armanzonio (armanzonio)

How Kremlin disinformation could hide the cause of the Azerbaijan Airlines crash The cause of the crash of Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 on Christmas Day near the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan, is still unknown. As of Friday, flight recorders have been recovered from the scene and the investigation continues. But early indications may point to a possible cause: A US official told CNN a Russian anti-aircraft system may have downed the passenger jet. The official picture in Russia is somewhat different. At midday Friday, the lead news item on the tragedy on Russian state television channel Rossiya-24 noted that representatives of the aircraft manufacturer Embraer were expected to arrive in Kazakhstan, but made no mention of the possibility that the aircraft had been shot down. And Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has been tight-lipped about the disaster, in which at least 38 people died.

• 0 replies
• 0 recasts
• 13 reactions

China flags multiple risks for rescuers at flood-hit Gyirong Port A team tasked with probing hazards around the Gyirong Port area in Tibet identified eight “high-risk geological disaster points” for intensive monitoring as rescue efforts after Wednesday’s flooding continue. China’s Ministry of Natural Resources on Sunday called for drone aerial surveys and manual patrols to conduct risk assessments and monitoring to provide early warning of possible collapses and landslides, according to the ministry’s official social media account. Rescuers on both sides of the China-Nepal border have been grappling with the risks of additional flooding and landslides – complicating already perilous rescue and recovery operations in the disaster-hit areas.

• 1 reply
• 2 recasts
• 7 reactions

The role UNGA has played in global events All eyes are on New York this week as world leaders gather for a high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly, the organization’s main policymaking body, where all its member states are represented. Historically, the assembly has passed some landmark resolutions but its impact has lessened in recent years. In 1948, member states adopted both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Genocide Convention, providing the basis for modern international human rights law. Later, in 1956, the assembly established the first ever UN peacekeeping force during the Suez Canal Crisis to supervise the withdrawal of French, British and Israeli troops from Egypt. The assembly also approved the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in 1968, which aimed to stop more countries developing nuclear weapons. Almost every country joined except Israel, India and Pakistan, while North Korea withdrew from the treaty in 2003.

• 0 replies
• 2 recasts
• 6 reactions

A total of 90 personnel are on site, including from the Nepal Army, Nepal Police and the Armed Police Force, as well as sniffer dogs and search-and-rescue teams, officials said. Foreign rescue teams are working to clear and search other hydropower projects, which are scattered along the Trishuli river winding through multiple districts. The Indian team, for instance, is monitoring the Chilime and Langtang areas by helicopter, while the Chinese team has already searched the tunnel of the Upper Trishuli-1 hydropower project, said the ministry’s news release. Authorities met with the families of missing workers on Sunday, and told them the government “is leaving no stone unturned to save the lives of its citizens,” the ministry added.

• 0 replies
• 2 recasts
• 6 reactions