’t like the diet I was on.” Michael claimed he had a hormone issue and needed Viagra which “made me congested”. He went on: “She’d say I couldn’t go anywhere near her like that. That made me feel worse. She didn’t like me cleaning my car. She would leave notes to me about the cleaning. At the finish I was feeling ill.” The case was listed for trial at Teesside crown court on Tuesday but was dismissed before a jury was sworn in. Valerie’s not guilty plea was accepted in return for a two-year restraining order. The couple are now divorcing. Valerie said: “17 hours in a prison cell broke my love for him. It’s such a relief it is all over.” Michael, who is currently out of work, plans to continue on the over-55s bodybuilding circuit. He said: “There was no love any more. She used to kiss and cuddle her two dogs, but never kissed and cuddled me.” The CPS said: “We prosecute cases where there is sufficient evidence of coercive and controlling behaviour. In this case, after a key witness decided to no longer support the prosecution, we concluded there was no longer sufficient evidence.”
|
Chris Richards
|
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/9381871/wife-court-nagging-husband-hoovering/
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2019-06-26 21:30:05+00:00
| 1,561,599,005 | 1,567,538,032 |
sport
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bodybuilding
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166,477 |
eveningstandard--2019-02-27--Kim Kardashianaposs trainer Melissa Alcantaraaposs workout plan and fitness advice from cardio
| 2019-02-27T00:00:00 |
eveningstandard
|
Kim Kardashian's trainer: Melissa Alcantara's workout plan and fitness advice, from cardio to butt toning
|
Melissa Alcantara, better known as “Fit Gurl Mel” to her 750,000 Instagram followers, is often credited with helping Kim Kardashian keep her million-dollar body in shape. Alcantara grew up in the Bronx and says she didn't initially know much about healthy eating. After giving birth she tried a range of fad diets and workouts, including Weight Watchers, Insanity, and Crossfit. When those didn’t work, she transformed her diet and exercise regime completely, focusing on nutrition instead of calories. And it was quite the transformation. Alcantara says she lost 40 pounds in 60 days and went on to earn bodybuilding titles and win Jiu-Jitsu competitions Kim Kardashian came across one of her transformation photos on Instagram and quickly got in touch - in a serendipitous twist, Alcantara was about to move to Los Angeles, where she soon began training the most famous Kardashian sister. If you’re not in Calabasas, you can still workout like a Kardashian. Alcantara is a trainer on the Fitplan app, where she shares her workout plan. Her program isn’t about cardio - instead, it’s a hybrid program that combines dumbbells, weights, and resistance bands. Alcantara promises the same routines she shares with her celebrity clientele for $15.99 a month. We caught up with the trainer to talk cardio, healthy eating and the most common mistakes people make while working out. Tell us about how you came to train with Kim Kardashian... "One day while browsing through Instagram at like 4am, Kim found one of my transformation images. Kim wanted to be strong and healthy and do it the right way (aka the hard way), so she reached out directly. Three days later we were chatting at her apartment in New York (I lived in Brooklyn at the time) and we really connected on a personal level. I told her that we were actually moving to LA in the near future, which worked perfectly because she wanted to train with me and embark on this fitness adventure together. The rest is history. Kim is my homegirl and we push each other to do better every single day." "For women, I believe it is thinking you’ll turn into a man if you lift weights. Also people thinking they can move some dumbbells up and down and make some magazine level muscles in a couple of months. The truth is that what the image may be showing is anything from Photoshop to chemical enhancements, and that building a functional and aesthetic physique takes a long time. It’s more a lifestyle for longevity and quality of life rather than something you do for the summer or a friend’s wedding." There are so many “quick fixes” for fitness these days, whether it’s diets or vitamins. Do any of the diet trends work? "If they worked, I wouldn’t get this question all the time. Fundamentally, people know they are fads. However, who doesn’t like the promise of something that will change your life forever in just 21 days with minimum effort? I ask people to analyze what they’re doing and determine if they can do it for at least 6-12 months. If the answer is no then most likely it isn’t sustainable and it's just a fad." What’s the best possible butt exercise? Is it squats or something more involved? "This is a great question. Right now, people are obsessed with their butts, but the human body doesn’t work in isolation. The function of the glutes is to prevent the human from falling on its face when running - they fire to keep you standing. In addition, the butt works along the posterior chain (lower back, glutes and hamstrings) which means that the entire muscular chain needs to be addressed in training. There’s no one exercise that will unlock the secrets to a functional and big ass. You need to train the system and address its strength and mobility. Stiff muscles are actually very brittle, and your aim should be to create a butt that is both strong and flexible. I recommend incorporating the fundamentals, squats and dead lifts and layering in hip thrusts, banded movement exercises and sprinting in order to have a nice and functional bottom. Most importantly, be patient as hell since this muscle chain takes forever to develop." What’s the most common mistake you find when people work out on their own that they can easily avoid? "They go and 'work out,' meaning they walk into the gym and have no plan or strategy to actually work out their bodies and their mind. The best way to avoid this is to make, or utilize, an existing plan - such as my Fitplan 8 Week Body Sculptor or Built Aesthetics plans. By going into the workout with a plan, there's a clear aim, which allows different muscular systems to be worked on rather than just one part. The body is a kinetic machine with many inter-dependencies and should be viewed in its totality." On Instagram, you say 20 minutes of cardio and a nutritious diet is all you need. Is that true for most people? "If you’re training correctly, you’re already doing cardio while dead lifting and squatting. People connect cardio with losing weight, but the goal of cardio is to improve cardiovascular ability, meaning that you’re able to sustain the movement for longer and more efficiently while using less energy. Nutrition plays a much larger role in losing unneeded fat. Yes, you need fat in your body to function correctly, thus you should never aim to get rid of more fat than is healthy for your body - and the focus [should be] on actual nutrition and not on calorie deficits. That being said, incorporating a particular amount of cardio along with proper nutrition will have a positive impact on losing unneeded fat. Both of my Fitplans have several forms of cardio that aim to both help you lose fat and improve your cardiovascular ability. Bodies have to be able to move, not just look like they can move." In your Instagram stories, you share some of your favorite meal plans along with the calorie counts. What’s the best meal someone can eat before they work out? "Well, 'best' is entirely subjective and people react differently. What you eat before or after is not as important as what you eat over time. Your body doesn’t actually like change, so in order for it to change you need to give it enough time to change. Instead of meal timing and composition, you should experiment with what works for you. For example, if you work out at 5 am, it is probably more efficient for you to not eat before training but if you work out during your lunch break at work, you may want to eat a couple of hours before in order to feel like you can handle the training – and make it through the morning at work! Again, the goal is to eat with nutrition in mind. Avoid processed food, and essentially bull**t in order to get the results you want. Most of the time, I personally like training on an empty stomach in the morning and then I eat all my meals (3 - 4 meals per day) between 12 pm and 9 pm." What’s one food people think is healthy but should really drop from their diet? "I wouldn’t say they have to cut it out from their diet, but people seem to go to a pack of nuts or peanut butter whenever they feel hungry. We have been told that nuts are healthy and that they have protein but, in reality, nuts are a form of healthy fat. In saying that, if you eat a couple of packs of nuts a day, what you’re doing is eating 500 calories of healthy fat when you may only need a smaller portion." What’s the best time of day to exercise? "For me, it is the morning around 10am but this time is not possible for a lot of people due to other professional and personal commitments. Given the needs of the modern world, the best time is the one you have. Whenever it may be, I recommend using your time effectively to exercise not just your body but also your mind."
|
Margaret Abrams
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https://www.standard.co.uk/insider/living/kim-kardashian-s-trainer-melissa-alcantara-workout-plan-fitness-advice-cardio-butt-toning-a4074246.html
|
2019-02-27 10:16:00+00:00
| 1,551,280,560 | 1,567,547,111 |
sport
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bodybuilding
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507,803 |
sottnet--2019-11-06--The quest for the perfect ketone by the keto diet's most controversial champion
| 2019-11-06T00:00:00 |
sottnet
|
The quest for the perfect ketone by the keto diet's most controversial champion
|
A chemist once at the center of an era-defining sports scandal now is eager to improve your health.After 30 minutes, the rat should have been dead. Sealed in a capsule-shaped chamber, the animal was breathing pure oxygen at a pressure high enough to cause a normal rat to have a seizure in five to 10 minutes. Dominic D'Agostino, a researcher at the University of South Florida, stood by, ready to flush the chamber with fresh air and rescue the creature at the first signs of a problem. But 30 minutes became 40 minutes, and still the rat appeared unbothered. At an hour, D'Agostino could only gaze at it on a video monitor with wonder. "The rat was just kind of staring back at us and grooming itself," he says.Shortly before placing the rat inside the chamber, D'Agostino had injected a new, one-of-a-kind molecule down the animal's throat. Much of D'Agostino's work is funded by the U.S. Department of Defense's Office of Naval Research, and this experiment, which he conducted in mid-2011, was his first test of whether the new molecule could help a rat withstand an onslaught of oxygen. The hope was to one day do the same for Navy divers, who can experience devastating oxygen-toxicity seizures on deep dives.As D'Agostino watched his record-breaking rat relax in the chamber, however, his mind raced through even bigger medical implications. Many people with epilepsy have seizures similar to those caused by oxygen toxicity; if all went well, perhaps his new molecule could reduce those, too. Even more tantalizing, preliminary research on similar molecules had already hinted at possible benefits for patients with a wide range of diseases, including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease and some cancers.The keto diet amounts to a strict Atkins diet, and people often turn to it in an attempt to lose weight. The scientific evidence on its effectiveness is limited, but. Meanwhile, scientists have known for decades that the keto diet can prevent epileptic seizures even when pharmaceutical treatments have failed. But the work of D'Agostino and a handful of other pioneering ketone researchers over the past decade has also led scientists at Harvard, Yale, and other top institutions to consider the diet's potential to treat other diseases. Siddhartha Mukherjee, an oncologist and the author of The Emperor of All Maladies, a Pulitzer Prize-winning history of cancer science, is among those interested in whether the ketogenic diet could have a role in cancer therapy.D'Agostino's impervious rat pointed toward a workaround to one very big problem in this line of research: Dieting is hard. Most people struggle to stick with a ketogenic eating plan in the long term."Literally, I would be on my phone all day calling people, trying to make this happen," he says.The breakthrough came in the fall of 2009, when D'Agostino pursued an idea that was both perfectly logical and perhaps a little bit crazy. He did know of one guy who might be able to make the diester molecule he wanted. The logical part? The man was a brilliant chemist with a proven record of creating novel organic compounds. The slightly crazy part? The man was also an ex-con who had been at the center of one of the biggest scandals in the history of professional sports.Were D'Agostino a more typical scientist, he might have waited until he found funding for the diester molecule via a more conventional route. But D'Agostino is far from a typical scientist. He played football in high school and, at the age of 44, maintains a Schwarzenegger-esque physique. Stories that circulate about him among his friends and colleagues are mind-boggling. He has claim ed that he can hold his breath for almost four minutes and that he once deadlifted 500 pounds 10 times in a row — an impressive set for any weightlifter, but D'Agostino says he did it after fasting for a week. "I have, like, sadistic OCD qualities where I'll just keep doing it, either until I die or I don't," he says.D'Agostino is soft-spoken and sounded embarrassed when I asked about these superhuman feats. But such extreme acts are a window into his science as much as his personality. He is a well-regarded academic who frequently publishes in respectable scientific publications. At the same time, he is at the forefront of a community of obsessive biohackers who revel in pushing their bodies to places few bodies have ever been pushed. For D'Agostino, ketones, with their appeal to both scientists and biohackers, were a perfect match between researcher and subject.And so, when a friend in the bodybuilding community suggested that D'Agostino ask the chemist Patrick Arnold for help on his diester molecule, D'Agostino took the idea seriously. Arnold, to be sure, was an unusual option. If there were a Nobel Prize for anabolic steroids, he would have won it, probably more than once. In the summer of 1998, a commercially available supplement that Arnold had popularized, androstenedione — andro, for short — was spotted in the locker of the baseball slugger Mark McGwire. Andro is a prohormone that becomes testosterone after it's converted in the body, and it was widely thought to be the explanation for McGwire's astonishing power at the plate that year. (McGwire admitted to taking andro, but the supplement wasn't banned by Major League Baseball at the time.)Five years later, another one of Arnold's creations landed him in a much bigger scandal: He was identified as the man who had created "the Clear," the nickname for the designer steroid that the now infamous nutritional-supplement company Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO) distributed to Barry Bonds, Marion Jones, and other celebrity athletes. The BALCO scandal led to a congressional investigation and even made its way into President George W. Bush's State of the Union address in 2004. Arnold became known as the "rogue chemist" behind BALCO and spent three months in 2006 in a West Virginia federal prison. That same year, Sports Illustrated ran a profile of him under the headline " Is This Dr. Evil? " The article described his lab as "a modern Frankenstein's castle."Today, Arnold readily acknowledges that he had gone rogue. In the sports-nutrition industry, he says, "being 'Dr. Evil' sells products." But questions about his chemistry annoy him. His lab, he says, was very sophisticated and well kept: "There was nothing 'Frankenstein' about it."Before reaching out for help on the diester molecule, D'Agostino looked Arnold up online and found his posts on bodybuilding message boards — the type of boards on which serious lifters debate the finer points of nutrition, supplements, and, sometimes, anabolic steroids. Arnold, who had become something of a celebrity on the boards, rarely missed a chance to show off his vast knowledge. D'Agostino says that he is "sort of indifferent to steroids." Arnold, he reasoned, had made "a lot of different things over the years" — some legal and some not — to stretch the limits of human performance. While steroids had rocked the world of professional baseball, they seemed far less scandalous in the bodybuilding world with which D'Agostino was familiar. Besides, he says, "I had exhausted all my sources in academia. What did I have to lose?"D'Agostino shot Arnold a message on Facebook. Hoping to spark Arnold's interest in the project, he pointed out that, in addition to possible medical benefits, synthetic ketones might hold promise for performance enhancement. When the message arrived, Arnold was three years out of prison and back at his lab in Seymour, Illinois, a small town on the outskirts of Champaign. He had returned to the work he knew best: making and marketing his own lines of nutrition supplements.But things weren't going well. His new company was in disarray — and in the crosshairs of another federal investigation. D'Agostino's out-of-the-blue note opened the possibility of reinventing Arnold's business. Perhaps, he thought, it might even redeem his reputation.A Ph.D. researcher and an ex-con without an advanced degree make for an unlikely pairing. But as they developed a working relationship, D'Agostino and Arnold saw that they had plenty in common. Over the years, Arnold has experimented with some of his own products, and he, too, once had the ripped physique of a competitive bodybuilder. Now 53, he still has the thick neck and boulder-like shoulders of someone who spends a lot of time at the gym.In another life, Arnold might have gone down the same path as D'Agostino and become a successful academic or found a job with a pharmaceutical company. But differences between the two men were apparent from a young age. D'Agostino grew up in central New Jersey, baling hay and driving tractors on his neighbor's 200-acre farm. After falling in love with biology in high school, he went to Rutgers, where he became a serious student. Arnold grew up in Guilford, Connecticut, a small coastal town. He was an erratic student, excelling in the classes he found interesting, particularly chemistry, and floundering in the ones he didn't."I was antisocial," says Arnold, who comes off in conversation as an unusual hybrid: one part musclehead bro, one part chemistry savant. "I got to school, I'm not smiling. Everyone else is smiling. Why aren't you smiling? Fuck you. You know? Because you don't understand."Arnold and his two older brothers spent a lot of time in their basement, where, after finding an old set of weights at their grandfather's house, they set up a small gym. By high school, Arnold had already fallen into the role of nutrition and muscle-building guru he would assume later in life. His brother John had begun to compete in bodybuilding competitions, and Arnold's job was to figure out what John should eat each day as he trained. Arnold would make his own supplements in the family kitchen, forming small rolls from milk, egg-protein powder, peanut butter, and honey, then freezing them for later use. "I won my first contest because of Patrick," John says.When Arnold read about performance-enhancing drugs as a kid, the warnings against using them only sparked his curiosity. He first tried steroids while working in construction after dropping out of the University of New Haven. He eventually finished his degree and later took several graduate-level courses in organic chemistry. But his real training in making steroids, he says, began in 1990, when he started working for a company in New Jersey that made chemicals for hair gels and conditioners, among other products. Arnold's entry-level work — synthesizing simple molecules and then waiting around to check the temperature of the reactions — was mind-numbing for someone of his abilities. But the job came with valuable perks: access to a lab and a well-stocked chemistry library right on Arnold's floor.He tried synthesizing testosterone first, using extract from a chopped-up yam, he says, but only succeeded in making a huge mess. That experience led Arnold to an insight that would serve him well throughout his career: If you want to synthesize chemical compounds, don't start from scratch. Instead, find the closest raw material that's commercially available. "It's like if you want to build a car," Arnold told the self-help guru Tim Ferriss a few years ago. "You don't make your own rubber or make your own steel."Over the years, as Arnold continued to read and absorb more of the scientific literature on steroids, his knowledge of commercially available compounds would prove useful again and again. He says he first realized the potential performance-enhancing benefits of andro, the drug later used by McGwire, by reading old patents from the former East Germany.The Clear, which Arnold would develop years later, wasn't so much a stroke of creative genius as a testament to the breadth of his knowledge. Arnold had read about a molecule called norbolethone in some of the early literature on anabolic steroids, and he knew it had the power to add muscle and mass. He didn't have a way to make norbolethone from scratch, but he recognized that the steroid's chemical structure was very similar to that of progestin, a molecule used in birth-control pills. He soon discovered that it was easy to order progestin from China, and that by adding hydrogen, he could turn it into norbolethone.Arnold adamantly denies this accusation, and no charges were ever filed against him. But the investigation made it impossible for him to continue selling 6-OXO, his most lucrative product, and all but wiped out the business he was trying to build. Arnold now describes the affair as a "huge nightmare." "I'm not saying my life was completely ruined," he once said of the raid, "but I'm saying that it was significantly downgraded."Not long after the 6-OXO ordeal, D'Agostino contacted Arnold and the two got to work making the ketone diester. They already had a recipe, or "synthesis," to follow: The molecule had first been synthesized in the early 1970s by Henri Brunengraber, a biochemist at Case Western Reserve University, who was then working on compact foods that astronauts might be able to take on multiyear journeys to Mars. But making the molecule turned out to be far more complicated than Arnold had anticipated.The challenge, as he explains it, was in finding a way to produce the diester efficiently so that he could supply D'Agostino with enough for a series of different studies. It was "kind of a bitch," Arnold recalls. "I tried it and it didn't work, and it didn't work." Getting a molecule that was almost right was relatively easy; perfecting it was something else. There was no flash of inspiration. Arnold describes it as "step-wise kind of a revelation," involving "dozens and dozens and dozens of experiments."After six months, the first batch arrived at D'Agostino's lab in a cardboard box. Inside, wrapped in tinfoil, was a cylindrical tube holding 10 milliliters of an amber-colored liquid. "I'm not even sure it had any markings on it," D'Agostino says. It was only enough for a few small tests, but D'Agostino's excitement grew with each one. He says he began going to the lab in the middle of the night just to see how his rats were doing. For the most part, they were doing remarkably well.Commercially, the availability of ketones is growing, as well. A ketone monoester created by Richard Veech, a pioneer of ketone research at the National Institutes of Health, and Kieran Clarke, of the University of Oxford, is now being sold by the startup HVMN at $33 per serving. When I spoke with Veech, he sounded all but convinced that the monoester can not only help treat Parkinson's and other neurological diseases, but can also protect cells from radiation, which damages them in much the same way as oxygen toxicity. Clarke believes that the ketone monoester will eventually be "more or less a general tonic for the general population."It's still far too soon to say with any certainty that ketones in a bottle or pill will emerge as a valuable therapeutic tool or athletic performance enhancer. What works for rats and mice often does not work for humans. "This is a 5-mile race," Mike McCandless, a supplement maker who has funded some of D'Agostino's research, says. "We're literally at the 10-foot mark."Researchers still aren't even certain about the fundamental reason ketogenic diets might benefit health. Gary Yellen, a Harvard researcher who studies how ketogenic diets prevent epileptic seizures, says that while there are almost certainly multiple mechanisms at play, his research suggests that when it comes to the brains of people with epilepsy, it's the shift away from burning glucose that makes the difference. "I don't believe that ketone bodies themselves are the key to the diet," Yellen says.Where Patrick Arnold will ultimately fall in the story of ketones is difficult to predict. He has continued to collaborate with D'Agostino, and even has launched his own foray into ketone supplements, but he's still somewhat unknown in the ketone world. Brunengraber, the chemist who first synthesized the diester molecule, didn't know who Arnold was before I asked about him. Clarke, the Oxford researcher who cocreated the ketone monoester, said she had heard of Arnold but had never met him. "He is probably a good chemist," she said. "I don't know about his principles."Arnold says that most of the people who know him through his ketone work haven't heard of the BALCO scandal. "Occasionally, someone says, 'Oh, don't trust him. He's a criminal,'" he says. But even more people, he claims, tell him that they "don't give a damn."Arnold, it's safe to say, is an imperfect vessel for any scientific advance. For many baseball fans, BALCO does remain a painful memory. Arnold's contributions to ketone research can't undo his role in that scandal or the damage it did to professional sports.Jason Karlawish, a professor of medicine, medical ethics, and health policy at the University of Pennsylvania, believes that Arnold's history shouldn't discourage mainstream scientists like D'Agostino from working with the diester, as long as Arnold's scientific work itself is valid. "D'Agostino took an ethical risk only if there was a chance Arnold could use their work for dangerous ends," Karlawish says.D'Agostino maintains that there was "no risk" of Arnold doing harm. And Arnold says he has no interest in making any dangerous substance. He is eager, though, to make something profitable. Almost as soon as D'Agostino reached out to him in 2009, Arnold began dreaming up new ketone products that he could sell as safe and effective weight-loss or athletic-performance supplements. Today, Arnold sells products like ketone salts via KetoSports, a new company that occupies the same lab and facilities where Arnold made his more infamous creations.As D'Agostino's own research has progressed — in 2017, he spent 10 days living on ketone supplements on a NASA mission at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean — he has kept Arnold up to date on his latest findings. Arnold's name even appears as one of the coauthors on some of the papers D'Agostino has published in scientific journals, including an article in the International Journal of Cancer. Arnold, in turn, has highlighted developments in cancer and other health research on Facebook and other online platforms. "I don't think I've seen him so focused in years, with this ketogenic thing," says Arnold's brother John. "This is his baby now."If ketone supplements do turn out to be more than yet another performance booster — and at least one brand marketing ketone-salt formulations first dreamed up by Arnold and D'Agostino already highlights testimonials from children with epilepsy — much of the credit will go to D'Agostino, Veech, Clarke, and the other scientists who have advanced the field of ketone research. But some of the credit will have to go to Patrick Arnold. With more funding from the Office of Naval Research, D'Agostino has turned to a new lab that can make the diester in greater quantities and according to standards necessary for human trials, but he has not forgotten about what Arnold achieved. "Patrick is the reason my whole research program exists right now," D'Agostino says, adding that he might have given up on science altogether if Arnold hadn't succeeded in making the ketones he needed.In 2006, Arnold told Sports Illustrated that he didn't want BALCO to be his legacy. He couldn't say, though, what exactly he wanted his legacy to be. Now he has his answer. He would prefer to be remembered as "the ketone guy" who "also did that stuff," he says. He has been fortunate to work with a scientist as generous as D'Agostino. If he makes it big again, baseball fans might be less forgiving. Sam Apple teaches writing at the University of Pennsylvania.
| null |
https://www.sott.net/article/423342-The-quest-for-the-perfect-ketone-by-the-keto-diets-most-controversial-champion
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Wed, 06 Nov 2019 14:11:47 +0000
| 1,573,067,507 | 1,573,063,994 |
sport
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bodybuilding
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568,171 |
tass--2019-07-29--Chinas Sanya to host Asian Beach Games 2020
| 2019-07-29T00:00:00 |
tass
|
China's Sanya to host Asian Beach Games 2020
|
SANYA, July 29./TASS/. The Sixth Asian Beach Games will be held in 2020 in the resort city of Sanya, located in the south of the Chinese island province of Hainan. This has been stated on the official website of the organizers of the competition. The games are due to run from November 28 to December 6. Athletes will demonstrate their skills in swimming, water polo, beach athletics, basketball, volleyball, handball, football, wrestling, rowing, sailing, surfing and others. The event’s website stressed that “Sanya had already established itself as one of the most attractive tourist destinations with over 22 mln visitors a year; the city is not dubbed the 'Chinese Hawaii' for nothing". It is also noted that Sanya's climate, infrastructure and beaches are ideal for holding sports events. For example, an ideal coastline - an abundance of hotels, hotel complexes, training grounds and exits to the beaches made the construction of a separate sports village unnecessary. Athletes, coaches, fans and other participants of the games will conveniently be located in the tourist area of the city, which will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the development of Hainan's tourism industry. Asian Beach Games is an event held every two years among Asian athletes. Traditionally, the Games include competitions in water sports (swimming, sailing, water polo), beach options for some sports (football, volleyball, basketball, sambo, bodybuilding, handball), as well as mixed sports, which are a combination of competitions for land and water. For the first time the Asian Beach Games took place in 2008 in Bali, Indonesia. Sanya is not the first Chinese city to host competitions. In 2012, the Games were held in Haiyang City in Shandong Province. Over the years, competitions were also held in Indonesia (2008), Oman (2010), Thailand (2014) and Vietnam (2016).
| null |
https://tass.com/sport/1070894
|
2019-07-29 05:00:01+00:00
| 1,564,390,801 | 1,567,535,435 |
sport
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bodybuilding
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67,232 |
birminghammail--2019-10-15--FIFA president Gianni Infantino makes statement after racist abuse during Bulgaria vs England
| 2019-10-15T00:00:00 |
birminghammail
|
FIFA president Gianni Infantino makes statement after racist abuse during Bulgaria vs England
|
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has called for "new, stronger and more effective ways to eradicate racism in football" in the wake of the abuse suffered by England players during their Euro 2020 qualifier in Bulgaria. One of the players subject to the abuse was Aston Villa defender Tyrone Mings, who was the first player to report the chants to the linesman and then to England captain Harry Kane. Mings was making his England debut in the match in Sofia. UEFA has opened disciplinary proceedings against Bulgaria and England following Monday's match in Sofia, which was stopped twice as Bulgarian fans made Nazi salutes and directed monkey noises at black England players. Charges against the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) include the racist behaviour, throwing of objects and disruption of a national anthem by home supporters, and showing replays on a giant screen. The English Football Association has been charged with disruption of a national anthem, as well as providing an insufficient number of travelling stewards. This is your round up of all things Villa; the one-stop shop that will keep you updated on the latest goings on at the club and beyond. Transfers, injuries, match-days and managers, we’ve got you covered. We’ll be bringing the very latest on the Villains throughout the week and around the clock. Make sure you keep yourself updated with our handy daily catch up... • None Why Mings' debut comes at a high cost for Villa - READ • What we know about McGinn and United links - READ For all your latest AVFC news, opinion, analysis and transfer gossip, click here You can follow our Villa reporter Ashley Preece on Twitter, and his email address is [email protected]. Infantino said in a statement: "I call on all football governing bodies to join us and think together of new, stronger and more effective ways to eradicate racism in football. "As a starting point, I suggest that all competition organisers enact regulations which envisage life bans from stadiums for those who are found guilty of racist behaviour at a football match. FIFA can then enforce such bans at a worldwide level."
|
[email protected] (Mark Wakefield)
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https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fifa-president-gianni-infantino-makes-17090753
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Tue, 15 Oct 2019 17:44:36 +0000
| 1,571,175,876 | 1,571,180,590 |
sport
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sport organisation
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167,838 |
eveningstandard--2019-03-15--Club World Cup Fifa ignores Europe to approve new 24-team tournament starting in 2021
| 2019-03-15T00:00:00 |
eveningstandard
|
Club World Cup: Fifa ignores Europe to approve new 24-team tournament starting in 2021
|
World football's governing body Fifa has ignored European opposition to its plan to revamp the Club World Cup by voting to approve a new 24-team tournament starting in June 2021. Describing himself as a "very happy man", Fifa president Gianni Infantino announced the decision after a meeting of the ruling council in Miami on Friday. But the move to scrap the current seven-team tournament, which takes place every winter but is largely ignored by European fans, and replace it with a larger, more lucrative contest every fourth summer, would appear to set Fifa on collision course with Europe's elite. Infantino wants Europe to provide eight of the 24 teams, with six coming from South America, three each from Africa, Asia and North and Central America and one from Oceania, and it is suggested that each club could earn £50million for taking part. But the European Club Association, which represents 232 of the continent's leading sides, Europe's governing body Uefa and the world players' union FIFPro are unhappy with what they claim is a lack of consultation in regards to the congested global calendar and Infantino's financial plans for the new tournament. In a letter that was leaked on Friday, the ECA's executive board, including the bosses of Barcelona, Juve, Manchester United and Real Madrid, said they would not take part in any new competition until 2024 at the earliest and would even consider suing Fifa if it ignored their 2015 deal on the international match calendar. Speaking to reporters in Miami, Infantino admitted there have been "differences of opinion" since he first floated the idea last year and referred to "constructive dialogue" with Europe that he hoped to build on. For him, though, the decision to approve his plan was a "milestone in Fifa's history", saying that "the world will now see a real Club World Cup where fans will see the best teams in the world compete to be crowned the real world champions". He said club football was "evolving at a different pace in different parts of the world" and it was Fifa's duty to put on an "exciting, prestigious and inclusive competition, and we'll have that with this Club World Cup, starting in 2021". Asked if he was concerned about the prospect of Fifa staging a new events without its biggest stars, Infantino said: "We hope that all the best teams will participate and we've had some very positive discussions with (European football's governing body) Uefa. "But today it was our responsibility to take a decision because we have to deal with the organisational matters - it is only two years away." In its letter, the ECA, which represents 232 of Europe's best teams, strongly criticised Infantino for failing to reveal more details about who is providing the financial backing for the new competition and ignoring its concerns about the impact on players. His original plan was to revamp the Club World Cup and start a Global Nationals League, with the two competitions worth a guaranteed £18.8billion over 12 years from a group of investors led by Japan's technology fund SoftBank. The Global Nations League has been quietly dropped and Infantino has still not provided any further details on his mystery backers for the new Club World Cup. But he dismissed the idea that Fifa was increasing the strain on players, saying the new Club World Cup was replacing two unloved competitions: the annual Club World Cup and World Cup warm-up event, the Confederations Cup. "We are the only organisation reducing the number of tournaments and games - this will not have a neutral impact on the calendar, it will be positive," he said. "Of the 24 teams, two thirds of them will play only two games and the finalists will play five. Five games in four years. I don't think anyone can that is an large additional burden." No venue was mentioned for the inaugural new and improved tournament in 2021, but it is scheduled to take the slot currently reserved for the Confederations Cup, June 17 to July 4.
|
Matt Slater
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https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/club-world-cup-fifa-ignores-europe-new-24-team-tournament-starting-2021-a4093351.html
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2019-03-15 18:40:00+00:00
| 1,552,689,600 | 1,567,546,087 |
sport
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sport organisation
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186,954 |
eveningstandard--2019-10-15--Fifa on racism: President Gianni Infantino wants to eradicate 'obnoxious disease' from foo
| 2019-10-15T00:00:00 |
eveningstandard
|
Fifa on racism: President Gianni Infantino wants to eradicate 'obnoxious disease' from football
|
Fifa president Gianni Infantino called racism an "obnoxious disease" which needs "stronger and more effective ways" to be eradicated from football in the wake of the abuse suffered by England players during their Euro 2020 qualifier in Bulgaria. Uefa has opened disciplinary proceedings against Bulgaria and England following Monday's match in Sofia, which was stopped twice as Bulgarian fans made Nazi salutes and directed monkey noises at black England players. Charges against the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) include the racist behaviour, throwing of objects and disruption of a national anthem by home supporters, and showing replays on a giant screen. The English Football Association has been charged with disruption of a national anthem, as well as providing an insufficient number of travelling stewards. Infantino said in a statement: "So many times we say there is no place for racism in football, but nonetheless we still face challenges to tackle this problem in our sport, as we do in society. "We will need the support of public authorities to help us identify and punish the culprits but we probably also need to think more broadly on what we can do to fix this. "When we proposed the three-step procedure in 2009 when I was at Uefa, and then made the regulations even tougher a few years later, we could not have imagined that so shortly thereafter we would again be having to think of how to combat this obnoxious disease that seems to be getting even worse in some parts of the world. "I call on all football governing bodies to join us and think together of new, stronger and more effective ways to eradicate racism in football. "As a starting point, I suggest that all competition organisers enact regulations which envisage life bans from stadiums for those who are found guilty of racist behaviour at a football match. Fifa can then enforce such bans at a worldwide level." A Fifa statement added: "Following changes made to its disciplinary code in June 2019, Fifa may extend worldwide any sanctions that a confederation or member association imposes for racist incidents, such as those which occurred in Sofia during the Uefa EURO 2020 qualifier match between Bulgaria and England. "Fifa therefore expects to be informed as soon as practicable regarding the relevant decisions of the Uefa disciplinary bodies in relation to this particular case. This would allow any sanctions imposed to be extended worldwide."
|
Richard Parry
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https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/fifa-on-racism-president-gianni-infantino-wants-to-eradicate-obnoxious-disease-from-football-a4262451.html
|
Tue, 15 Oct 2019 16:28:00 GMT
| 1,571,171,280 | 1,571,180,199 |
sport
|
sport organisation
|
470,218 |
rferl--2019-08-08--FIFA Slammed Over Afghan Sex Abuse Probe
| 2019-08-08T00:00:00 |
rferl
|
FIFA Slammed Over Afghan Sex Abuse Probe
|
A "culture of abuse" continues to thrive at Afghanistan's soccer federation because of world soccer governing body FIFA's "apparent inaction" in a sexual abuse scandal involving female Afghan players, according to the national women's team coach. In a letter dated August 6, coach Kelly Lindsey and the team’s program director, Khalida Popal, said that FIFA had been dragging its feet in following up on allegations of sexual misconduct. Earlier this year, FIFA banned Afghanistan Football Federation's former head Keramuddin Karim for life and fined him about $1 million after finding him guilty of abusing his position and sexually abusing female players. At least five Afghan players accused him of repeated sexual abuse in 2013-2018. But in their letter, sent to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Lindsey and Popal said that several other individuals were directly or indirectly linked to the case have not been disciplined or fined. "The accounts mention numerous other individuals, including senior individuals in ongoing positions of power, who committed sexual and physical abuse and/or failed to report abuse even though they knew or ought to have known of the abuse and/or sought to cover up abuse," the letter reads. The two also criticized FIFA for allegedly asking the women to gather more evidence in the case, instead of sending their own investigators. "We did this... at significant cost to our safety and wellbeing," Lindsey and Popal wrote. "We were dismayed at the time that such a task should fall to us...but we also felt we had no choice," they added. FIFA said it would answer the letter "shortly," adding that it was "carefully looking into allegations that have been made against additional persons." "As stated before, FIFA will not hesitate to impose sanctions if and when justified," it said. FIFA began its investigation in December when it suspended Karim.
| null |
https://www.rferl.org/a/afghan-football-sex-abuse-fifa-slammed/30099905.html
|
2019-08-08 14:00:51+00:00
| 1,565,287,251 | 1,567,534,603 |
sport
|
sport organisation
|
470,220 |
rferl--2019-08-08--Iran Prosecutor Defies FIFA On Stadium Entrance Ban For Women
| 2019-08-08T00:00:00 |
rferl
|
Iran Prosecutor Defies FIFA On Stadium Entrance Ban For Women
|
Iran’s ban on women entering stadiums is not the business of world soccer governing body FIFA, the country’s prosecutor-general said on August 7. "That is certainly not the concern of FIFA -- whether women are among the football fans in the stadiums or not," Mohammad Montazeri said, according to the semiofficial ISNA news agency. He asked since when does FIFA care about women in Iran who "will be robbed of the blessing of a football match?" Iran is in danger of being barred from the World Cup qualifiers if it doesn’t lift the nearly 40-year ban on women from sports stadiums. FIFA President Gianni Infantino gave Iran's soccer federation FFIRI a July 15 deadline to allow women to attend the nation’s qualifiers for the next World Cup taking place in 2022. Qatar will host the quadrennial soccer tournament in September 2022. Women deserve to attend the games, Infantino said, because "we owe it to women all over the world, but also because we have a responsibility to do so, under the most basic principles set out in the FIFA statutes." Based on FIFA’s statutes, Iran’s soccer governing body could be suspended if it fails to lift the stadium ban, thus keeping Iran out of the competition’s qualifiers. Two years after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, women started to be largely banned from entering stadiums to prevent exposure to male fans, according to ultraconservative clerics.
| null |
https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-prosecutor-defies-fifa-on-stadium-entrance-ban-for-women/30098890.html
|
2019-08-08 04:35:13+00:00
| 1,565,253,313 | 1,567,534,603 |
sport
|
sport organisation
|
470,794 |
rferl--2019-09-22--FIFA Says Tehran Assured It That Women Can Get Into Next Soccer Match
| 2019-09-22T00:00:00 |
rferl
|
FIFA Says Tehran 'Assured' It That Women Can Get Into Next Soccer Match
|
FIFA President Gianni Infantino says soccer's world governing body "cannot wait any more" and has been "assured" by Tehran that the authorities will allow women spectators into the arena when Iran hosts its next international match. Infantino's September 22 comments follow a FIFA delegation visit to Iran over the conservative Shi'ite leadership's longtime ban on women at major men's sporting events -- a policy that turned more tragic with the recent death of a young woman who was being punished for trying to sneak into a stadium disguised as a man. Iran is scheduled to play Cambodia in a 2022 World Cup qualifier on October 10 at Azadi Stadium in Tehran. "In these productive discussions, FIFA reiterated its firm and clear position that women need to be allowed to enter football matches freely and that the number of women who attend the stadiums be determined by the demand, resulting in ticket sales," FIFA said in a September 21 statement summarizing the delegation's visit to Tehran and Azadi Stadium. FIFA further said it would work with Iran's national soccer federation, the FFIRI, to ensure that women spectators could get into the Iranian soccer league's matches in future. The delegation "discussed the need to open stadiums for women to attend national matches. In that respect, FIFA announced that it will, based on the operational plans and results of the [October 10] game, collaborate with the FFIRI in developing an operational protocol and related requirements for matches in the Iranian football league to be opened for women as well." There was a social outcry upon news that 29-year-old Iranian Sahar Khodayari had died earlier this month after dousing herself with gasoline and setting herself alight on September 2 following charges over her bid to see a match in March. Iranian officials have sometimes allowed select groups of women into specific areas to watch soccer matches or other men's sporting events in the past, but have resolutely held the line for nearly four decades at general admission for women. Khodayari, nicknamed "The Blue Girl" after the colors of her favorite team, Esteghlal, had reportedly suffered burns over 90 percent of her body in the self-immolation. A sister had told RFE/RL that the girl suffered from bipolar disorder and that her mental state had deteriorated after her arrest and hearing that she could spend six months in prison. Iranian President Hassan Rohani has mostly failed to deliver on pledges to open up some aspects of Iranian society, including reforms that could help lift Iranian women from distant second-class status under the law. FIFA has received frequent criticism for its perceived failure to confront Iran's and others' gender-based discrimination. On August 25, Iranian Deputy Sports Minister Jamshid Tahizade announced that women would be allowed to attend the Cambodia match. But Tehran has dithered on the issue in the past, apparently prompting the FIFA visit this month. "FIFA's position is firm and clear," the group said in its recent statement. "Women have to be allowed into football stadiums in Iran. For all football matches."
| null |
https://www.rferl.org/a/fifa-says-tehran-assured-it-that-women-can-get-into-next-soccer-match/30177629.html
|
2019-09-22 11:01:04+00:00
| 1,569,164,464 | 1,570,222,507 |
sport
|
sport organisation
|
471,055 |
rferl--2019-10-11--FIFA Bans Former Afghan Soccer Official For Violations Relating To Sexual-Abuse Complaints
| 2019-10-11T00:00:00 |
rferl
|
FIFA Bans Former Afghan Soccer Official For Violations Relating To Sexual-Abuse Complaints
|
FIFA, world soccer's governing body, has banned the former general secretary of the Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF) for five years for violations concerning the abuse of female players. FIFA said in a statement on October 11 that Sayed Aghazada was guilty of "various violations" of the FIFA Code of Ethics for failing to report sexual-abuse complaints lodged by several Afghan female soccer players against Keramuudin Karim, the former president of the AFF. "In its decision, the adjudicatory chamber ruled that Mr. Aghazada was aware of this abuse and had the duty to report and prevent it according to the FIFA Code of Ethics," the statement said. Karim was banned for life in June following a FIFA investigation that found him guilty of having abused his position and for sexually abusing "various female players." In addition to a ban from all soccer-related activity at both the national and international level for five years, Aghazada was also fined 10,000 Swiss francs ($10,016), FIFA said. "The FIFA Ethics Committee is still looking into the allegations that have been made against other individuals in connection to the same investigation and to their positions as football officials," it said. Aghazada was also a FIFA Standing Committee member and Asian Football Confederation Executive Committee member, according to the statement.
| null |
https://www.rferl.org/a/fifa-bans-former-afghan-soccer-official-for-violations-relating-to-sexual-abuse-complaints/30211706.html
|
Fri, 11 Oct 2019 12:27:08 +0000
| 1,570,811,228 | 1,570,803,721 |
sport
|
sport organisation
|
546,987 |
sputnik--2019-10-15--FIFA May Extend Punishments for Racist Incidents Globally After Bulgaria-England Match
| 2019-10-15T00:00:00 |
sputnik
|
FIFA May Extend Punishments for Racist Incidents Globally After Bulgaria-England Match
|
FIFA may extend worldwide any penalties that a "Confederation or Member Association imposes for racist incidents, such as those which occurred in Sofia during the UEFA EURO 2020 qualifier match between Bulgaria and England", the organisation said in a statement. Earlier in the day, Bulgaria’s Football Union President Borislav Mihaylov submitted his resignation following the scandal after the country’s Minister of Youth and Sports Krasen Kralev urged for his resignation. England Football Association Chairman Greg Clarke, who was present at the game, called it "one of the most appalling nights" he had ever witnessed. FIFA President Gianni Infantino, in turn, called for all football governing bodies to think of "more effective ways to eradicate racism in football". England beat Bulgaria 6-0 in the Euro 2020 qualifier match in Sofia. The game was, however, halted twice over the racist behaviour of some home fans, who chanted racial slurs and made Nazi salutes. Some of them also held up a shirt with the caption "No Respect", a reference to the equality and anti-racism campaign of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).
| null |
https://sputniknews.com/sport/201910151077056081-fifa-may-extend-punishments-for-racist-incidents-globally-after-bulgaria-england-match/
|
Tue, 15 Oct 2019 21:16:25 +0300
| 1,571,188,585 | 1,571,183,317 |
sport
|
sport organisation
|
560,961 |
tass--2019-02-06--FIFA Incumbent President Infantino is sole candidate registered for presidential election
| 2019-02-06T00:00:00 |
tass
|
FIFA: Incumbent President Infantino is sole candidate registered for presidential election
|
MOSCOW, February 6. /TASS/. FIFA President Gianni Infantino is a sole registered candidate for the presidential election of the world’s governing football body this summer, FIFA said in a statement on Wednesday. "Following the call for election issued by the FIFA Council on 10 June 2018, FIFA’s member associations have proposed, in due time and form, the following candidate for the presidential election to take place at the 69th FIFA Congress in Paris on 5 June 2019: Gianni Infantino," the statement reads. The deadline for applications of candidates wishing to run for the post of the FIFA president expired on February 5. Earlier reports suggested that former footballer Ramon Vega, who played for the national team of Switzerland and England’s Tottenham FC, also intended to run in the election, which is to be held at the 69th FIFA Congress in Paris on June 5, 2019. "The Governance Committee will monitor the electoral process, ensuring the correct application of the FIFA Statutes and regulations," FIFA added in its statement. In other media
| null |
http://tass.com/sport/1043499
|
2019-02-06 13:23:13+00:00
| 1,549,477,393 | 1,567,549,427 |
sport
|
sport organisation
|
560,992 |
tass--2019-02-06--Putin decrees to award FIFA President Gianni Infantino with Order of Friendship
| 2019-02-06T00:00:00 |
tass
|
Putin decrees to award FIFA President Gianni Infantino with Order of Friendship
|
### FIFA President Gianni Infantino © EPA-EFE/FELIPE TRUEBA MOSCOW, February 6. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Wednesday to award FIFA President Gianni Infantino with the Order of Friendship, according to the corresponding presidential decree published on the official legal information website. According to the decree, FIFA President Infantino was awarded with the Order of Friendship for his "enormous contribution in the organization of the 2018 FIFA World Cup." Last summer Russia hosted its first-ever FIFA World Cup, which kicked off in Moscow with a remarkable opening show at Luzhniki Stadium on the evening of June 14 and ended with a spectacular final match, played also at the Luzhniki Stadium, where France confidently defeated Croatia 4-2 to win the much-coveted World Cup Trophy. Russia selected 11 host cities as the venues for the matches of the 2018 World Cup and they were Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan, Saransk, Kaliningrad, Volgograd, Rostov-on-Don, Nizhny Novgorod, Yekaterinburg and Samara. FIFA President Infantino said after the world championship that Russia staged "the best World Cup ever." According to the Russian Federal Agency for Tourism, some 2.9 million foreign visitors arrived in Russia last summer for the FIFA World Cup. In late December, FIFA announced in its statement that the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia set a new record of audience in the history of world football championships as over half of the world’s population watched matches on TV at home, out of home or on digital platforms. In other media
| null |
http://tass.com/sport/1043536
|
2019-02-06 15:58:29+00:00
| 1,549,486,709 | 1,567,549,428 |
sport
|
sport organisation
|
561,911 |
tass--2019-02-21--Russia supports Infantinos nomination for FIFA president
| 2019-02-21T00:00:00 |
tass
|
Russia supports Infantino’s nomination for FIFA president
|
### FIFA President Gianni Infantino © AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia MOSCOW, February 21. /TASS/. Russia supports the current president of the international football federation FIFA Gianni Infantino’s nomination for another term of office, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets told TASS in an interview. "Russia supported Infantino’s nomination," Golodets said. "What was achieved during the FIFA World Cup evokes great respect. Infantino is committed to Olympics principles in sports, he promotes opportunities for sports activities for different groups of the population. He is very active in supporting women’s sports." "He has displayed all the very best personal qualities, too. He is educated and honest and a true professional," Golodets said. At the beginning of February it became clear that Infantino will be the sole candidate for FIFA’s president in the forthcoming election due at the organization’s congress in Paris on June 5. Infantino was elected FIFA president in February 2016 following a corruption scandal that forced his predecessor Joseph Blatter to step down. Infantino has implemented a package of reforms to improve FIFA’s finances and reputation. In other media
| null |
http://tass.com/sport/1045789
|
2019-02-21 09:57:22+00:00
| 1,550,761,042 | 1,567,547,766 |
sport
|
sport organisation
|
566,242 |
tass--2019-06-03--FIFA Council to discuss Qatar preparations for World Cup
| 2019-06-03T00:00:00 |
tass
|
FIFA Council to discuss Qatar preparations for World Cup
|
PARIS, June 3. /TASS/. The Council of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) on Monday will discuss the preparation of Qatar for the 2022 World Cup, and determine the countries that will host the 2019 and 2020 World Club Championships. The meeting of the FIFA Council will be held in Paris on June 3. It precedes the congress of the international federation, the main event of which will be electing the organization’s president. The Congress will be held on June 5, the only contender for the post is the current head of FIFA Gianni Infantino. One of the items on the meeting’s agenda is devoted to the closest world championship. In particular, the council will discuss the proposal to increase the number of participants in the tournament from 32 to 48 teams. It is likely that the council will decide to exclude this item from discussion at the congress, since FIFA has already made a statement on the issue. It was announced on May 22, that the tournament will take place without changing the number of participants. The decision was due to the fact that FIFA did not have enough time to prepare the country for additional matches. Increasing the number of participants in the world championship could lead to the fact that a number of matches could take place outside of Qatar. In other media
| null |
http://tass.com/sport/1061356
|
2019-06-03 04:08:25+00:00
| 1,559,549,305 | 1,567,539,216 |
sport
|
sport organisation
|
564,340 |
tass--2019-04-16--FIFA gives high assessment of medical services provision at 2018 World Cup in Russia
| 2019-04-16T00:00:00 |
tass
|
FIFA gives high assessment of medical services provision at 2018 World Cup in Russia
|
© AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin MOSCOW, April 16. /TASS/. The world’s governing football body, FIFA, highly evaluated the level of medical services provided during the 2018 World Cup in Russia last summer, the Russian Federal Micro-Biological Agency (FMBA) said in its report. "This grand and definitely the most difficult sports event in terms of medical services provision received the highest appraisal on behalf of international experts from FIFA," according to the FMBA report obtained by TASS on Tuesday. Last summer, Russia hosted its first-ever FIFA World Cup, which kicked off in Moscow with a remarkable opening show at Luzhniki Stadium on the evening of June 14 and ended on July 15 with a spectacular final match - also played at Luzhniki - where France roundly defeated Croatia 4-2 to win the much-coveted World Cup Trophy. Russia selected 11 host cities as the venues for the matches of the 2018 World Cup and they were Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan, Saransk, Kaliningrad, Volgograd, Rostov-on-Don, Nizhny Novgorod, Yekaterinburg and Samara. FIFA President Gianni Infantino said after the world championship that Russia staged "the best World Cup ever." According to the Russian Federal Agency for Tourism, some 2.9 million foreign visitors arrived in Russia last summer for the FIFA World Cup. In late December, FIFA announced in its statement that the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia set a new audience record in the history of world football championships since over half of the world’s population watched matches on TV at home, outside their homes or on digital platforms. In other media
| null |
http://tass.com/sport/1053939
|
2019-04-16 11:52:01+00:00
| 1,555,429,921 | 1,567,542,804 |
sport
|
sport organisation
|
574,266 |
tass--2019-11-26--Ex-FIFA vice president: ‘Zero chances’ of UEFA stripping Russia of 2020 Euro Cup matches
| 2019-11-26T00:00:00 |
tass
|
Ex-FIFA vice president: ‘Zero chances’ of UEFA stripping Russia of 2020 Euro Cup matches
|
MOSCOW, November 26. /TASS/. It is impossible that the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) may strip Russia of the right to host matches of the 2020 Euro Cup in view of the recently recommended sanctions against Russian sports, Vyacheslav Koloskov, a former FIFA vice president, told TASS on Tuesday. The WADA Compliance Review Committee (CRC) recommended the world anti-doping body’s Executive Committee on November 23 to strip RUSADA (the Russian Anti-Doping Agency) of its compliance status and on Monday, the CRC came up with an extended list of recommended sanctions against Russian sports. The CRC recommended to bar Russia from international competitions for a four-year period. The Committee also issued a recommendation to deprive Russia of the right to host international sports events during this period. The WADA Executive Committee will pass a final decision on Russia at its meeting on December 9 in Paris. "There are zero chances that Russia will be stripped of the right to host matches of the 2020 Euro Cup," Koloskov, who is also the president emeritus of the Russian Football Union (RFU), said in an interview with TASS. "Is there a chance that the Russian national team may be stripped of its right to play at this tournament? To be honest, this question does not need an answer." "Decisions, which will be made by the WADA Executive Committee on December 9, have nothing to do with football and I have repeatedly commented on this issue," he continued. "FIFA and UEFA have their own medical committees, their own anti-doping service and accredited laboratory," Koloskov said. "They have a complete database on our footballers." "In line with the FIFA and UEFA regulations, doping testing is required at all competitions, at every match authorized by these organizations, including at the clubs level," he said. "Three players from each team are obliged to undergo doping testing." The matches of the 2020 Euro Cup will be held at stadiums in 12 different cities across Europe, namely in London (England), Munich (Germany), Rome (Italy), Baku (Azerbaijan), Saint Petersburg (Russia), Bucharest (Romania), Amsterdam (The Netherlands), Dublin (Ireland), Bilbao (Spain), Budapest (Hungary), Glasgow (Scotland) and Copenhagen (Denmark). St. Petersburg was granted the right to host three group stage matches and one of the quarterfinals of the 2020 UEFA Euro Cup. The newly-built football arena in St. Petersburg hosted the opening and final matches of the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup and also served as one of 12 stadiums across the country hosting matches of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Playing in Group I during the qualifications for the 2020 UEFA Euro Cup, the Russian national football team finished second after Belgium and qualified for the major European football championship.
| null |
https://tass.com/sport/1092875
|
Tue, 26 Nov 2019 15:07:06 +0300
| 1,574,798,826 | 1,574,770,830 |
sport
|
sport organisation
|
575,253 |
tass--2019-12-16--FIFA demands over $2 million in restitution from Blatter, Platini
| 2019-12-16T00:00:00 |
tass
|
FIFA demands over $2 million in restitution from Blatter, Platini
|
"FIFA has today filed claims in the relevant Swiss courts against former FIFA President Joseph Blatter and former FIFA Vice-President Michel Platini, seeking restitution of the CHF 2 million unduly paid to Mr. Platini back in February 2011," FIFA said in a statement. MOSCOW, December 16. /TASS/. The world’s governing football body, FIFA, announced on Monday that it submitted an application with Swiss courts seeking a restitution of two million Swiss francs (over $2 million) from ex-President of FIFA Joseph Blatter and ex-President of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Michel Platini. "This follows the unanimous resolution recently adopted by the FIFA Governance Committee in which it emphasized that FIFA was duty-bound to try to recover the funds illicitly paid by one former official to another," the statement continued. "Even the Swiss Federal Supreme Court has confirmed that this CHF 2 million gift was to be viewed as an ‘undue payment’." In early October 2015, then-President of FIFA Sepp Blatter and Platini, who also served as the FIFA vice-president, were both suspended for the period of 90 days from their posts as part of an investigation into corruption allegations against them. Among the corruption allegations, Blatter was suspected of an illicit payment of 2 million Swiss francs to UEFA President Platini in February 2011. The adjudicatory chamber of the independent FIFA Ethics Committee held hearings into corruption charges on December 17 and 18, 2016 in regard to Blatter and Platini respectively, and on December 21, 2016 they were both suspended for the period of eight years from all football-related activities. The Ethics Committee also subjected both football executives to fines, obliging Blatter to pay 50,000 Swiss francs (over $50,300) and Platini — 80,000 Swiss francs (over $80,500). Later, the FIFA Appeal Committee ruled to roll back the suspension sentences for Platini and Blatter from eight to six years. Platini appealed his suspension with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and in May 2016 the Swiss-based court ruled to reduce his suspension term from six to four years. Platini’s suspension expired in October this year.
| null |
https://tass.com/sport/1099853
|
Mon, 16 Dec 2019 17:08:48 +0300
| 1,576,534,128 | 1,576,542,089 |
sport
|
sport organisation
|
704,997 |
theguardianuk--2019-07-05--Fifas Gianni Infantino wants 32-team Womens World Cup for 2023
| 2019-07-05T00:00:00 |
theguardianuk
|
Fifa’s Gianni Infantino wants 32-team Women’s World Cup for 2023
|
[Gianni Infantino](https://www.theguardian.com/football/gianni-infantino) wants to expand the Women’s World Cup finals to 32 teams from 24 in 2023 and double the prize money to $60m (£48m). Before Sunday’s final between USA and the Netherlands, the Fifa president said he would take his proposals to the [Fifa](https://www.theguardian.com/football/fifa) council and member associations for approval. “I want to expand the tournament to 32 teams,” he said. “We will have to act quickly to decide if we are to increase it for 2023, if we do, we should reopen the bidding process to allow everyone to have a chance or maybe co- host. Nothing is impossible.” Infantino hailed the tournament in France as “the best women’s World Cup ever” and said it was an opportunity to build on the game worldwide with a number of proposals. “[I would like to see] a Club World Cup for women starting as soon as possible next year or the year after,” Infantino added. “We need a Club World Cup which can be played every even year to expose clubs from all over the world, to make clubs invest even more in women’s football to really shine in a world stage.” Infantino also said Fifa would increase its investment in the women’s game to $1bn over the next four-year cycle and spoke of wanting to create an international women’s league, with promotion and relegation, to help the World Cup qualification process. “Sometimes qualification for the World Cup is just based on one tournament, sometimes not even that … This will ensure we can raise the standard all over the world,” he said. **** **The Fiver: sign up and get our daily football email.**
|
Reuters
|
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/jul/05/fifa-gianni-infantino-32team-womens-world-cup-2023
|
2019-07-05 16:45:09+00:00
| 1,562,359,509 | 1,567,536,798 |
sport
|
sport organisation
|
751,132 |
theindependent--2019-03-15--Fifa ignores Europe and votes to start revamped Club World Cup in June 2021
| 2019-03-15T00:00:00 |
theindependent
|
Fifa ignores Europe and votes to start revamped Club World Cup in June 2021
|
World football’s governing body Fifa has ignored European opposition to its plan to revamp the Club World Cup by voting to approve a new 24-team tournament starting in June 2021. Describing himself as a “very happy man”, Fifa president Gianni Infantino announced the decision after a meeting of the ruling council in Miami on Friday. But the move to scrap the current seven-team tournament, which takes place every winter but is largely ignored by European fans, and replace it with a larger, more lucrative contest every fourth summer, would appear to set Fifa on collision course with Europe’s elite. Infantino wants Europe to provide eight of the 24 teams, with six coming from South America, three each from Africa, Asia and North and Central America and one from Oceania, and it is suggested that each club could earn £50million for taking part. But the European Club Association, which represents 232 of the continent’s leading sides, Europe’s governing body Uefa and the world players’ union FIFPro are unhappy with what they claim is a lack of consultation in regards to the congested global calendar and Infantino’s financial plans for the new tournament. In a letter that was leaked on Friday, the ECA’s executive board, including the bosses of Barcelona, Juve, Manchester United and Real Madrid, said they would not take part in any new competition until 2024 at the earliest and would even consider suing Fifa if it ignored their 2015 deal on the international match calendar. Speaking to reporters in Miami, Infantino admitted there have been “differences of opinion” since he first floated the idea last year and referred to “constructive dialogue” with Europe that he hoped to build on. For him, though, the decision to approve his plan was a “milestone in Fifa’s history”, saying that “the world will now see a real Club World Cup where fans will see the best teams in the world compete to be crowned the real world champions”. He said club football was “evolving at a different pace in different parts of the world” and it was Fifa’s duty to put on an “exciting, prestigious and inclusive competition, and we’ll have that with this Club World Cup, starting in 2021”. Asked if he was concerned about the prospect of Fifa staging a new events without its biggest stars, Infantino said: “We hope that all the best teams will participate and we’ve had some very positive discussions with (European football’s governing body) Uefa. “But today it was our responsibility to take a decision because we have to deal with the organisational matters – it is only two years away.” In its letter, the ECA, which represents 232 of Europe’s best teams, strongly criticised Infantino for failing to reveal more details about who is providing the financial backing for the new competition and ignoring its concerns about the impact on players. His original plan was to revamp the Club World Cup and start a Global Nationals League, with the two competitions worth a guaranteed £18.8billion over 12 years from a group of investors led by Japan’s technology fund SoftBank. The Global Nations League has been quietly dropped and Infantino has still not provided any further details on his mystery backers for the new Club World Cup. But he dismissed the idea that Fifa was increasing the strain on players, saying the new Club World Cup was replacing two unloved competitions: the annual Club World Cup and World Cup warm-up event, the Confederations Cup. “We are the only organisation reducing the number of tournaments and games – this will not have a neutral impact on the calendar, it will be positive,” he said. “Of the 24 teams, two thirds of them will play only two games and the finalists will play five. Five games in four years. I don’t think anyone can that is an large additional burden.” No venue was mentioned for the inaugural new and improved tournament in 2021, but it is scheduled to take the slot currently reserved for the Confederations Cup, 17 June to 4 July. A decision on whether to expand the 2022 World Cup in Qatar from 32 to 48 teams has been postponed until June 5. That is when all 211 member associations of world football’s governing body will gather in Paris for Fifa’s annual congress. Infantino has been lobbying for the expansion for over a year but he needs Qatar to agree to it, as the Gulf state has been preparing for a 32-team, 64-game tournament and the 16 extra teams and games would mean it would have to share the event with at least one co-host. Keep up to date with all the latest news with expert comment and analysis from our award-winning writers
|
Matt Slater
|
https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/international/fifa-uefa-club-world-2021-qatar-2022-world-cup-a8825576.html
|
2019-03-15 19:01:00+00:00
| 1,552,690,860 | 1,567,546,100 |
sport
|
sport organisation
|
765,694 |
theindependent--2019-07-05--Womenaposs World Cup Fifa announce ambition to expand tournament to 32 teams and double prize mon
| 2019-07-05T00:00:00 |
theindependent
|
Women's World Cup: Fifa announce ambition to expand tournament to 32 teams and double prize money
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Fifa want to expand the Women’s World Cup will from its current 24-team format to a 32-team tournament for the next edition in 2023, president Gianni Infantino announced. Football's governing body must act quickly on Infantino’s ambition and will consider opening re-opening the bidding process for the next tournament with a view to selecting co-host nations to accommodate an additional eight teams. Nine countries have announced intentions to host the tournament, including a potential joint bid between North Korea and South Koera. Infantino, who was speaking at a closing press conference ahead of the final, added that the prize money will be doubled to lift it to $60m. The 2020 men’s tournament will have a prize money of $440m. Ahead of Sunday’s final between holders the USA and the Netherlands, Infantino said he will take his new proposals to the Fifa council and member associations for approval. "I want to expand the tournament to 32 teams," said Infantino. "We will have to act quickly to decide if we are to increase it for 2023, if we do we should reopen the bidding process to allow everyone to have a chance or maybe co-host. Nothing is impossible." Infantino added that the 2019 tournament has been "the best women's World Cup ever" and said it was an opportunity to build on the game worldwide, with a global club competition in 2020 or 2021 in mind. "(I would like to see) a Club World Cup for women starting as soon as possible next year or the year after," Infantino added. "We need a Club World Cup which can be played even every year to expose clubs from all other the world to make clubs invest even more in women’s football to really shine in a world stage which is a real and true Club World Cup." Infantino also said that Fifa will increase its investment in women's football worldwide to $1 billion over the next four-year cycle.
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Jack Watson
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https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/womens_football/womens-world-cup-2019-fifa-prize-money-how-much-final-winners-gianni-infantino-usa-vs-netherlands-a8990131.html
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2019-07-05 12:58:00+00:00
| 1,562,345,880 | 1,567,536,746 |
sport
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sport organisation
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796,878 |
themanchestereveningnews--2019-03-15--FIFA pushes ahead with Club World Cup expansion despite opposition from Manchester United
| 2019-03-15T00:00:00 |
themanchestereveningnews
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FIFA pushes ahead with Club World Cup expansion despite opposition from Manchester United
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FIFA has announced they are moving ahead with a controversial plan to expand the Club World Cup despite strong opposition from Europe’s elite sides. A money-spinning new structure to expand the 2021 tournament to involve 24 teams, including eight from Europe, was strongly opposed by many - including Manchester United’s Ed Woodward. In a letter penned to UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, the European Club Association’s board, which represents 232 of the leading teams on the continent, made it clear they were against any changes to the current international match calendar, which is currently mapped out until 2024. However, despite objections from the bosses of Celtic, Ajax, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, all of whom are on the ECA board, FIFA have pushed ahead with their plans. "Today you have in front of you a happy FIFA president. Not for me but for football as we have taken several decisions, one particularly important because we will have, as of 2021, a new, real, revamped Club World Cup,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said in a press conference after a council meeting in Miami. “It will certainly have a fantastic impact on club football worldwide, on football worldwide, and I'm extremely happy the council has taken this decision to start in 2021 in the slot of the Confederations Cup. “From now, the world will see a real Club World Cup where the best teams in the world will compete to crown the champion. This is important today because club football is evolving, it's moving at a different pace. “What is better than having a real club football and not a competition like we have now. We want to have an exciting competition, we want to have a prestigious competition, we want to have an inclusive competition and we will have this with the new Club World Cup starting in 2021. “The decision has been taken after a long process of consultations, discussions and difference of opinions. Today, I’m also pleased because there have been some very positive discussions lately with the UEFA president and UEFA. “Constructive dialogue, even though there are on some topics different points of view, but are moving forward. We have the responsibility to make decisions for FIFA and we took that decision. “I’m sure in the next few weeks even the discussions with UEFA will bare some positive fruits, certainly the spirit of today’s meeting and the most recent discussions. So it’s constructive, positive but, more importantly, FIFA has decided and we are moving on.” Infantino also confirmed that the tournament, set to take place in June and July in 2021, would not take place in Qatar due to the severe temperatures that have already forced the 2022 World Cup to move to a summer window. It was also announced that plans to expand the World Cup from 32 teams to 48, another controversial decision, could occur earlier than the current plan from 2026 as a FIFA feasibility study found no reason to shelve those plans. “We have published a feasibility study where we came to the conclusion that yes, it is possible to move the World Cup from 32 teams to 48 teams providing certain conditions are met,” he added. It was claimed by the FIFA president that 90% of the associations in world football backed the expansion of the World Cup.
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Josh Challies
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https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/manchester-united-club-world-cup-15982137
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2019-03-15 17:29:41+00:00
| 1,552,685,381 | 1,567,546,142 |
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941,499 |
thesun--2019-02-27--Fifa president Infantino steps into Sala transfer row as he orders Cardiff and Nantes to reach an ag
| 2019-02-27T00:00:00 |
thesun
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Fifa president Infantino steps into Sala transfer row as he orders Cardiff and Nantes to reach an agreement
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FIFA president Gianni Infantino has ordered Cardiff and Nantes to reach an agreement over the Emiliano Sala saga. The Argentine striker, 28, [died in a plane crash last month just days after signing for the Bluebirds.](https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/8380201/emiliano- sala-confirmed-dead-body-recovered-plane-crash/) ![ Gianni Infantino has ordered Cardiff and Nantes to reach an agreement over the Emiliano Sala saga]() Getty Images - Getty Gianni Infantino has ordered Cardiff and Nantes to reach an agreement over the Emiliano Sala saga ![ Nantes have complained to Fifa after Cardiff fail to pay Emiliano Sala's transfer fee]() AFP Nantes have complained to Fifa after Cardiff fail to pay Emiliano Sala's transfer fee The French club lodged a [complaint with Fifa after Cardiff failed to make a first £5.13million instalment of the £15m fee.](https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/8523128/emiliano-sala-nantes-fifa- complain-cardiff/) Now Nantes want Fifa to force Cardiff to pay up, despite the Welsh club citing “anomalies” with the deal. Fifa confirmed they had received a complaint. And Infantino said: “Nantes turned to Fifa. “It’s a dispute over a contract but there is a human dimension to this drama that makes us more than sad. ![ Emiliano Sala was Cardiff's record transfer after signing a £15m deal]() AFP Emiliano Sala was Cardiff's record transfer after signing a £15m deal “I would like to see the clubs find an agreement. If not, Fifa will deal with it.” Cardiff were due to make the first payment by February 5 and then had a later deadline of February 20 extended by a week. But Nantes, who owe Bordeaux half of the fee through a sell-on clause, decided to force the issue. Cardiff have insisted [they will not pay until the investigation into the crash is completed.](https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/8473071/emiliano-sala- signed-invalid-contract-cardiff-city-plane-crash/) ![ Cardiff have insisted they will not pay until the investigation into the crash is completed]() Getty - Contributor Cardiff have insisted they will not pay until the investigation into the crash is completed ![ Nantes owe Bordeaux half of the fee through a sell-on clause]() AFP or licensors Nantes owe Bordeaux half of the fee through a sell-on clause The Bluebirds want answers to ten specific questions,[ including the role of agent Willie McKay and issues around Sala’s fatal flight.](https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/8474799/sala-transfer-mckay- deal-clean/) An Aircraft Accident Investigations Board report questioned pilot David Ibbotson’s licence. A Cardiff statement said: “We remain committed to ensuring fairness and accountability with respect to the agreement. “But first and foremost the relevant authorities must be allowed to determine the facts surrounding this tragedy.” Divers end search for body of Emiliano Sala pilot David Ibbotson after finding ‘no sign’ of him in plane wreckage
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Jack Figg
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https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/8527706/fifa-president-infantino-sala-transfer-cardiff-nantes-agreement/
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2019-02-27 22:49:13+00:00
| 1,551,325,753 | 1,567,547,137 |
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sport organisation
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1,045,534 |
thinkprogress--2019-08-21--FIFA is already setting up the 2023 Womens World Cup for failure
| 2019-08-21T00:00:00 |
thinkprogress
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FIFA is already setting up the 2023 Women’s World Cup for failure
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Less than two months removed from the most-watched Women’s World Cup ever, FIFA, the governing body of soccer, is once again showing how little it cares about the women’s game. On Monday, FIFA announced that Belgium had showcased a desire to host the 2023 Women’s World Cup, which made them the 10th country to express interest in submitting a bid — a number FIFA excitedly referred to as “unprecedented.” On the surface, that sounds phenomenal. After all, there were only two official bids for the 2019 Women’s World Cup. But it quickly became clear that while yes, the women’s game is growing, FIFA is still doing its best to halt that growth. On Monday, FIFA published its press release, leading with Belgium’s interest in hosting the Women’s World Cup in 2023. But just hours later, Belgium came forward and said there had been a miscommunication — they had no plans to enter an official bid, according to the New York Times. One would think that FIFA would have checked in with Belgium before announcing such a thing, but then again, it is FIFA. But that’s not the only problem. The new timeline for bid submissions was provided too, and goodness is the schedule alarming. The nine countries that have expressed interest in hosting the event — Australia, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, and South Africa — have until September 2 to confirm their intention to bid, and all completed bids must be submitted by December 13. The host nation will be voted on in May 2020. This means that the host nation selected will have just over three years to prepare to host the Women’s World Cup. In contrast, the 2026 men’s World Cup was awarded to the joint bid presented by the United States, Canada, and Mexico in 2018, giving the North Americans eight years to prepare for the mega event. And FIFA told Qatar it was hosting the 2022 men’s World Cup way back in 2010, giving it 12 years to prepare. (There are many, many things to criticize about the Qatar bid; it’s just notable that preparation time was not an issue.) Even past hosts of the Women’s World Cup have gotten more advance notice — France (2019) and Canada (2011) both were given more than four years of lead time. And for France, that didn’t seem to be enough. As Cassidy Gabriel wrote in SB Nations’s women’s soccer vertical, All For XI, the tournament in France this summer often felt slapped together. “Game after game, host cities seemed unprepared for the size and scale of the 2019 World Cup.” Gabriel wrote. “Food and water ran low in stadiums, amidst a record-breaking European heatwave. Hotels cancelled and public transportation systems closed before matches ended, forcing some fans to leave their seats in the middle of play to catch trains, and leaving others stranded outside of stadiums into the wee hours of the morning.” These may seem like minor things, but they’re a huge part of the logistical concerns that cities and countries need to begin preparing for years in advance. And that’s in addition to building or re-purposing stadiums and making sure that the teams have the proper training facilities and accommodations. One would think, after its failures in France, FIFA would realize the importance of preparation time. However, there was no way for them to give the next host nation an advance warning, because unlike previous years, FIFA went into this Women’s World Cup without a set host for 2019. Then, it complicated things even further when it announced on July 31 that the field for the 2023 tournament was going to expand from 24 teams to 32 teams. FIFA boasted about the global impact this would have on women’s soccer. “The expansion reaches far beyond the eight additional participating teams,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said. “It means that, from now on, dozens more member associations will organize their women’s football program knowing they have a realistic chance of qualifying.” Again, on the surface, this is good news. However, because of that announcement, FIFA reopened the bidding process and pushed back the timeline so that prospective host cities could adjust their bids to include eight more teams. Now they only have a few months to alter their bids, and the selected nation will only have three years to prepare for the largest Women’s World Cup ever. FIFA knows that it takes time to make such changes, because it provides that time to the men’s game. It announced that the men’s team would be expanded from 32 to 48 teams back in January of 2017. However, that change wasn’t slated to go into effect until the 2026 World Cup. This gave potential host cities more than a year to adjust their bids to include the expansion, and it gave everyone in the game nine years to ready itself for the shift. The women’s game deserves that much forethought, faith, and care. But FIFA has shown once again that it is unwilling to provide it.
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Lindsay Gibbs
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https://thinkprogress.org/fifa-is-already-setting-up-the-2023-womens-world-cup-for-failure/
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2019-08-21 12:00:28+00:00
| 1,566,403,228 | 1,567,533,877 |
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sport organisation
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468,256 |
rferl--2019-02-22--IOC Assails Indias Decision To Deny Entry Visas To Pakistani Sports Competitors
| 2019-02-22T00:00:00 |
rferl
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IOC Assails India's Decision To Deny Entry Visas To Pakistani Sports Competitors
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The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has suspended all Indian applications to host future events and called for the country’s international sports isolation after two Pakistanis were denied visas for a competition in New Delhi. The IOC on February 22 said it had been informed that Indian authorities did not grant entry visas to the Pakistani delegation for the 25-meter rapid-fire pistol event at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup. At stake in the competition are two places at next year's Tokyo Olympics. The visa refusal comes as tensions are rising to new highs between the rival nuclear powers. India has blamed Pakistan for a February 14 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed more than 40 soldiers, and it has warned its neighbor of a "jaw-breaking response." Islamabad has denied any involvement and vowed to retaliate if it comes under attack. The attack on Indian troops was claimed by the Pakistan-based Jaish-e Mohammad (JeM) militant group. The ISSF said on February 20 that it faced "an urgent situation as Pakistani athletes cannot get entry visas to participate in the competition" because of the Kashmir attack. The IOC said that "since becoming aware of the [visa denial] and in spite of intense last-minute...efforts...and discussions with the Indian government authorities, no solution has been found to allow the Pakistani delegation to enter India in time to compete.” "As a result, the IOC Executive Board also decided to suspend all discussions with the Indian [National Olympic Committee] and government regarding the potential applications for hosting future sports and Olympic-related events in India," it said. The IOC said India’s action went against the principles of the Olympic charter relating to discrimination and political interference from the host country. The IOC said the Olympic spots would still be at stake in the competition, "in the interest of the other 500 athletes from 61 countries participating in the other events who are already in India for their competition." The body also urged all international sports federations not to hold events in India, or grant it rights to host future competitions, until the government had provided "clear written guarantees" to ensure access for all athletes. Rajeev Mehta, secretary-general of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), told Reuters that the developments constituted "a big setback for sports in the country.” "We've been in constant touch with the government, trying to explain to them and convince them to grant visas to the Pakistani shooters. This is really unfortunate," he said.
| null |
https://www.rferl.org/a/ioc-india-olympic-trial-pakistan-visa-denial/29784222.html
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2019-02-22 03:05:27+00:00
| 1,550,822,727 | 1,567,547,696 |
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550,919 |
sputnik--2019-11-26--IOC Welcomes WADA's Proposal to Let 'Clean' Russian Athletes Take Part in Int'l Competitions
| 2019-11-26T00:00:00 |
sputnik
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IOC Welcomes WADA's Proposal to Let 'Clean' Russian Athletes Take Part in Int'l Competitions
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The International Olympic Committee said in a statement on Tuesday that it favours the decision made by the World-Anti Doping Agency to allow 'clean' Russian athletes to participate in international competitions. Addressing the issue of the alleged manipulation of anti-doping data at a Moscow laboratory, the Committee said that the involvement of the Russian Olympic Committee and its staff in data tampering has not been proven. The IOC said they requested the Russian authorities to hand raw laboratory samples to WADA, adding that the latter should provide information about the data manipulations to the Council of Europe and UNESCO. The international organisation added that it will back the toughest sanctions against everyone involved in meddling with the data from the Moscow laboratory. Meanwhile, AFP reported citing an unnamed source that the Euro 2020 football tournament is not included in WADA's ban on Russia's right to host major sporting events. On Monday, WADA's Compliance Committee issued a recommendation barring Russia from applying to be a host of international competitions for four years. The recommendation also prohibited the use of the national flag by Russia's team at major events. However, the recommendation allowed Russian athletes to participate in competitions, provided that they are not in violation of the anti-doping code. In 2015, WADA launched compliance proceedings against the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) accusing the latter of a large-scale state-funded doping scheme involving thousands of athletes, coaches and sports officials. Russia denied the claims but the country's athletes were forced to compete under the Olympic flag at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. In September 2018, the ban was lifted but RUSADA was required to offer WADA access to the database of Russian athlete records. In September 2019 another non-compliance procedure was launched against RUSADA over suspected data manipulation. Russia was given three weeks to explain "inconsistencies" found in probes previously received from the Russian laboratories. Moscow submitted its answers to the agency in early October. After examining the data provided by Moscow, WADA said that some of the records had likely been 'altered.'
| null |
https://sputniknews.com/world/201911261077407629-ioc-welcomes-wadas-proposal-to-let-clean-russian-athletes-take-part-in-intl-competitions/
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Tue, 26 Nov 2019 16:02:49 +0300
| 1,574,802,169 | 1,574,815,765 |
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sputnik--2019-12-28--IOC Does Not Rule Out Reviewing Cases of Russian Athletes
| 2019-12-28T00:00:00 |
sputnik
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IOC Does Not Rule Out Reviewing Cases of Russian Athletes
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Gunter Younger, the director of intelligence and investigations for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), earlier expressed his hope in an interview with sportschau.de that new evidence from a study of the Moscow anti-doping laboratory’s database would resume proceedings against Russian athletes that had been acquitted or partially acquitted by CAS in February 2018. In 2018, before the Winter Olympics, a number of leading Russian athletes, who have not received an invitation from the International Olympic Committee to participate in the Games, filed a suit against the IOC demanding to be admitted to the Olympics. Recently, CAS fully overturned the IOC ban for 28 Russian athletes, 11 others got their appeals partially upheld, while the appeals of 32 athletes were dismissed. 169 Russian athletes were registered for participation in the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics under a neutral flag. On 5 December 2017, the IOC suspended the Russian Olympic Committee over an alleged state-sponsored doping scheme in the country. The Russian authorities have repeatedly refuted allegations of a state-sponsored doping system. They were supported by the head of the IOC-established commission Samuel Schmid who said there was no proof of state support for the doping system in Russia. In November 2019, the WADA Executive Committee imposed a ban on Russian athletes, suspending them from taking part in international sporting events, including world championships, the Olympic and Paralympic Games, for four years. WADA also declared RUSADA non-compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code. Russian President Vladimir Putin called WADA's decision to remove Russia from international sports not consistent with common sense or law and bearing a political connotation.
| null |
https://sputniknews.com/russia/201912281077884398-ioc-does-not-rule-out-reviewing-cases-of-russian-athletes/
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Sat, 28 Dec 2019 03:11:29 +0300
| 1,577,520,689 | 1,577,494,976 |
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566,773 |
tass--2019-06-24--IOC to allocate 925 mln for organizing 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy
| 2019-06-24T00:00:00 |
tass
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IOC to allocate $925 mln for organizing 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy
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LAUSANNE, June 24. /TASS/. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will allocate $925 mln for organizing and holding the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo , IOC President Thomas Bach said on Monday. The vote to determine the host of the 2026 Winter Olympics was held at the 134th session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne earlier on Monday. Stockholm also was a contender to be named the host of the Games. The contract between the IOC and the Olympic applicaiton committee in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo was signed after the results of the vote had been announced by Bach. Italy will host the Olympics for the fourth time. It is in the Alpine town of Cortina d'Ampezzo that the Soviet Union national team participated in the Winter Olympics for the first time in 1956. In 1960, Rome hosted the Summer Olympics, while Turin was the host city of the 2006 Winter Olympics. The 2022 Winter Olympics will be held in Beijing.
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https://tass.com/sport/1065369
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2019-06-24 22:31:44+00:00
| 1,561,429,904 | 1,567,538,289 |
sport
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sport organisation
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566,837 |
tass--2019-06-25--IOC adds Break Dance to its official program of 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris
| 2019-06-25T00:00:00 |
tass
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IOC adds Break Dance to its official program of 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris
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LAUSANNE, June 25. /TASS/. The sport of break dancing as well as three other new sports competition were included in the official program of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced in its statement on Tuesday. The sport of break dance debuted at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games (YOG), which were hosted by Buenos Aires last October. Russia’s Sergei Chernyshev was the first to become the champion of this new Olympic competition. "Breaking, skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing have been provisionally included on the sports program of the Olympic Games Paris 2024," the statement from the IOC reads. "The decision was taken today by the 134th session of the International Olympic Committee." The statement from the world’s Olympics governing body also quoted its president Thomas Bach as saying: "The four sports that Paris has proposed are all totally in line with Olympic Agenda 2020 because they contribute to making the program more gender balanced and more urban, and offer the opportunity to connect with the younger generation." "The proposed sports are in line with these principles and enhance Paris 2024’s overall dynamic Games concept, which focuses on inclusivity, inspiring a new audience and hosting socially responsible Games," IOC President Bach added. The break dance competition offers two sets of the medals and will include 16 male and 16 female competitors. "The proposal for the four sports builds on the evolution of the program from Tokyo 2020 and includes 248 athletes, which will fit within the 10,500-athlete quota, with equal numbers of women and men," according to the statement from the IOC. "In-keeping with its commitment to host sustainable Games, Paris 2024 will use 95% existing or temporary venues to stage the competitions" the statement from the IOC added. In March, the IOC announced its approval for the introduction of break dance, mountain climbing, skate boarding and surfing competitions on the list of the Olympic competitions in Japan in 2020. The 2020 Summer Olympic Games will be held in Tokyo’s Japan between July 24 and August 9 and will see a total of 339 sets of medals to be contested in 33 sports (50 disciplines). The 2024 Summer Olympic Games will be held in the French capital of France between July 24 and August 11.
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https://tass.com/sport/1065534
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2019-06-25 17:24:38+00:00
| 1,561,497,878 | 1,567,538,149 |
sport
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sport organisation
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567,497 |
tass--2019-07-05--IOC launches inquiry into reports of Rio-2016 Olympic bids alleged bribery
| 2019-07-05T00:00:00 |
tass
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IOC launches inquiry into reports of Rio-2016 Olympic bid’s alleged bribery
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The Brazilian daily O Globo reported late on Thursday that former governor of Rio de Janeiro Sergio Cabral, who is currently serving a long-term sentence on counts of corruption and fraud, had confessed that in 2009 he had paid a bribe to then-President of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Lamine Diack to secure the votes in favor of Brazil’s bid to host the 2016 Olympics. MOSCOW, July 5. /TASS, Artyom Kuznetsov/. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is inquiring into reports about an alleged bribery scheme used to select Rio de Janeiro as the host of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, the IOC press office said in a statement addressed to TASS. Cabral also testified, according to the daily, that nine members of the IOC (International Olympic Committee), including Olympic legends Alexander Popov of Russia and Sergey Bubka of Ukraine, had been bribed as well to vote for Rio de Janeiro. "The IOC Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer (CECO) has immediately followed up on the allegations made by the former Rio State Governor Sergio Cabral, who is already serving a jail term for corruption," the IOC statement reads. "The CECO has contacted the IOC Members mentioned in his testimony," according to the statement. "The IOC is fully committed to address any issues also those which happened before the far reaching reforms of Olympic Agenda 2020." "With these reforms the IOC has turned the page with regard to good governance and in particular the procedure of the election of host cities," the statement added. The voting for the host city of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games was held in three rounds on October 2, 2009 at the 121st IOC Session in Copenhagen, Denmark. In the final third round of voting Rio de Janeiro’s bid won with 66 votes against Spain’s Madrid with 32 votes. Popov, a four-time Olympic champion in swimming and an honorary member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), told TASS on Friday he intended to file a defamation lawsuit in the wake of reports over his alleged involvement in the suspected bribery scheme. Russia’s 47-year-old legendary swimmer served as a member of the International Olympic Committee between 2000 and 2016. He is currently a non-voting honorary member of the IOC. World’s pole vault legend Sergey Bubka, who is a member of the IOC since 1999 and is also the president of the Ukrainian National Olympic Committee, has also denied the allegations on his involvement in the unproved bribery scandal.
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https://tass.com/sport/1067274
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2019-07-05 12:57:08+00:00
| 1,562,345,828 | 1,567,536,740 |
sport
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sport organisation
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569,995 |
tass--2019-08-30--IOC announces dates and venues of boxing qualifiers for 2020 Olympics in Tokyo
| 2019-08-30T00:00:00 |
tass
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IOC announces dates and venues of boxing qualifiers for 2020 Olympics in Tokyo
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MOSCOW, August 30. /TASS/. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Boxing Task Force confirmed on Friday the dates and the names of the host cities, which will hold five boxing qualification events for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo. "Four Continental Events and a final World Qualification Event will be held between February and May 2020 to give boxers the opportunity to seal their places at the Tokyo 2020 boxing tournament," the IOC said in a statement. The five Qualification Events are: Asia/Oceania continental tournament (Wuhan, China, on February 3-14, 2020); Africa continental tournament (Dakar, Senegal, February 20-29, 2020); European continental tournament (London, Great Britain, March 13-23, 2020); America continental event (Buenos Aires, Argentina, March 26-April 3, 2020) and the final World Qualification Event in Paris, France, on May 13-24, 2020. "The World Qualification Event will give athletes a second chance to qualify and will therefore be open only to those boxers who have not yet qualified for the Games," the statement reads. Commenting on the upcoming qualification events Boxing Task Force Chair and IOC Member Morinari Watanabe said: "The Qualification Events represent a fair and transparent pathway to the Olympic Games with equal opportunities for all National Olympic Committee." "Everything is being done to provide world-class Qualification Events and to ensure the best possible conditions for the athletes," Watanabe stated. The Olympic Boxing Task Force Group also announced on Friday the formation of the Athlete Ambassador Group, which is set to provide "valuable athlete input and feedback to the Task Force and promote the athlete voice and representation in boxing, for Tokyo 2020 and beyond." "The Athlete Ambassadors will comprise 10 boxers, one man and one woman from each of the five regions, providing gender equality and global representation," the IOC statement reads. "The 10 will be selected from among nominations received from National Olympic Committees and National Federations by 30 September. They will be joined by additional athletes elected by their peers at each of the four continental events." The 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo will be held between July 24 and August 9, 2020. The sport of boxing at the Olympics in Tokyo will be represented by 186 male and 100 female boxers (compared to 250 men and 36 women at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro). The road of boxing to 2020 Olympics On November 30, 2018, the IOC halted all planning for the 2020 Olympic boxing competitions in Tokyo. That decision followed an investigation into activities of the International Boxing Association (AIBA). The IOC claimed at that time that the organization’s financial operations, management and ethics raised suspicions. The IOC also voiced its concern over Gafur Rakhimov’s appointment to the post of the president of AIBA, claiming the boxing official from Uzbekistan had been targeted by the US Treasury Department and was suspected of connections with an international criminal network. The AIBA Executive Committee announced on March 23 its decision to appoint Mohamed Moustahsane of Morocco to the post of the AIBA Interim President in place of Rakhimov. In late June, the International Olympic Committee ruled at its 134th session in Lausanne to strip the world’s governing boxing body AIBA of its Olympic status, but also made a decision to keep the sport of boxing on the program of the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo. The IOC Executive Board proposed to organize a boxing program for the next year’s Olympics in Japan composed of 13 weight categories, eight for men and five for women (compared to 10 for men and 3 for women at Rio 2016). The confirmed weight categories for men’s events include: Fly (48kg to 52kg); Feather (52kg to 57kg); Light (57kg to 63kg); Welter (63kg to 69kg); Middle (69kg to 75kg); Light Heavy (75kg to 81kg); Heavy (81kg to 91kg) and Super Heavy (91kg to over-91kg). The approved five weight categories in women’s boxing events at the 2020 Olympics are: Fly (48kg to 51kg); Feather (54kg to 57kg); Light (57kg to 60kg); Welter (64kg to 69kg) and Middle (69kg to 75kg). The organization of the boxing tournament in Tokyo is managed by a special IOC body, led by Morinari Watanabe, an IOC member and the chair of the ad-hoc Boxing Task Force Group.
| null |
https://tass.com/sport/1075817
|
2019-08-30 16:03:18+00:00
| 1,567,195,398 | 1,569,416,930 |
sport
|
sport organisation
|
571,174 |
tass--2019-09-23--IOC to follow WADAs rules regarding Russias participation in 2020 Summer Olympics
| 2019-09-23T00:00:00 |
tass
|
IOC to follow WADA’s rules regarding Russia’s participation in 2020 Summer Olympics
|
MOSCOW, September 23. /TASS/. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will be following the regulations of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) regarding the issue of Russia’s participation in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Japan, the IOC press office announced to TASS on Monday. "According to the new WADA rules, effective as of April 2018, this process is conducted by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the IOC fully respects this procedure," the IOC press office replied to a question whether the Russian national team would be allowed to take part in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo in case the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) is stripped of its compliance status with the WADA Code. President of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) Stanislav Pozdnyakov believes for his part that Russian athletes risk facing certain sanctions imposed by international sports federations due to reasons they had nothing to do with. On Monday, reports emerged that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) had initiated consideration of the issue of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) non-compliance with the international organization’s code due to inconsistencies between the database of the Moscow anti-doping lab WADA has access to and the data it received in January 2019. "Judging by the fact that the WADA Executive Committee has already initiated fast-track consideration of RUSADA’s status issue based on the Compliance Committee’s report, the situation is very serious," the ROC press service quoted Pozdnyakov as saying. "In a short time of three weeks, our organizations overseeing submissions of the database need to either conclusively disprove the accusations of any machinations on the Russian side or undertake thorough measures to identify persons involved in this case. Otherwise, along with the problem of RUSADA’s status and ramifications for our sports arising from that, the Russian national team’s prospects of taking part in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo will be jeopardized." "We have made a lot of diplomatic effort to restore trust of the international sports community and the Russian athletes’ rights to compete at Olympic events without any restrictions. However, we are now again running the risk of facing certain sanctions due to reasons we had nothing to do with," the ROC press service quoted Pozdnyakov as saying. RUSADA was reinstated last September after fulfilling a number of conditions. The Russian side was obliged to provide WADA with access to original database of the Moscow lab containing information on Russian athletes’ checks and doping samples given between 2012 and 2015. Russia submitted all the necessary data to WADA, however, the conditions laid out that the requirements would be considered fulfilled only if the integrity of the database was confirmed. Currently, doubts have been raised about that, which prompts WADA to initiate consideration of RUSADA’s non-compliance issue with the international code. RUSADA was seeking reinstatement for almost three years — since November 2015. Back then, the organization was stripped of its compliance status following a doping scandal around the Russian athletics. The ban was repeatedly reinstated in line with the investigation led by a WADA independent commission spearheaded by Richard McLaren.
| null |
https://tass.com/sport/1079391
|
2019-09-23 12:47:26+00:00
| 1,569,257,246 | 1,570,222,405 |
sport
|
sport organisation
|
572,955 |
tass--2019-11-05--New doping test procedure may be launched at 2020 Games in Tokyo, says IOC chief Bach
| 2019-11-05T00:00:00 |
tass
|
New doping test procedure may be launched at 2020 Games in Tokyo, says IOC chief Bach
|
WADA announced last month in a statement that it had signed a series of memorandums of understanding with "seven Anti-Doping Organizations (ADOs) regarding the development and implementation of dried-blood-spot (DBS) testing." KATOWICE /Poland/, November 5. /TASS/. A new method of doping testing, which was announced by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in October, may be used as early as starting from the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Thomas Bach, the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), said on Tuesday. "Based on the progress with regards to anti-doping research, which has been made thanks to the joint efforts with the governments and WADA, we can look confidently to the future," IOC President Bach said speaking at the 5th World Conference on Doping in Sport, hosted by Poland’s Katowice on Tuesday. "In this respect, one of the promising collective research projects is the Dried Blood Spot method," the IOC president continued. "This DBS method could very well revolutionize the anti-doping fight, since it will allow for fast, simple and cost-effective collection of samples that can be easily and cheaply transported and stored." According to the statement from WADA last month, the seven anti-doping organizations, which signed the memorandum of understanding are: Antidoping Switzerland, Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority, the China Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA), IOC, ITA (the International Testing Authority), Japan Anti-Doping Agency and the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). "Reflecting the spirit of all stakeholders joining forces, this is very much a collaborative project between WADA, the IOC, the International Testing Agency, as well as several National Anti-Doping Organizations, including the United States, China, Japan, Switzerland and Australia," Bach stated. "In a meeting between these partners, it was agreed that the DBS method should be implemented no later than at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 but that some aspects of DBS testing could be used as early as the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020," the IOC president added. The 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo are scheduled to be held between July 24 and August 9 and the 2020 Summer Paralympic Games will run between August 25 and September 6. During the 128th IOC session in Kuala Lumpur on July 31, 2015, Beijing was elected the host city for the 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games making the Chinese capital the first city ever to host both Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games (in 2008) as well as Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games (in 2022).
| null |
https://tass.com/sport/1087038
|
Tue, 05 Nov 2019 22:03:31 +0300
| 1,573,009,411 | 1,573,063,293 |
sport
|
sport organisation
|
573,738 |
tass--2019-11-18--Airbnb and IOC Announce Major Global Olympic Partnership
| 2019-11-18T00:00:00 |
tass
|
Airbnb and IOC Announce Major Global Olympic Partnership
|
ONDON, Nov. 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Airbnb today announced a significant agreement to support the Olympic Movement through to 2028. The nine-year, five-Games partnership is designed to create a new standard for hosting that will be a win for host cities, a win for spectators and fans, and a win for athletes. In line with the Olympic Agenda 2020, the IOC's strategic roadmap for the future, and Airbnb's mission to promote sustainable travel, the agreement will support the sustainability objectives of the Olympic Movement. These joint efforts will be in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals to provide travel options that are economically empowering, socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable. The agreement includes accommodation provisions that will reduce costs for Olympic Games organizers and stakeholders, minimize the need for construction of new accommodation infrastructure for the Olympic Games period, and generate direct revenue for local hosts and communities. Working together with the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), we will work to increase accommodation that supports accessibility for people with disabilities or other accessibility needs. Airbnb Co-founder, Joe Gebbia said: "Airbnb and the IOC have a strong track record in creating and accommodating the world's greatest events. Our Olympic partnership will ensure that the Games are the most inclusive, accessible and sustainable yet, and leave a lasting positive legacy for athletes and host communities. Airbnb's mission is to create a world where anyone can belong anywhere, and we are proud that the Olympic spirit will be carried by our community." IOC President Thomas Bach said: "This innovative partnership underpins our strategy to ensure that the efficient staging of the Olympic Games is sustainable and leaves a legacy for the host community. With Airbnb's support, we will also develop new opportunities for athletes around the world to develop their own direct revenue streams through the promotion of physical activity and the Olympic values. From this partnership there will also be direct benefit for athletes beyond the US $5 billion the IOC is distributing during this Olympiad for their benefit to Organizing Committees and sports organization around the world." The partnership will generate hundreds of thousands of new hosts over nine years, giving community residents the opportunity to earn extra income by providing accommodation and local experiences to visiting fans, athletes and other members of the Olympic Movement. For visitors, the Airbnb community will offer a more local and authentic way to immerse themselves in the host cities and engage with local communities. For the cities themselves, the Airbnb community represents a more environmentally sustainable way of accommodating a surge in visitors. The IOC and Airbnb will launch Airbnb Olympian Experiences to provide direct earning opportunities for athletes, underlining the IOC's efforts to support athletes and put them at the heart of the Olympic Movement. To be launched in early 2020, this new category will bring Airbnb's goal of providing economic empowerment through hosting to athletes across the globe – beyond the timeframe and geographical location of the Games. Promoting sport and physical activity, these experiences will include everything from the chance to train with an Olympian, to exploring a city with an elite athlete. In the coming months, Airbnb and the IOC, through the , will provide support and training to athletes interested in becoming a host on the . In addition, the IOC will make at least USD 28 million worth of Airbnb accommodation available over the course of the partnership to athletes competing at the Olympic and Paralympic Games for competition and training related travel. Kirsty Coventry, Chair of the IOC Athletes' Commission, said: "On behalf of the Athlete's Commission, I am delighted that our new global agreement with Airbnb will benefit the athletes directly. This includes direct revenue opportunities from sharing their passion for sport through new Airbnb Olympian Experiences, as well as direct support for their accommodation needs. We work to empower athletes around the world on and off the field of play, and this agreement is another example of how we are supporting and advocating for athletes throughout their career." Airbnb will also support the IOC in continuing to address the challenges faced by refugees around the world. The IOC has a long-standing commitment to refugees, including a cooperation with UNHCR since 1994, the creation of the IOC for the Olympic Games Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, and the creation of the in 2017. Airbnb has been supporting refugee initiatives since 2015 through its Program, which connects generous hosts with those in need of temporary accommodation, including refugees. To date, more than 35,000 people have been housed in times of need. Over the course of the partnership, the IOC and Airbnb will establish further programs to provide long-term support to refugees. Airbnb has previously supported the Olympic Games Rio 2016 and Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 as a domestic sponsor, as well as other major sporting events. And a that during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, the added capacity provided through Airbnb's platform provided the equivalent of 257 hotels for guests of the Games, saving the city in terms of materials use and carbon emissions, while also providing around USD 30 million in direct revenue for hosts and generating an estimated total economic activity of USD 100 million in three weeks. Similarly, during the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, Airbnb hosts earned a collective USD 2.3 million in income providing accommodation to 15,000 guests who would have required 46 hotels. And most recently, in Japan, Airbnb hosts across the country welcomed more than 650,000 travelers during the Rugby World Cup period, earning more than USD 70 million in host income. Airbnb becomes the Worldwide Olympic Partner in the exclusive category of "Unique Accommodation Products and Unique Experiences Services." Worldwide Olympic Partners support every National Olympic Committee and their teams, and every Organizer of the Olympic Games, as well as providing support for athletes and the development of sport at all levels around the world. In addition, Partners promote the Olympic values and help create memorable experiences for fans worldwide. Jiri Kejval, IOC Marketing Commission Chair, said: "Since it was founded in 2008, Airbnb has grown to become a global household name. This partnership supports the future sustainable operations of the Olympic Movement and demonstrates the ongoing appeal of the Olympic commercial programmes to the world's leading brands." As a global Partner, Airbnb will now support the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, the Olympic Winter Games in Beijing 2022, the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris 2024, the Olympic Winter Games Milano-Cortina 2026, and the Olympic Games in Los Angeles 2028. The agreement also includes marketing rights for the IPC and the Paralympic Games through the IOC-IPC long-term collaboration agreement, as well as for the Youth Olympic Games.
| null |
https://tass.com/press-releases/1089967
|
Mon, 18 Nov 2019 14:01:01 +0300
| 1,574,103,661 | 1,574,104,882 |
sport
|
sport organisation
|
574,277 |
tass--2019-11-26--IOC calls for sanctions on those guilty of manipulating data from Moscow Anti-Doping Lab
| 2019-11-26T00:00:00 |
tass
|
IOC calls for sanctions on those guilty of manipulating data from Moscow Anti-Doping Lab
|
MOSCOW, November 26. /TASS/. Those guilty of manipulating data of the Moscow Anti-Doping Laboratory should be punished in the toughest way possible, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said in a statement, commenting on a report by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Compliance Review Committee (CRC). On Monday, the CRC recommended that the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) be declared non-compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code and sanctions be imposed on Russian sports. The CRC particularly called for banning the country’s athletes from competing under the Russian flag during the next four years and also banning Russia from hosting international sporting events for the same period. The report is based "on a forensic review of inconsistencies found in some of the data that were obtained by WADA from the Moscow Laboratory in January 2019." "With regard to the sanctions following this manipulation, we will still have to evaluate these in detail," the statement reads. "The IOC emphasizes that any sanctions should follow the rules of natural justice and respect human rights. Therefore, the IOC stresses that the guilty should be punished in the toughest way possible because of the seriousness of this infringement and thus welcomes the sanctions for the Russian authorities responsible," the IOC added. "However, given the seriousness of the manipulation, we strongly urge WADA to take further action," the statement says. The IOC also called on the Russian authorities to "deliver the raw data on which this case is based." "This is still a matter of huge importance, since the delivery of any fully authenticated raw data will ensure that full justice can finally be done, and that the guilty can be properly punished and the innocent fully protected. In this way, the shadow of suspicion over the new generation of clean Russian athletes can be removed," the IOC emphasized. "At the end of this process, we hope that justice will finally prevail and that there will be full and proper sanctions," the International Olympic Committee concluded. The IOC welcomes the World Anti-Doping Committee (WADA) in its desire to offer an opportunity to clean Russian athletes, the IOC stated. "We note that the report proves that any manipulation of the data [from the Moscow Anti-Doping Laboratory — TASS] is the sole responsibility of the Russian authorities," the statement reads. "At the same time, we also note that the report finds that the sports movement has not been involved in any of this manipulation, and that the report does not indicate any wrongdoing by the sports movement in this regard, in particular the Russian Olympic Committee or its members. In this context, the IOC welcomes the opportunity offered by WADA to Russian athletes to compete, ‘where they are able to demonstrate that they are not implicated in any way by the non-compliance’," the IOC pointed out. In September 2019, WADA opened a formal compliance procedure against RUSADA based on "inconsistencies" in data of the Moscow Anti-Doping Lab. The WADA Executive Committee is expected to hold a meeting on the issue on December 9.
| null |
https://tass.com/sport/1092957
|
Tue, 26 Nov 2019 17:31:41 +0300
| 1,574,807,501 | 1,574,814,021 |
sport
|
sport organisation
|
574,709 |
tass--2019-12-05--WADA’s decision in regard to Russian sports ‘will be mandatory’ for IOC, says Thomas Bach
| 2019-12-05T00:00:00 |
tass
|
WADA’s decision in regard to Russian sports ‘will be mandatory’ for IOC, says Thomas Bach
|
Asked at a press conference after a session of the IOC Executive Committee’s on Thursday whether the organization would accept a decision of WADA in regard to Russia, Bach said: "They are mandatory." President of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) Stanislav Pozdnyakov announced on November 28 that the IOC would have no grounds stripping Russian athletes of their right to participate under a national flag at Olympic Games. MOSCOW, December 5. /TASS/. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will accept as mandatory any decision passed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on possible sanctions in regard to Russian sports, IOC President Thomas Bach said on Thursday. "The IOC in the Olympic Charter has accepted the World Anti-Doping Code, and if there is a decision being issued according to the World Anti-Doping Code, it is mandatory for the IOC," the IOC president told journalists. On November 25, the WADA Compliance Review Committee (CRC) reiterated its previous recommendation for the world anti-doping body’s Executive Committee (ExCo) to strip RUSADA (the Russian Anti-Doping Agency) of its compliance status and came up with a recommendation of additional sanctions against Russian sports. Among the recommended sanctions, the CRC suggested to bar Russia from all international sports competitions, including the Olympic and Paralympic Games, for a four-year period. The Committee also issued a recommendation to deprive Russia of the right to host international sports events during this period. The WADA Executive Committee will pass a final decision on Russia at its meeting on December 9 in Paris. The WADA Executive Committee reinstated the compliance status of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency on September 20, 2018 on condition that WADA experts would be granted access before December 31, 2018 to doping samples at the Moscow Anti-Doping Lab, which was sealed off in connection with a federal investigation. Specialists from WADA were granted access to the database of the Moscow Anti-Doping Laboratory in January this year and copied 24 terabytes of information on Russian athletes’ doping samples collected between 2012 and 2015. WADA experts finished their work to retrieve doping samples from the Moscow Lab on April 30 having collected 2,262 doping samples in 4,524 containers (Samples A and B). One of WADA’s new international standards on the compliance status states that athletes coming from countries where national anti-doping agencies are non-compliant with the WADA Code may be barred from all international tournaments, including the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
| null |
https://tass.com/sport/1096239
|
Thu, 05 Dec 2019 20:21:26 +0300
| 1,575,595,286 | 1,575,592,874 |
sport
|
sport organisation
|
574,852 |
tass--2019-12-09--IOC supports WADA’s decision on sanctions against Russian sports
| 2019-12-09T00:00:00 |
tass
|
IOC supports WADA’s decision on sanctions against Russian sports
|
MOSCOW, December 9. /TASS/. The International Olympic Committee has supported the decision made by the Executive Committee of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in favor of sanctions against Russian sports, as follows from the IOC’s statement on the issue. On Monday, WADA’s Executive Committee unanimously voted to strip the Russian Anti-Doping Agency of compliance, thus opening the floodgates of sanctions against Russian sports. Russia will be unable to host or bid for hosting major sports events. Its athletes will not be allowed to compete at world championships and Olympic Games under the national flag. WADA’s Compliance Review Committee says that the RUSADA took effective measures to fight against doping in Russian sports. At the same time according to the report "the evidence (including from WADA's recent audits of RUSADA's operations) indicates that RUSADA’s work is effective in contributing to the fight against doping in Russian sport, and that it is working productively in cooperation with other anti-doping organizations, including in investigations within Russia". Therefore, the Executive Committee accepted the recommendation not to impose any special monitoring or supervision or takeover of RUSADA's anti-doping activities in the four-year period.
| null |
https://tass.com/sport/1097353
|
Mon, 09 Dec 2019 18:20:57 +0300
| 1,575,933,657 | 1,575,937,301 |
sport
|
sport organisation
|
705,021 |
theguardianuk--2019-07-05--IOC investigates allegations of bribery over Rios 2016 Olympic bid
| 2019-07-05T00:00:00 |
theguardianuk
|
IOC investigates allegations of bribery over Rio’s 2016 Olympic bid
|
The International Olympic Committee is to investigate allegations that nine of its members – including the pole vaulter Sergey Bubka and the Olympic swimming champion Alexander Popov – were bribed to vote for Rio’s 2016 Olympic Games bid. The claims were made by the former governor of Rio de Janeiro Sérgio Cabral, who told a court he had paid $2m (£1.59m) to the former president of athletics’ governing body, the IAAF, Lamine Diack, to buy votes. Cabral said the president of the Brazilian Olympic Committee, Arthur Nuzman, had assured him the scheme would work because Diack had a history of such behaviour. “I said, Nuzman, what are our guarantees here? And he said, ‘traditionally he sells four, five, six votes. There is a risk that we don’t get through to the second round.” Cabral, who has been sentenced to almost 200 years in jail for his part in a series of corruption scandals, said Diack guaranteed up to six votes for $1.5m and then came back and offered more if he was paid an extra $500,000. Cabral said he authorised the payment. “We did it,” Cabral said. The French authorities have already charged the former athlete Frankie Fredericks in connection with the vote-buying scheme, as part of a wide investigation into Diack and his son, Papa Massata Diack, the disgraced former marketing agent for the IAAF. Last month the Diacks were also charged with money laundering and corruption. An IOC spokesperson said its chief ethics and compliance officer had already began an investigation. “The IOC has turned the page with regard to good governance and in particular the procedure of the election of host cities,” he added. Diack resigned as an honorary IOC member in November 2015, a day after he was suspended following the launch of a French investigation into corruption and money-laundering. Nuzman’s IOC membership was suspended in October 2017 following his arrest in Brazil on corruption charges. He is fighting the charges. Bubka has rejected what he calls “all the false claims” made by Cabral and claimed Diack never contacted him about his vote for the 2016 hosts. Popov said he was “extremely surprised at the appearance of such information with the illegal use of my name” and promised to cooperate with the IOC inquiry. The Diacks and Fredericks have also previously denied any wrongdoing.
|
Sean Ingle
|
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/jul/05/ioc-investigates-allegations-of-bribery-over-rios-2016-olympic-bid
|
2019-07-05 12:24:41+00:00
| 1,562,343,881 | 1,567,536,800 |
sport
|
sport organisation
|
715,859 |
theguardianuk--2019-11-26--IOC calls for ‘toughest sanctions’ over deleted Russian doping tests
| 2019-11-26T00:00:00 |
theguardianuk
|
IOC calls for ‘toughest sanctions’ over deleted Russian doping tests
|
The International Olympic Committee has demanded the “toughest sanctions” against those responsible for deleting Russian doping tests in data handed over to the World Anti-Doping Agency – calling it “an attack on the credibility of sport and an insult to the sporting movement worldwide”. However, the IOC left the door open for Russian athletes to compete at next year’s Tokyo Olympics – provided they can show that they are clean. That provoked a hostile reaction from the US Anti-Doping Agency chief executive Travis Tygart, who urged Wada to ban all Russian athletes from the 2020 Games after its compliance review committee found that the Moscow lab files, which were handed over to it by the Russians in January, had been manipulated. “Russia continues to flaunt the world’s anti-doping rules, kick clean athletes in the gut and poke Wada in the eye and get away with it time and time again,” said Tygart. “Wada must stand up to this fraudulent and bullying behaviour as the rules and Olympic values demand.” Russia was banned from last year’s Pyeongchang Winter Games as punishment for state-sponsored doping at the 2014 Sochi Olympics but 168 Russian athletes with no history of doping were cleared to compete as neutrals – a situation Wada’s compliance committee said may be repeated at Tokyo. Tygart warned: “The response is inadequate, especially given the deceit perpetuated by the Russian sport system which is controlled by the government. Wada must get tougher and impose the full restriction on Russian athlete participation in the Olympics that the rules allow.” The IOC maintains that “natural justice” requires them to punish any perpetrators but allow clean Russian athletes to compete. It also says there was no evidence that Russian Olympic Committee members were implicated in the “flagrant” manipulation of the Moscow lab data. But the IOC was accused of being soft on Russia by lawyers for the whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov, who used to run the Moscow anti-doping laboratory before fleeing the country. “The Russian gangster state continues to deploy a predictable and deplorable policy of deception, evidence tampering and lying to cover up its crimes,” they said. “The Kremlin must think the people of the world are idiots to believe this shameless and transparent stunt. Wada should be applauded for revealing Russia’s latest crime, but if the IOC and the international sports regulatory framework gives Russia yet another free pass, other countries will simply follow in their footsteps.”
|
Sean Ingle
|
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/nov/26/ioc-toughest-sanctions-deleted-doping-tests-russia
|
Tue, 26 Nov 2019 18:35:00 GMT
| 1,574,811,300 | 1,574,814,238 |
sport
|
sport organisation
|
763,696 |
theindependent--2019-06-26--Tokyo 2020 Olympics IOC officially bans AIBA from amateur boxing due to finance and government issu
| 2019-06-26T00:00:00 |
theindependent
|
Tokyo 2020 Olympics: IOC officially bans AIBA from amateur boxing due to finance and government issues
|
The International Olympic Committee on Wednesday officially took over the boxing qualification and competition for next year's Tokyo 2020 Olympics and suspended international boxing federation AIBA following a vote at its session. The IOC voted unanimously to implement a recommendation of its executive board to oust AIBA from the Tokyo 2020 Games over issues surrounding its finances and governance and suspend the body until the issues are resolved. AIBA has been in turmoil over its finances and governance for years with the federation $16 million in debt and an ongoing bitter battle over the presidency that has split the body internally. Serbian IOC member Nenad Lalovic, who heads an IOC task force to look into the ties with AIBA, earlier on Wednesday delivered a damning report to the IOC session, saying the association could reach a debt of as much as $29m (£22.8m) He also said AIBA had failed to reform at the top of the organisation. AIBA president Gafur Rahimov suspended himself from the post in March because of his presence on an US Treasury Department sanctions list "for providing material support" to a criminal organisation. The Uzbek strongly denies the allegations. Rahimov's presence on that sanctions list was extremely damaging to the IOC though he has been replaced on an interim basis by Mohamed Moustahsane. "It exposes the IOC and its commercial partners to unacceptable reputational, legal and financial risks," he said. Lalovic said AIBA's debt meant money would not go to sports and the athletes in the future and the organisation still faced problems with refereeing. AIBA largely depends on Olympic Games revenues to survive between Games and has started letting people go as a result of its Olympic exclusion. The sport's governing body will discuss the IOC decision at its Executive Committee meeting on Thursday. Japanese IOC member Morinari Watanabe, president of the international gymnastics federation, heads the task force to organise qualifiers and the Tokyo Games competition.
|
Karolos Grohmann
|
https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/tokyo-2020-olympics-games-boxing-aiba-banned-latest-news-a8975326.html
|
2019-06-26 09:15:00+00:00
| 1,561,554,900 | 1,567,538,005 |
sport
|
sport organisation
|
575,814 |
tass--2019-12-24--Swiss lawyer Ramoni to represent ROC interests before CAS
| 2019-12-24T00:00:00 |
tass
|
Swiss lawyer Ramoni to represent ROC interests before CAS
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MOSCOW, December 24. /TASS/. Swiss lawyer Claude Ramoni will defend the interests of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), ROC President Stanislav Pozdnyakov told reporters on Tuesday. "ROC and RUSADA [the Russian Anti-Doping Agency — TASS] will be represented by different legal firms," Pozdnyakov said. "The Executive Committee of ROC has made a decision today to select attorney Ramoni from Switzerland as such a representative," he added. The Executive Committee of the Russian Olympic Committee has upheld the decision on the organization’s participation as a third party in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in the case of proposed sanctions of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) against Russian sports, ROC President Stanislav Pozdnyakov informed earlier on Tuesday. On December 9, the WADA Executive Committee (ExCo) approved the recommendations of its Compliance Review Committee (CRC) to revoke the compliance status of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) and to strip Russia of the right to participate in major international sports tournaments, including the Olympics, Paralympics and world championships, for a period of four years.
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https://tass.com/sport/1103213
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Tue, 24 Dec 2019 18:51:55 +0300
| 1,577,231,515 | 1,577,233,342 |
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sport organisation
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