UN moves to unblock humanitarian aid to North Korea

The United Nations Security Council meets at UN Headquarters, in this July 24, 2018 photo, in New York City. (AFP)
Updated 03 August 2018
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UN moves to unblock humanitarian aid to North Korea

  • Economic sanctions are not supposed to have an impact on impartial humanitarian action
  • The United States has been very clear that we will continue to enforce the current sanctions until we achieve the final, fully verified, denuclearization of North Korea

UNITED NATIONS, United States: The UN Security Council is poised to back a US proposal aimed at removing some of the hurdles that tough sanctions on North Korea have thrown up in the way of delivering humanitarian aid, according to documents obtained by AFP.
North Korea’s humanitarian crisis has left about 10 million people — nearly half of the population — undernourished, according to UN officials, who have reported a drop in food production last year.
UN resolutions specify that sanctions should not affect humanitarian aid but relief organizations argue that strict trade and banking measures are creating bureaucratic obstacles and slowing down the flow of vital supplies.
A US proposal put forward last month would provide clear instructions to aid organizations and governments to apply for UN sanctions exemptions for North Korea, according to the text seen by AFP.
After weeks of negotiations, the UN sanctions committee is expected to give final approval to the new guidelines on Monday.
Once approved, a notice will be sent to the UN’s 193 member-states by the committee “to provide a clear explanation of its comprehensive humanitarian exemption mechanism” which will “improve the delivery of humanitarian assistance to DPRK,” according to the documents.
The move comes as the United States is calling for maximum pressure to be maintained against North Korea to compel Kim Jong Un to follow through on his pledge to denuclearize the Korean peninsula.
After Russia and China urged the council to ease sanctions, US Ambassador Nikki Haley said the United Nations should not do “one thing” until North Korea takes action to dismantle its nuclear and missile programs.
A US official said the guidelines would ensure that “only critical, life-saving humanitarian activities needed in North Korea can continue” and that requests for exemptions will undergo a detailed review.
“The United States has been very clear that we will continue to enforce the current sanctions until we achieve the final, fully verified, denuclearization of North Korea,” said the official, speaking on background.
Asked about the new guidelines, a Dutch official, speaking as the chair of the sanctions committee, said: “We want to make clear that this is about easing the process, not about easing the sanctions.”

The Security Council last year adopted three rafts of sanctions targeting North Korea’s economy in response to Pyongyang’s sixth nuclear test and a series of ballistic missile launches.
Those sanctions ban North Korea’s exports of raw commodities while severely restricting imports of a range of goods and supplies of oil — vital for the country’s military.
The measures have had a chilling effect, with UN agencies and aid organizations struggling to find partners willing to deal with the bureaucratic red tape from the tight sanctions regime on North Korea.
“Economic sanctions are not supposed to have an impact on impartial humanitarian action. But they do. They have unintended consequences,” said Simon Schorno, the head of aid operations for the International Red Cross in Asia.
“We haven’t seen the guidelines yet but we have been promised that they will speed up procedures, exemptions, and generally make processes run smoother. We’re hopeful that the guidelines will make carrying out our work easier,” he said.
At a UN meeting last month, North Korean Deputy Ambassador Kim in Ryong complained that deliveries of medical equipment such as X-ray machines, anti-malaria insecticides and reproductive health kits had been held up for months.
Kim said humanitarian aid was being “politicized” and argued that denying assistance to North Koreans in need was a violation of human rights.
The United Nations is also facing a major funding shortfall for its aid operations in North Korea.
An appeal for $111 million in funding for food, medicine and other basic needs for six million North Koreans has so far raised only $12 million — 10.9 percent of the total amount needed.
Only four countries have come forward with donations: Switzerland, Sweden, Canada and France.


Amsterdam university cancels classes after violence erupted at a pro-Palestinian rally

Updated 4 sec ago
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Amsterdam university cancels classes after violence erupted at a pro-Palestinian rally

  • Israel has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry
  • The protest was one of many that sprung up around Europe following rallies across college campuses in the United States

THE HAGUE: The University of Amsterdam canceled classes Tuesday and shut buildings for two days after the latest pro-Palestinian demonstrations over the war in Gaza turned destructive.
Protests continued to simmer at several European universities where students faced off with academic authorities on whether relations with Israel should be broken off or drastically reduced, as the death toll continues to climb during the seven-month Israel-Hamas war.
Overall, the protests in Europe have failed to reach the intensity of demonstrations at several US universities.
In the Netherlands, the board at the nearly 400-year old University of Amsterdam issued a statement saying it could not guarantee the safety of anyone on campus after a group of masked agitators barricaded doors and spray painted slogans on the walls.
The mayhem on Monday followed a peaceful walkout of staff and students against the Israel-Hamas war and the university’s response to earlier protests.
“They (the university) called in the police after people wouldn’t remove their face coverings but the police came in balaclavas,” political science professor Enzo Rossio told The Associated Press, describing Monday’s events. He had returned to his office following the walkout, only for the building to be evacuated minutes later.
While standing outside the building, Rossio said he and his wife, who also works for the university, were repeatedly hit by police with batons.
Last week, police used a bulldozer to evict demonstrators from an encampment established by students who want the university to cut ties with Israel. The protest was one of many that sprung up around Europe following rallies across college campuses in the United States.
Smaller demonstrations have taken place against the war, both at the University of Amsterdam and at other Dutch universities. But last week’s protest grew into the thousands, with demonstrators chanting slogans including, “Palestine will be free!” and “Cops off campus!”
Riot police were called in multiple times to end the demonstrations, leading to aggressive confrontations. “I’ve never witnessed this kind of violence,” history student Marin Kuijt said in an interview. Kuijt said he had regularly attended climate change marches and joined the walkout on Monday to protest against the university and police response.
After the walkout, some students set up tents inside buildings, intending to occupy the spaces until the university listened to their demands. According to the University of Amsterdam, the peaceful protest was “hijacked by violent elements” who left behind “wanton destruction.”
Higher education institutions in the Netherlands published guidelines on Tuesday for student protests. They include a ban on remaining overnight, occupying buildings and wearing face coverings. Last week, the University of Amsterdam already announced it would not hold talks with any protester who refused to show their face.
In a statement, Amsterdam Student Encampment, which is organizing some of the demonstrations, said it was concerned about outside elections causing destruction, saying it “overshadowed” the protests. The group is calling for more demonstrations at the university in the coming days.
Smaller students actions were held in Belgium, Greece and Italy, among other EU nations.

 


UK Mideast minister: Israel’s actions leaving its allies ‘pretty challenged’

Updated 14 May 2024
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UK Mideast minister: Israel’s actions leaving its allies ‘pretty challenged’

  • Lord Ahmad: Many are uneasy about adherence to international humanitarian law
  • UK FM opposes arms ban despite ‘grave concerns around humanitarian access issue in Gaza’

LONDON: The UK’s Middle East minister has warned that the war in Gaza is causing Israel’s allies numerous problems over allegations that it has broken international humanitarian law, the Daily Telegraph reported.

“I think Israel is really leaving many of its partners, including ourselves, pretty challenged on where we are currently on the issue of IHL, and how they are fulfilling their obligations,” Lord Ahmad told the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday.

“Israel has obligations. We are allies of Israel and as a constructive friend to Israel, we’d land these points very directly to them.”

On Sunday, UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron said an arms ban against Israel would not be “a wise path.”

In April, he said the UK’s stance on selling arms to Israel was “consistent with the advice that I and other ministers have received, and as ever we will keep the position under review.

“Let me be clear, though, we continue to have grave concerns around the humanitarian access issue in Gaza.”

UK law requires a ban on the sale of weapons to states that breach or fall short of adhering to international humanitarian law.

So far Canada, Japan, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands have suspended arms sales to Israel. The UK’s main opposition Labour Party called for a halt on exports this week.


8 dead, at least 40 injured as farmworkers’ bus overturns in central Florida

Updated 14 May 2024
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8 dead, at least 40 injured as farmworkers’ bus overturns in central Florida

  • The bus was transporting 53 farmworkers at about 6:40 a.m. when it collided with a truck
  • The workers were being transported to Cannon Farms in Dunellon

FLORIDA: A bus carrying farmworkers in central Florida overturned on Tuesday, killing eight people and injuring about 40 other passengers, authorities said.
The bus was transporting 53 farmworkers at about 6:40 a.m. when it collided with a truck in Marion County, north of Orlando, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
Authorities say the bus swerved off State Road 40, a straight but somewhat hilly two-lane road that passes through farms. It crashed through a fence and ended up on its side in a field. The workers were being transported to Cannon Farms in Dunellon, which has been harvesting watermelons.
Photos taken by the Ocala Star-Banner at the scene show the bus lying on its side with both its emergency rear door and top hatch open. The truck that hit it shows extensive damage to its driver’s side.
There is no immediate indication that weather was a factor.
“We will be closed today out of respect to the losses and injuries endured early this morning in the accident that took place to the Olvera Trucking Harvesting Corp.,” Cannon Farms announced on its Facebook page. “Please pray with us for the families and the loved ones involved in this tragic accident. We appreciate your understanding at this difficult time.”
Cannon Farms describes itself as a family owned commercial farming operation that has farmed its land for more than 100 years, focusing now on peanuts and watermelons, which it sends to grocery stores across the US and Canada.
No one answered the phone at Olvera Trucking on Tuesday afternoon. The company had recently advertised for a temporary driver to bus workers to watermelon fields. The driver would then operate harvesting equipment. The pay was $14.77 an hour.


Harvard students end protest as university agrees to discuss Middle East conflict

Updated 14 May 2024
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Harvard students end protest as university agrees to discuss Middle East conflict

  • The student protest group Harvard Out of Occupied Palestine said in a statement that the encampment “outlasted its utility with respect to our demands”
  • Students at many college campuses this spring set up similar encampments

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts: Protesters against the war between Israel and Hamas were voluntarily taking down their tents in Harvard Yard on Tuesday after university officials agreed to discuss their questions about the endowment, bringing a peaceful end to the kinds of demonstrations that were broken up by police on other campuses.
The student protest group Harvard Out of Occupied Palestine said in a statement that the encampment “outlasted its utility with respect to our demands.” Meanwhile, Harvard University interim President Alan Garber agreed to pursue a meeting between protesters and university officials regarding the students’ questions.
Students at many college campuses this spring set up similar encampments, calling for their schools to cut ties with Israel and businesses that support it.
The latest Israel-Hamas war began when Hamas and other militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing around 1,200 people and taking an additional 250 hostage. Palestinian militants still hold about 100 captives, and Israel’s military has killed more than 35,000 people in Gaza, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants.
Harvard said its president and the dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Hopi Hoekstra, will meet with the protesters to discuss the conflict in the Middle East.
The protesters said they worked out an agreement to meet with university officials including the Harvard Management Company, which oversees the world’s largest academic endowment, valued at about $50 billion.
The protesters’ statement said the students will set an agenda including discussions on disclosure, divestment, and reinvestment, and the creation of a Center for Palestine Studies. The students also said that Harvard has offered to retract suspensions of more than 20 students and student workers and back down on disciplinary measures faced by 60 more.
“Since its establishment three weeks ago, the encampment has both broadened and deepened Palestine solidarity organizing on campus,” a spokesperson for the protesters said. “It has moved the needle on disclosure and divestment at Harvard.”


At least 15 injured in Russian strike on high-rise in Ukraine’s Kharkiv

Updated 14 May 2024
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At least 15 injured in Russian strike on high-rise in Ukraine’s Kharkiv

  • A fire broke out at another strike site, and at least ten garages were affected

KYIV: A Russian air attack on Kharkiv city center in Ukraine hit a high-rise residential building, injuring at least 15 people, including two children, local officials said on Tuesday.
It was not immediately clear what kind of weapon was used in the strike, but it landed on the 10th floor of the 12-story apartment block, officials said on Telegram.
Ihor Terekhov, the city’s major, said rescuers were searching for the injured.
One person was hospitalized in a serious condition, Oleh Syniehubov, the regional governor, added.
A fire broke out at another strike site, and at least ten garages were affected, Syniehubov said.
Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, and the surrounding region have long been targeted by Russian attacks but the strikes have become more intense in recent months, hitting civilian and energy infrastructure.