Ukraine hits Russia with US ATACMS missiles for first time on war’s 1,000th day

A local resident cycles past destroyed shop and restaurant in the town of Pokrovsk, Donetsk region, on Nov. 19, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 19 November 2024
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Ukraine hits Russia with US ATACMS missiles for first time on war’s 1,000th day

  • Ukraine said it had struck a Russian arms depot around 110 km inside Russia in an attack that caused secondary explosions
  • The Ukrainian military did not publicly specify what weapons it had used

KYIV: Ukraine used US ATACMS missiles to strike Russian territory on Tuesday, taking advantage of newly granted permission from the outgoing Biden administration on the war’s 1,000th day.
Russia said its forces shot down five of six of the missiles, which were fired at a military facility in the Bryansk region. Debris of one hit the facility, starting a fire that was swiftly put out and caused no casualties or damage, it said.
Ukraine said it had struck a Russian arms depot around 110 km (70 miles) inside Russia in an attack that caused secondary explosions. The Ukrainian military did not publicly specify what weapons it had used, but a Ukrainian official source and a US official later confirmed it had used ATACMS.
President Joe Biden gave approval just this week for Ukraine to use the ATACMS, the longest-range missiles Washington has supplied, for such attacks inside Russia. Moscow has described their potential use as an escalation that would make Washington a direct combatant in the war and prompt its retaliation.
The attack took place as Ukraine marked 1,000 days of war, with weary troops at the front, Kyiv besieged by airstrikes, a fifth of Ukrainian territory in Moscow’s hands and doubts about the future of Western support as Donald Trump heads back to the White House.
Military experts say using the US missiles to attack positions at such a depth in Russia can help Ukraine defend a pocket of Russian territory it has captured as a bargaining chip, but is not likely to have a decisive impact on the course of the 33-month-old war.
Moscow has said such weapons cannot be used without direct operational support from the United States, and therefore their use would make Washington a direct participant in the war.
On Tuesday, President Vladimir Putin signed a new nuclear doctrine apparently intended as a warning to Washington. It lowers the threshold under which Russia might use atomic weapons to include responding to attacks that threaten its territorial integrity.
Washington said the update to the nuclear doctrine was
no surprise
and cited “more of the same irresponsible rhetoric from Russia.”

JITTERS IN MARKETS
Reports of the Ukrainian attack caused jitters in markets, with share indexes sliding in Europe and safe haven assets rallying.
Trump has criticized the scale of US aid to Kyiv and said he will end the war quickly, without saying how. Both sides appear to anticipate his return in two months will be accompanied by a push for peace talks, which are not known to have taken place since the war’s early months.
The warring sides have both been escalating in recent weeks in an attempt to secure a stronger position at any negotiations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Kyiv must do everything for the war to end diplomatically next year.
“At this stage of the war, it is being decided who will prevail. Whether us over the enemy, or the enemy over us Ukrainians... and Europeans. And everyone in the world who wants to live freely and not be subject to a dictator,” he said in an address to parliament on Tuesday marking 1,000 days of war.
A candle-lit commemoration was planned for later on Tuesday.
Thousands of Ukrainian citizens have died, over six million live as refugees abroad and the population has fallen by a quarter since Putin ordered the invasion by land, sea and air that began Europe’s biggest conflict since World War Two.
Military losses have been huge, although casualty figures remain closely guarded secrets. Public Western estimates based on intelligence reports say hundreds of thousands have been wounded or killed on each side.
“In the frozen trenches of the Donetsk region and in the burning steppes of the Kherson region, under shells, hail, and anti-aircraft guns, we are fighting for the right to live,” Ukraine’s top commander Oleksandr Syrkyi wrote on Telegram.
Tragedy has touched families in every corner of Ukraine, where military funerals are commonplace in cities and far-flung villages, and people are exhausted by sleepless nights of air raid sirens and anguish.
In the first year after the invasion, Ukrainian troops pushed Russian forces back from the outskirts of Kyiv and recaptured swathes of territory with surprise military successes against a larger and better-armed foe.
But since then, the enemies have settled into relentless trench warfare that has ground eastern Ukrainian cities to dust. Russian forces still occupy a fifth of Ukraine and for the past year they have steadily gained ground.
Kyiv now hopes to gain leverage from a sliver of territory in Russia’s Kursk region it captured after launching its first major cross-border assault in August. It says Russia has deployed 50,000 troops there to try to take it back.
In a move decried in the West as an escalation, Russia has now deployed 11,000 North Korean troops, some of whom Kyiv says have clashed with Ukrainian forces in Kursk. Zelensky said Pyongyang could send 100,000 soldiers.
Russia for its part continues to advance village by village in eastern Ukraine, claiming to have captured another settlement on Tuesday.
With winter setting in, Moscow on Sunday renewed its aerial assault on Ukraine’s struggling power system, firing 120 missiles and 90 drones in the biggest barrage since August.
Publicly there has been no narrowing of the gulf in the enemies’ negotiating positions. Kyiv has long demanded full Russian withdrawal from all occupied territory, and security guarantees from the West comparable to membership in NATO’s mutual defense treaty to prevent future Russian attacks.
The Kremlin says Ukraine must drop all ambitions to join NATO and withdraw all troops from provinces Russia claims to have annexed since its invasion.


Italy sees surge in migrant crossings despite PM’s tough stance

Updated 5 sec ago
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Italy sees surge in migrant crossings despite PM’s tough stance

  • Country sees 40% rise driven by Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, despite numbers elsewhere in Europe dropping 
  • Italy struck deals last year with authorities in Libya, Tunisia to halt Mediterranean crossings

London: Italy has experienced a sharp rise in the number of migrants arriving illegally this year, damaging Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s reputation for being tough on migration, The Times reported.

While Europe broadly has seen numbers of migrants decline, Italy saw an increase of 40 percent despite Meloni’s government striking deals last year with authorities in Libya and Tunisia to halt Mediterranean crossings, which initially led to a 58 percent drop.

The number of migrants reaching Italy so far this year is 8,232, up from 5,912 in the same period in 2024.

The increase has been driven by a 68 percent rise from Libya, facilitated by hundreds of Pakistanis and Bangladeshis arriving in the North African country to make the journey to Europe.

So far this year, 3,195 Bangladeshis and 1,247 Pakistanis have crossed into Europe, with more than half traveling to Italy.

Frontex, the EU’s border force, said labor deals between Libya and Bangladesh were making the journey easier for migrants.

It added that overall, there had been a drop in people reaching Europe of around 25 percent, including to Greece, Spain and the Balkans. The total number to reach Europe so far this year stands at around 25,000. The number of crossings from France to the UK, meanwhile, is down 28 percent.

Frontex said traffickers are using faster boats with more engines to avoid the Italian Coast Guard, with migrants paying up to €8,000 ($8,737) for the crossing.

“Smugglers are using them to get people quickly out of Libyan waters, avoiding patrols in the early stages,” a Frontex spokesman said.

“In January alone, nearly 30 of these types of boats carrying nearly 1,500 people were detected.” 


Ghosts of fast fashion: Has colonialism ruined Bangladesh’s luxury fabric trade?

Updated 57 min 50 sec ago
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Ghosts of fast fashion: Has colonialism ruined Bangladesh’s luxury fabric trade?

  • Dhaka was the global center of muslin and fine handloom weaving until British colonial rule
  • Top model and designer Bibi Russell spearheads a movement to revive Bangladeshi textile art

DHAKA: Now a hub of cheap, mass-produced clothing for global brands, Bangladesh was for centuries known as the opposite — a center of coveted luxury textiles. The European appeal of these fine fabrics in the late 18th century marked the beginning of the industry’s decline, ultimately leading to its eventual erasure.

Historically, eastern Bengal — now Bangladesh — was renowned for its master weavers of silk and cotton textiles and particularly for muslin, a lightweight fabric crafted from extremely fine handspun yarns.

Dhaka became the center of muslin weaving in the early 17th century when the fabric became popular on the Indian subcontinent under the Mughal Empire. It dominated the global market for 200 years.

“Dhaka muslin was a symbol of tradition and royal nobility in this land. It was celebrated for its magnificent design and exceptional craftsmanship, earning worldwide acclaim. So fine was its weaving that an entire muslin sari could easily pass through a finger ring,” said Mohammad Ayub Ali, head of the muslin revival project at the Bangladesh Handloom Board, which works to preserve classical Bengali weaving techniques.

“Traders from various European countries, including England, the Netherlands, Portugal and Greece, were actively engaged in the muslin trade.”

This flourishing market was, however, soon overshadowed by colonial influence. Bengal’s textile industry began to wither after the British East India Company conquered the region in the mid-18th century, took control of the industry and exploited it beyond its limits.

In his 1772 work “Considerations on India Affairs,” merchant William Bolts of the British East India Company describes weavers being forcibly taken from their workplaces to produce textiles at English factories. Some resorted to self-mutilation — cutting of their own thumbs — in a desperate attempt to escape forced labor.

Another devastating blow to the native industry came with the tariffs imposed by the British colonial rulers, as England entered the Industrial Revolution and itself began mass-producing fabrics.

“The British rulers suppressed our local cotton producers and muslin weavers to create a favorable market for (their) textiles. Cheap textiles started to pour into our markets ... In the middle of the 19th century, muslin production in Dhaka was completely stopped,” Ali said.

“We were forced to import British clothes ... We once had 100 percent local input in cotton production, weaving and the expertise required to create world-class garments. But now, we only produce ready-made clothing as tailors.”

Bangladesh is the second-largest exporter of ready-made garments in the world, after China, producing large volumes quickly and cheaply. Around 4 million people are employed in factories, where unsafe working conditions, frequent deadly accidents and monthly wages that rarely exceed $120 regularly make headlines in both local and international press.

There is a direct link between the exploitative sector and colonial legacy.

“The colonizers systematically dismantled our thriving artisan economy ... The destruction of that heritage was not just about economics; it was about erasing a culture of excellence and self-reliance,” top Bangladeshi model and celebrated designer Bibi Russell, renowned for her efforts to revive her homeland’s textile art, told Arab News.

“While Bangladesh has become one of the largest exporters of ready-made garments in the world, we must ask ourselves at what cost. The fast fashion industry has created millions of jobs, but it has also perpetuated a system where workers are often undervalued, artisans are sidelined, and our natural resources are exploited. In many ways, it reflects a continuation of the exploitative systems of the past, where the value of human skill and creativity is sacrificed for profit.”

Bibi Russell speaks to Bangladeshi TV in December 2024. (Bibi Russell)

Russell is an advocate of the growing defashion movement, which calls for a shift away from the disposable culture of fast fashion — including its overconsumption, environmental degradation and the exploitation of workers in countries where labor laws and wages are poor.

She believes such a change is possible as the world is waking up and the global fashion landscape is changing, with consumers becoming more conscious of sustainability and ethical practices.

“Bangladesh has an incredible opportunity to lead this change ... Our history shows that we are resilient, and I see an opportunity to reclaim our legacy as a hub of quality and innovation, not just quantity,” she said.

“By investing in our craftspeople and celebrating their work, we can create an industry that uplifts rather than exploits, honors rather than erases ... This is our moment to rewrite the narrative — not as victims of a colonial legacy, but as innovators and creators.”


Thailand says assured of Uyghurs’ safety after US visa bans

Updated 15 March 2025
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Thailand says assured of Uyghurs’ safety after US visa bans

  • Thailand on Saturday responded to a United States visa ban on officials from the kingdom involved in deporting dozens of Uyghurs back to China, saying it had “received assurances” of their safety

BANGKOK: Thailand on Saturday responded to a United States visa ban on officials from the kingdom involved in deporting dozens of Uyghurs back to China, saying it had “received assurances” of their safety.
The Thai government has suffered intense criticism from around the world for its decision to hand over at least 40 Uyghurs, who were flown by special plane to China’s northwestern Xinjiang region in late February.
The Uyghurs had spent years languishing in Thai detention facilities after fleeing China more than a decade ago.
On Friday US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced visa restrictions on an unspecified number of former or current officials from Thailand involved in the deportation.
Thailand’s foreign affairs ministry said in a statement on Saturday it noted the US decision adding it had “received assurances from the Government of China concerning the safety of the Uyghurs.”
It said Thailand “will continue to follow up on the well-being of this group.”
Thailand is the oldest US ally in Asia but maintains friendly relations with Beijing.
“Thailand has always and will continue to value the long-standing and close treaty alliance with the United States,” the statement said.
The United States accuses China of genocide over its mass camps for Uyghurs, a mostly Muslim minority in the northwestern Xinjiang region.
China rejects the accusations and says it is providing vocational education to improve Uyghurs’ future.


Ukraine says shot down 130 Russian drones launched overnight

Updated 15 March 2025
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Ukraine says shot down 130 Russian drones launched overnight

KYIV: Ukraine said Saturday it had downed 130 Russian-launched drones across the country at night, as international efforts to end the three-year war intensify.
Kyiv’s air force said the Iranian-made Shahed drones were downed over 14 regions and that Moscow had also attacked with two ballistic missiles.


Musk says Starship to depart for Mars at end of 2026

Updated 15 March 2025
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Musk says Starship to depart for Mars at end of 2026

Washington: SpaceX founder Elon Musk said Saturday its massive Starship rocket would leave for Mars at the end of 2026 with Tesla humanoid robot Optimus onboard, adding that human landings could follow “as soon as 2029.”
“Starship departs for Mars at the end of next year, carrying Optimus. If those landings go well, then human landings may start as soon as 2029, although 2031 is more likely,” Musk said on his X social network.
Starship — the world’s largest and most powerful rocket — is key to Musk’s long-term vision of colonizing Mars.
NASA is also awaiting a modified version of Starship as a lunar lander for its Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon this decade.
But before SpaceX can carry out those missions, it must prove the vehicle is reliable, safe for crew, and capable of complex in-orbit refueling — critical for deep space missions.
SpaceX faced a setback this month when its latest test flight of the Starship prototype ended in a fiery explosion, even as the booster was successfully caught in its orbital test.
It was a near replay of the previous attempt.
Minutes after liftoff and booster separation, a live video feed showed the upper stage tumbling uncontrollably before the signal abruptly cut.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said SpaceX will be required to conduct an investigation before it can fly again.