World
Imran to skip Biden's democracy summit
Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan will not attend US President Joe Biden's two-day Summit for Democracy being held in virtual format on December 9-10.
In a statement issued ahead of the meeting, the foreign ministry Wednesday said Imran would not attend, without offering an explanation.
While expressing appreciation for the invitation, the statement said: "We value our partnership with the US which we wish to expand both bilaterally as well as in terms of regional and international cooperation."
Pakistan is seen as moving increasingly closer to China but in a televised speech Thursday Khan said Islamabad has no interest in joining any bloc and he offered to help smooth relations between Beijing and Washington.
Yet Pakistan's relationship with the US has been fraught with suspicion on both sides.
Islamabad has baulked at Washington's often stated criticism that Pakistan has not been a reliable partner in the war on terror, accusing it of harbouring the Taliban even as they fought the US-led coalition.
Pakistan says it has lost 70,000 people to the war on terror since 2001 and said the country was ready to be a partner in peace but not in war.
However, other uninvited countries have shown their displeasure. Hungary, the only European Union member not invited, tried unsuccessfully to block EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen from speaking on behalf of the bloc at the summit. During the 2020 campaign, Biden referred to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban as a "thug."
The White House declined to detail how it went about deciding who was invited and who was left off the list.
For example, Turkey, a fellow NATO member, and Egypt, a key US ally in the Middle East, were also left off. The Biden administration has raised human rights concerns about both nations. However, Poland, which has faced criticism for undermining the independence of its judiciary and media, was invited.
President Joe Biden Thursday opened the first White House Summit for Democracy by sounding an alarm about a global slide for democratic institutions and called for world leaders to "lock arms" and demonstrate democracies can deliver.
Biden called it a critical moment for fellow leaders to redouble efforts on bolstering democracies. In making the case for action, he noted his battle to win passage of voting rights legislation at home and alluded to the US' own challenges to its democratic institutions and traditions.
"This is an urgent matter," Biden said in remarks to open the two-day virtual summit. "The data we're seeing is largely pointing in the wrong direction."
The video gathering, something that Biden had called a priority for the first year of his presidency, comes as he has repeatedly made a case that the US and like-minded allies need to show the world that democracies are a far better vehicle for societies than autocracies.
The premise is a central tenet of Biden's foreign policy outlook – one that he vowed would be more outward-looking than his predecessor Donald Trump's "America First approach."
But the gathering also drew backlash from the US' chief adversaries and other nations that were not invited to participate.
Ahead of the summit, the ambassadors to the US from China and Russia wrote a joint essay describing the Biden administration as exhibiting a "Cold-War mentality" that will "stoke up ideological confrontation and a rift in the world."
How will the world decide when the pandemic is over?
How will the world decide when the pandemic is over?
There's no clear-cut definition for when a pandemic starts and ends, and how much of a threat a global outbreak is posing can vary by country.
"It's somewhat a subjective judgment because it's not just about the number of cases. It's about severity and it's about impact," says Dr. Michael Ryan, the World Health Organization's emergencies chief.
In January 2020, WHO designated the virus a global health crisis "of international concern." A couple months later in March, the United Nations health agency described the outbreak as a "pandemic," reflecting the fact that the virus had spread to nearly every continent and numerous other health officials were saying it could be described as such.
The pandemic may be widely considered over when WHO decides the virus is no longer an emergency of international concern, a designation its expert committee has been reassessing every three months. But when the most acute phases of the crisis ease within countries could vary.
"There is not going to be one day when someone says, 'OK, the pandemic is over,'" says Dr. Chris Woods, an infectious disease expert at Duke University. Although there's no universally agreed-upon criteria, he said countries will likely look for sustained reduction in cases over time.
Scientists expect COVID-19 will eventually settle into becoming a more predictable virus like the flu, meaning it will cause seasonal outbreaks but not the huge surges we're seeing right now. But even then, Woods says some habits, such as wearing masks in public places, might continue.
"Even after the pandemic ends, COVID will still be with us," he says.
India orders tri-services probe into military chief's chopper crash
India on Thursday ordered a tri-services probe into Wednesday's chopper crash that claimed the lives of the country's first military chief, General Bipin Rawat, his wife, and 11 other armed forces personnel.
Tri-services probe means an investigation by the three branches of the military -- the Indian Army, the Navy, and the Air Force.
“The Indian Air Force has ordered a tri-service inquiry into the military chopper crash. The investigation will be led by Air Marshal Manavendra Singh (Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Training Command)," Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh told the Parliament.
Read: India's first military chief among 13 dead in chopper crash
Meanwhile, the lone survivor of the crash in the southern state of Tamil Nadu -- senior Air Force officer Group Captain Varun Singh -- was airlifted to a state-of-the-art military hospital in the neighbouring state of Karnataka's capital Bengaluru from a medical facility.
"Group Captain Singh is on life support and all efforts are being made to save him," the Defence Minister said.
The 63-year-old Chief of Defence Staff was on his way to deliver a lecture at Defence Services Staff College in Wellington when the Mi-17 V5 chopper crashed in the hilly terrain of the Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu's Coonoor district and burst into flames on Wednesday noon.
Read: FM shocked at India's military chief's death in chopper crash
"With deep regret, it has now been ascertained that Gen Bipin Rawat, Mrs Madhulika Rawat (wife) and 11 other persons on board have died in the unfortunate accident," the Air Force tweeted last evening after day-long DNA tests confirmed the identities of the bodies.
Moments later, Indian President Ram Nath Kovind, the supreme commander of the armed forces, tweeted to say that "the nation has lost one of its bravest sons". Prime Minister Modi, on his part, described the four-star General as "an outstanding soldier".
General Rawat has had a chequered career in the armed forces spanning over 40 years, rising from the rank of a junior commissioned officer to the Indian Army chief and eventually the first head of the tri-services. He reported directly to the Indian Prime Minister.
India reiterates concern on terrorist entities gaining access to chemical weapons
India on Wednesday reiterated its concern regarding the possibility of terrorist groups and individuals gaining access to chemical weapons at the United Nations Security Council briefing on Syria (Chemical weapons).
The remarks came from Prathik Mathur, Counsellor in India's Permanent Mission to UN, during the UNSC briefing, reports ANI.
"India has been repeatedly cautioning against the possibility of terrorist entities and individuals gaining access to chemical weapons," Mathur said adding that India attaches high importance to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), and stands for its full, effective and non-discriminatory implementation.
Read: India successfully test-fires air-launched version of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile
The CWC Convention is aimed to eliminate an entire category of weapons of mass destruction by prohibiting the development, production, acquisition, stockpiling, retention, transfer or use of chemical weapons by States Parties, an official statement informed.
During his address to the UNSC, Mathur also said that India is against the use of chemical weapons under any circumstances.
"India is against the use of chemical weapons by anybody, anywhere, at any time and under any circumstances," Mathur said.
"We've consistently maintained that any probe into use of chemical weapons must be impartial, credible and objective," he added.
Read: India's first military chief among 13 dead in chopper crash
The Indian Counsellor also urged Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and Syria to work constructively in the matter.
Meanwhile, a Chemical Weapon is a chemical used to cause intentional death or harm through its toxic properties.
Munitions, devices and other equipment specifically designed to weaponize toxic chemicals also fall under the definition of chemical weapons, OPCW informed on its website.
India successfully test-fires air-launched version of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile
Air launched version of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was successfully test fired from the supersonic fighter aircraft Sukhoi 30 MK-I from Integrated Test Range, Chandipur off the coast of Odisha on Wednesday.
In this copy book flight, the missile launched from the aircraft followed the pre-planned trajectory meeting all mission objectives, read a press statement from the Ministry of Defence on Wednesday, reports ANI.
Read:India's first military chief among 13 dead in chopper crash
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has praised Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), BrahMos, Indian Air Force and the industry on the successful test firing.
According to the Ministry of Defence, the launch is a major milestone in the BrahMos development as it paves the way for the serial production of air-version BrahMos missiles within the country. Major airframe assemblies which form the integral part of the Ramjet Engine are indigenously developed by Indian Industry. These include metallic and non-metallic air frame sections comprising Ramjet fuel tank and pneumatic fuel supply system.
Various laboratories of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), academic institutions, quality assurance & certification agencies, Public Sector undertakings and Indian Air Force participated in the development, testing, production and induction of this complex missile system.
Read: India's military chief feared dead in chopper crash
During the test, the structural integrity and functional performance have been proven. The air version of BrahMos was last flight tested in July 2021.
BrahMos is a Joint Venture between India (DRDO) and Russia (NPOM) for the development, production and marketing of the supersonic cruise missile. BrahMos is the potent offensive missile weapon system already inducted into the Armed Forces.
Vaccine makers racing to update COVID shots, just in case
Vaccine makers are racing to update their COVID-19 shots against the newest coronavirus threat even before it’s clear a change is needed, just in case.
Experts doubt today’s shots will become useless but say it’s critical to see how fast companies could produce a reformulated dose and prove it works -- because whatever happens with omicron, this newest mutant won’t be the last.
Omicron “is pulling the fire alarm. Whether it turns out to be a false alarm, it would be really good to know if we can actually do this -- get a new vaccine rolled out and be ready,” said immunologist E. John Wherry of the University of Pennsylvania.
It’s too soon to know how vaccines will hold up against omicron. The first hints this week were mixed: Preliminary lab tests suggest two Pfizer doses may not prevent an omicron infection but they could protect against severe illness. And a booster shot may rev up immunity enough to do both.
Better answers are expected in the coming weeks and regulators in the U.S. and other countries are keeping a close watch. The World Health Organization has appointed an independent scientific panel to advise on whether the shots need reformulating because of omicron or any other mutant.
But authorities haven’t laid out what would trigger such a drastic step: If vaccine immunity against serious illness drops, or if a new mutant merely spreads faster?
“This is not trivial,” BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin, Pfizer’s vaccine partner, said shortly before omicron’s discovery. A company could apply to market a new formula “but what happens if another company makes another proposal with another variant? We don’t have an agreed strategy.”
Read:COVID cases spike even as US hits 200M vaccine milestone
It’s a tough decision — and the virus moves faster than science. Just this fall the U.S. government’s vaccine advisers wondered why boosters weren’t retooled to target the extra-contagious delta variant — only to have the next scary mutant, omicron, be neither a delta descendent nor a very close cousin.
If vaccines do need tweaking, there’s still another question: Should there be a separate omicron booster or a combination shot? And if it’s a combo, should it target the original strain along with omicron, or the currently dominant delta variant plus omicron? Here’s what we know.
COMPANIES AREN’T STARTING FROM SCRATCH
COVID-19 vaccines work by triggering production of antibodies that recognize and attack the spike protein that coats the coronavirus, and many are made with new technology flexible enough for easy updating. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are fastest to tweak, made with genetic instructions that tell the body to make harmless copies of the spike protein — and that messenger RNA can be swapped to match new mutations.
Pfizer expects to have an omicron-specific candidate ready for the Food and Drug Administration to consider in March, with some initial batches ready to ship around the same time, chief scientific officer Dr. Mikael Dolsten told The Associated Press.
Moderna is predicting 60 to 90 days to have an omicron-specific candidate ready for testing. Other manufacturers that make COVID-19 vaccines using different technology, including Johnson & Johnson, also are pursuing possible updates.
Pfizer and Moderna already have successfully brewed experimental doses to match delta and another variant named beta, shots that haven’t been needed but offered valuable practice.
NOT CLEAR IF TWEAKS ARE NEEDED
So far, the original vaccines have offered at least some cross-protection against prior variants. Even if immunity against omicron isn’t as good, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, hopes the big antibody jump triggered by booster doses will compensate.
Pfizer's preliminary lab testing, released Wednesday, hint that might be the case but antibodies aren’t the only layer of defense. Vaccines also spur T cells that can prevent serious illness if someone does get infected, and Pfizer's first tests showed, as expected, those don't seem to be affected by omicron.
Also, memory cells that can create new and somewhat different antibodies form with each dose.
"You're really training your immune system not just to deal better with existing variants, but it actually prepares a broader repertoire to deal with new variants,” Dolsten said.
How aggressive a mutant is also plays a role in whether to reformulate the vaccine. Omicron appears to spread easily but early reports from South African scientists hint that it might cause milder infections than previous variants.
Read: Scientist behind UK vaccine says next pandemic may be worse
HOW TO TELL IF UPDATES WORK
The FDA has said companies won’t need massive studies of tweaked vaccines but small ones to measure if people given the updated shot have immune responses comparable to the original, highly effective shots.
Wherry doesn't expect data from volunteers testing experimental omicron-targeted shots until at least February.
WHAT ABOUT COMBINATION SHOTS?
Flu vaccines protect against three or four different strains of influenza in one shot. If a vaccine tweak is needed for omicron, authorities will have to decide to whether to make a separate omicron booster or add it to the original vaccine -- or maybe even follow the flu model and try another combination.
There’s some evidence that a COVID-19 combo shot could work. In a small Moderna study, a so-called bivalent booster containing the original vaccine and a beta-specific dose caused a bigger antibody jump than either an original Moderna booster or its experimental beta-specific shot.
And scientists already are working on next-generation vaccines that target parts of the virus less prone to mutate.
Omicron brings “another important wake-up call,” Wherry said -- not just to vaccinate the world but create more versatile options to get that job done.
Instagram head faces senators amid anger over possible harms
The head of Instagram on Wednesday met with deep skepticism on Capitol Hill over new measures the social media platform is adopting to protect young users.
Adam Mosseri appeared before a Senate panel and faced off with lawmakers angry over revelations of how the photo-sharing platform can harm some young users. Senators are also demanding the company commit to making changes and increase its transparancy.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who heads the Senate Commerce subcommittee on consumer protection, dismissed as “a public relations tactic” some safety measures announced by the popular photo-sharing platform.
“I believe that the time for self-policing and self-regulation is over,” Blumenthal said. “Self-policing depends on trust. Trust is over.”
Under sharp questioning by senators of both parties, Mosseri defended the company’s conduct and the efficacy of its new safety measures. He challenged the assertion that Instagram has been shown by research to be addictive for young people. Instagram, which along with Facebook is part of Meta Platforms Inc., has an estimated 1 billion users of all ages.
Read: Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram suffer worldwide outage
On Tuesday, Instagram introduced a previously announced feature that urges teenagers to take breaks from the platform. The company also announced other tools, including parental controls due to come out early next year, that it says are aimed at protecting young users from harmful content.
Senators of both parties were united in condemnation of the social network giant and Instagram, the photo-sharing juggernaut valued at some $100 billion that Facebook acquired for $1 billion in 2012.
The hearing grew more confrontational and emotionally charged as it went on.
“Sir, I have to tell you, you did sound callous,” Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, the panel’s senior Republican, told Mosseri near the end of the hearing.
Senators repeatedly tried to win commitments from Mosseri for Instagram to provide full results of its internal research and its computer formulas for ranking content to independent monitors and Congress. They also tried to enlist his support for legislation that would curb the ways in which Big Tech deploys social media geared toward young people.
Mosseri responded mostly with general endorsements of openness and accountability, insisting that Instagram is an industry leader in transparency.
The issue is becoming increasingly urgent. An alarming advisory issued Tuesday by U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy warned about a mental health crisis among children and young adults that has been worsened by the coronavirus pandemic. He said tech companies must design social media platforms that strengthen, rather than harm, young people’s mental health.
Meta, which is based in Menlo Park, California, has been roiled by public and political outrage over the disclosures by former Facebook employee Frances Haugen. She has made the case before lawmakers in the U.S., Britain and Europe that that the company's systems amplify online hate and extremism and that the company elevates profits over the safety of users.
Haugen, a data scientist who had worked in Facebook’s civic integrity unit, buttressed her assertions with a trove of internal company documents she secretly copied and provided to federal securities regulators and Congress.
The Senate panel has examined Facebook’s use of information from its own researchers that could indicate potential harm for some of its young users, especially girls, while it publicly downplayed the negative impacts. For some Instagram-devoted teens, peer pressure generated by the visually focused app led to mental-health and body-image problems, and in some cases, eating disorders and suicidal thoughts, the research detailed in the Facebook documents showed.
Read: Facebook working on Instagram for kids under 13
The revelations in a report by The Wall Street Journal, based on the documents leaked by Haugen, set off a wave of recriminations from lawmakers, critics of Big Tech, child-development experts and parents.
“As head of Instagram, I am especially focused on the safety of the youngest people who use our services,” Mosseri testified. “This work includes keeping underage users off our platform, designing age-appropriate experiences for people ages 13 to 18, and building parental controls. Instagram is built for people 13 and older. If a child is under the age of 13, they are not permitted on Instagram.”
Mosseri outlined the suite of measures he said Instagram has taken to protect young people on the platform. They include keeping kids under 13 off it, restricting direct messaging between kids and adults, and prohibiting posts that encourage suicide and self-harm.
But, as researchers both internal and external to Meta have documented, the reality is different. Kids under 13 often sign up for Instagram with or without their parents’ knowledge by lying about their age. And posts about suicide and self-harm still reach children and teens, sometimes with disastrous effects.
‘Severe consequences’ for Putin if he attacks Ukraine: Biden
U.S. President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that Moscow will face a severe economic pain if it tries to attack Ukraine, but promised prospective talks to address Russia's concerns about NATO's expansion.
Biden said he was “very straightforward” with Putin during their call Tuesday, warning the Russian leader that he will pay a heavy price if he invades Ukraine.
“There were no minced words," Biden said at the White House before departing for Kanzas City. "It was polite, but I made it very clear. If in fact he invades Ukraine, there will be severe consequences, severe consequences. Economic consequences like you’ve never seen. I am absolutely confident he got the message.”
Asked by reporters if he’d ruled out U.S. troops on the ground to stop Russia, Biden said “that’s not on the table," saying that a U.S. obligation to protect NATO allies if they come under attack doesn't extend to Ukraine, which is not in the Atlantic military alliance.
Read: Biden-Putin square off for 2 hours as Ukraine tensions mount
"The idea that the United States is going to unilaterally use force to confront Russia for invading Ukraine is not in the cards right now,” Biden said.
At the same time, he said that the U.S., its allies and Russia could sit down for talks to discuss Moscow's grievances about NATO's expansion.
“We hope by Friday we’re gonna be able to say, announce to you we’re having meetings at a higher level, not just with us, but with at least four of our major NATO allies, and Russia to discuss the future of Russia’s concern relative to NATO writ large and whether or not we could work out any accommodations as it relates to bringing down the temperature along the eastern front (in Ukraine)," Biden said.
Putin, for his part, promised that Moscow will submit its proposals for a security dialogue with the U.S. in a few days. He reaffirmed his denial of planning to attack Ukraine, but said that Moscow can’t remain indifferent to NATO’s possible expansion to its neighbor.
Putin, who entered Tuesday's call with Biden looking for Western guarantees precluding NATO’s expansion to Ukraine, countered Western arguments that Russia has no say in the alliance expansion by arguing that security in Europe can only be mutual.
“Every country certainly has the right to choose the most acceptable way of ensuring its security, but it must be done in a way that doesn't infringe on the interests and undermine security of other countries, in this case Russia," Putin said. “Security must be global and equally cover everyone.
“We can’t fail to be concerned about the prospect of Ukraine’s accession to NATO, because that will undoubtedly lead to the deployment of military contingents, bases and weapons that would threaten us,” he told reporters after talks in Sochi with visiting Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
He described the two-hour conversation with Biden as “very open, specific and, I would say constructive,” adding that he and Biden have agreed to ask experts to conduct talks on security in Europe.
“Russia will prepare its arguments literally in a few days, within a week, and we will submit it to the American side for consideration,” he said.
“We proceed from the assumption that this time are concerns will be heard,” he said, noting that the West ignored Moscow's complaints in the past about NATO's expansion eastward to incorporate former Soviet allies in Central and Eastern Europe and former Soviet republics in the Baltics.
Read:Biden, Putin set video call Tuesday as Ukraine tensions grow
Asked Wednesday if Russia was going to attack Ukraine, Putin called the question provocative, saying that “Russia is conducting a peaceful foreign policy, but it has the right to ensure its security in the mid- and long-term perspective.”
The leader-to-leader conversation — Biden speaking from the White House Situation Room, Putin from his residence in Sochi — was one of the most important of Biden’s presidency and came at a perilous time.
U.S. intelligence officials have determined that Russia has moved 70,000 troops near the Ukraine border and has made preparations for a possible invasion early next year. Moscow has denied any plans to attack Ukraine, rejecting Western concerns as part of a campaign to smear Russia.
White House officials made clear that Biden is not interested in putting U.S. troops in harm’s way defending Ukraine. But U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan noted that Biden said the U.S. would also “provide additional defensive material to the Ukrainians … and we would fortify our NATO allies on the eastern flank with additional capabilities in response to such an escalation.”
Sullivan said the U.S. believes that Putin hasn’t yet made a final decision to invade. Biden was vice president in 2014 when Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula and backed an insurgency in eastern Ukraine, which has killed more than 14,000 people and is still an active conflict.
Putin's foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov told reporters that Putin countered Biden’s expressions of concern about the Russian troop buildup near Ukraine by snapping: “You Americans are worried about Russian battalions on Russian territory thousands of miles away from the United States, while we are really worried about our security.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday that “it was positive that the U.S. president spoke to the Russian president,” adding that he would comment in detail on Thursday, after his own phone call with Biden.
With no immediate breakthrough on the Ukraine question, the U.S. emphasized a need for diplomacy and de-escalation, while issuing stern threats to Russia about the high costs of a military incursion.
A top U.S. envoy, Victoria Nuland, warned that a Russian invasion of Ukraine would also jeopardize a controversial pipeline between Russia and Germany known as Nord Stream 2, which is not yet operating.
Asked by Welt television if he would be prepared to use the pipeline to pressure Russia, new German Chancellor Olaf Scholz replied “we have a very clear position: we want the inviolability of borders to be respected by all.”
“Everyone understands that there would be consequences if that weren’t the case, but what matters now is to do everything so that it stays this way, that they aren’t violated,” Scholz said.
Father, son arrested in wildfire that threatened Lake Tahoe
A father and son were arrested Wednesday on suspicion of starting a massive California wildfire that destroyed many homes and forced tens of thousands of people to flee Lake Tahoe communities earlier this year, authorities said.
David Scott Smith, 66, and his son, Travis Shane Smith, 32, are accused of reckless arson in a warrant issued before formal charges are filed, the El Dorado County District Attorney’s office said.
Mark Reichel, the attorney for both men, said they were arrested Wednesday afternoon and that reckless arson means starting a blaze by accident but “to such a degree that it was considered reckless.”
Read: Lake Tahoe residents relieved homes spared from wildfire
Authorities allege they caused homes to burn and people to be seriously injured in the fire that began in August. The Caldor fire scorched more than 346 square miles (897 square kilometers) from east of Sacramento to the Nevada border, threatening ski resorts and other prominent recreational areas.
The fire destroyed more than 1,000 homes and other buildings while crossing a mostly remote forested area of seasonal cabins.
The fire crossed through three northern counties, destroyed much of the small community of Grizzly Flats and forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate the resort town of South Lake Tahoe before it was contained in October. Five people were injured.
It was one of two massive fires last summer that for the first time in modern history crossed the Sierra Nevada range.
El Dorado County District Attorney Vern Pierson provided few details about the arrest of the Smiths, citing the investigation.
Reichel, the men's lawyer, said: “They are absolutely 100% innocent.”
Reichel said he did not know details of the accusation, such as how authorities allege the fire was set.
He said Travis Smith is an electrician and was with his father near where the fire started. The son called 911 to report seeing flames, Reichel said.
Read: Lake Tahoe evacuees hope to return home as wildfire slows
The son made several 911 calls because the calls kept dropping in the rugged area, and both men also warned campers about the fire, Reichel said.
“Neither one has ever been in trouble with the law in their life. They’re very law-abiding people,” he said.
The pair have a scheduled court appearance on Friday, Reichel said.
“There has been no evidence submitted into a court subject to my cross-examination ... that proves any of the prosecution’s evidence yet. So I urge everyone to wait and hear what really happened before they form any opinions,” Reichel added.
The district attorney’s office said the case was developed with the U.S. Forest Service, California’s firefighting agency and the California Department of Justice, with help from the Sacramento County District Attorney’s crime lab.
Alleged massacre in Myanmar village highlights bitter fight
Outrage spread on social media in Myanmar on Wednesday over images and accounts of the alleged killing and burning of 11 villagers captured by government troops in the country’s northwest.
Photos and a video of charred corpses in Done Taw village in Sagaing region circulated widely Tuesday. They were said to be have been taken shortly after the men were killed and their bodies set on fire.
The material could not be independently verified. An account given to The Associated Press by a person who said he went to the scene generally matched descriptions of the incident carried by independent Myanmar media.
The government has not commented on the allegations. If confirmed, they would be the latest atrocity in an increasingly bitter struggle following the military’s seizure of power in February and ouster of the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.
The takeover was initially met with nonviolent street protests, but after police and soldiers used lethal force against demonstrators, violence escalated as opponents of military rule took up arms in self defense.
Read: Saudi suspect in Khashoggi killing arrested in France
The witness who spoke to the AP said about 50 troops marched into Done Taw village at about 11 a.m. Tuesday, seizing anyone who did not manage to flee.
“They arrested 11 innocent villagers,” said the witness, who described himself as a farmer and an activist and asked to remain anonymous for his own safety,
He added that the captured men were not members of the locally organized People’s Defense Force, which sometimes engages the army in combat. He said the captives had their hands tied behind them and were set on fire.
He did not give a reason for the soldiers’ assault. Accounts in Myanmar media said they appeared to have acted in retaliation for an attack earlier that morning by People’s Defense Force members.
Read: Biden-Putin square off for 2 hours as Ukraine tensions mount
Other witnesses cited in Myanmar media said the victims were members of a defense force, though the witness who spoke to the AP described them as members of a less formally organized village protection group.
There are resistance activities in the cities and the countryside, but the fighting is deadliest in rural areas where the army can unleash greater force against its targets. In recent months the struggle has been sharpest in Sagaing and other areas of the northwest.
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric expressed deep concern at the reports “of the horrific killing of 11 people” and strongly condemned such violence, saying “credible reports indicate that five children were among those people killed.”
Dujarric reminded Myanmar’s military authorities of their obligations under international law to ensure the safety and protection of civilians and called for those responsible “for this heinous act” to be held accountable.
He reiterated the U.N.’s condemnation of violence by Myanmar’s security forces and stressed that this demands a unified international response. As of Dec. 8, he said, “security forces have killed more than 1,300 unarmed individuals, including more than 75 children, through their use of lethal force or while in their custody since the military takeover on Feb. 1.”
The alleged killing in Done Taw was sharply decried by Myanmar’s underground National Unity Government, which has established itself as the country’s alternative administrative body in place of the military-installed government.
“On the 7th of December in Sagaing region, sickening scenes reminiscent of the Islamic State terrorist group bore witness to the the military’s escalation of their acts of terror,” the organization’s spokesperson, Dr. Sasa, said in a statement.
“The sheer brutality, savagery, and cruelty of these acts shows a new depth of depravity, and proves that, despite the pretense of the relative détente seen over the last few months, the junta never had any intention of deescalating their campaign of violence,” said Sasa, who uses one name.
The allegations follow Monday’s conviction of Suu Kyi on charges of incitement and violating coronavirus restrictions and sentencing to four years in prison, which was quickly cut in half. The court’s action was widely criticized as a further effort by the country’s military rulers to roll back the democratic gains of recent years.
In New York, the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday expressed “deep concern” at the sentencing of Suu Kyi, ousted President Win Myint and others and reiterated previous calls for the release of all those arbitrarily detained since the Feb. 1 military takeover.
“The members of the Security Council once again stressed their continued support for the democratic transition in Myanmar, and underlined the need to uphold democratic institutions and processes, refrain from violence, pursue constructive dialogue and reconciliation in accordance with the will and interests of the people of Myanmar, fully respect human rights and fundamental freedoms and uphold the rule of law,” a council statement said.