May272017

Ultrafast missile interceptor developed

East Asia
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China has developed a new type of ultrafast anti-missile interceptor capable of knocking down an incoming projectile that is flying 10 times faster than a bullet, according to the nation’s largest missile maker.

China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, one of the major defense contractors for the People’s Liberation Army, recently revealed that its Second Academy in Beijing has made a “new-generation aerospace defense missile” that incorporates top space technologies, and which it describes as one of the cornerstones of a world power’s strategic prowess.

The weapon is so difficult to design that only a handful of nations in the world are able to develop it, the State-owned company said, adding that its product is capable of bringing down targets tens of kilometers above the ground that fly 10 times faster than a bullet.

The CASIC Second Academy is the country’s major developer of air defense systems.

The information of such a missile defense system, a cutting-edge weapon that only the United States and Russia were previously reported to have, was disclosed in an article released by CASIC earlier this month.

The article was about the contribution by control system researchers from the Zhang Yiqun Studio, a group named after a prominent scientist, at the academy.

Although the introduction did not specify the anti-missile interceptor’s capabilities, experts said the descriptions “tens of kilometers” and “10 times faster than a bullet” indicate its range should be from 10 km to 100 km and its minimum velocity around 12,000 km/h — a typical bullet used by a handgun, the slowest of all bullets, normally travels about 1,200 km/h.

The average age of the weapon’s designers is 32, according to the article. They overcame numerous problems during research and development, including an explosion of one of the weapon’s prototypes during a flight test, it said.

Lyu Xiaoge, spokesman for CASIC, declined to comment on the anti-missile interceptor on Friday, saying his company has developed many world-class missiles in recent years and will continue to contribute to the nation’s missile arsenal.

Wang Ya’nan, editor-in-chief of Aerospace Knowledge, said an advanced anti-missile interceptor requires cutting-edge technologies, superb manufacturing techniques and top materials and will only be successful after a great number of tests.

China successfully completed three land-based, midcourse missile interception tests in 2010, 2013 and 2014, according to the Defense Ministry. Whether the weapon mentioned by the CASIC Second Academy was the same used in these tests was not clear.

May262017

Press release: Ramadan statement

HM Government
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A Foreign Office spokesperson said:

We wish all Muslims, in the UK and around the world, ‘Ramadan Kareem’.

We are proud of our strong links with the Muslim world and our global missions will be celebrating with the Muslim communities in which they live and work.

The Foreign Office continues to work for a world that is peaceful, secure and prosperous for all and supports all those who need our help. In particular we remember all those who are kept apart from their families by poverty and conflict, such as those suffering in Syria, Iraq and Yemen. Ramadan Kareem.

Further information

May262017

Meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of Government

Russia
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The meeting focused on the Commonwealth’s current activity, including cooperation in innovation, intellectual property protection, and countering the production and distribution of counterfeit products.

Delegation heads present at the meeting:

Group photo of the heads of the CIS delegations

Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Karen Karapetyan;

Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus Andrei Kobyakov;

Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Bakytzhan Sagintayev;

Acting Prime Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic Sooronbai Jeenbekov;

Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev;

Prime Minister of the Republic of Tajikistan Kokhir Rasulzoda;

Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan Abdulla Aripov;

First Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Republic Yaqub Abdulla oglu Eyyubov;

Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan Byashimmurad Khodzhamamedov;

Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Moldova to the Russian Federation Andrei Negutsa;

Chairman of the Executive Committee and Executive Secretary of the Commonwealth of Independent States Sergei Lebedev.

 Excerpts from Dmitry Medvedev’s remarks at the CIS Council of Heads of Government meeting

This year, the CIS presidency passed to Russia, with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan serving as co-presidents.  The main areas of focus are as follows:

Consistent development and improvement of the CIS, taking into account the latest developments in the global economy and world politics, and in former Soviet nations. The challenges and threats facing our countries put front and centre the issues of modernising CIS integration bodies, starting with those that are industry-related, as well as closer coordination of our nations’ positions on international issues, especially if they deal with common threats such as terrorism, international crime, illegal migration and drug trafficking.  

We face a great deal of joint work ahead to remove existing trade barriers on the basis of the Free Trade Agreement, and to broaden cooperation in e-trade, state procurement and technical regulation.

We will create conditions for the formation within the CIS of a self-sufficient food market, the development of mutually beneficial cooperation in the areas of transport and energy, and we will contribute even more to supporting joint innovation activities and research projects in various fields.

This year, we intend to apply our efforts to develop these areas as dynamically as possible, relying on the Eurasian Union’s experience of integration. The linkage of economic formats that are underway in the CIS and the EAEU is an important goal for us.

One of the main goals of our presidency is deepening ties in the spheres of education, culture, information, tourism, and sports. Research grant programmes, internships, and youth cultural exchanges are just a few of the activities planned for the year.

Several nations of the Commonwealth fielded teams for the Russian national professional skills competition, WorldSkills Russia. The event was a good training ground for the global WorldSkills event that will take place here, in Kazan, in 2019. Several more events will be organised as part of the Year of the Family.

Today, we are taking over a dozen decision that deal with cooperation in the area of nuclear energy and transport security. We will promote cooperation in protecting intellectual property rights and in the fight against counterfeiting. We are taking decisions on deepening cooperation in innovations as well.

Documents signed following the meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of Government:

– Agreement on the joint use of the experimental facility at Kazakhstan Tokamak for Material Testing;

– Decision of the CIS Heads of Government Council on the Plan of priority measures in implementing the Strategy of Transport Security in the CIS member-states during international transit operations for 2017-2019;

– Decision of the CIS Heads of Government Council on determining remuneration for members and the chair of the Expert Commission, compensation of their expenses, payment of remuneration and expenses as per Supplement 4 to the Free Trade Zone Agreement of 18 October 2011;

– Decision of the CIS Heads of Government Council on the 2017-2020 Action Plan to complete the Interstate Programme of Cooperation in Innovations of the CIS Member-States through 2020;

– Agreement on rapprochement in legal and technical standard regulation, conformity assessment, unification, accreditation and metrological support in the peaceful use of nuclear energy;

– Agreement on the alignment of the CIS member-states in training, retraining and professional development of specialists in geodesics, cartography, cadastre and Earth remote sensing;

– Cooperation Agreement on counteracting the production and distribution of counterfeit products;

– Protocol on amendments to the Cooperation Agreement on legal protection of intellectual property and establishment of the Interstate Council on Legal Protection of Intellectual Property of 19 November 2010;

– Decision of the CIS Heads of Government Council on updating the Regulation on the operator of the Interstate Programme of cooperation in innovations of the CIS member-states through 2020;

– Decision of the CIS Heads of Government Council on the Interstate Radio Navigation Programme of the CIS member-states through 2020;

– Decision of the CIS Heads of Government Council on amendments to the Regulation on the Office for the coordination of efforts against organised crime and other dangerous types of crime in the CIS member-states;

– Decision of the CIS Heads of Government Council on the implementation of the Decision of the CIS Heads of State Council of 16 September 2016 on the Economic Court of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

News conference following the CIS Council of Heads of Government meeting

Dmitry Medvedev:

Over a dozen documents have been signed, related to various issues, including cooperation in innovation, fighting counterfeiting and defending intellectual property rights. We discussed transport and nuclear energy security issues and science and technology personnel training programmes. Priority was given to cooperation in science and technology, and innovation.

A three-year package of measures was adopted. It provides for more active participation in various projects of national development institutions and the shared use of infrastructure for the purpose of innovation. The CIS Technology Parks Association will also be created.

Building an effective interstate system to commercialise innovations is not our forte yet, either in Russia or in other CIS states. It is therefore essential to share our commercialisation experience.

An agreement on the joint use of a unique experimental facility, which is being created at Kazakhstan’s National Nuclear Centre, was signed. It is known as a tokamak for material testing – an experimental thermonuclear device for studying and testing materials under energy stress, which is similar to the ITER international project. The results of this research will be crucial for modernising industrial reactors, as well as for developing advanced energy reactors.

We have many joint projects in the peaceful use of nuclear energy. The rules of national technical regulation in this field differ. Their unification is in our common interest. This is important for the reliability and safety of such facilities. Today, we agreed on shared approaches and signed a corresponding agreement.

Innovation policy, protection of intellectual property rights and fighting counterfeiting – we are updating legislation in this area. There are plans to continue this work under the cooperation agreement that was signed.

An interstate radio navigation programme was signed through 2020. It is focused on advanced scientific and engineering projects and the preferential use of the electronic component base that has already been developed in CIS countries and is being manufactured there. The programme’s funding level is about 600 million roubles.

All CIS countries are interested in ensuring the greater safety of passenger and cargo transit. Our cooperation has been based on unified approaches. Today, a plan of action was adopted for the next three years.

Question: There is an agreement on the creation of a common electricity market in the CIS. When can it start actually working and what will Russia’s role in this process be?

Dmitry Medvedev: This agreement was signed in 2007 and it is one of the core agreements, but until recently its implementation had been inadequate.

There is the CIS Electric Power Council. Nevertheless, we have only just now begun working to bring national laws in line with common standards. The rules of market regulation, energy security and energy capacity require common approaches. Even within the framework of existing power flows, regulations should be unified.

The implementation of this agreement should be facilitated by a project that is being carried out in the Eurasian Economic Union. We are creating a single electricity market also in the Eurasian Union (it should be created by 1 July 2019). The work conducted in the Eurasian Union could be proposed to other CIS states as a model. It will lay the groundwork for a single approach – within the framework of both the CIS and the Eurasian Union.

Russia plays a leading role here because it is the largest electricity market, a country that supplies electricity to a number of other countries. We have long-term agreements in this area. Our rules, our experience in electricity market regulation also provide guidelines to other states. 

May262017

Kosovo: UN to create trust fund, following panel report on alleged rights violations by peacekeeping mission

United Nations
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26 May 2017 – Taking into account an expert panel report on alleged human rights violations by the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, the Secretary-General has decided to establish a Trust Fund to implement community-based assistance projects, his spokesperson said today.

Among the cases reviewed by the Human Rights Advisory Panel, which examined alleged rights violations by the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), was a complaint submitted by 138 individuals from the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities that they suffered lead poisoning and other serious health consequences as a result of their relocation to internally-displaced persons (IDP) camps in northern Kosovo.

The trust fund will finance community-based assistance projects, primarily in North Mitrovica, South Mitrovica and Leposaviæ, but will benefit more broadly the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities.

“The assistance projects will focus on the most pressing needs of those most vulnerable communities, including with respect to health services, economic development and infrastructure,” said Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, in a statement.

“The Secretary-General is keenly aware of the particular plight of those individuals, as well as the other members of these most vulnerable communities who also lived in the IDP camps” and “wishes to express the Organization’s profound regret for the suffering endured by all individuals living in the IDP camps,” the Spokesperson said.

“The Secretary-General believes that it is our shared duty to support the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities in Kosovo and ensure that they receive the assistance that they need,” Mr. Dujarric said, noting that the UN will make every effort, in consultation with Member States, to mobilize the necessary resources in support of the Trust Fund.

The Organization will also continue to draw lessons from its experience in Kosovo and from the work of the Panel and take action to prevent such situations from happening again, he said.

Since November 2007, the Panel has reviewed more than 500 complaints in the context of United Nations peacekeeping missions. In a number of cases, the Panel concluded that there had been failures to uphold human rights standards. The Panel completed its work on the Kosovo case and subsequently provided a final report in July 2016.

May262017

UN envoy warns of dire crisis as Gaza faces power cuts, gallons of raw sewage pouring into the sea

United Nations
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26 May 2017 – The United Nations Middle East envoy today cautioned that unless urgent measures are taken to de-escalate the crisis now spiralling out of control in the Gaza Strip, there will be devastating consequences for Palestinians and Israelis alike.

“In Gaza, we are walking into another crisis with our eyes wide open,” the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, told the Security Council in New York.

The senior UN official noted that the humanitarian situation has worsened since March, when Hamas set up a parallel government institution to run affairs in the enclave resulting in an “intra-Palestinian political tug-of-war.” He called for compromise, the implementation of intra-Palestinian agreements and the end of closures.

Of particular concern is the “unprecedented” energy crisis after the lone power plant was shut over a taxation dispute between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, which took over the Gaza Strip in 2007.

Combined with downed power lines from Egypt and possible restrictions on purchase of Israeli electricity, most Palestinians in Gaza receive only about four hours of electricity per day.

If the Palestinian Government implements its decision to cap purchase of energy from Israel, “this decision will further reduce electricity supply by some 30 per cent, plunging its population into a spiral of a humanitarian catastrophe,” Mr. Mladenov said.

He noted that the UN has been warning of this potential crisis for months, and that it is now becoming a reality – with hospitals postponing elective surgeries, limited drinking water, and soaring food prices.

The lack of power is also preventing sewage from being treated. The equivalent of 40 Olympic-size swimming pools of raw sewage is being dumped into the Mediterranean Sea on a daily basis.

“An environmental disaster for Israel, for Egypt and Gaza is in the making,” Mr. Mladenov said.

The Special Coordinator also expressed concern for the ongoing hunger strike by Palestinian detainees protesting against their conditions in Israeli jails, which, on the eve of Ramadan, has now entered its 40th day.

“I call for a re-doubling of efforts to end the strike as soon as possible. The crisis must be resolved in line with International Humanitarian Law and Israel’s human rights obligations,” he said, calling for maximum restraint and taking any steps to avoid further escalation.

Among other issues raised, Mr. Mladenov noted that while the Lebanese Parliament has not yet reconvened after adjourning in April, he hoped it would agree to an electoral law before the tenure ends on 20 June.

Noting that the deteriorating conditions in Gaza and the West Bank only fuel anger and instability, Mr. Mladenov urged all sides to forge a genuine reconciliation.

“If Israelis and Palestinians hope to extract themselves from the immeasurable burden this conflict has wrought, they must be willing to take the painful steps that will ultimately lead to peace,” he said. “Neither side can afford another missed opportunity.”