United Nations - USA
United Nations, United States, June 14, 2018 (AFP) -Some components from five missiles fired at Saudi Arabia by Yemen's Huthi rebels were manufactured in Iran but UN officials are unable to determine when they were sent to Yemen, according to a confidential UN report seen by AFP on Thursday.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council in the 14-page report that debris from the missiles fired since July 2017 "share key design features with a known type of missile manufactured" by Iran.
The report, sent to the council on Tuesday, added that "some component parts of the debris were manufactured in the Islamic Republic of Iran" but it remained unclear whether the transfer was in violation of UN restrictions.
UN officials were "unable to determine when such missiles, parts thereof or related technology may have been transferred from" Iran, it said.
The findings were less conclusive that those of a separate UN panel of experts that reported in January that Iran was in violation of the arms embargo on Yemen for failing to block the missile supplies.
The report could deal a setback to the United States which has repeatedly called on the Security Council to take action against Iran over illegal arms transfers to Yemen and elsewhere in the region.
Iran has strongly denied arming the Huthis despite accusations from the United States and Saudi Arabia that missiles fired at Riyadh and other Saudi cities were Iranian-made.
Earlier this year, Russia questioned the findings of the panel and in February vetoed a resolution that would have pressured Iran over the supply of missiles to the Huthis.
Moscow argues that Yemen is awash in weapons and that many of them were delivered at a time when neither Iran or Yemen were under an arms embargo.
Guterres said that UN officials had examine explosives seized by Bahrain from a vessel in 2016 and were "confident" that some of the material was Iranian-made.
But again they found no indication about when the items were shipped and were unable to make a determination of a violation.
The findings were contained in a report on the implementation of a 2015 resolution that endorsed the Iran nuclear deal, now in danger of collapse after President Donald Trump's announcement of a US withdrawal from the agreement.
The Security Council is scheduled to discuss the report on June 27.
cml/ia
Parts of Yemen missiles fired at Saudi Arabia were Iranian-made: UN report
Parts of Yemen missiles fired at Saudi Arabia were Iranian-made: UN report
What We Are Reading Today: ‘A Tear and A Smile’ by Khalil Gibran
Khalil Gibran’s “A Tear and A Smile” is a collection of poems and reflections first published in 1914. The book explores the contrasting aspects of life, such as joy and sorrow, pleasure and pain, as well as the complexities of human emotions.
Gibran’s compelling lyrical and philosophical style shines as he contemplates the beauty and challenges of life including love, loss and longing.
He invites readers to reflect on the intricacies of their own emotions and experiences.
The collection is divided into two sections, “A Tear” and “A Smile,” symbolizing the duality of human existence.
In “A Tear,” Gibran delves into the sorrows and struggles of life, exploring pain, loss, and the transient nature of human existence. Through his poignant and evocative language, he captures the universal experience of human suffering.
In contrast, “A Smile” focuses on the brighter aspects of life. Gibran celebrates joy, love, and the beauty found in everyday moments.
He emphasizes the importance of gratitude, kindness, and embracing life’s blessings. The poems in this section inspire hope and encourage the reader to find solace and happiness in the simple pleasures of life.
“I would not exchange the sorrows of my heart for the joys of the multitude. And I would not have the tears that sadness makes to flow from my every part turn into laughter. I would that my life remain a tear and a smile,” he writes.
US House quickly defeats Republican hardliners’ effort to oust Speaker Johnson
- Democrats joined Republicans in a 359-43 vote to protect Johnson’s speakership to avoid a replay of the chaos that occurred in October
- Hakeem Jeffries, the House's Democratic Party leader, said he hoped to see House Republicans turn against party hard-liners
WASHINGTON: The US House of Representatives on Wednesday swiftly and overwhelmingly defeated an effort by firebrand Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene to remove Speaker Mike Johnson, a fellow Republican, from his leadership role.
Democrats joined Republicans in a 359-43 vote to protect Johnson’s speakership, in a bid to avoid a replay of the chaos that occurred in October when Republicans ousted his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy.
Greene’s move represented a rare Republican defiance of presidential candidate Donald Trump, who in a social media post following the House vote on Wednesday, said it was “not the time” for Republicans to try to push out their own speaker.
Greene’s measure, known as a motion to vacate, showcased the disorder that has marked Republicans’ slim 217-213 House majority, particularly since it had been clear that the effort would fail given Democrats’ opposition.
“I appreciate the show of confidence from my colleagues to defeat this misguided effort,” Johnson, 52, said following the vote. “Hopefully this is the end of the character assassination that has characterized the current Congress.”
Multiple Republicans criticized Greene’s move, including centrist Representative Marc Molinaro.
“This is not an individual who knows how to lead,” Molinaro said of Greene. “She’s not an individual who knows how to negotiate. And she certainly doesn’t seem to have any concern for the stability of the Congress or the people we represent.”
Greene stood flanked by fellow Republican Thomas Massie when she made her move against Johnson, criticizing him for a string of compromises with Democrats, who hold a majority in the Senate.
“Excuses like ‘this is just how you have to govern in divided government’ are pathetic, weak and unacceptable,” Greene said of Johnson. “Even with our razor-thin Republican majority we could have at least secured the border.”
Taunts and jeers
The chamber erupted in taunts and cheers at points as Greene read her resolution, with Democrats at times chanting “Hakeem, Hakeem,” a reference to their party leader, Hakeem Jeffries, in an echo of the many times they voted for him as speaker during Republicans’ multiple rounds of voting for speaker since the current House was seated in January 2021.
Johnson has angered many hard-liners by enacting bipartisan spending measures to avoid government shutdowns and aid US allies including Ukraine, without insisting on strict security measures for the US-Mexico border that Democrats reject.
The House Republicans’ border security bill had no chance of passing the Democratic-controlled Senate.
A bipartisan compromise bill negotiated late last year and early this year in the Senate, with the Biden administration’s approval, was killed by House and Senate Republicans at Trump’s behest.
Johnson could be seen walking around the House floor after Greene began her call on Wednesday for his ouster, with Republican supporters shaking his hand and patting him on the back.
“Republicans have to be fighting the Radical Left Democrats, and all the Damage they have done to our Country,” Trump said in his Wednesday post. “We’re not in a position of voting on a Motion to Vacate. At some point, we may very well be, but this is not the time.”
The situation has bolstered Jeffries, who agreed to save Johnson from ouster after freeing Congress from the road block of Republican infighting by delivering crucial Democratic support for must-pass bills.
Greene in remarks to reporters after the vote did not rule out trying to oust Johnson again.
For his part, Jeffries said he hoped to see House Republicans turn against party hard-liners, saying, “The only thing we ask of our House Republican colleagues is for traditional Republicans to further isolate the extreme MAGA Republican wing of the GOP, which has visited nothing but chaos and dysfunction on the American people.”
Britain and NATO allies must spend more, be tougher, UK’s Cameron to say
- The upcoming NATO summit must see all allies on track to deliver their pledge made in Wales in 2014 to spend 2 percent on defense
LONDON: Britain’s foreign minister, David Cameron, will urge its fellow NATO members to meet their pledge to spend 2 percent of GDP on defense, and to be tougher and more assertive with adversaries, in a speech to be delivered on Thursday.
In what is billed as his first major pronouncement as foreign secretary, Cameron will say NATO must “out-compete, out-cooperate and out-innovate,” and that Britain must not only bolster existing alliances but also forge new partnerships around the globe.
“We are in a battle of wills. We all must prove our adversaries wrong – Britain, and our allies and partners around the world,” Cameron will say at the UK’s National Cyber Security Center, according to extracts released by his office.
“The upcoming NATO summit must see all allies on track to deliver their pledge made in Wales in 2014 to spend 2 percent on defense. And we then need to move quickly to establish 2.5 percent as the new benchmark for all NATO allies.” Last month, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said British defense spending would increase to 2.5 percent of GDP by 2030 — an additional 75 billion pounds ($94 billion) over the next six years.
Britain has been one of the most vocal and active backers of Ukraine in the wake of the invasion by Russia, and Cameron, a former prime minister, will say too nations are not learning the lessons of that conflict.
Some in Europe seem unwilling to spend on defense while war rages nearby, Cameron will say, adding that while some nations have criticized attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, only Britain and the United States have carried out strikes in retaliation.
“If (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s illegal invasion teaches us anything, it must be that doing too little, too late only spurs an aggressor on,” he will say. .”.. This cannot go on. We need to be tougher and more assertive.”
Nuggets’ Jokic scoops third NBA Most Valuable Player award
- Jokic joins Moses Malone, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson as three-time winners
LOS ANGELES: Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic was named NBA Most valuable Player for the third time in four seasons on Wednesday.
The 29-year-old Serbian star, who won the award in 2021 and 2022, finished runner-up in the voting in 2023 but had the satisfaction of leading the Nuggets to a first NBA title.
This season he averaged 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds and 9.0 assists in the regular season and beat out Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks in final voting for the award.
He became the second player, after Oscar Robertson, to record 2,000 points, 900 rebounds and 600 assists in a season.
His 25 triple-doubles and 68 double-doubles were both second in the league.
Jokic enters elite territory with a third MVP crown. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s six MVPs are the most ever. Bill Russell and Michael Jordan won five apiece and Wilt Chamberlain and LeBron James four.
Jokic joins Moses Malone, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson as three-time winners after earning 79 first-placed votes compared to 15 for Gilgeous-Alexander and four for Doncic.
Behind Jokic, the 57-25 Nuggets matched the franchise high for victories in a season — although they were tied for best record in the West with Oklahoma City and ended up with the second seed.
Whether Jokic will be able to combine an MVP award and the title this season remains to be seen.
The Nuggets dropped the first two games of their Western Conference semifinal series to the Minnesota Timberwolves and face the tough task of trying to claw back on the Timberwolves’ home court starting on Friday.
Jokic’s victory marks the sixth straight season that the MVP award has gone to a player born outside the United States. The last US-born player to win was James Harden in 2018.
Israel in spotlight at Eurovision semifinal as pro-Palestinian protests loom
- The 68th version of the song contest takes place amid protests and boycotts over the Israeli military campaign in Gaza, triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel
MALMO, Sweden: The second semifinal of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Sweden on Thursday, with Israel’s performance expected to draw attention due to large pro-Palestinian protests planned in host city Malmo.
Some 100,000 visitors have gathered in Malmo in southern Sweden for the annual kitsch-fest, which is watched by some 200 million people worldwide.
Thursday’s semifinal will feature two of the favorites to win, Switzerland’s Nemo with the song “The Code” and Joost Klein of the Netherlands with the song “Europapa,” as well as outsider Eden Golan of Israel with her song “Hurricane.”
The 68th version of the song contest takes place amid protests and boycotts over the Israeli military campaign in Gaza, triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organizes the event, has resisted calls for Israel to be excluded but asked Israel to modify the lyrics of its original song “October Rain,” which appeared to reference the Hamas attack.
Tens of thousands are expected at a pro-Palestinian demonstration in central Malmo at 1300 GMT on Thursday. A smaller nearby pro-Israel demonstration is scheduled for 1600 GMT.
Gaza-born Swedish student and Palestinian activist Bachar Garar, 23, will protest what he calls double standards, pointing to EBU’s decision to ban Russia after it invaded Ukraine in 2022.
“After everything that happened, how they’ve treated Russia after what happened in Ukraine, they just choose to turn a blind eye to what’s happening in Gaza. So that’s hypocrisy for us and we’re trying to put an end to it,” he said.
Israeli contestant Golan, 20, says she hopes her performance will help unite people.
“It’s a super important moment for us, especially this year,” she told Reuters in an interview this week. “I feel honored to have the opportunity to be the voice of my country.”
At the first semifinal on Tuesday, thousands of fans in quirky and glittery outfits, many dressed up as their favorite contestant or in their national colors, saw 10 performers, including favorites Croatia and Ukraine, qualify for Saturday’s final.
Swedish authorities have heightened security and are bracing for possible unrest during Eurovision week.
“There are sometimes more police than people in sequins, but overall great fun, we’re having a great time,” said United Kingdom supporter Francesca Gaffey, wearing colorful rhine stones on her forehead, a flower headband and a t-shirt with the Eurovision slogan ‘United by Music’.
Thursday’s semifinal is due to begin at 1900 GMT and will also feature contestants from Malta, Albania, Greece, the Czech Republic, Austria, Denmark, Armenia, Latvia, San Marino, Georgia, Belgium, Estonia, and Norway.
Bookmakers have Croatia, Switzerland, Italy and Ukraine as the favorites to win, while streaming data from Spotify suggests a strong chance for the Netherlands or host nation Sweden.
