Violaempress- First in news, sports, Entertainment and more: November 2016

Friday 18 November 2016

Putin: Russia will oppose any attempts to break global strategic balance, incl. NATO missile system

Russian President Vladimir Putin © Sergei Karpukhin

Russia will oppose attempts to disrupt the strategic balance around the world, such as NATO’s global anti-ballistic missile defense system, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

“Our goal is to effectively neutralize any military threats to Russia’s security, including those of the [NATO] strategic anti-ballistic missile defense system, the prompt global strike concept and information warfare,” Putin told the Russian military.

“We will continue to do everything needed to preserve the strategic balance of power,” he said, adding that the balance was what had prevented a major military conflict between the opposing camps during the Cold War.

Putin was speaking to Russian generals and defense industry captains in Sochi on Friday, concluding a series of defense-related meetings. He said Russia will continue to develop advanced military technology to protect itself.

“Leading world powers are currently using the most advanced scientific knowledge for weapons development. It includes laser technologies, hypersound technologies, and robotics. Russia is conducting such research too,” the president said.

“As we create advanced weapons systems we strictly follow the international obligations that Russia has taken upon itself. But some other nations, as we all know, cancel previous agreements. As was the case with anti-ballistic missile defense,” Putin added, referring to the withdrawal from the ABM Treaty in 2002 by the administration of then US President George W Bush.

Moscow accuses the US and its NATO partners of compromising Russian national security by developing means to counter Russia’s nuclear deterrence, expanding the alliance towards Russian borders and developing advanced conventional strike technology that may be used for a large attack.

Obama in Berlin: Russia is military superpower

U.S. President Barack Obama © Fabrizio Bensch

Russia is a military superpower with global reach and an important country for Washington, President Barack Obama told a news conference in Germany, stressing it is in the US’ interest to partner with Moscow on pressing international issues.

“Russia is an important country. It is a military superpower. It has influence in the region and it has influence around the world,”outgoing President Obama said at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on Thursday.

“And in order for us to solve many big problems around the world, it is in our interest to work with Russia and obtain their cooperation,” he continued, though he did say there are “some significant differences in how Russia views the world and how we view the world.”

Obama also expressed hope that President-elect Donald Trump will find areas “where we can cooperate with Russia, where our values and interests align,” while urging him to follow his outgoing administration’s line.

Obama adopted a reserved tone when referring to Russia in his Berlin remarks, despite previously consistently accusing Moscow of pursuing “assertive” policies on issues like Syria and Ukraine. However, he did repeat allegations that Russia was behind recent cyber-attacks on the Democratic National Committee.

US intelligence officials have blamed Moscow for the hacks as well, while admitting that it would be very unlikely to find any proof. Russia has repeatedly dismissed the accusations as “nonsense.”

Thursday 17 November 2016

US panel on China concerned by Beijing’s growing military might, urges Congress to investigate

Military vehicles carrying DF-21D ballistic missiles roll to Tiananmen Square © Damir Sagolj

A US commission on bilateral relations with China has warned that the country’s fast-growing military may pose a threat to US security, while urging Congress to assess whether America’s involvement in the region diminishes its own military capabilities.

“The military capabilities China is developing will expand or improve the ability of the People’s Liberation Army to conduct a range of externally focused operations [and] strengthen China’s traditional war-fighting capabilities against weaker neighbors. Given its enhanced strategic lift capability, strengthened employment of special operations forces, increasing capabilities of surface vessels and aircraft, and more frequent and sophisticated experience operating abroad, China may also be more inclined to use force to protect its interests.

“China’s pursuit of expeditionary capabilities, coupled with the aggressive trends that have been displayed in both the East and South China seas, are compounding existing concerns about China’s rise among US allies and partners in the greater Asia,” states a lengthy annual report from the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, which was submitted to the US Congress on Wednesday. After detailing the spheres in which China has been improving its capabilities, the report recommends that the Defense Department look more closely into the “gains and risks” to the US resulting from its participation in the fate of the region.

“[The Commission recommends that] Congress require the US Department of Defense to conduct a study identifying the risks and gains associated with the United States pursuing a burden sharing strategy that utilizes emerging People’s Liberation Army expeditionary capabilities to help stabilize the Asia Pacific region during a crisis or to counter a shared threat such as the spread of terrorism in Southeast Asia,” the report urges.

It also advises the Defense Department to assess the US’ own military capabilities to see if they measure up to China’s and would be sufficient if China “uses force.”

“[It] should also detail the national security implications of a diminished domestic industrial base (including assessing any impact on US military readiness), compromised US military supply chains, and reduced capability to manufacture state-of-the-art military systems and equipment,” it said.

The report notes that China’s military buildup and island-building campaigns in the South China Sea have continued in 2016 despite condemnation from neighboring states and even an adverse ruling from an international tribunal. The waterway is one of the world’s busiest trade routes, used by nearly half of the world’s commercial shipping. Beijing has been building artificial islands with military facilities there despite conflicting territorial claims on these waters from its neighbors, raising concerns about future freedom of movement in the area.

“China’s pursuit of an expeditionary capability is a concern among US allies and partners in Asia. China continued building military and civilian infrastructure on the 3,200 acres of artificial islands it has created since 2013, completing runways and building reinforced aircraft hangars on three outposts. [All of this] provides Beijing a wider range of options for using force to resolve territorial disputes [and] in war-fighting missions against weaker regional opponents. Recent developments… suggest Beijing is willing to risk criticism by the United States, the region, and the wider international community for eroding the Asian security environment,” the report says.

Out of these concerns, the Commission called on Congress to back“more frequent US freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea in conjunction with US allies and partners.”

The report also detailed the great strides China’s military has taken in the technical sphere, for instance recently testing new space launch vehicles and putting additional intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and navigation satellites into orbit within the past year. It also pointed out that China was close to completing its first domestically built aircraft carrier, noting that since late 2015, China has taken part in 11 major military exercises with other nations and been keen to show off its growing military might.

To deal with the growing risk to US security posed by Chinese spying techniques, including the threat to US organizations, the report urged Congress to ban Chinese state enterprises from gaining “effective control” over American corporations and firms. The commission also said that the US has failed to adequately respond to threats posed by Chinese intelligence gathering because of a lack of coordination between US intelligence agencies. It also recommended that the US State Department alert US citizens overseas to the dangers of the recruitment efforts of Chinese agents.

The Commission was set up by the US Congress in 2000 to monitor Chinese economic and military developments and their implications for US national security. The Commission holds regular hearings and roundtables and produces an annual report detailing its findings, in which it recommends further research and legislative or administrative action that should be undertaken by Congress with respect to the US’ relationship with China. This year’s report comes a week after the US presidential election was won by Republican candidate Donald Trump, who has repeatedly promised to take a tougher stance on trade and security between the two countries.

Philippines may pull out of ‘useless’ ICC, happy to join world order led by Russia, China – Duterte

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte © Romeo Ranoco

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte says he might follow Russia's lead and withdraw his country from the International Criminal Court (ICC). He went on to slam Western countries which have criticized his controversial ‘war on drugs’.

Speaking on Thursday ahead of his departure to Lima to attend the Asia-Pacific summit, Duterte slammed the ICC as“useless,” following criticism by an ICC prosecutor last month that the Hague-based tribunal may have jurisdiction to prosecute those responsible for deaths related to the leader's crackdown on drugs.

Duterte said he is annoyed about the criticism he has received, and stressed that “nobody was listening” to his reasons for cracking down – which has led to the deaths of between 2,300 and 4,700 people, according to conflicting estimates.

“They are useless, those in the international criminal [court]. They [Russia] withdrew. I might follow. Why? Only the small ones like us are battered," Duterte said, referencing Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to sign an executive order removing Moscow’s signature from the founding treaty of the ICC on Wednesday.

Duterte is seeking a meeting with Putin in Lima this weekend, as he aims to pursue a foreign policy aimed at weaning his country's dependence on the US.

The Filipino president also speculated as to the reason for Moscow's decision to leave the ICC.

“What could be the reason? I really would not know,” he said. “Maybe to protect what they are doing in Syria, the incessant bombing and the killing of civilians.”

Russia has repeatedly denied allegations that it has bombed civilians and civilian targets in Syria, demanding convincing evidence be presented to substantiate the claims.

The outspoken Duterte went on to slam the United Nations for failing to prevent wars across the globe and criticized US foreign policy.

“The killings is endless [sic],” he said, referring to conflicts in the past and current. “The amount is splattering. That is our lesson. Just because it is America, it does not mean that it is good.”

He said he would be happier if China and Russia were in charge.

“You know, if China and Russia would decide to create a new order, I will be the first to join,” he said.

Duterte, who came to power in May on a promise to wipe out drugs and dealers in the country, has become well-known for his inflammatory statements. The leader called US President Barack Obama a “son of a b**ch/whore” in September, andbranded UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon a “devil.” He also gave the EU a “f**k you,” telling the bloc it is only criticizing his war on drugs in “atonement” for its own sins. He apologized to the Jewish community in October, after saying he would be happy to slaughter drug addicts in the same way Hitler massacred Jews.

Wednesday 16 November 2016

Russia refuses to ratify Rome Statute as ICC ‘failed to become truly independent’

Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued a decree refusing to ratify the Rome Statute, the treaty which established the International Criminal Court (ICC). The Foreign Ministry said the ICC has not “lived up to expectations and failed to become a genuinely independent judicial body.”

The presidential decree, published on the official Russian legal information portal, orders the authorities “to accept the proposal of the Justice Ministry of Russia, coordinated with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other federal bodies of executive power, with the Russian Supreme Court, the General Prosecutor of the Russian Federation and the Russian Investigative Committee, [to send] the Secretary General of the United Nations a notice of the Russian Federation’s intention not to become party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.”

The decree will come into force as soon as it is signed.

The Rome Statute, which entered into effect in 2002, is the basis of the activities of the ICC. It established four core international crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression.

Moscow signed the treaty in 2000, but has not ratified it. ICC jurisdiction therefore does not apply to Russia, as well as the United States, China, Israel, Ukraine and a number of other countries.

The United States is not a party to the Rome Statute and does not plan to ratify it. However, the court recently published a report regarding its probe into alleged war crimes of US forces in Afghanistan. Washington rejected the probe, calling it neither warranted nor appropriate and reminded the ICC that it was “not a party to the Rome Statute” and therefore “had not consented to ICC jurisdiction.”

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Moscow refused to ratify the ICC Statute because the International Criminal Court has not lived up to what was expected of it, especially in terms of it becoming a genuinely independent judicial body.

“Unfortunately the Court failed to meet the expectations to become a truly independent, authoritative international tribunal,” the ministry said in a statement following the publication of the presidential decree.

“The work of the Court is characterized in a principled way as ineffective and one-sided in different fora, including the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council. It is worth noting that during the 14 years of the Court's work it passed only four sentences having spent over a billion dollars,” the statement said.

Initially, by signing the Rome Statute Russia expressed approval of the general idea of the ICC.

“The ICC as the first permanent body of international criminal justice inspired high hopes of the international community in the fight against impunity in the context of common efforts to maintain international peace and security, to settle ongoing conflicts and to prevent new tensions.

“Russia has consistently advocating prosecuting those responsible for the most serious international crimes. Our country was at the origins of the Nuremberg and Tokyo tribunals, participated in the development of the basic documents on the fight against genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. These were the reasons why Russia voted for the adoption of the Rome Statute and signed it.”

However, there are a number of contradictions that exist between separate provisions of the statute and the Constitution of the Russian Federation, which is one of the reasons for Russia’s refusal to ratify the document. They include the mandatory transfer of investigated persons to the ICC, the application of the statute to heads of state and government figures, and the exceptions to the principle of “ne bis in idem,” which states that a person should not be judged twice for the same crime.

Apart from legal discrepancies, Russia has been disappointed by some ICC decisions, including the move to initiate an investigation into the conflict between South Ossetia and Georgia back in 2008. Back then, Georgian forces launched an artillery attack on the South Ossetian capital, Tskhinval. A Russian peacekeeper base and residential districts of the city came under fire, forcing then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to order a peace enforcement operation against Georgia.

Despite the fact that the European Commission investigated the conflict and declared that it was started by Georgia, labeling Tbilisi's actions as unjustified, the ICC decided to open a probe into the conflict last year, focusing on the actions of South-Ossetians and Russian soldiers.

“The Russian Federation cannot be indifferent to the Court's attitude vis-a-vis the situation of August 2008. The Saakashvili regime's attack on peaceful Tskhinval, the assassination of the Russian peacekeepers resulted in the Court's accusations against South-Ossetian militia and Russian soldiers.

Eventual investigation of actions and orders of Georgian officials was left to the discretion of the Georgian justice and remains outside of the focus of the ICC Prosecutor's office attention. This development speaks for itself. We can hardly trust the ICC in such a situation,” the Foreign Ministry’s statement says.

On Monday, the ICC issued an annual report saying that “the available information suggests that the situation within the territory of Crimea and Sevastopol amounts to an international armed conflict between Ukraine and Russia.” It also speaks about “the existence of an international armed conflict in the context of armed hostilities in eastern Ukraine.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called this “wording contrary to reality, contrary to the Russian stance and most importantly, contrary to the stance of the Crimea residents which was expressed at the referendum.” He added that the comments regarding Donbass also run counter to reality, as the war in eastern Ukraine is an internal conflict.

Peskov stressed, however, that Russia’s decision not to ratify the Rome Statute is not connected with this issue.

1st combat mission: Russian aircraft carrier’s Syrian op (VIDEO)

An RT crew has witnessed the first-ever combat operation of Russia’s flagship aircraft carrier ‘Admiral Kuznetsov’ as Su-33 fighter jets have been launching from its deck to carry out strikes against jihadists in Homs and Idlib provinces.
On Tuesday, the Russian military launched a large-scale operation against terrorists in two provinces of Syria with the ‘Admiral Kuznetsov’ and the frigate ‘Admiral Grigorovich’, part of the Russian naval group off the Syrian coast in the eastern Mediterranean, participating in the strikes.

It took the RT crew some half-an-hour aboard a helicopter to get to the carrier from the Russian airbase in Latakia province, Syria.

“When we arrived [the aircraft] had been busy carrying out practice flights and perfecting take-offs, landings and air maneuvers with the ultimate goal of defeating terrorism in Syria,” RT’s Igor Zhdanov reported from the carrier.

He said that all the jets on the deck were fully equipped with weaponry and ready for the combat mission, carrying high-precision 500kg bombs that explode within a meter-and-a-half from any target they aim for.

The ship, built by the Black Sea Shipyard, is manned by nearly 2,500 crew and carries dozens of fighter jets and helicopters. Its main fixed-wing combat plane is the multi-role Sukhoi Su-33 fighter jet, which can perform air superiority, fleet defense, and air support missions and can also be used for direct-fire support of amphibious assault, reconnaissance and placement of naval mines.

The ship also carries the Kamov Ka-27 and Kamov Ka-27S helicopters for anti-submarine warfare, search and rescue missions, as well as small transport.

RT’s crew was lucky to witness the first combat take-off of Sukhoi jets, which on Tuesday targeted factories and arms depots operated by jihadists in Homs and Idlib provinces of Syria. The exact location of the targets was not released by the Defense Ministry, but a drone video of the attacks has been made public.

Unlike many other aircraft carriers, the ‘Admiral Kuznetsov’ is also a missile cruiser, as it is facilitated with Kinzhal (Dagger) missiles that it can use to protect itself from incoming aerial attacks. It can also protect itself from enemy warships.

The RT crew reported that a military helicopter has been surveying the Russian the naval group off the Syrian coast for days, with the military suggesting it was sent from one of NATO ships also stationed in the Mediterranean Sea.

Monday 14 November 2016

NATO’s Polar Roar: 5 US bombers ‘intercepted’ in large-scale exercise over Baltic Sea

A KC-135 Stratotanker from RAF Mildenhall, England, refuels a B-52 Stratofortress from Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, in support of Operation Polar Roar over Scotland, Aug. 1, 2016 © © U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Kate Thornton

Three B-52 strategic bombers and two B-2 stealth bombers flew together from the US to the North and Baltic Seas, before being “intercepted” by other NATO aircraft in an ambitious aerial exercise.

“Exercises like POLAR ROAR enhance cooperation and reinforce NATO’s credible and visible posture in preserving a safe and secure environment,” said General Kevin Huyck, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations at the NATO Allied Air Command (AIRCOM) in a statement.

The bombers lifted off from different bases in Missouri, North Dakota and Louisiana, before meeting up over the Atlantic, and undertaking an uninterrupted flight over Europe, where they refueled mid-air, a key component of the exercise.

Once there, they were treated like intruders by local NATO jets, as part of the alliance’s air policing training.

“NATO’s Air Policing mission preserves and safeguards the integrity of Alliance airspace. Scrambles are launched within minutes in response to aircraft not following international flight regulations or approaching NATO member countries’ airspace,”explained a statement from NATO.

“Allied and Partner jets scrambled to train intercept procedures at designated points in the exercise, and the NATO Airborne Early Warning & Control Force aircraft ensured command and control during operations.”

The “unique” exercise was a success, according to the release.

“Our Air Policing assets in Northern Europe and throughout the region embraced the unique training event,” said Huyck.

This is not the first time such an exercise has been conducted, with a mission, Polar Growl, being conducted last year.

Although training key skills – refueling and intercepts – the incidents are considered by military watchers to be a direct response to Russian activities. NATO states have repeatedly accused Russian bombers and other aircraft of challenging their airspaces and even buzzing – coming close to – its own ships and planes.

The route chosen for the drill is not incidental. After leaving the Baltic, the planes will fly over the North Pole, an area of increasingly substantial territorial claims, to which Russia is dedicating unprecedented military resources.

The mission will end at the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex (JPARC) where the planes will conduct a bombardment exercising dropping dummy bombs.

World-fastest Russian MiG-31 interceptor jets practice in stratosphere over Kamchatka in Far East

MiG-31 supersonic interceptor aircraft © Alexander Vilf

Russian Air Force MiG-31 supersonic interceptors were used in simulated air battles in the upper atmosphere over Kamchatka in Russia’s Far East, Pacific Fleet press service said Thursday.

“MiG-31 pilots practiced simulated aerial combat in the stratosphere, where the second crew acted as targets,” Pacific Fleet Air Force said in a statement, as cited by Interfax news agency.

“The combat training mainly focused on practicing techniques of air combat using both offensive and defensive combat maneuvers at high altitudes,” according to the statement.

The aircrew of the MiG-31 squadron also simulated anti-missile maneuvers in the air and worked on stunts to gain more favorable positions in attacking a “hypothetical aggressor.”

The main challenge of flying in the upper atmosphere, or stratosphere, is the highly rarefied air. The planes reach altitudes of more than 10 thousand meters (32,808 feet), which reduces engine capacity and makes it harder to control the aircraft.

The MiG-31 (NATO code name Foxhound) is a Soviet-design supersonic interceptor, the world’s fastest aircraft in service today.

It can reach an altitude of 30,000 meters and is capable of shooting down even low-orbit satellites at an altitude of up to 120 kilometers (75 miles). It is also able to intercept targets flying at speeds of up to five times the speed of sound.

Earlier in September, the MiG-31 squadron held drills in Kamchatka along the antisubmarine Il-38 (NATO code name May), a maritime patrol aircraft and anti-submarine warfare aircraft also designed in the Soviet Union. Aircraft crews performed flights in various light conditions and in adverse weather.

Kamchatka Region often hosts military drills. One of the country’s most important naval bases – home to a large portion of Russia’s Pacific Fleet – is located there. The Pacific coast base also contains the majority of Russia’s missile carrying nuclear submarines.

Syrian militants shell army with poison gas in Aleppo, injure 28 – reports

Terrorists used shells containing poison gas to attack Syrian military positions in Aleppo on Sunday, injuring at least 28 government troops, according to RT Arabic citing sources and local media reports.

The incident reportedly took place west of Aleppo's airport in Karam al-Tarrab on Sunday. It’s not clear which kind of poisonous agent was used by the militants.

RT’s Murad Gazdiev reporting from Aleppo said that after contacting hospitals, the number of soldiers injured in the attack may be as high as 44. “We don’t know exactly how many of them had died or how many are merely sick,” he added.

Gazdiev said that only the Syrian military is in the affected area, and no civilians.

If confirmed the attack will become the third instance of terrorists using chemical weapons in Aleppo in the space of just two weeks.

Previously, gas was used on October 30, when one person was killed and 40 injured. A second incident took place on November 3.

Earlier this week, experts from the Russian Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Forces’ research center found evidence of Aleppo militants using chlorine and white phosphorus.

Following the discovery, Russia’s Defense Ministry addressed the UN’s Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, asking it to send a mission to Aleppo.Both Russian and Syrian authorities repeatedly warned that militants from some hardline groups might use chemical weapons against civilians and government forces in the city.

The West have pointed the finger at Damascus and Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) for using chemical weapons, but not militants in Aleppo, who are labeled the ‘moderate opposition’ by the US and its allies.

Russian and Syrian aviation have halted its air strikes in Aleppo, which remains split between the Syrian government forces and the terrorists, on October 18, and have been regularly organizing 10-hour “humanitarian pauses” in the city.

Sunday 13 November 2016

Tsunami hits N. Zealand after powerful earthquake, aftershocks (PHOTOS)

Debris from buildings are seen on a sidewalk past a cordon line in Wellington early on November 14, 2016 following an earthquake centred some 90 kilometres (57 miles) north of New Zealand's South Island city of Christchurch © Marty Melville

New Zealand authorities have issued a tsunami warning, urging people along the entire east coast to move inland or to high ground, after a powerful earthquake hit northeast of Christchurch, the biggest city on South Island.

The tremor, with a magnitude initially estimated at 7.4 before being scaled up to 7.8, had a depth of 23km, according to the US Geological Survey.

It was centered 46km from the town of Amberley with about 2,000 people, 70km from the town of Kaiapoi with 10,000 residents and 91km north-northeast of Christchurch.

NZ Ministry of Civil Defense and Emergency Management (MCDEM) issued a tsunami warning for the eastern coasts of North and South Islands, saying waves of 3-5 meters can be expected.

WeatherWatch.co.nz reports that a “sizeable tsunami wave of around 2 meters” has been recorded in Kaikoura.

“Now much smaller, but still very dangerous, tsunami waves are showing up in [the cities of] Wellington, Castlepoint,” the website added.

A surge of up to one meter was recorded in North Canterbury region of the South Island, Anna Kaiser, a seismologist at GNS Science told Radio New Zealand.

"That's reasonably significant so people should take this seriously," she added.

Chris Hill from Cheviot, which is located along the coast, said officials went door to door evacuating residents.

“Everyone seems OK here,” he told RNZ. “There's a lot of debris in houses, but at this stage it doesn't look like anything too bad has happened.”

At least ten aftershocks with magnitudes from 4.9 to 6.2 have struck South Island of New Zealand, USGS reports - while the NZ Herald tweets of more than 45 follow-up quakes.

There are reports that houses in the towns of Kaikoura and Cheviot have been badly damaged.

“I hope everyone is safe after the earthquake tonight. [New Zealand] Civil Defense is looking into the impact of the quake,” John Key, NZ Prime Minister wrote on Twitter.

In Wellington, 214km from the quake's epicenter, some windows and chimneys were smashed and the power was knocked out in several places, AP reported.

According to Wayne Timmo, a resident of the town of Hamilton, the quake felt like a “long slow, rolling or almost rotating motion.”

“The water in the neighbor's swimming pool was left sloshing around for about a minute and people woken by the quake came out onto the street to talk about it,” he told Stuff.co.nz news website.