UNITED NATIONS, US: Washington and its allies challenged North Korea at the United Nations on Friday over claims Pyongyang is breaching arms control measures by supplying weapons to Russia to use in its war in Ukraine.
Washington’s deputy envoy to the UN Robert Wood hit out at what he said were “unlawful arms transfers from the DPRK (North Korea) to Russia” as the two sides forge ever closer ties.
“We condemn in the strongest possible terms, those unlawful transfers, which have significantly contributed to Russia’s ability to conduct its war against Ukraine,” Wood said ahead of a UN Security Council meeting on the issue.
The supply of arms and munitions by North Korea violates Security Council resolutions on the issue from 2006, 2009 and 2016, he said.
Jonah Leff, executive director at Conflict Armament Research which tracks the use of weapons in war, told the Security Council that CAR had found evidence of North Korean ballistic missile use in Ukraine — in breach of sanctions.
“A CAR field investigation team physically documented the remnants of a ballistic missile that struck Kharkiv on January 2, 2024,” that he said investigators concluded was North Korean-made “based on several unique features.”
Leff said identical missiles had also struck Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia earlier this year.
Russia’s UN ambassador Vasily Nebenzya denied Moscow had sought to undermine sanctions, and opposed the presence of Ukraine and the European Union at the meeting.
Ties between Moscow and Pyongyang have grown rapidly in recent years, with the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un hosting Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month and signing a mutual defense agreement.
Tensions are high on the peninsula with South Korea alarmed at Moscow’s embrace of its unpredictable neighbor, and the North responding to balloons carrying pro-Seoul propaganda with its own balloons carrying trash southward.
Wood said China could do more to prevent growing military ties between Russia and North Korea. That drew a rebuke from Beijing’s UN ambassador who said “the US must reflect deeply — especially on its own actions instead of blaming others” for growing tensions on the peninsula.
Pyongyang tested a ballistic missile on June 25, which Wood said showed “contempt” for the Security Council.
Washington has long claimed that Russia is using up munitions and losing heavy equipment in Ukraine, forcing the Kremlin to turn to its small pool of allies, including North Korea, for support.
North Korea’s UN ambassador Kim Song told the Security Council there was “no reason whatever to be concerned” and the agreement signed between Moscow and Pyongyang was to “promote progress” in relations.
Washington was joined by allies France and Britain in its condemnation of what it says are sanctions-busting arms shipments from North Korea to Russia.
Putin has slammed the United States for its ongoing military support for Ukraine, saying last week that he “does not rule out” sending weapons to North Korea.
US, allies condemn North Korea for sanctions-busting arms sales to Russia
https://arab.news/bhw3r
US, allies condemn North Korea for sanctions-busting arms sales to Russia
Serving the forgotten: Delhi woman performs last rites for city’s abandoned dead
- Pooja Sharma has performed funeral rites for more than 5,000 people since 2022
- She is featured on the BBC’s list of 100 inspirational women around the world
NEW DELHI: Pooja Sharma’s life was turned upside down when her older brother was killed, leaving her with a tragic responsibility that soon became a mission of serving those no one thought to serve — New Delhi’s unclaimed dead.
The 27-year-old spends most of her time collecting bodies released from mortuaries by the police and taking them to a crematorium for their final dignified farewell.
“My elder brother was shot dead in front of my eyes because of a small tiff with some goons. No one came to help me out. When I took him to the hospital, he was declared dead and my father went into a coma. When my brother’s dead body came home from the hospital there was no male member to perform the last rites,” Sharma told Arab News.
“I did the last rites of my brother, tying a turban on my head. When I went to the cremation ground to collect his ashes, I started crying inconsolably. That day I took a vow that, from now on, no dead body will go unattended to the cremation ground.”
Quitting her job as an HIV counsellor at a government hospital, she established Bright the Soul Foundation, which has since helped perform funerary rites for more than 5,000 people.
“I perform the last rites not only for Hindus, but also Christians and Muslims and other religions too,” Sharma said.
“God has made us human, and we deserve respect both while living and while dead. I want to serve the dead.”
Delhi police data shows that thousands of unidentified bodies are found in the city every year. After an investigation and attempts to locate relatives, officers either bury them in mass graves or cremate them. Or they call Sharma.
She performs funeral rites for about eight people every day and tries to raise awareness on her Instagram page and the foundation’s website, hoping she will be able to expand the reach of her service.
“I want to spread the wings of my organization across the country so that the orphaned dead bodies can get their respect and decent cremation. There are some states which are really poor, and poor people when they die, they don’t get their due respect. They are buried or cremated in a very rude manner,” Sharma said.
“I feel it’s important that the dead bodies also get their rights, and they should be buried with full religious and ritual rites.”
Earlier this month, Sharma’s work was recognized when the BBC included her on its 2024 “100 Women” list of inspiring and influential women from around the world.
She hopes the recognition will help more women enter the service of final rites and destigmatize their presence. Sharma herself has faced resistance from priests and the wider community as the role is traditionally held by men in Hinduism.
She has also sacrificed her personal life in pursuit of her mission.
Living with her father and grandmother, who also financially support her work, Sharma does not feel accepted by society at large.
“People don’t talk to me normally. They are scared of me, and they don’t mingle with me. Even my childhood friends have also stopped talking to me. They say that their parents have stopped them from talking to me, and they say that if they talk to me, they will turn impure,” she said.
“This is a lonely journey for me, but I have accepted my fate ... My life is dedicated to the service of humanity.”
Ireland ‘won’t be silenced’ over Israel’s conduct in Gaza
- Taoiseach Simon Harris: ‘Scale of civilian deaths’ is ‘reprehensible’
- Says he is proud of his country’s support for Palestinians
LONDON: Ireland’s leader has said his country will “not be silenced” in its criticism of Israel’s war in Gaza after Tel Aviv closed its Dublin embassy.
Taoiseach Simon Harris accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “the diplomacy of distraction,” and said Ireland had unequivocally supported Israel’s right to defend itself.
But Harris leveled strong criticism of Israel’s conduct in Gaza, and said he is proud of Ireland’s support for the Palestinians.
“You know what I think is reprehensible? Killing children, I think that’s reprehensible,” he told reporters. “You know what I think is reprehensible? Seeing the scale of civilian deaths that we’ve seen in Gaza.
“You know what I think is reprehensible? People being left to starve and humanitarian aid not flowing.”
The embassy closure followed Ireland’s decision last week to support an International Court of Justice petition accusing Israel of genocide.
Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin said the decision had “not been motivated by anything other than respect for international humanitarian law.”
He added: “The utilisation of the international courts by Ireland … where there can be international accountability for war crimes in any part of the world, including in Gaza, should not be seen as a hostile act.”
US building support in UN for Houthi ship inspections: Envoy
- Existing UN mission has limited powers to inspect ships for weapons deliveries
- Tim Lenderking: Washington also considering re-designating Yemeni militia as terrorist group
London: The US is building international support for a UN campaign to disrupt supplies heading for the Houthi militia in Yemen, Washington’s special envoy to the country has said.
Tim Lenderking added that the US is also considering re-designating the militia as a terrorist group.
Last week, he visited the UN Verification and Inspection Mission for Yemen, based in Djibouti on the opposite side of the Red Sea.
The mission’s focus is to inspect ships arriving in Houthi-controlled ports, to intercept weapons deliveries.
Though the UN Security Council has imposed an arms embargo, UNVIM, established in 2016, has limited means to interdict ships.
Lenderking said he is researching ways to make the mission more effective at preventing Houthi access to foreign weaponry.
The Houthis have said their Red Sea campaign is a stand of solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
The campaign will come to an end if a ceasefire is reached between Israel and Hamas, Houthi leaders have said.
“UNVIM is not equipped or given the mandate to do interdictions. We are working with partners to look at a change to the mandate,” Lenderking said.
“We all have to plug the holes, and that requires a different mindset and different sort of focus than simply escorting ships.”
The number of commercial ships transiting the Red Sea has halved in the past year due to the Houthi campaign. The US and UK militaries have staged a series of attacks on the militia’s positions in Yemen.
As a result, Houthi leaders are “much more careful how they are moving around,” said Lenderking. “They have altered their communications in light of the walkie talkie attacks on Hezbollah.”
Philippines launches national halal office to boost global market presence
- New office will be a central coordinating body for nationwide halal development efforts
- It will also lead ‘Halal-Friendly Philippines’ campaign to attract non-Muslims
MANILA: The Philippine government launched on Tuesday the National Halal Industry and Development Office to coordinate the country’s efforts to become a top player in the global halal market by next year.
The predominantly Catholic Philippines — where Muslims constitute about 10 percent of the almost 120 million population — has been working to tap into the global halal market, which is estimated to be worth more than $7 trillion.
The Department of Trade and Industry is establishing NHIDO “to propel the Philippines to the forefront of the global halal industry by 2025,” it said in a statement.
“This strategic move aligns with the country’s goal to boost the domestic halal market and expand the export potential of Filipino products and services.”
In the Philippines, efforts are underway to double the number of its halal-certified products and services, raise 230 billion pesos ($3.9 billion) in investments and generate around 120,000 jobs by 2028.
Manila has also been promoting its domestic halal industry at international exhibitions, including in Saudi Arabia and Malaysia, where the strength of the Filipino halal market — its agricultural products, such as coconut oil, baked goods and wellness items — were showcased.
With the establishment of the NHIDO, the office will act as a central coordinating body for all halal development efforts in the Philippines, said Dimnatang M. Radia, DTI’s halal industry and trade office program manager.
It will also lead the nationwide “Halal-Friendly Philippines” campaign, which is aimed at raising awareness of the economic potential of halal products and also attracting non-Muslims.
“The establishment of NHIDO marks a turning point for the Philippine halal industry,” Radia said.
“It will serve as a unifying force to transform our goals into reality, unlocking opportunities for businesses, creating jobs, and elevating the Philippines as a halal-friendly destination globally.”
Bomb kills chief of Russian nuclear protection forces in Moscow — media
- Russian media said Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov had been killed on Ryazansky Prospekt
- TASS state news agency said two killed in explosion on Moscow’s Ryazansky Prospekt
MOSCOW: A bomb killed a senior Russian general in charge of nuclear protection forces and another man in Moscow on Tuesday, the RT state media group said on Tuesday, citing an unidentified law enforcement source.
Russian media said that Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, who is chief of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Troops, had been killed on Ryazansky Prospekt.
Russian news Telegram channels also reported that Kirillov had been killed but there was no official confirmation of the killing.
TASS state news agency said two people were killed in an explosion on Moscow’s Ryazansky Prospekt.
A criminal investigation was opened in connection with the death of two men on Ryazansky Prospekt, Russia’s RIA state news agency reported, citing Moscow investigators.
Ryazansky Prospekt is a road that starts some 7 km (4.35 miles) southeast of the Kremlin.
Investigators and forensic experts were working at the scene together with employees of other emergency services, TASS agency reported.
