#safety of UN personnel

[sayruq]

The Secretary-General was deeply saddened to learn of the death of a United Nations Department of Safety and Security (DSS) staff member and injury to another DSS staffer when their UN vehicle was struck as they traveled to the European Hospital in Rafah this morning.The Secretary-General condemns all attacks on UN personnel and calls for a full investigation. He sends his condolences to the family of the fallen staff member.With the conflict in Gaza continuing to take a heavy toll – not only on civilians, but also on humanitarian workers – the Secretary-General reiterates his urgent appeal for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and for the release of all hostages.

[mapsontheweb]

Global Peace Index, 2023

Map of the Global Peace Index (GPI)! In assessing peacefulness, the GPI investigates the extent to which countries are involved in ongoing domestic and international conflicts and seeks to evaluate the level of harmony or discord within a nation. Ten indicators broadly assess what might be described as safety and security in society. Their assertion is that low crime rates, minimal incidences of terrorist acts and violent demonstrations, harmonious relations with neighbouring countries, a stable political scene, and a small proportion of the population being internally displaced or refugees can be suggestive of peacefulness. This includes number/duration of international conflicts, number of deaths from internal and external conflicts, number/duration of role in external conflicts, relations with neighboring countries, level of perceived criminality in a country, number of refugees/displaced peoples are percentage of population, political instability, impact of terrorism, political turmoil, number of homicides per 100,000 people, level of violent crime, likelihood of violent demonstrations, incarceration rates, military expenditure as % of gdp, number of police per 100,000 people, volume of global weapon transport, military personnel per 100,000 people, financial contribution to UN peace keeping, nuclear and wmd capability, and ease of access to small arms are all factors that are taken into account when analyzing the world’s nations for the GPI.

by powerfulcountries

[djuvlipen]

A 6yo girl died of electrocution in a Romani camp in Italy last month. this is what racialized poverty looks like; children are always among the first victims. may she rest in peace

04 March 2024

The Saturday before she was due to start school, six-year-old Michelle died by electrocution in the Roma camp in Via Carrafiello di Giugliano in Naples. Despite desperate attempts to resuscitate the girl, who had brushed against exposed electrical cables, she was pronounced dead at about three p.m. on the 13 January 2024. 

Allegedly, distressed family members caused a disturbance at the hospital and were accused of attacking health care personnel and police. This ‘chaos’ quickly became the focus of local media attention, and coverage of the tragic death of a child quickly morphed into an issue of public order and security.   

Deputy Francesco Emilio Borrelli of the Alleanza Verdi Sinistra, weighed in by describing the Giugliano camp “populated by violent people whose lifestyle is many times beyond the law” as one of many “outlaw settlements where children are abandoned to degradation”; and declaring his solidarity with the emergency room doctors and the police. 

After a meeting of the committee for public order and safety, the prefect of Naples, Michele Di Bari, set the objectives for the local administration “Clean the camp from waste in the next few weeks and start the transfer of a Roma family of around 40 people, to an asset confiscated from organized crime.” 

The authorities responded with a blitz on the camp coordinated by local police, and supported by Carabinieri, military personnel and employees of the water company. Waste was removed, electrical cables made safe, vehicles seized, and the water supply was disconnected, leaving about 450 Romani people without access to water by 25 January. Behind the expressions of concern about the safety of children, the official stance is – to borrow a phrase from Matteo Salvini – one of “Legalità, ordine e rispetto prima di tutto!” (Legality, order and respect before all).

The reporter from Avvenire tells a different story, of bereaved families, wrongly accused of affray at the hospital, routinely scapegoated and repeatedly evicted. After the seventh eviction they ended up on this long-abandoned industrial site, amongst the rubble and mud, without water or electricity, except for illegal connections – an ‘informal settlement’ in officialese. In reality, a squalid and precarious site, where 200 Romani children subsist in conditions that do nothing to nurture “an atmosphere of happiness” for the “full and harmonious development of his or her personality”, envisaged in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

In a submission to the UN Human Rights Council back in 2014, ERRC research revealed that Romani children raised in camps across Italy were prone to a number of severe and debilitating conditions: they suffered from high levels of anxiety, were more frequently born underweight, and became ill with respiratory disease in greater numbers. They suffered more often from poisoning, burns and accidents at home. There was a greater incidence of “diseases of poverty”, such as tuberculosis, scabies, and lice.

The roots of the crisis can be traced back to official policies in the 1990s which placed Roma in segregated ‘nomad camps’. Things worsened with Berlusconi’s illegal declaration of a State of Emergency to combat the so-called ‘Roma menace’ in 2008. This overtly racist demonisation of Romani people heralded a prolonged period of mass evictions and destruction of camps, harassment, expulsions, mob violence and pogroms against Roma communities. Up to this day, the legacy of this illegal state of exception still afflicts Roma, as successive governments have failed, or simply refused to honour the commitment to ‘get beyond the system of camps.’ 

For its part, the European Commission chose to remain silent in the face of mounting and overwhelming evidence of systemic anti-Roma discrimination, forced evictions and camp segregation. On 6 April 2017, The Financial Times reported that the European Commission had repeatedly blocked publication of a report which recommended sanctions against Italy for mistreatment of its Roma minority, in an attempt to avoid a damaging public row. Seven years later, little has changed in Brussels, and the Commission has consistently kept schtum on this issue.

On 20 May 2019, in response to an emergency case was brought before the court by Associazione 21 luglio and the ERRC, the European Court of Human Rights ordered the Italian Government to provide suitable accommodation for the 73 Romani families who were forcibly evicted from Giugliano the previous week. The court recognised the right to family unity and the need to provide adequate housing to the 450 Roma who had been evicted, and were camped in an area with no shelter, and were forced to sleep inside cars or outdoors, despite the difficult weather conditions, without access to electricity, clean water or toilets. And this is where Michelle and her friends spent the next four years.

Despite the availability of EU funds, the precarious living conditions endured by the Roma remained unresolved. On 12 January 2021, the Campania Regional Council approved the "Abramo" project worth €846,000 for a path of housing, work and social integration of the Roma populations of Giugliano in Campania. As is all too painfully evident, no tangible progress had been made on housing, and as Avvenire noted, in the aftermath of this latest tragedy “now the focus is on the reuse of houses confiscated from the Camorra.” As part of the education path of the Abramo project, “Interventions on school integration have started and yesterday Michelle would have gone to school with the apron and backpack given to her.” Instead, on that first day at school for the cohort of Romani kids, one desk remained empty.

[kaonarvna]

A Low-Stress Work Social

"Chapter" Name: A Low-Stress Work Social — Sector Zero, Midgar 199X

Summary: Angeal and Genesis, newly promoted to the FIRST CLASS within SOLDIER, attend a company social event alongside Sephiroth.

Tags: Slice of Life, Emotional Hurt/Comfort

Potential TWs: homophobia

WC: ~3000 (6-10 minute read)

Sample below the cut!

 “He said you could have two.”

            “Come on, Angeal—who is going to notice? Who will notice if we have another?”

            “We all agreed with him that we could have two. We are technically working, Genesis. We are here to put on a good face for the FIRST CLASS, and socialize with—”

            Sephiroth quietly re-joins them, holding out his hand between the whisper-squabbling young men. Two flutes of a pre-mixed and brightly coloured cocktail balance between his fingers and sips with his other hand.

            Genesis takes one. “Thank you! Someone has the right idea.” The fruity taste is almost sickly; he can hardly detect the liquor that is supposedly inside.

            “Both of you should know better. This is exactly why Lazard instructed for me to stay—no!” he holds out a hand in front of the drink Sephiroth offers him. “How are you going to—”

            “Relax.” Sephiroth pours part of the rejected drink into Genesis’ plastic glass, and the other into his, earning an audible sigh from Angeal. “You have already spoken with every middle-manager in the room about recent promotions.”

            “But look around you! We need to look our best. We are surrounded by our own, and Public Safety, Weapons Development, Research and—”

            “We are not talking to R and D,” Sephiroth interrupts. 

            “Sure. But what about all the sub-departments of Weapons Development and Public Safety…?”

            Genesis looks away from their tight social triangle for a moment. The sixty-first floor is hardly recognisable. The neon signs of the sectors beyond the dark windows light the edges of the room with purples and reds, while the sterile lights above have been partially dimmed. The tables have been rearranged towards the edges of the floor—the longest two of which have been repurposed to house spreads of finger-foods and myriad drinks. Round tables of social sorts are stocked with shiny buckets of ice coddling white wine, and graveyards of empty glasses interspersed with dark green-tinted bottles. Bland, palatable, but vaguely popular music fails to drown out the laughing and too-loud talking of the hundreds of mingling personnel.

            Everyone seems to be at their semi-best, a prettier-than-standard but not-quite-dress-uniform level of “best”. He can see Scarlet on the other end of the hall, looking her usual red self, with a too-tall glass of red, surrounded by red-faced men who seem to enjoy her belittling remarks. The new-FIRST tries not to stare too long; he can feel his eyes un-focussing, smearing the lights around that encased tree display to the edges of his eyesight.

            “How do you think they get this so green?” Genesis suddenly wonders aloud, snapping back to the noxious drink in his hand. “Obviously, it is a food dye, but—is it a specific liqueur? A mix of liqueurs? Dye, on its own?” 

            “You were not even listening to me, were you?”

            “It tastes like melon,” Sephiroth adds.

            “That is not how melon tastes—this is the extra-sweetened, artificial melon taste you only get in Midgar. Someday, I can show you a real melon.” Genesis lays his free hand on Sephiroth’s upper arm.

            “What is the point of—if anything goes wrong tonight, you two are taking the blame.”

            Genesis rolls his eyes. “You need to relax. None of us want to be here, we may as well—”

            “Do not speak for me. We are FIRSTs now. There are additional responsibilities that come with that, beyond the field—and not just paper—”

            “Your six.” Sephiroth interrupts, just loud enough.

            A broad hand claps down firmly on Angeal’s shoulder; he can hear the bands of thick rings click against the polished metal guarding his body. “Boys! Hiding away from the action? Shouldn’t you be making the most of yourselves?”

...

[ Read the rest on AO3 ]

[kl-writes]

Guess Biden talking to Israel did about as much as it usually does.

Full reuters article (sorry about paywall - see also BBC's live feed for an additional source)

BEIRUT, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Israeli troops opened fire at three positions held by U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon on Thursday, according to a U.N. source who was not immediately able to specify the type of fire. The source said one of the locations fired at was UNIFIL's main base at Naqoura. There was no official statement from UNIFIL or immediate comment from the Israeli military. Hezbollah said earlier it had targeted an Israeli tank with guided missiles while it was advancing to the border area of Ras al-Naqoura, before attacking an Israeli force with a missile salvo while the force was trying to pull injured soldiers out of the area. UNIFIL had said on Sunday that it was "deeply concerned by recent activities" by the Israeli military near a peacekeeper position in southwestern Lebanon. It did not provide details, but said the activities were dangerous and that it was "unacceptable to compromise the safety of U.N. peacekeepers carrying out their Security Council-mandated tasks". In a letter to Israel's military dated Oct. 3 and seen by Reuters, UNIFIL had objected to Israeli military vehicles and troops positioning themselves "in immediate proximity" to U.N. positions, "thereby endangering the safety and security of UNIFIL personnel and premises".

Significantly, firing at 3 different positions, including the main base, means that it can't possibly be "human error" like Israel has claimed in the past when hitting UN locations. And they can't claim "Hezbollah ties" with UNIFIL like they tried with UNRWA since UNIFL is made up of soldiers from a bunch of different nations (Unless their claim is that Italy is aligned with Hezbollah, for whatever reason)

[workersolidarity]

[ 📸 Casualties arrive to the al-Najjar Hospital complex in Rafah, coordinating the evacuation of casualties between the Red Cross and UN civil defense and ambulance crews after the Israeli Occupation Forces massacred dozens of people, set fire to the building and layed siege the shelter.]

🇮🇱⚔️🇵🇸 🚀💥☠️ 🚨

ISRAELI OCCUPATION FORCES TARGETING CIVILIANS AT UNRWA SHELTERS- UNRWA SAYS

The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) are purposely targeting areas where civilians are sheltering after being displaced by 111 days of war in the Gaza Strip, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine (UNRWA).

In a press release published by the UNRWA, the UN humanitarian organization accused the Israeli entity of targeting public shelters, including schools and hospitals in airstrikes on the Khan Yunis governate of the southern Gaza Strip.

"Yesterday, the UNRWA Khan Younis Training Centre was hit by direct fire. It struck a building housing 800 displaced people. At least 13 people were killed and 56 injured, 21 of them critically, in what should have been a place of safety," the UNRWA statement says.

The UNRWA statement warns that more than 43'000 displaced Palestinians are sheltering in massively overcrowded UNRWA shelters, all of whom find themselves stuck in the middle of Israel's brutal siege and bombardment and putting their lives in danger, with many civilians having been displaced a multitude of times as a result of heavy Israeli shelling.

UNRWA accuses Israel of blocking their access to bombing sites, explaining how Civil Defense and ambulance crews were only allowed access to the bombing area after more than a day had passed, eventually evacuating 45 people from the site.

The statement also points to the collapse of the Healthcare system in the Gaza Strip, with the Khan Yunis area now lacking in trauma care, making the situation that much worse as wounded and dying persons are brought to partially destroyed healthcare centers.

“The shelter at the Khan Younis Training Centre has been besieged for five days, with repeated fatalities and injuries," the UNRWA press release says.

“This shelter has been impacted directly and indirectly by military activity twenty-two times since 7 October 2023. Yesterday’s strike was the third direct hit on this compound. Buildings flying the UN flag have been hit at least twice by tank fire, without warning."

The statement goes on to accuse Israel of deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure, including healthcare infrastructure, a severe violation of International Law.

“Civilian casualties and daily attacks on civilian infrastructure indicate recurring failures by parties to the conflict to uphold the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law: distinction, proportionality, and precaution," the UNRWA statement warns.

UNRWA emphasized that is shares the locations of its shelters with the Israeli authorities, even receiving assurances that civilians inside the shelters would not be targeted in occupation airstrikes.

The statement ends with a call for restraint from the warring parties, adding “We continue to call on all parties to take every precaution to minimize harm and protect civilians and civilian objects, especially in densely populated areas, and to protect hospitals, clinics, medical personnel and UN premises in accordance with international law."

#source

#photosource

@WorkerSolidarityNews

[houseofpurplestars]

🚨 Palestinian Red Crescent Society:

—

The PRCS is seriously worried about the fate of Awni Khattab, Head of Khan Younis Medical Center in Gaza, who was arrested by the "israeli" Occupation forces together with the head of Al-Shifa hospital and two other medical staff during the WHO led evacuation of the wounded and sick from Al-Shifa Hospital. The members of the medical team were taken at the checkpoint which separates north and south Gaza on 22nd of November, 2023. The "israeli" Occupation Forces refuse to provide any information about the whereabouts or the fate of the detainees despite the repeated calls by the WHO and the UN.

The PRCS demands the immediate release of Awni Khattab along with the rest of the detained medical team members and holds the "israeli" Occupation Forces responsible for their safety. The PRCS also condemns the arrest and detention of healthcare workers and reminds the international community of the protections provided for medical personnel under international humanitarian law through the Geneva Conventions, their Additional Protocols, and international customary law.

The PRCS asserts that medical teams should not be targeted and that the performance of their humanitarian duties should be facilitated and protected. Denying protected civilians of access to humanitarian assistance and targeting medical personnel are blatant breaches of the Geneva Conventions.

The PRCS reiterates its calls on the international community to ensure the release and protection of the medical teams, especially in light of the challenging circumstances they are facing during the performance of their life-saving mission in the Gaza Strip.

t.me/PalestineResist

[head-post]

UN condemns killing of international staff member in Gaza

A UN international staff member was killed in an Israeli vehicle attack in the Gaza Strip on Monday, a UN spokesman said.

UN chief António Guterres “was deeply saddened to learn of the death of a UN Department of Safety and Security (DSS) staff member and the injury of another DSS staff member when their UN vehicle was hit while they were travelling to the European Hospital in Rafah,” deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said.

This is the “first international casualty” for the UN since the Israeli offensive in Gaza began on 7 October, Haq said. He recalled that some 190 Palestinian UN staff have been killed, mostly employees of the UN Palestinian Refugee Agency (UNRWA). Haq said:

The Secretary-General condemns all attacks on UN personnel and calls for a full investigation.

Meanwhile, Former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis has criticised Israel on X:

Know anyone who will be in Athens on Wednesday (Nakbah day)? Let them know we have a great event planned: “EUROPEAN NAKBAH: How Europe is covering up Israel’s genocide.” With Clare Daly, Iris Hefetz, myself, MEP candidates from Germany, Italy & Greece.

Read more HERE

[beardedmrbean]

India has stopped issuing visas to Canadian citizens amid an escalating row over the killing of a Sikh separatist on Canadian soil.

India said the temporary move was due to "security threats" disrupting work at its missions in Canada.

Tensions flared this week after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said India may have been behind the 18 June killing.

But Mr Trudeau said on Thursday he was not looking to provoke India with the allegation.

India has angrily rejected the allegation, calling it "absurd".

Speaking to reporters in New York, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Mr Trudeau said: "There is no question that India is a country of growing importance and a country we need to continue to work with."

He said Canada was not looking to provoke India or cause problems with the allegation but is unequivocal about the importance of the rule of law and protecting Canadians.

Relations between the countries - key trade and security partners, and US allies - have been strained for months. Analysts say they are now at an all-time low.

India's government swiftly made clear the suspension of visa services also "applies to Canadians in a third country".

"There have been threats made to our high commission [embassy] and consulates in Canada," a foreign affairs ministry spokesman in Delhi said. "This has disrupted their normal functioning. Accordingly [they] are temporarily unable to process visa applications."

He said: "India is looking for parity in rank and diplomatic strength between the diplomatic missions of the two countries. This is being sought because of Canadian diplomatic interference in our internal affairs."

Hours earlier Canada had announced it was reducing its personnel in India, saying some diplomats had received threats on social media.

"In light of the current environment where tensions have heightened, we are taking action to ensure the safety of our diplomats," a statement said.

Canada's visa services remain open in India.

The two countries have historic close ties - and much is at stake.

How India-Canada ties descended into a public feud

Why are some Sikhs calling for a separate state?

Canada has 1.4 million people of Indian origin - more than half of them Sikhs - making up 3.7% of the country's population, according to the 2021 census. India also sends the highest number of international students to Canada - in 2022, they made up 40% of total overseas students at 320,000.

According to Indian government statistics, about 80,000 Canadian tourists visited India in 2021, behind only the US, Bangladesh and UK.

The row burst into the open on Monday after Canada linked India with the murder of separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen who was shot dead in his vehicle by two masked gunmen outside a Sikh temple in British Columbia.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada's intelligence agencies were investigating whether "agents of the government of India" were involved in the killing of Nijjar - who India designated a terrorist in 2020.

India reacted strongly, saying Canada was trying to "shift the focus from Khalistani terrorists and extremists" who had been given shelter there. The Indian government has often reacted sharply to demands by Sikh separatists in Western countries for Khalistan, or a separate Sikh homeland.

On Thursday, Mr Trudeau was pressed by journalists about what evidence there was that suggested India was linked to the murder.

He did not share further details, but said "the decision to share these allegations was not done lightly".

"It was done with the utmost seriousness," Mr Trudeau said, urging Indian officials to cooperate with the investigation into the killing.

A spokesperson for the Indian foreign ministry said Canada has not shared specific information with India on Nijjar's murder.

"We have conveyed this to the Canadian side, made it clear to them that we are willing to look at any specific information that is provided to us," said Arindam Bagchi on Thursday. "But so far we have not received any such specific information."

The Khalistan movement peaked in India in the 1980s with a violent insurgency centred in Sikh-majority Punjab state.

It was quelled by force and has little resonance in India now, but is still popular among some in the Sikh diaspora in countries such as Canada, Australia and the UK.

[maaarine]

Afghanistan: Taliban sends abused women to prison - UN (Nicholas Yong, BBC News, Dec 15 2023)

"The Taliban government in Afghanistan is putting women abuse survivors in prison and claiming it is for their protection, according to a UN report.

The UN said the practice harms the survivors' mental and physical health.

There are also no more state-sponsored women's shelters as the Taliban government sees no need for such centres, the report noted.

The Taliban's suppression of women's rights in Afghanistan is one of the harshest in the world. (…)

Taliban officials told UNAMA there was no need for the shelters as the women must be with their husbands or male family members. One said such shelters were "a western concept".

The officials said they would ask for male members of the family to make a "commitment" to not harm the woman survivor.

In instances where she had no male relatives to stay with, or where there were safety concerns, the survivor would be sent to prison "for her protection". This would be similar to how some drug addicts and homeless people are housed in the capital Kabul, noted UNAMA.

But UNAMA said this "would amount to an arbitrary deprivation of liberty". (…)

The complaints are mostly handled by male personnel, and UNAMA noted that the absence of women personnel "discourages and inhibits survivors from lodging complaints".

Survivors are now no longer guaranteed redress for their complaints, including civil remedies and compensation. They are reportedly more afraid of the Taliban government and their arbitrary actions and thus choose not to seek formal justice, said UNAMA.

While there were efforts to advance women's rights between 2001 and 2021 - including law and policy reforms - these have "all but disappeared".

Since retaking power in 2021, the Taliban government have all but broken their earlier promises to give women the right to work and study.

Girls in Afghanistan are only allowed to attend primary school. Teenage girls and women have also been barred from entering school and university classrooms.

They are not allowed in parks, gyms and pools. Beauty salons have been shut, while women must dress in a way that only reveals their eyes. They must be accompanied by a male relative if they are travelling more than 72km (45 miles)."

[eaglesnick]

“Modern Slavery Is Closer Than You Think” – UK government 2014

Our unelected Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the fifth Tory PM in 7 years, has no popular mandate. He was nominated for the leadership by 193 Tory MP’s, and since he was the last candidate standing after both Boris Johnson and Penny Mordant dropped out of the contest, he became Prime Minister by default. As the Metro so succinctly put it:

“Absolutely nobody voted for Rishi Sunak to become Prime Minister." (24/10/22)

This statement is not entirely accurate as the Metro later acknowledged:

“To put that into a national perspective, there are 46,560,452 registered voters in the UK and 0.0004% of them got a say on who became PM.”

So much for Britain being the world’s greatest democracy!

What this means in practice is that Sunak has no power base either in or outside of parliament. He is weak. By nature a right-wing leaning politician he has become the tool of the far right both  within his party and those outside it, a right wing who are slowly undermining our democratic traditions and values.

One of these democratic rights, also a human right, is the lawful entitlement to withdraw your labour if in dispute with an  employer.

“…the right to strike is a fundamental one enshrined in international human rights and labour law, and that its protection is necessary in ensuring just, stable and democratic societies.”  (United Nations Human Rights: UN rights expert: “Fundamental right to strike must be preserved.” (09/03/17)

Strikes are an emotive subject. They inconvenience us. They sometimes cost us money. They can make life difficult. But if we do not have the right to strike then we become little better than slaves, forced to accept worsening working conditions and low pay, pay so low some people do not have enough to live on. Even with the right to strike, workers do not always get what they ask for. The nurse’s strike, which had majority public support, is a case in point.

But the nurses strike was not just about money, they were also concerned that the NHS was being deliberately under funded and run down by successive Tory governments to the point they could no longer guarantee patient safety.

“Nurses’ strike: it’s not just about money, it’s about safety to.” (Nursing Standard: 10/11/22)

That particular strike was conducted in the full glare of publicity and left the government highly embarrassed as the nurses retained public support throughout the strike period.

“Just 1 in 10 people blame nurses for NHS strikes as pressure mounts on government.” (Independent: 20/12/22)

Determined that this embarrassing situation would ever happen again Sunak has brought forward anti-strike legislation, essentially denying workers the right to withdraw their labour. In short, it is a form of modern day slavery dressed up as a public good, but it is a right-wing attack against our democratic rights and is probably in breach of international law.

��UK anti-strike rules may breach international law, MPs and peers warn. Joint committee on human rights says some public sector workers may be completely prevented from striking.”   (Guardian: 28/11/23)

This legislation would be bad enough if the government were honest and transparent in their dealings with striking workers, but that isn’t the case. The RESPONSIBILITY for enforcing this anti-democratic legislation is being dumped on third parties.

Let us take education as an example.

The government’s anti-strike legislation has been dressed up as “minimal service level” (MSL) provision. The public is to be “protected” from strikers by the government dictating a certain level of staffing during industrial disputes in the public sector.

 It is the government who will determine the MSL in education but it will be the management personnel of the schools who have the legal responsibility to determine the number of staff who MUST work in order to meet the governments predetermined requirement. In the event of a strike, each schools management team will issue “work notices” to the unions, who must then “ensure compliance.”

So, although the government will set MSL’s it will be up to senior teachers to decide who can and who cannot legally go on strike. This will almost certainly sour relations between senior management and the classroom teacher.

The advantage of this legislation from the Tory point of view is that it will be senior management in individual schools who will get the blame from both the public (not enough teachers forced to work) and the teachers themselves (too many teachers forced to work.).

At the moment it is public sector workers who will be denied the right to strike, but how long will we have to wait before other groups of “essential” workers are drawn into the net?

Ironically, the government has a series of official posters entitled “Modern Slavery: duty to notify”. You cant help but chuckle.

[balilikhaite]

The Bitter Struggle of Israel and Palestinians

The Middle East contains a land that is steeped in history, conflict, and aspirations and whose name has reverberated throughout millennia of human civilization. The seemingly unsolvable and entrenched Israel-Palestine issue continues to hold the attention of the entire globe. It is a complex, protracted conflict with wide-ranging effects on not only the local populace but also on international politics and diplomacy.

Early in October 2023, Israel and Hamas, the militant Islamist organization in charge of Gaza since 2006, went to war. Along with murdering and injuring hundreds of soldiers and civilians, Hamas fighters invaded southern Israeli cities and villages across the Gaza Strip border and fired rockets into Israel. They also took scores of hostages. Israel was caught off guard by the strike, but it soon launched a lethal counterattack. The Israeli cabinet officially declared war on Hamas the day after the attack on October 7, and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) were then given orders by the defense minister to impose a "complete siege" on Gaza. Since then, Israel has ordered the evacuation of over a million Palestinian inhabitants, and the two sides have engaged in regular rocket exchanges.

Beginning around the end of the nineteenth century, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has existed. The partition plan, also known as Resolution 181, was adopted by the UN in 1947 and aimed to create separate Arab and Jewish states inside the British Mandate of Palestine. The State of Israel was established on May 14, 1948, which precipitated the first Arab-Israeli War. Israel won the battle in 1949, but 750,000 Palestinians were forced to flee their homes, and the area was partitioned into the State of Israel, the West Bank (west of the Jordan River), and the Gaza Strip.

Tensions in the region increased during the ensuing years, particularly between Israel and Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. Egypt, Jordan, and Syria signed agreements on mutual defense after the 1956 Suez Crisis and Israel's invasion of the Sinai Peninsula in preparation for a potential Israeli force deployment. Following a series of moves by Egyptian President Abdel Gamal Nasser, Israel launched a preemptive strike against Syrian and Egyptian air defenses in June 1967, igniting the Six-Day War. Following the conflict, Israel seized control of the Golan Heights from Syria, the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan, and the Sinai Peninsula and Gaza Strip from Egypt. Six years later, Egypt and Syria launched a surprise offensive in what is known as the Yom Kippur War or the October War.

President Joe Biden issued a resounding statement of solidarity for Israel on October 7, 2023, following the start of hostilities between Israel and Hamas. The United States announced that it would deliver fresh shipments of armaments and move its Mediterranean Sea warships closer to Israel on the same day that Israel proclaimed war against the terrorist organization. Although the UN Security Council convened an emergency meeting to discuss the recent violence, no common statement was reached. International organizations immediately raised worry for the safety of citizens in Israel and the Palestinian territories as well as those being held captive by terrorists in Gaza, given the history of brutality when Israel and Palestinian extreme groups have engaged in combat in the past.

The Middle East contains a land that is steeped in history, conflict, and aspirations and whose name has reverberated throughout millennia of human civilization. The seemingly unsolvable and entrenched Israel-Palestine issue continues to hold the attention of the entire globe. It is a complex, protracted conflict with wide-ranging effects on not only the local populace but also on international politics and diplomacy.

Although accusations that Iranian intelligence and security personnel personally assisted Hamas in planning its attack on October 7 were not immediately confirmed by the United States, Iran has a long-standing patronage connection with Hamas and other extreme groups throughout the Middle East. Experts have expressed concern that Hezbollah, another extremist group backed by Iran, will be drawn into the conflict, taking it beyond the borders of Israel and Palestine. This concern is in addition to worries that the attacks were a sign from Iran that it is prepared to increase its negative influence in various Middle Eastern conflicts. Reports that the IDF was firing at locations in Lebanon, where Hezbollah is situated, arose on October 9. The goal of the cross-border operation was not made explicit in an Israeli statement on the subject.

The October conflict shattered a 2023 American attempt to assist in mediating a normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia. For many years, Saudi Arabia has fought for the security and rights of Palestinian Arabs living in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza. These populations, particularly in Gaza, are now in the way of IDF operations, threatening the strides Israel and Saudi Arabia had made toward understanding one another.

Israel's most extreme right-wing and religious administration ever took office in late December 2022. The coalition government is headed by Benjamin 'Bibi' Netanyahu and his Likud party and consists of three far-right parties, including the Religious Zionism party, an ultranationalist group linked to the West Bank settler movement, as well as two ultra-Orthodox groups. Netanyahu made a number of compromises to his far-right partners in order to secure a governing majority. The government's expressed preference for the growth and development of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank has drawn criticism from opponents. The ruling coalition has also supported discrimination against LGBTQ+ persons based on their religion, and after a delay caused by widespread protests in March, it agreed to reduce judicial control over the government in May 2023.

The year 2022 saw an uptick in conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. A consistent pattern of conflicts in the West Bank, including practically daily Israeli raids, defined the first nine months of 2023. In June 2023, Israel approved 5,000 new settler dwellings, which academics and international organizations believe violate international law because they are located in Palestinian land and neighboring settlements. The Israeli military also intensified its activities, conducting two simultaneous raids on the Al-Aqsa mosque, injuring 35 people during an operation in Ramallah, and launching missiles from a helicopter at the Jenin refugee camp. In May, Israel battled Gazan militants for five days, with nearly two thousand combined missile launches by Hamas and Israeli forces.

The October 2023 conflict between Israel and Hamas marks the most significant escalation of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict in several decades.

[messengerhermes]

Also Israel has intentionally destroyed Gaza's universities and schools during this period of bombing *because* Palestinians put a lot of emphasis into education after the Nakba in 1948---aka one of the first violent purges Israel committed where they killed hundreds, destroyed villages, and sent people running from their homes. Israel has killed so many Palestinian children in the bombings that Gaza has ended their school year early. Israel has killed 39 Palestinian journalists just since October 7! Israel has killed 16 Palestinian medical personnel in the line of duty Israel has killed 92 UN officials by bombing Gaza And as of November 9, 2023, Israel has killed over 10,000 Palestians in Gaza in the span of a month. 40% of them are children.

Palestinians are doctors, scientists, and educated people! The idea that they are not is racist propaganda used to justify their murder and the seizure of their homes! But also! They don't need to be educated to deserve their lives and safety. No one deserves genocide.

"Why is there no doctors or scientists or educated people in gaza?" Because Israel is killing them all. The majority of the population in gaza are under 18, Israel kills them before they get to college, and also kills the ones who do.

[cyberbenb]

Ukraine war latest: Kyiv denies reports that North Korean soldiers have not been seen in Kursk Oblast for weeks

Key developments on Feb. 4:

Nearly 8,000 North Korean soldiers still fighting in Kursk Oblast, Budanov says

Ukraine’s strike on Russian command center in Kursk Oblast causes ‘significant losses,’ General Staff says

At least 5 killed, 55 injured in Russian missile strike on Izium in Kharkiv Oblast

Russia records 20,000 claims to declare people dead or missing last year, marking 2.5-fold surge, media reports

Russian soldiers face execution threats to retake lost ground near Kupiansk, Ukraine claims

About 8,000 North Korean soldiers are still fighting against Ukraine in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, Ukraine’s military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said in an interview with The War Zone magazine published on Feb. 4.

After The New York Times reported on Jan. 30 that North Korean troops had been pulled from the front, a Special Operations Forces spokesperson confirmed to the Kyiv Independent that Ukraine’s special forces had not faced Pyongyang’s soldiers for three weeks.

Budanov denied reports that North Korean soldiers have not been seen on the front line for weeks. However, Budanov noted that the number of North Korean troops has decreased, and Ukraine is trying to establish why.

“We have to wait for some time to see if there are any real changes or if this is just lower activity for a couple of days,” Budanov said.

Up to 12,000 North Korean troops were deployed to Kursk Oblast last fall to support Russian forces in countering a Ukrainian incursion launched in early August 2024.

At least 300 North Korean soldiers have been killed and another 2,700 wounded fighting in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) claimed on Jan. 13

The heavy losses of the North Korean army may be related to its lack of combat experience and the tactic of human waves attacks with a limited amount of equipment, Ukraine’s military intelligence chief added. According to Budanov, North Korean soldiers attack “almost without any combat vehicles."

Budanov also suggested that the North Korean military is so willing to advance on foot against Ukrainian drones and artillery because of its loyalty to North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. He added that their disregard for personal safety makes Ukraine’s defense more challenging.

Ukraine’s strike on Russian command center in Kursk Oblast causes ‘significant losses,’ General Staff says

Ukraine’s Air Force carried out a “precision strike” on Feb. 3 at a Russian command post near the village of Novoivanovka in Kursk Oblast, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported.

Kyiv launched a limited incursion into Russia’s Kursk Oblast on Aug. 6,  first capturing about 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles) of Russian territory. While Ukraine has reportedly lost around half of that territory since then, fighting continues in the region.

The command post, located in an abandoned building, was used to coordinate Russian troops' offensive against the Ukrainian army in the Kursk sector of the front line, the statement read.

The building was severely damaged, and Moscow suffered significant losses among Russian personnel, the General Staff said.

The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims.

Earlier on Jan. 31, Ukrainian forces struck another command post of Russia’s Kursk group of forces in the Russian city of Rylsk.

These attacks are part of Ukraine’s broader strategy to weaken Russian operational capabilities by targeting key command centers. The General Staff has emphasized that such strikes aim to reduce Russia’s offensive potential.

What to expect from Ukraine’s defense innovation in 2025

Despite the uncertainty surrounding a potential resolution to the war, Ukrainians know one thing for sure: we must ramp up our defense capabilities to effectively defend against current and future Russian aggression. This requires the rapid development of asymmetrical solutions to counter Russia’s a…

The Kyiv IndependentNatalia Kushnerska

At least 5 killed, 55 injured in Russian missile strike on Izium in Kharkiv Oblast

A Russian missile attack against the town of Izium in Kharkiv Oblast killed at least five people and injured at least 55 on Feb. 4, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said.

Three children were injured in the attack, including a six-year-old boy and two girls, aged 14 and 16. The 14-year-old girl is in a serious condition, while the other two children are in a condition of medium severity, according to Syniehubov.

The governor initially reported four people killed – two men and two women. A fifth victim was reported later during the day when rescue services recovered another body from the rubble.

A pregnant woman was among the killed, Syniehubov reported later.

According to preliminary data, Russian forces used a ballistic missile in the attack, targeting the central part of the city, Syniehubov said.

An administrative building suffered a hit, while another administrative building and several residential buildings were damaged, according to the governor.

Syniehubov stressed that no military facilities were located in the targeted area.

Izium, a town with a pre-invasion population of 45,000, lies in the southeastern part of Kharkiv Oblast, over 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the regional center, Kharkiv, and around 50 kilometers (30 miles) west of the front line.

Transfer of Ukrainian Air Force personnel to infantry continues despite scandal

The Ukrainian military command’s plan to throw high-skilled Air Force personnel into the infantry was said to be halted when the practice gained nationwide attention, followed by a condemnation from President Volodymyr Zelensky. Soldiers, who spoke to the Kyiv Independent on conditions of anonymity…

The Kyiv IndependentAsami Terajima

Russia records 20,000 claims to declare people dead or missing last year, marking 2.5-fold surge, media reports

Russian courts received 20,000 claims in 2024 seeking to declare individuals missing or dead, marking a two-and-a-half increase from previous years, independent media outlet Mediazona reported on Feb. 4.

Before the full-scale war, Russian courts handled approximately 8,000 such cases annually. The surge in filings, which began in mid-2024, represents the first significant rise in missing persons cases since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The figures hint at mounting Russian losses during the full-scale invasion, which various estimates place between 600,000 and 840,000 killed and wounded. Moscow does not publish its official casualty figures.

According to Mediazona, most of the claims last year were initiated by Russian military unit commanders who sought to remove missing soldiers — presumed dead but lacking official confirmation — from personnel rosters. This process allows units to recruit replacements.

Families do not need to consent to these legal declarations, which often leaves them without financial support or clear information about their relatives' fate, the outlet wrote.

The exact number of missing Russian soldiers remains unknown, as courts routinely withhold applicants' names and avoid publicizing rulings. In 2024, an estimated 12,000 additional cases were recorded beyond the usual peacetime figures.

More than 50,000 inquiries have been submitted by Russians seeking information about missing soldiers through Ukraine’s “I Want to Find” project, Bohdan Okhrimenko, head of the Coordination Center Secretariat, said on Jan. 3.

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Initially launched in September 2022 as part of the "I Want to Live" hotline, which helps Russian soldiers surrender, the project was expanded to address requests from families searching for missing troops.

Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anna Tsivilyova disclosed on Nov. 26 that her ministry had received 48,000 DNA test applications from relatives hoping to locate missing soldiers.

Speaking at a Duma roundtable, Tsivilyova revealed that the DNA data was stored in a database, inadvertently providing a rare glimpse into the scale of Russian casualties.

Andrei Kartapolov, head of the State Duma's defense committee, cautioned against publicizing such figures. "This is sensitive information. When we finalize the documents, we must ensure these figures do not appear publicly," he said.

According to the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces, Russia has lost 842,930 troops since launching its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.

Russian soldiers face execution threats to retake lost ground near Kupiansk, Ukraine claims

Russian commanders in the Kupiansk sector are ordering their soldiers to retake positions from which they retreated under Ukrainian fire, threatening them with execution if they refuse, Ukraine's Khortytsia group of forces claimed on Feb. 4, citing intelligence reports.

Ukrainian soldiers forced Russian troops to abandon forward positions near a settlement in the Kupiansk sector following intensive assaults, the unit said.

The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims.

Russian forces intensified their assault on Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast in September 2024, pushing toward the city's industrial outskirts in the northeast. Ukrainian forces repelled several attempts to enter the town throughout December.

The estimated Russian advance in the Kupiansk district, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine, as of Feb. 4, 2025. A white symbol marks the city of Kupiansk. (DeepState / OpenStreetMaps)

For months, Russia has sought to establish a foothold along the eastern bank of the Oskil River, attempting to outflank Ukrainian defenses and open the way for a rear attack on Kupiansk. The front line now lies just two kilometers (1.5 miles) from the town.

President Volodymyr Zelensky recently appointed Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi, the commander of Ukraine's Ground Forces, to lead the Khortytsia group of forces as Ukraine works to counter Russian advances in the sector.

Western and Ukrainian officials have pointed to poor morale among Russian troops since the outbreak of the full-scale war. Moscow employs the infamous "human wave" tactics in which its troops overwhelm Ukrainian defenders through sheer numbers despite suffering heavy losses.

Reports of Russian commanders executing their soldiers have also surfaced amid some of the heaviest battles of the war, for example, during Russia's siege of the stronghold town of Avdiivka in late 2023.

Note from the author:

Ukraine War Latest is put together by the Kyiv Independent news desk team, who keep you informed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you value our work and want to ensure we have the resources to continue, join the Kyiv Independent community.

[madamepestilence]

UN Palestine representative speaker: [If the genocide st]-opped today, and we decided to hold a funeral every single day for each Palestinian killed in the last 8 months, it would take us 100 years to honour them all.

This council adopted only a week ago a resolution on the protection on UN and humanitarian personnel. It would take us - if we held a funeral a day - for these humanitarian personnel over a year to honour them all.

There is barely anything left in Gaza. Israel has destroyed everything, but there is everything left still in Gaza. 2.3 million people who have been in a constant battle with death for the last 8 months.

They are victims - they are heroes, because they refuse to surrender to death - but they are victims who deserve to be helped as victims, not only admired as heroes. 8 months later we have yet to tell them that help is on the way.

You cannot unhear the screams of a mother who did everything - everything in her power - to save her children and fail. Parents, who having lost a child, have to carry the others to safety, not having the time to mourn, and finding safety nowhere.

Orphans taken care of by the next closest relative until none of them is left. Families wandering the streets - traumatized, aching, desperate - coming from nowhere, heading to nowhere: they are in a No Life's Land, trying to get to tomorrow, where it all starts all over again.

There are people starving, only a few feet away from aid, and yet unable to reach it.

Despite several binding orders by the International Court of Justice in the case of genocide brought forward by South Africa, Israel has made sure that famine sets in, obstructing aid, and allowing its destruction by its extremists and settlers, instead of - and instead of stopping immediately its offensive on Rafah as ordered by the highest court, it has bombed people they had displaced while they were sheltering in tents. The whole-

"If the Israeli assault stopped today, and we decided to hold a funeral every single day for each Palestinian killed in the last eight months, it would take us 100 years to honor them all."

The Palestinian speaker at the UN Security Council highlights the devastating toll of casualties among Palestinians resulting from the Israeli genocide in Gaza.

[houseofpurplestars]

Palestinian Red Crescent Society:

—

The PRCS is seriously worried about the fate of Awni Khattab, Head of Khan Younis Medical Center in Gaza, who was arrested by the "israeli" Occupation forces together with the head of Al-Shifa hospital and two other medical staff during the WHO led evacuation of the wounded and sick from Al-Shifa Hospital. The members of the medical team were taken at the checkpoint which separates north and south Gaza on 22nd of November, 2023. The "israeli" Occupation Forces refuse to provide any information about the whereabouts or the fate of the detainees despite the repeated calls by the WHO and the UN.

The PRCS demands the immediate release of Awni Khattab along with the rest of the detained medical team members and holds the "israeli" Occupation Forces responsible for their safety. The PRCS also condemns the arrest and detention of healthcare workers and reminds the international community of the protections provided for medical personnel under international humanitarian law through the Geneva Conventions, their Additional Protocols, and international customary law.

The PRCS asserts that medical teams should not be targeted and that the performance of their humanitarian duties should be facilitated and protected. Denying protected civilians of access to humanitarian assistance and targeting medical personnel are blatant breaches of the Geneva Conventions.

The PRCS reiterates its calls on the international community to ensure the release and protection of the medical teams, especially in light of the challenging circumstances they are facing during the performance of their life-saving mission in the Gaza Strip.