Geneva: Ukraine saw more than 900 cluster munition casualties in 2022, amid broad Russian use of the widely-banned weapons, driving global casualty figures to a record high, a monitoring group said Tuesday.
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year, it has “extensively” used stocks of old cluster munitions and newly developed ones, and Ukrainian forces also used such weapons “to a lesser extent,” the Cluster Munition Coalition said in an annual report.
In all, the country, which had registered no cluster munition casualties for several years, recorded 916 deaths and injuries from the weapons last year, impacting essentially civilians, the report showed.
Those casualties accounted for the vast majority of the global figure, which rose to 1,172 in 2022 — the highest annual number since CMC began reporting in 2010.
Nearly all of the casualties registered in Ukraine — 890 of them, including 294 deaths — were caused by attacks using cluster munitions, which can be dropped from planes or fired from artillery, before exploding in mid-air and scattering bomblets over a wide area.
Such weapons also pose a lasting threat, as many fail to explode on impact, continuing to litter the ground and effectively act as land mines that can go off years after they are deployed.
Twenty-six of the casualties recorded in Ukraine last year were caused by such cluster munition remnants.
As is typically the case with such weapons, “the vast majority of cluster munition casualties in Ukraine were civilians,” Loren Persi, a co-author of the report, told AFP in an email.
A full 855 of the known casualties in Ukraine — 93.3 percent — were civilians, while 58 were military and three were deminers, according to CMC’s data.
Persi meanwhile stressed that many casualties could have gone unrecorded, pointing to indications that there were at least another 51 cluster munition attacks in 2022 where casualties were not recorded.
Beyond Ukraine, cluster munition attacks were registered last year in Syria and Myanmar, with such attacks across the three countries causing 987 casualties in total.
That comes after no new casualties were recorded anywhere in the world from attacks using such weapons in 2021.
At least 185 people were meanwhile killed or wounded by cluster munition remnants across those and five other countries: Azerbaijan, Iraq, Laos, Lebanon and Yemen, the report showed.
That compares to 149 casualties in 2021, it said, pointing out that children make up over 70 percent of all casualties from cluster munition remnants.
Neither Russia, Ukraine, Syria nor Myanmar have joined the convention prohibiting the use, transfer, production and stockpiling of cluster bombs, which has 112 state parties and 12 other signatories.
The United States, which is also not a party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, meanwhile sparked widespread outcry in July with its decision to provide Kyiv the weapons.
“New transfers and use of cluster munitions are of grave concern due to the documented harm to civilians and fact that a majority of countries have banned these weapons,” said Mary Wareham, the arms advocacy director at Human Rights Watch, who participated in editing CMC’s annual report.
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Over 900 cluster munition casualties in Ukraine in 2022: monitor
https://arab.news/8gx8s
Over 900 cluster munition casualties in Ukraine in 2022: monitor
- The country, which had registered no cluster munition casualties for several years, recorded 916 deaths and injuries
- Nearly all of the casualties registered in Ukraine — 890 of them, including 294 deaths — were caused by attacks using cluster munitions
US House starts reprimand of Democrat Al Green for disrupting Trump speech
- Green is facing a House censure resolution for yelling at the president, waiving his black cane and refusing to sit down during Trump’s Tuesday night speech
- Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley from Oregon unfurled a blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flag as Trump spoke about the country’s war with Russia
Representative Green, a Texas Democrat who has been in Congress for 20 years and has repeatedly called to impeach Trump, is facing a House censure resolution for yelling at the president, waiving his black cane and refusing to sit down during Trump’s Tuesday night speech.
Green’s message was drowned out by boos from Republicans, but he told reporters on Tuesday that he was saying Trump had no electoral mandate to slash funding for Medicaid, the government health care program that helps cover costs for people with limited income.
Green was eventually escorted out by chamber staff who maintain the decorum and security of the floor.
Representative Dan Newhouse, a moderate Republican from Washington, introduced the resolution to censure Green for a “breach of proper conduct.”
A vote by the full House chamber on the censure resolution is expected in coming days, and Green will be required to be on the floor at that time. Censure is a symbolic reprimand that carries no fines or other penalties.
The censure process was once a rarity, but four House lawmakers have been publicly reprimanded by their colleagues in the last four years for inappropriate social media posts, actions that a majority of the House found problematic, and disrupting a vote.
In 2009, Republican Representative Joe Wilson from South Carolina faced a resolution of disapproval — a lesser form of punishment — after he shouted “You lie!” at Democratic President Barack Obama during an address to a joint session of Congress.
Wilson’s outburst at the time drew gasps from other lawmakers, but on Tuesday that type of behavior was happening almost every minute inside the chamber. Republicans cheered Trump’s speech and taunted Democrats, while other House Democratic lawmakers held signs to fact-check the president and repeatedly yelled from their seats in opposition.
Green’s outburst — and moves by some of his colleagues who walked out during the speech — marked a sharp contrast with Democratic leaders who had urged decorum and tapped a moderate senator from Michigan to deliver their rebuttal speech.
Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley from Oregon unfurled a blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flag as Trump spoke about the country’s war with Russia.
Clashes break out in Greece after rally outside parliament over deadly 2023 train crash
- The violence erupted after thousands of people peacefully rallied outside parliament
ATHENS: Clashes broke out in Athens on Wednesday between Greek police and demonstrators protesting over a 2023 train crash that killed 57 people, most of them students, in the country’s worst rail disaster.
The violence erupted after thousands of people peacefully rallied outside parliament where lawmakers debated a censure motion submitted by opposition parties against the center-right government.
Earlier, demonstrators released lanterns into the air and held a moment of silence to honor the victims. Candles shaped the number “57” on the ground.
Muslim World League’s Ramadan iftars sanctuary for communities in London
- Muslim World League hosts iftars during Ramadan and provides hot meals for nearly 230 people daily
- It hosted an iftar for asylum-seekers in the Borough of Camden
- Its mission is to ‘show the best of Muslims in the UK’
LONDON: Tucked in the corner of Goodge Street and Charlotte Street in London, the Muslim World League has been providing sanctuary for communities and bridging gaps between faiths for over four decades.
The league operates out of a five-story building with a mosque, offices, and community space. It hosts iftars during Ramadan and provides hot meals for nearly 230 people daily.
Historically the shopping quarter of London, both before and after its destruction by the Nazi blitz in World War II, Goodge Street remains bustling with cafes, boutiques, and restaurants.
This week, workers from the area gathered at the MWL’s mosque to pray the Maghreb, marking the fasting day’s end. You could tell who was working where from the company brand on their clothes or those who worked in the kitchens, as the smell of dishwashing soap is hard to miss.
The league hosted an “Iftar with Your Neighbour” event on Tuesday evening focusing on asylum-seekers in the Borough of Camden, which has been designated as the “Borough of Sanctuary” due to its work with Ukrainian and Afghan refugees since 2021. Other themed iftars hosted by the MWL in Ramadan include events for interfaith dialogue and welcoming new worshippers.
We want to show the best of Muslims in the UK and how we contribute to the global peace
Muath Alamri, director of MWL's London office
Mohammad Zarzour, an imam who leads Friday’s sermons at the league’s mosque, told Arab News that asylum-seekers feel a deep estrangement the moment they leave their countries. Zarzour is from Syria, a country whose population has endured a brutal civil war that displaced millions across Europe and Arab countries and has just emerged from decades of Assad dictatorship.
For him, such iftars are not just about providing food and drink to asylum-seekers. Their importance lies in showing empathy, affection, and a sense of community and family. Refugees face numerous difficulties, he said, some of which may sound trivial, such as describing their pain to the doctor or dealing with officials’ letters and applications.
“Learning a new language is not easy for someone with a family and children who find themselves in a foreign country they are not accustomed to. Balancing work, learning, and caring for their children can be quite challenging,” Zarzour said.
Camden has seen a significant increase in the number of asylum-seekers from Ukraine and Afghanistan following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and the fall of Kabul to the Taliban in August 2021.
The borough has a history of welcoming refugees, seeing waves of migration throughout the 20th century, as it is home to St Pancras International, a port of entry to London, and one of the UK’s busiest railway stations, which connects it to various European cities.
Camden allocates nearly £50 ($64.31) per asylum seeker weekly for housing and financial assistance from the Home Office budget of £2 billion for asylum support in 2024-25, reduced from £4.3 billion in 2023-24.
The spending required to accommodate the increasing number of refugees arriving by boat through the English Channel has become a contentious topic of debate in the UK. Last summer, the country experienced its worst riots in 13 years when far-right protesters attacked hotels housing asylum-seekers in various towns.
Some refugees, including Ukrainians and Afghans, fled from war-torn countries. In the case of the Afghans, many were airlifted from Kabul by the UK Ministry of Defence following the Taliban’s takeover of the city.
Food sharing is a great connector across different communities, backgrounds, faiths, and skin color
Guy Arnold, Camden Council
Guy Arnold, the strategic lead for refugee communities at Camden Council, said that in just one week in May 2022, over 400 Ukrainian refugees arrived at St Pancras International.
“Many refugees arriving were traumatized; they had young children, they hadn’t eaten properly, and they needed water. Above all else, they needed a place of safety and security to sit down and gather their thoughts about the next great steps they need to take,” he said.
Arnold added that Camden has successfully resettled 100 Afghan families in the borough, part of 1,800 refugees across London. Unlike their Ukrainian counterparts, who are granted temporary residency status, the Afghan families receive indefinite leave to remain, which equates to permanent residency in the country.
He commended such an iftar event for aiding the council with community work. “Food sharing is a great connector across different communities, backgrounds, faiths, and skin color,” he said.
Samiullah, an Afghan who attended the iftar with his family, said he enjoyed meeting and connecting with other Muslim families. His English, however, was rusty, and his young son Hilal translated the questions. Hilal attended the Qur’anic lessons with Zubeda Welcome, a charity supporting refugee children in the UK to retain their Muslim identity.
It is the second year Yunis, from Kabul, has come to an iftar organized at MWL. He said he wanted his children to meet other kids and learn about Ramadan, as they do not have family members in Camden.
Muath Alamri, the director of the MWL's office in London, told Arab News that since its inception as a charity in 1982, the organization has supported vulnerable people in the UK while combating hate speech and engaging in social work.
In recent years, the league has collected donations to assist people in Gaza, Burma, and Pakistan, and it has partnered with Islamic Relief, Al-Khair Foundation, and various interfaith organizations.
“We want to show the best of Muslims in the UK and how we contribute to the global peace,” Alamri said of the league’s mission.
Zelensky hails ‘positive movement’ in relations with US
- “Today our Ukrainian and US teams began working on a meeting,” Zelensky said
- “There is positive movement. We hope for the first results next week“
KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday there had been “positive movement” in cooperation with the United States that could lead to another meeting between the two sides soon.
Kyiv is eager to repair ties with its top military supporter against Russia’s invasion after Zelensky publicly clashed with US President Donald Trump in the White House last week over how to end the war in Ukraine.
“Today our Ukrainian and US teams began working on a meeting. Andriy Yermak and Mike Waltz spoke,” Zelensky said in his evening address, referring to his chief of staff and the US national security adviser.
“There is positive movement. We hope for the first results next week.”
Yermak said on X he had “exchanged views on security issues and the alignment of positions” with Waltz, and that they had scheduled a meeting of Ukrainian and US officials “in the near future to continue this important work.”
Both statements came just hours after CIA Director John Ratcliffe said the US had
paused intelligence-sharing with Ukraine.
Non-consensual possession of images of Muslim women without hijabs could become offense in UK
- MPs recommend that having ‘non-consensual intimate images’ should be a criminal act amid plans to also outlaw their creation
- New report says cultural, religious sensitivities should be taken into account when deciding what constitutes ‘intimate’
LONDON: MPs in the UK have proposed making it a criminal offense to possess images of Muslim women not wearing hijabs without their consent.
The suggestion was made in a report by the House of Commons’ women and equalities committee, which said such photos should constitute “non-consensual intimate images.”
The MPs said under current legal definitions, such images include people being partially or fully nude, or engaging in behavior such as sexual activity or using the bathroom.
The report said: “Abuse can also include material that is considered ‘culturally intimate’ for the victim, such as a Muslim woman being pictured without her hijab.”
It added: “Non-consensual intimate image abuse is not always limited to sexually explicit content. For example, in some cultures, countries, or religions, sharing a photograph of someone without their religious clothing — or with their arm around another person — can be disastrous for the victim.”
Creating intimate images without consent, “in circumstances in which an ordinary reasonable person would reasonably expect to be afforded privacy,” is set to be made a criminal offense later this year, but possession will remain legal.
The report concluded that the government “should bring forward amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill to make possession of non-consensual intimate images an offence.”
In November, Parliamentary Undersecretary of State for Victims Alex Davies-Jones told the committee that the Law Commission had decided it would be “impossible to craft a definition that suits everyone.”
The committee’s chair, Sarah Owen, said: “Non-consensual intimate image abuse is a deeply personal crime which can have life-changing and life-threatening consequences.
“We welcome the Government’s proposals to make creating non-consensual intimate images an offence, but a legal gap remains.
“The Government should bring forward amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill to make possession as well as the creation … an offence.
“This ensures non-consensual intimate images receives the same legal treatment as child sexual abuse material.”
