Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for permission to use US weapons on Russian territory but was currently denied by the US to avoid further escalation.
Kiev is at a disadvantage in its defence against Russian forces due to restrictions on using US weapons against targets on Russian soil, according to the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
The latest report from the US think-tank released on Friday says that Russia exploits these restrictions by launching attacks from protected areas near the Ukrainian border.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for permission to use US weapons on Russian territory but was currently denied by the US to avoid further escalation.
The US approach to date has severely limited Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against Russian attacks in the north of the Kharkiv region, it said.
According to the Pentagon, the US is providing the weapons so that Ukraine can liberate its occupied territories, but not for attacks on Russia.
Ukraine’s goal is to attack bases in Russia with Western weapons to destroy them even more effectively than with its own less powerful drones and missiles.
Russia, on the other hand, is warning of an escalation in the war if weapons from NATO countries are used against them.
UK still has the opportunity to change course with tangible actions that protect and promote the rights of women and girls…reports Asian Lite News
Taliban’s treatment of women and girls should be considered a crime against humanity of ‘gender persecution’. Report provides legal assessment of why those fleeing persecution must be presumptively considered refugees. ‘Women and girls from Afghanistan arriving in the UK are refugees, and this country must respect their right to asylum’ – Sacha Deshmukh
‘This is a war against women’ – Agnès Callamard
The Taliban’s severe restrictions and unlawful crackdown on women and girls’ rights should be investigated as possible crimes under international law – including the crime against humanity of gender persecution – Amnesty International and the International Commission of Jurists said today (26 May) in a new report.
The 62-page report, ‘The Taliban’s war on women: The crime against humanity of gender persecution in Afghanistan’, provides a detailed analysis of how the Taliban’s draconian restrictions on the rights of Afghanistan’s women and girls – together with the use of imprisonment, enforced disappearance, torture and other ill-treatment – could amount to the crime against humanity of gender persecution under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
Amnesty and the International Commission of Jurists say that prosecutors at the ICC should include the crime against humanity of gender persecution in their ongoing investigation into the situation in Afghanistan. The organisations are also calling on other countries to exercise universal jurisdiction or other lawful means to bring to justice Taliban members suspected of responsibility for crimes under international law.
Taliban fire shots, beat women protesters in Kabul.
The report covers the period from August 2021 to January 2023 and bases its analysis on a growing body of evidence collected by credible sources, including Amnesty’s 2022 report Death in Slow Motion, civil society organisations and UN authorities. It also provides a legal assessment of why women and girls fleeing persecution in Afghanistan should be presumptively considered refugees in need of international protection.
The research complements the work of UN experts and women’s rights groups to lay the foundation for the robust response needed to ensure justice, accountability and reparation for the crimes against humanity of gender persecution.
Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, said:
“Afghan women and girls are the victims of a crime against humanity of gender persecution.
Since their takeover, the Taliban has imposed draconian restrictions on the rights of Afghanistan’s women and girls.
“Let there be no doubt: this is a war against women – banned from public life; prevented from accessing education; prohibited from working; barred from moving freely; imprisoned, disappeared and tortured including for speaking against these policies and resisting the repression.
“These are international crimes. They are organised, widespread, systematic. “The gravity of the crime demands a far more robust international response than has been seen to date. There is only one outcome acceptable: this system of gender oppression and persecution must be dismantled.”
Pakistan Taliban vows to step up war for free homeland, tells Pakistani soldiers to give up arms.(photo:IN)
Santiago A Canton, the International Commission of Jurists’ Secretary General, added: “The Taliban’s campaign of gender persecution is of such magnitude, gravity and systematic nature, that cumulatively the acts and policies form a system of repression which aims to subjugate and marginalise women and girls across the country.
“Our report indicates that this meets all the five criteria to qualify as a crime against humanity of gender persecution.
“Holding the Taliban criminally accountable and tackling rampant impunity for the serious crimes documented in this report is a necessary step toward securing justice for survivors of their egregious practices.
“We simply cannot afford to fail the women and girls of Afghanistan.”
UK ‘must change course’
In the UK, the joint report is published against a backdrop of racist immigration legislation going through parliament as well as diplomatic moves by the Government to make the obligation to extradite or prosecute those wanted for the most serious crimes under international law merely optional. The proposed new Mutual Legal Assistance treaty – being negotiated at the Ljubljana conference in Slovenia and due to end today (26 May) – would allow war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide to go unpunished.
Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty International UK’s chief executive, said:
UK: Government seeks to water down treaty which could allow war criminals to go free
— News From Amnesty (@NewsFromAmnesty) May 18, 2023
“This report serves as a clarion call to the UK government to fix serious shortcomings in the support it provides to women and girls fleeing persecution from Afghanistan and seeking justice.
“The UK likes to present itself as a champion of women’s rights globally, but increasingly it is not. The immigration bill will only add to the misery of those fleeing persecution to seek safety on our shores. Women and girls from Afghanistan arriving in the UK are refugees, and this country must respect their right to seek asylum just as it expects other countries to do so.
“Just this week, the UK government has been trying to water down a new treaty aimed at strengthening international cooperation in bringing perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity to justice.
“This wrongly signals to the world that justice and protection is only for a selected few and not a fundamental right for all.
“The UK still has the opportunity to change course with tangible actions that protect and promote the rights of women and girls – for those in need of safety here and those enduring unimaginable hardship in Afghanistan.”
‘Second-class citizens’
Since the Taliban’s takeover in August 2021, women in Afghanistan have been excluded from political roles and most jobs in the public sector. Through a series of measures and announcements, women and girls have also been excluded from education beyond primary school.
The Taliban’s dissolution of the institutional framework of support for survivors of gender-based violencehas further undermined the rights of Afghan women and girls on the basis of their gender.
Taliban decrees issued on 24 December 2022 and 4 April 2023 to ban women from working in NGOs and the UN provide further clear evidence of the Taliban’s institutional gender discrimination. In addition, a requirement that women travel with a male chaperone (“mahram”) for long-distance journeys, a decree stipulating that women should stay at home unless necessary, and the Taliban’s strict dress code all violate women’s freedom of movement and freedom to choose what to wear in public.
The discriminatory restrictions the Taliban have imposed on women and girls violate human rights guarantees contained in numerous international treaties to which Afghanistan is a party, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Afghan women and girls have been arbitrarily arrested and detained by Taliban members for so-called “moral crimes” as a result of infringing the authorities’ discriminatory “mahram” restrictions and for their participation in peaceful demonstrations. Women who have protested against the Taliban’s abusive and restrictive policies have faced excessive force, unlawful arrests, torture and other ill-treatment to ensure their compliance.
Amnesty and the International Commission of Jurists believe that the numerous incidents of arbitrary arrest and detention, torture and other ill-treatment inflicted on women and girls who either participated in peaceful protests or were accused of so-called “moral offences” should also be investigated as the possible crimes against humanity of imprisonment, enforced disappearance and torture under Article 7 of the Rome Statute.
The way forward
Amnesty and the International Commission of Jurists’ report provides specific recommendations regarding how the international community must help dismantle the Taliban’s system of gender persecution and the impunity which sustains it. An upcoming meeting on the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan at the forthcoming UN Human Rights Council is an important opportunity for states, civil society and independent experts to discuss the Taliban’s gender persecution and other possible crimes under international law. The Human Rights Council must renew and strengthen the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan and take urgent steps towards establishing an independent international accountability mechanism to investigate crimes under international law and other serious human rights violations, as well as to collect and preserve evidence of such violations with a view to supporting future accountability efforts, including prosecutions.
Saudi Arabia has announced the lifting of most the precautionary measures against Covid-19, citing the improved pandemic situation in the country…Asian Lite News
The Interior Ministry decided that social distancing would be cancelled but people still have to wear masks indoors, Xinhua news agency reported citing local media as saying.
Moreover, inbound passengers no longer need to provide a PCR or rapid antigen test, and they are not required to undergo mandatory Covid-19 quarantine upon arrival, the Ministry added.
Eurostar had recently cut the number of trains connecting Paris to London in the face of declining demand, and may now need to review plans…reports Asian Lite News
Vaccinated UK travellers will no longer need an essential reason to enter France from Friday, ending almost a month of restrictions.
With the omicron variant now widespread in both countries, the curbs are no longer needed, a statement from French Prime Minister Jean Castex’s office said on Thursday.
Coming at a peak point for holiday travel, the restrictions had dampened hopes of a much-needed boost for the tourism industry, one of the worst casualties of the pandemic.
France is the biggest market for UK tourists, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council, with British residents accounting for 14% of visits to the country. Overall, international tourists spent 60 billion euros ($68.8 billion) a year in France before the pandemic, said the group, which represents tourism businesses including airlines and hotels.
“This will come as a huge relief to those with trips planned over the coming weeks – in addition to airlines and tour operators with a big presence in the ski market,” said Tim Alderslade, chief executive of carrier lobby group Airlines UK. “It’s a busy time in the winter season.”
Shares of Air France-KLM and Eurotunnel operator Getlink SE reversed earlier losses and were up less than 1% at 10:35 am in Paris. Low-cost UK carrier EasyJet Plc was down less than 1% in London, as was British Airways owner IAG SA.
EasyJet welcomed the lifting of restrictions, saying it is particularly good “for those looking to book a last-minute half-term break or planning to head to the slopes.”
Eurostar had recently cut the number of trains connecting Paris to London in the face of declining demand, and may now need to review plans.
“We are ready to welcome more passengers on board and will continue to increase the frequency of our services in the coming weeks,” the train operator said.
Under the new guidelines, France is also lifting the requirement to self-isolate for people who have had the Covid vaccine. All travellers will need a negative test less than 24 hours old. The rules remain unchanged for non-vaccinated people.
France had banned tourists and almost all business travel starting Dec. 18, with a stringent list drawn out for exceptions to the rule. The list of reasons was broadened earlier this month, especially for business travellers.
Israel bans travel to UK, Denmark to prevent spread of Omicron
Israel announced the extension of travel restrictions to curb the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19…reports Asian Lite News
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz decided that the current restrictions of banning foreigners from entering Israel will be extended to December 22, reports Xinhua news agency.
According to the Health Ministry, 35 Israelis have been tested positive for the Omicron variant, most of which are vaccinated.
Israel announce extension of travel restrictions
Meanwhile, Israelis returning from abroad will be quarantined for three days.
A statement released by the Prime Minister’s office also said more restrictions may be considered in the coming days.
In the past week, there has been a slight increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in Israel.
SAN Parks reschedule int'l visitors after travel ban
South Africa will not be charged fees or penalties for amendments and postponements for a 12-month period from the date of November 26, 2021, until such time as the travel bans are lifted…reports Asian Lite News
The South African National Parks (SANParks) is doing mass booking amendments from residents of various countries across the world following the banning of flights from some western countries owing to the discovery of the Covid-19 variant B.1.1.529, said SANParks on Saturday.
SAN Parks reschedule int’l visitors after travel ban
“We have decided that booked clients from the countries that have introduced travel bans to South Africa will not be charged fees or penalties for amendments and postponements for a 12-month period from the date of November 26, 2021, until such time as the travel bans are lifted,” said Hapiloe Sello, SANParks managing executive of tourism development and marketing, Xinhua news agency reported.
“Affected clients are welcome to contact our reservation offices to postpone their reservations to later dates. We encourage guests to opt for SANParks to retain their deposit payments until they are certain about their travel plans and to only consider cancellations and refunds as a last resort,” she added.
All attendees must provide negative results of PCR tests conducted less than 48 hours prior to the event’s date…reports Asian Lite News
UAE’s National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA) on Tuesday announced updates to protocols related to hosting celebrations, gatherings, weddings and funerals at home, and restrictions on business charter flights.
During a UAE Government media briefing on the COVID-19 pandemic, NCEMA spokesperson Dr. Taher Al Ameri said that, over the two years of the pandemic, the UAE succeeded in transforming all arising challenges to opportunities, proving its readiness to manage the worst conditions.
“The UAE’s crisis management model has become an example to be emulated, and is considered a unique experience in taking proactive measures to avoid risks,” he affirmed.
Announcing the updates, Dr. Al Ameri said, “The new protocol on home gatherings, weddings and funerals includes setting a capacity of 80 percent for such activities, and an attendee limit of not more than 60 people, in addition to 10 extra individuals as service staff.
“Attendees who have received the vaccine more than 14 days ago are allowed to attend, provided they meet the green pass requirements through the Al Hosn application, and those of the third dose and other relevant protocols.”
All attendees must provide negative results of PCR tests conducted less than 48 hours prior to the event’s date, he added.
The protocol also includes a number of preventive measures aimed at ensuring the safety of attendees, including temperature checks, mandatory face mask-wearing and sanitisation.
The entry process will be regulated to avoid overcrowding, along with using barriers to organise entry and exit activities.
“We urge attendees to not shake hands and keep to a physical distance of 1.5 metres at all times, while a maximum of 10 persons may be seated at the same table,” Dr. Al Ameri continued. “We also urge you to not show up to such events if you have any respiratory symptoms or fevers.
Al Ameri also announced the new protocol on business charter flights.
He clarified that the protocol covers resident and visiting businesspersons and stipulates they must register their arrival, by submitting the relevant through the ICA website. They must also present the official approval issued by the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security and a copy of vaccination certificates upon arrival, he continued.
Businesspersons arriving in the UAE must also present a negative PCR test result with a QR code dated less than 48 hours prior to departure, as well as a negative result of a Rapid PCR test taken at the airport within six hours of the departure time.
Moreover, a PCR test will be carried out upon arrival to the UAE, with two more to be taken on the fourth and eight days. The protocol also includes cancelling the maximum capacity of business charter flights, allowing all vaccinated businesspersons to enter the UAE as per the set guidelines.
It came shortly before the infamous “traffic light” rules were reviewed on Thursday. In his letter, Sunak said that the UK was “out of step” with the rest of the world…reports Asian Lite News.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was said to have “threatened to demote Rishi Sunak to Health Secretary” after the Chancellor called for easing of travel restrictions, as per a note written him found its way into the public domain last weekend, Daily Mail reported.
The report said the UK government has been plunged into conflict as Johnson and Sunak clash over travel restrictions and green reforms, with the Chancellor eager for a tough spending review and the PM looking to avoid austerity measures.
It came shortly before the infamous “traffic light” rules were reviewed on Thursday. In his letter, Sunak said that the UK was “out of step” with the rest of the world.
The Chancellor is now preparing for a tough spending review later this year as he attempts to repair the public finances following the coronavirus crisis. That could put him on collision course with a Prime Minister who has promised there can be no return to austerity.
The PM told his allies that by writing the letter, which was copied to Transport Department, it was “bound” to be leaked – and fumed that he could move Sunak to Health, where former Chancellor Sajid Javid became the Secretary six weeks ago.
Rishi Sunak urges Boris Johnson to scrap travel rules and save holidays https://t.co/Q4bI4CBLKI
Johnson was said to have been “apoplectic”, and “raging” when he met senior Downing Street aides on Monday, The Sunday Times reported.
He suggested sacking Sunak following the Chancellor’s remarks calling for an easing of travel restrictions due to the threat they pose to the economy.
And in another sign of division, the Prime Minister’s green agenda hit a stumbling block amid growing fears that it will hit poorest households the hardest, with Sunak thought to be leading push-back against Johnson’s commitment to go net-zero by 2050.
The regulation is scheduled to enter into force on July 1 with a phasing-in period of six weeks for any member state that needs additional time…reports Asian Lite News.
The European Commission is engaged in negotiations with third countries, such as the UK and the US, on the mutual recognition of Covid-19 travel certificates, European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders said here.
At a press conference following a meeting for the Justice Ministers of the European Union (EU), Reynders said on Monday that since the US does not intend to issue a federal vaccination “passport”, “we have to think about other kinds of proof for vaccination or recovery or tests, but it must be possible to solve the issue”, Xinhua news agency reported.
Reynders said the Commission was finalising its new recommendations on free movement.
“I hope that this week we will make progress on new rules at EU level to lift the restrictions and to facilitate free movement,” he said.
The EU’s Digital COVID Certificate was proposed by the Commission to facilitate safe travel this summer.
Workers disinfect a piece of luggage at the airport
The system would allow the verification of national certificates in a secure and privacy-friendly way.
Available in digital format or on paper, it will provide proof that a person has been vaccinated against the virus, tested negative or recovered from an infection.
The regulation is scheduled to enter into force on July 1 with a phasing-in period of six weeks for any member state that needs additional time.
Meanwhile, a court in Brussels is expected to announce its verdict “as soon as possible” on the ongoing spat between the EU and the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca over shortfalls in deliveries of its coronavirus vaccine to the bloc.
A health worker analyses samples of COVID-19 vaccines, developed by Chinese company Sinovac
Following a brief hearing, the court closed all debates on Friday.
The EU is seeking compensation from AstraZeneca for an alleged breach of a contract concluded last summer, in which supplies of Covid-19 vaccines that were promised to all 27 member states were not delivered in full.
According to the EU, AstraZeneca delivered only 30 million doses to the bloc in the first quarter of 2021, despite promising 300 million doses throughout 2021.
In its defence, AstraZeneca has claimed that the terms and conditions of the contract were respected in full, and the company moreover has argued that it has kept the EU informed of all the developments linked to the process of producing and delivering the vaccine.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said earlier this week that half of EU adults would have received their first dose of the vaccine this week, as 300 million doses are delivered, and 245 million doses administered.
