Early last week, the Norwegian F-35A fighter aircraft assigned to 332 Squadron of the Royal Norwegian Air Force conducted the first practical launches of an AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) air-to-air missile at the Halten proving ground northwest of the Orland air base.
The Norwegian Ministry of Defence selected the F-35A to fulfil its Future Combat Aircraft (FCA) requirement in November 2008.
The first Norwegian F-35s arrived in-country for permanent basing at Orland Air Base in November 2017.
Currently, the Norwegian government has funded the procurement of 40 of 52 F-35s, and subsequent authorization will occur on an annual basis.
WNU Editor: I am surprised that Norway has funded the procurement of 40 of 52 F-35s. For a small country, they are clearly dedicated to spend the money necessary to have this fighter jet.
BREAKING: New Zealand Police: A serious and evolving situation is occurring in Christchurch with an active shooter. Police recommend that residents across the city remain off the streets and indoors until further notice. https://t.co/zvWb6zrhSz
#UPDATE NASA astronaut Nick Hague and his Russian colleague Alexey Ovchinin, who survived a dramatically aborted Soyuz launch last year, blasted off successfully for the International Space Station https://t.co/Z7ShgLVnNX
While seven NATO countries hit spending targets in 2018, German outlay lagged. NATO head Jens Stoltenberg was satisfied spending was moving in "the right direction," but will it be enough for US President Donald Trump?
European NATO allies increased defense expenditure in 2018, with big rises in the Baltics, Poland and the Netherlands, according to new figures.
But while Canadian spending fell, Germany's lagged and only six of NATOs 30 members, excluding the US, met the spending target demanded by President Donald Trump.
Germany's spending actually rose last year but remained stable relative to growing gross domestic product (GDP). Berlin has previously attracted the brunt of Trump's claims of freeloading by European NATO members.
WNU Editor: Only six of NATOs 30 members, excluding the US, met the spending target demanded by President Donald Trump. Nothing to brag about in my book.
People detained by security forces lie on the street after looting broke out during an ongoing blackout in Caracas, Venezuela, March 10. REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado
WNU Editor: The above picture came from this photo-gallery .... Photos of the week (Reuters).
* Witnesses reported hearing 50 shots and police are responding to the incident * Bangladesh cricket team were inside mosque at the time of the shooting * Witnesses have said they saw 'blood everywhere' and people seriously injured * There are reports of another shooting outside Christchurch Hospital
A gunman has opened fire at a mosque in New Zealand, shooting at children and reportedly killing at least nine people.
Witnesses reported hearing 50 shots from his automatic rifle at Al Noor Mosque in Christchurch on the country's South Island.
The gunman live-streamed the mass shooting inside the Al Noor Mosque, which happened about 1.30pm (11.30am AEDT) as Friday prayers were underway.
A video seen by Daily Mail Australia shows the man firing multiple shots at dozens of people as they try to flee. The gunman is still at large.
* No casualties reported on both sides * Israel says Hamas fired, but organization denies involvement * IDF spokesman says army 'surprised' by escalation
The Israeli army attacked Thursday overnight targets in Gaza Strip, hours after two rockets were fired at Tel Aviv from Gaza, a first since Israel's 2014 campaign in Gaza.
According to the Israeli military, the Iron Dome missile defense system was activated. It is assumed that the rockets landed in open areas due to the fact that no damage or injuries were reported.
The last time rocket alerts were activated in Tel Aviv was two years ago, in what turned out to be a false alarm. The flare-up comes three weeks before Israel holds its general election.
"We don't know what's going on. We don't have the kind of transparency that we should have," said Afghan national security adviser Hamdullah Mohib.
A top Afghan government official on Thursday blasted the Trump administration's peace talks with the Taliban, accusing a U.S. presidential envoy of shutting out the Kabul government and betraying the trust of a close ally.
"We don't know what's going on. We don't have the kind of transparency that we should have," Hamdullah Mohib, Afghan national security adviser, told reporters during a visit to Washington.
Asked if President Donald Trump's envoy for reconciliation in Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, was consulting the Afghan government on his talks with the Taliban insurgents, Mohib said: "No. We get bits and pieces of information."
WNU Editor: The Afghan government clearly feels that they are being kept out of the loop in the current round of peace talks. This does not bode well on where these talks are heading.
More News On The Afghan Government's Concerns That They Are Being Left-Out Of The Current Round Of Peace Talks
Sen. Elizabeth Warren accused the Pentagon of creating a "slush fund" by loading its wartime budget with nearly $100 billion that does not fund operations in Syria, Iraq, or Afghanistan.
The Pentagon's proposed $718 billion fiscal 2020 budget includes $165 billion for "overseas contingency operations," which is supposed to fund combat operations and is not subject to limits on defense spending that Congress imposed as part of the Budget Control Act of 2011.
These sanctions were supposed to punish Moscow's elite, but instead they've spurred economic development and patriotism.
The current conversation about Russia sanctions centers around targeting and scope. Are we punishing the people whose behavior we most want to change? Is there pain, well inflicted, on those individuals responsible for creating chaos in Ukraine and Crimea, for reckless attacks on Sergei Skripal and others, and for wanton interference in Western elections? Can we hurt Russian elites in a way that Putin will notice? Have we done enough?
In at least one sector, though, the sanctions are a textbook case of unintended consequences: they've put Russian farmers in the best shape they've ever been. Countersanctions aimed at imported Western food products—put into effect just days after the initial sanctions in the summer of 2014—initially sent Russian consumers into a tailspin, hungry from a lack of immediate alternatives to tasty European cheeses and processed foods. But palates adjusted quickly, and the import substitution effects boosted Russia, by 2016, to the position of top wheat exporter in the world. As the United States hemorrhages global agro-market share courtesy of Trump-era tariffs and trade wars, Russia is actively and aggressively filling the gap.
WNU Editor: I concur with the above analysis. I go back to Russia 2 or 3 times a year, and I do not see an economy in decline or economic turmoil. Everyone is working. Starting a small private enterprise is now the cultural norm. There are building cranes everywhere in Moscow. And food is readily available and cheap. I should also add that the meats and poultry are better quality (they do not use hormones and other chemicals in their feed). I do know that sanctions will be lifted one day, but the Kremlin is going to protect critical industries .... especially the agribusiness. And I do not see the mentality of buying Russian changing anytime soon.
A new UN envoy is in place but there are signs that even Russia is losing influence in Damascus.
When Staffan de Mistura addressed the UN Security Council for the last time in December as the Secretary General's special envoy for Syria he ended in unusual fashion, seeking permission to break protocol and shake the hands of ambassadors from member states he had been briefing.
Warm applause followed. Privately, however, some felt relief rather than appreciation at his departure.
"I could not believe that happened," said a diplomat from a permanent member of the Security Council, scolding the veteran Swedish-Italian envoy's efforts to broker a peace.
BAGHOUZ, Syria (Reuters) - Islamic State militants along with women and children surrendered in the hundreds to U.S.-backed forces in eastern Syria on Thursday as the jihadists lost ground in their last shred of territory.
Many of the men were limping as they crossed out of the Baghouz enclave along a dirt path over a rocky hill, with weeping children and fully veiled women, dragging suitcases and backpacks behind them.
Some men trudged along on crutches with bandages wrapped around their legs. Women hoisted children onto their shoulders to get them up the hill, leaving strollers and blankets behind in the dust.
* Gaza source tells Haaretz rockets were fired from northern Strip but it is unclear who stands behind fire * Prime minister holding emergency security consultation * Flare-up comes three week before general election
The Israeli army said at least two rockets were fired at Israel on Thursday night, causing rocket alerts to blare throughout central Israel.
According to the Israeli military, the Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted one of the rockets, while the other is likely to have landed in an open area.
The flare-up comes three weeks before Israel holds its general election.
Israelis reported hearing sounds of blasts in the area, with some saying that they saw the Iron Dome missile defense system intercepting rockets.
WASHINGTON – Despite a veto threat from the president, the Senate approved legislation Wednesday that would force the Trump administration to end its military support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen.
Wednesday's 54-to-46 vote served as a bipartisan rebuke to President Donald Trump and to Saudi leaders. It also highlighted lawmakers' growing unease with America's role in that grisly conflict, which has left more than 50,000 civilians dead and millions of Yemenis on the brink of starvation.
"The United States, with little media attention, has been Saudi Arabia's partner in this horrific war," Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said during a Senate floor speech Wednesday. He is a lead author of the measure, which relies on a Vietnam-era law designed to limit the president's power to start or escalate military engagement abroad.
Senate Republicans joined their Democratic colleagues on Thursday in voting to block President Trump's border emergency declaration -- a move that will prompt the president's first-ever veto.
The president made his intentions crystal clear, tweeting "VETO!" moments after the resolution cleared Congress.
The measure passed 59-41 as a dozen Republicans joined Democrats in voting for the resolution, despite White House efforts to keep the GOP united on the issue of border security. Those GOP members who backed the resolution cited concerns about the expansion of presidential powers.
WNU Editor: According to 59 US Senators, the President does not have the right to announce an emergency on the border. So who does? As for the Republican Senators who supported this measure, there is going to be blow-back against them. No one believes excuses like this one from U.S. Senator Mitt Romney ....
.... Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, told reporters ahead of the vote. "This is a constitutional question, it's a question of the balance of power that is core to our constitution." "This is not about the president or border security, in fact I support border security, I support a barrier," he said.
He does not support border security and/or barrier.
For years, Cuba has received large quantities oil from Venezuela. But with the government in Caracas in turmoil and President Nicolas Maduro under increasing pressure, is the country at risk of losing its energy supply?
Economic ties between Cuba and Venezuela have been close ever since Hugo Chavez became Venezuelan president 1999. Twenty years later, Venezuela still is Cuba's second most important trading partner after China.
Today, Venezuela is marred by political turmoil and President Nicolas Maduro's days could be numbered. What would this mean for Cuba?
"Most of Cuba's energy consumption is covered by Venezuelan oil, and getting oil from elsewhere would throw Cuba into crisis," said Bert Hoffmann, a senior research fellow at the German Institute of Global and Area Studies. Such a scenario, he added, would lead to "dire austerity measures, which would mean immense hardship for the Cuban population."
WNU Editor: Venezuela is on the brink of not even having enough oil for itself, let alone export. For Cuba, they better look for other suppliers. My prediction. They are going to beg Russia for oil shipments, and at the same terms that Venezuela was giving them. Will Moscow give Cuba oil .... I hope not.
DUELLING PARTNERS: Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, holds a replica of the sword of Simon Bolivar, a national hero, as Igor Sechin, CEO of Russian oil firm Rosneft, looks on from the left in July 2016. Joint ventures between Rosneft and Venezuela's state oil company, PDVSA, have not always gone smoothly. Miraflores Palace/Handout via REUTERS
Russian oil company Rosneft spent a fortune on joint ventures in Venezuela even though it suspected it was losing out on millions of dollars, documents show. It continued investing, sources say, because the Kremlin wanted to support its ally in South America.
MOSCOW – At the end of 2015, managers at Rosneft, the Russian state-controlled oil firm, sounded the alarm to their bosses about the company's investments in Venezuela. Rosneft's local partner, Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA, owed it hundreds of millions of dollars, according to internal documents, and there seemed no prospect things would get better.
"It will be like this for eternity," a Rosneft internal auditor wrote in an email to a colleague in November 2015, complaining there was no progress in getting PDVSA to explain a $700 million hole in the balance sheet of a joint venture.
The email was among scores of internal Rosneft communications - including presentations, copies of official letters, memos and spreadsheets – reviewed by Reuters. They cover the firm's operations in Venezuela between 2012 and 2015.
Update: The story continues to get worse on Venezuela's ability to repay its loans .... Venezuela's oil production plunged in February, OPEC says (UPI). And with electrical blackouts now the norm in Venezuela, here is an easy prediction. Venezuela's oil production figures for March when they are released will be worse.
U.S. President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping arrive at a state dinner at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, November 9, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
China and the U.S. are looking to push an earlier scheduled meeting between President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping to at least April, Bloomberg reported citing unnamed sources.
Trump said on Wednesday he was in no rush to complete a trade pact with China and insisted that any deal should include protection for intellectual property, a major sticking point between the two sides during months of negotiations.
Trump and Xi had been expected to hold a summit at the U.S. president's Mar-a-Lago property in Florida later this month, but no date had been set for a meeting and no in-person talks between their trade teams have been held in more than two weeks.
The ambitious shale growth plans of the U.S. supermajors could in the future allow them to control so much of U.S. shale oil production that they could also control the price of the U.S. light tight oil going to foreign markets in an 'OPEC of their own kind,' Investing.com quoted John Kilduff, founding partner at Again Capital, as saying.
If the U.S. supermajors, such as Exxon and Chevron, end up controlling a lot of the U.S. shale production with their plans to significantly boost Permian production, and if smaller shale players bleed cash and decide to sell acreage and operations to Big Oil, then supermajors could be the ones determining the price of light crude oil, according to Kilduff.
WNU Editor: Is the age of the "Seven Sisters" coming back, where it is the oil companies dictating oil and energy prices rather than OPEC .... IMHO it is too early to say. But technology advances in the energy industry have definitely revolutionized how this industry operates, and it has broken the OPEC cartel. Market forces are now coming into play, and the majors are well positioned to take advantage of it.
A gas flare on an oil production platform in the Soroush oil fields is seen alongside an Iranian flag in the Persian Gulf, Iran, July 25, 2005. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States aims to cut Iran's crude exports by about 20 percent to below 1 million barrels per day (bpd) from May by requiring importing countries to reduce purchases to avoid U.S. sanctions, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
U.S. President Donald Trump eventually aims to halt Iranian oil exports and thereby choke off Tehran's main source of revenue. Washington is pressuring Iran to curtail its nuclear program and stop backing militant proxies across the Middle East.
The United States will likely renew waivers to sanctions for most countries buying Iranian crude, including the biggest buyers China and India, in exchange for pledges to cut combined imports to below 1 million bpd. That would be around 250,000 bpd below Iran's current exports of 1.25 million bpd.
"The goal right now is to reduce Iranian oil exports to under 1 million barrels per day," one of the sources said, adding the Trump administration was concerned that pressing for a complete shutdown of Iran's oil in the short-term would trigger a global oil price spike.
Washington may also deny waivers to some countries that have not bought Iranian crude recently, the sources said.
Attack comes as Brussels pushes for Assad to agree to a UN-sanctioned political settlement
Russia has sent in aircraft to attack the Syrian rebel-held province of Idlib in its first major assault for months, as foreign ministers gathered in Brussels to pledge as much $5bn (£3.8bn) to support countries like Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, where many Syrians have sought refuge.
The bombardment of the country's last rebel-held enclaveby Russian and Syrian planes was the most extensive yet. A full-scale assault could lead to hundreds of thousands of refugees joining the four million who have already fled the country.
* Planes 'conduct routine training', US Pacific Air Force says, reiterating that it does so regularly 'in support of allies and a free, open Indo-Pacific' * It follows US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's criticism of 'China's illegal island-building in international waterways'
Two US B-52 strategic bombers flew over the contested South China Sea on Wednesday, according to the US Pacific Air Force, the second such flight in 10 days despite China's objections.
"Two B-52H Stratofortress bombers took off from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, and conducted routine training in the vicinity of the South China Sea on March 13 [Hawaii Standard Time], before returning to base," a spokeswoman for the Pacific Air Force said in a statement released on Thursday.
What happens when the Pentagon's new ballistic missile defeat program doesn't work? They keep using the old one, which has a spotty track record.
PENTAGON: The Pentagon's next-generation interceptor warhead to kill ballistic missiles, the Redesigned Kill Vehicle (KV), is at least two years away from working out its issues, despite years of development. That pushes back the fielding of the last pieces of a $40 billion dollar missile defense system that has struggled since the late 1990s.
The RKV delay won't effect the overall expansion of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system from 44 to 64 interceptors based in California and Alaska — meant to protect the United States from North Korean missiles — but it does ensure that the existing interceptor, the Exoastmospheric Kill Vehicle (EKV), s will stay in service even longer, despite a spotty track record.
WNU Editor: No one said that this program was going to be easy to pull-off. But after billions of dollars spent and only a so-so success rate in intercepting incoming missiles during fixed tests, you have to wonder if this program is ever going to meet its expectations.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States aims to test a ground-launched cruise missile with a range of about 1,000 km (620 miles) in August, a Pentagon official said on Wednesday, after Washington announced last month it plans to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.
Last month, the United States said it would withdraw from the INF treaty in six months unless Moscow ends what Washington says are violations of the 1987 pact.
Russia announced it was suspending the treaty. Moscow denies flouting the accord and has accused Washington of breaking the accord itself, allegations rejected by the United States.
"We're going to test a ground-launched cruise missile in August," said a senior defense official, who declined to be named.
If the testing is successful, the missile could be deployed in about 18 months.
Countries across the Asia-Pacific are not—repeat not—buying the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter because of China. That's from China's hawkish Global Times—an arm of the newspaper run by the Communist Party of China—which assured readers this week that, while they may read stories that Australia, Japan, South Korea, and now Singapore are all purchasing America's newest stealth fighter, it has totally nothing to do with them.
The result is an interesting look at how the region views China's rapidly expanding defense budget and an increasingly brash and powerful Beijing—and how that news gets spun within China itself.
WNU Editor: China is the reason why there is currently a massive arms race occurring in Asia today .... An Asian Arms Race Is Underway (January 30, 2018).
Here's the US Defense Department's fiscal 2020 budget request for aircraft programs. Excluding one-off buy of 22 used F-5s from Switzerland, overall aircraft procurement would decline compared to FY19. pic.twitter.com/lmtJPBGE5N
The Trump Administration's 2020 Budget is out, and the Pentagon is asking for 17 more aircraft than it received in 2019. A quick tally of the aircraft shows the number of fighter jets and unmanned aerial vehicles the services are asking for is down slightly, while the number of helicopters is up. Also, the Air Force is purchasing eight new F-15s in a deal that smells fishy, given the Acting Secretary of Defense's work career.
NEW ZEALAND'S Prime Minister confirmed 49 people had died after shootings at two mosques in Christchurch after a gunman opened fire while live streaming the shocking attack. Video footage shows the moment the gunman was taken into custody by police.
NEW Zealand has raised its national terrorism threat to the highest level after this morning's mass shooting at two mosques in Christchurch in which 49 people have been killed, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said.
A YOUTUBE celebrity says he is "absolutely sickened" to have his name linked to the man allegedly behind one of the worst shootings in New Zealand history.
FORTY nine people were killed and 48 injured in shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand in the country's worst-ever mass shooting, which Prime Minister Jacinta Arden said was a terrorist attack.
Conservationists say they have found a dead vaquita porpoise, a critically endangered marine animal of which only about 10 remain in the world, in a fish net off the coast of Mexico.
On March 12, crew from environmental group Sea Shepherd set out on patrol ships in the Gulf of California when they spotted an unidentified white animal trapped in an illegal gillnet, an apparatus used to trap fish by their gills.
The animal was believed to be the endangered vaquita, but its severely decomposed corpse made it difficult to identify. Preliminary photos sent to experts confirmed that its body matched that of a vaquita porpoise.
The vaquita is listed as a “critically endangered” species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s Red List of Threatened Species.
A report published by the IUCN on March 6 states that only about 10 vaquitas remained alive in 2018, as per an acoustic monitoring program conducted in the Gulf, though there is a 95% chance they number between 6 and 22.
According to Sea Shepherd, gillnets threaten the vaquita porpoise with imminent extinction. Used to target the totoaba fish, also a critically endangered species of a similar size to the vaquita, the nets are a “perfect death trap.” The totoaba fish is caught largely for its swim bladder, and its numbers have been severely reduced due to overfishing in recent decades.
Some had previously argued that gillnets are not a threat to vaquitas and other cetaceans.
“If there were any reservations about totoaba gillnets being a great danger for vaquitas and other cetaceans, despite ample proof in the past, this event should definitely leave no room for doubt,” said Sea Shepherd Director of Marine Operations Locky Maclean.
In the report, the IUCN called on the government of Mexico to expand net removal efforts to maintain the area where the last few vaquitas remain as a net free zone, and in the long term, to support vaquita-safe fisheries to conserve the species.
“Without immediate, effective action on the part of the Government, the vaquita is doomed to extinction,” the report adds.
The attacks occurred while worshippers attended Friday prayers. The main attack happened at Masjid Al Noor in central Christchurch, the largest city on the country’s southern island, where about 30 people died, according to the Associated Press. A second shooting took place Linwood Masjid Mosque, in an eastern suburb of Christchurch.
It is reported that a number of explosive devices attached to vehicles were defused after the attack.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called the incident a “terrorist attack.”
“There is no place in New Zealand for such acts of extreme and unprecedented violence,” she said at a press conference in Christchurch.
Here’s what we know so far about the events unfolding in New Zealand.
The suspects have not yet been named. Arden confirmed the attackers were not on any security watch lists.
Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed that one of the suspects is an Australian citizen, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Reports say a man by the name of Brenton Tarrant posted a hate-filled manifesto to social media, according to the Morning Herald.
It has also been reported that the suspect streamed the massacre on Facebook Live for approximately 17 minutes. New Zealand Police urged people not to view any “extremely distressing footage” being circulated online, and confirmed that the police are working to remove any footage from the Internet.
What we know about the victims
New Zealand Police Commissioner Mike Bush confirmed that at least 49 people have been killed in the shootings. Ardern said many of the victims are migrants and refugees.
The Canterbury District Health Board confirmed that 48 patients are currently being treated at Christchurch Hospital, including children to adults, some with critical injuries. People with gunshot wounds are also being treated at other hospitals.
What we know about the survivors
Survivors of the attack described a gunman wearing army-style clothing spraying the mosque with bullets. Noor Hamzah, 54, who was inside the Al Noor Mosque when the shooting began, described running for his life and hiding in the mosque’s carpark with several other worshippers, the New Zealand Herald reports.
Sabbir Hussain, who was inside the Linwood Masjid, said he hid in a wash and storeroom before jumping out a window to hide until police arrived, reports stuff.co.nz.
Among those who managed to escape with their lives were several members of Bangladesh’s cricket team, who were in Christchurch for a match against New Zealand. Players and coaches of Bangladesh’s cricket team were on a bus en route to Masjid al Noor mosque in Christchurch when the shooting started, reports the Associated Press. A Saturday match between the New Zealand and Bangladesh cricket teams has been cancelled.
The team’s batsman Tamil Iqbal Khan tweeted about the incident.
Entire team got saved from active shooters!!! Frightening experience and please keep us in your prayers #christchurchMosqueAttack
Ardern said at a press conference that the tragedy in Christchurch could “only be described as a terror attack.” She had earlier condemned the attacks on Twitter:
What has happened in Christchurch is an extraordinary act of unprecedented violence. It has no place in New Zealand. Many of those affected will be members of our migrant communities – New Zealand is their home – they are us.
Other leaders joined Ardern in denouncing the shooting. “I condemn the violent, extremist, right-wing terrorist attack that has stolen the lives of so many innocent New Zealanders as they went about their peaceful practice of worship at their mosques in Christchurch today,” said Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison Twitter.
I condemn the violent, extremist, right-wing terrorist attack that has stolen the lives of so many innocent New Zealanders as they went about their peaceful practice of worship at their mosques in Christchurch today.
Police have asked Christchurch residents to stay at home, and called for the closure of mosques across the country. “We have asked all mosques nationally to shut their doors, and advise that people refrain from visiting,” the New Zealand Police said on Twitter.
The country’s national security threat level has been raised from low to high, according to the Associated Press.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says 40 people have been killed in an attack at mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch.
Four people have been detained, and one is Australian.
Ardern said more than 20 people were seriously injured during the shootings at two mosques during Friday prayers.
Thirty fatalities occurred at the Masjid Al Noor mosque in central Christchurch. Seven of the dead were inside the suburban Linwood Masjid Mosque and three died outside the same mosque.
A man who claimed responsibility for the shootings said in a manifesto that he was a 28-year-old white Australian who came to New Zealand only to plan and train for the attack.
New Zealand police say they’re not aware of other suspects beyond the four who have been arrested after two mosque shootings but they can’t be certain.
Police Commissioner Mike Bush did not elaborate on the suspects who are in custody.
The shootings occurred at two mosques in the Christchurch area during Friday afternoon prayers.
A witness described multiple deaths at the Masjid Al Noor mosque in central Christchurch. A witness who heard about five gunshots at the suburban Linwood Masjid Mosque said two wounded people were carried out on stretchers.
A major cyclone the equivalent of a strong Category 2 hurricane approached the coast of Mozambique late Thursday, prompting residents to brace for what weather authorities have called a likely “worst case scenario.”
Cyclone Idai was forecast to make landfall just south of Beira, the nation’s fourth-largest city with a population of half a million, late Thursday night. It is now carrying sustained 110 mph winds gusting to above 130 mph, according to the Washington Post.
"Extremely dangerous" tropical cyclone #Idai is approaching landfall in #Mozambique, with sustained max winds of 165 kmh and life threatening storm surge which may coincide with high tide. Potential "worst case scenario" for Beira, says WMO RSMC La Reunion @meteofrancepic.twitter.com/yGJKO1K9xe
Flooding from Idai’s path inland has already killed 122 people in Mozambique and Malawi, making it the deadliest weather disaster this year.
The landfall will pose further threat to the African country, with authorities saying it could bring a “life-threatening” storm surge of up to 13 feet along Mozambique’s coastline, and close to 20 feet at the mouth of the Pungwe river, which runs to Zimbabwe. The surge could submerge thousands of homes and businesses, and potentially displace more than 1,000 residents, the Post reports.
Mozambique ranks third among countries in Africa most susceptible to weather-related hazards, according to the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery. In 2015, Cyclone Chedza killed 140, and in 2000, Tropical Cyclone Eline left 350 dead and 650,000 homeless across southern Africa. Cyclone Idai is predicted to be the strongest to make landfall in Mozambique since Eline.
Mozambican authorities have issued a red alert regarding Tropical Cyclone Idai and humanitarian response is ongoing in Malawi and Mozambique. The government, with support from local and international partners, is providing assistance to people already displaced by floods, but access is being impeded by road damage, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
(PYONGYANG, North Korea) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will soon make a decision on whether to continue diplomatic talks and maintain the country’s moratorium on missile launches and nuclear tests, a senior North Korean official said, noting the U.S. threw away a golden opportunity at the recent summit between their leaders.
Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui, addressing an urgent meeting Friday of diplomats and foreign media in Pyongyang, including The Associated Press, said the North was deeply disappointed by the failure of the two sides to reach any agreements at the Hanoi summit between Kim and President Donald Trump.
She said Pyongyang now has no intention of compromising or continuing talks unless the United States takes measures that are commensurate to the changes it has taken — such as the 15-month moratorium on launches and tests — and changes its “political calculation.”
Choe, who attended the Feb. 27-28 talks in Hanoi, said Kim was puzzled by what she called the “eccentric” negotiation position of the U.S. She suggested that while Trump was more willing to talk, the U.S. position was hardened by the uncompromising demands of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Adviser John Bolton.
“Personal relations between the two supreme leaders are still good and the chemistry is mysteriously wonderful,” she added.
She said it was entirely up to Kim whether to continue the launch and test moratorium, and said she expects he will “clarify his position” within a short period of time.
“On our way back to the homeland, our chairman of the state affairs commission said. ‘For what reason do we have to make this train trip again?'” she said. “I want to make it clear that the gangster-like stand of the U.S. will eventually put the situation in danger. We have neither the intention to compromise with the U.S. in any form nor much less the desire or plan to conduct this kind of negotiation.”
Choe questioned the claim by Trump at a news conference after the talks in Hanoi broke down that the North was seeking the lifting of all sanctions against it, and said it was seeking only the ones that are directed at its civilian economy. After the summit had ended, State Department officials clarified that was indeed the North’s position, but said the lifting of economic sanctions was such a big demand that it would essentially subsidize the North’s continued nuclear activity.
Choe said it was the U.S. that was being too demanding and inflexible.
“What is clear is that the U.S. has thrown away a golden opportunity this time,” she said. “I’m not sure why the U.S. came out with this different description. We never asked for the removal of sanctions in their entirety.”
“This time we understood very clearly that the United States has a very different calculation to ours,” she added.
She refused to comment directly when asked by one of the ambassadors about news reports the North may be preparing for another missile launch or satellite launch.
“Whether to maintain this moratorium or not is the decision of our chairman of the state affairs commission,” she said, using one of Kim’s titles. “He will make his decision in a short period of time.”
Journalists were not allowed to ask questions during the briefing, which lasted nearly an hour.
(CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand) — Mass shootings at two mosques full of worshippers attending Friday prayers killed 40 people on what the prime minister called “one of New Zealand’s darkest days,” as authorities detained four people and defused explosive devices in what appeared to be a carefully planned attack.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the events in Christchurch represented “an extraordinary and unprecedented act of violence” and acknowledged many of those affected may be migrants and refugees. In addition to the dead, she said more than 20 people were seriously wounded.
“It is clear that this can now only be described as a terrorist attack,” Ardern said.
Police took three men and a woman into custody after the shootings, which shocked people across the nation of 5 million people.
Authorities have not elaborated on who they detained. But a man who claimed responsibility for the shootings left a 74-page anti-immigrant manifesto in which he explained who he was and his reasoning for his actions. He said he was a 28-year-old white Australian.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed that one of the four people arrested was an Australian-born citizen.
Ardern at a news conference alluded to anti-immigrant sentiment as the possible motive, saying that while many people affected by the shootings may be migrants or refugees “they have chosen to make New Zealand their home, and it is their home. They are us. The person who has perpetuated this violence against us is not.”
Police Commissioner Mike Bush said police were not aware of other suspects beyond the four who were detained but they couldn’t be certain.
“The attackers were apprehended by local police staff. There have been some absolute acts of bravery,” Bush said. “I’m hugely proud of our police staff, the way they responded to this. But let’s not presume the danger is gone.”
Bush said the defense force had defused a number of improvised explosive devices that were attached to vehicles stopped after the attacks.
He said anybody who was thinking of going to a mosque anywhere in New Zealand on Friday should stay put.
The deadliest attack occurred at the Masjid Al Noor mosque in central Christchurch at about 1:45 p.m. Arden said 30 people were killed there.
Witness Len Peneha said he saw a man dressed in black enter the mosque and then heard dozens of shots, followed by people running from the mosque in terror.
Peneha, who lives next door to the mosque, said the gunman ran out of the mosque, dropped what appeared to be a semi-automatic weapon in his driveway, and fled.
Peneha said he then went into the mosque to try and help.
“I saw dead people everywhere. There were three in the hallway, at the door leading into the mosque, and people inside the mosque,” he said. “It’s unbelievable nutty. I don’t understand how anyone could do this to these people, to anyone. It’s ridiculous.”
He said he helped about five people recover in his home. He said one was slightly injured.
“I’ve lived next door to this mosque for about five years and the people are great, they’re very friendly,” he said. “I just don’t understand it.”
He said the gunman was white and was wearing a helmet with some kind of device on top, giving him a military-type appearance.
A video that was apparently livestreamed by the shooter shows the attack in horrifying detail. The gunman spends more than two minutes inside the mosque spraying terrified worshippers with bullets again and again, sometimes re-firing at people he has already cut down.
He then walks outside to the street, where he shoots at people on the sidewalk. Children’s screams can be heard in the distance as he returns to his car to get another rifle.
The gunman then walks back into the mosque, where there are at least two dozen people lying on the ground. After walking back outside and shooting a woman there, he gets back in his car, where the song “Fire” by English rock band “The Crazy World of Arthur Brown” can be heard blasting from the speakers. The singer bellows, “I am the god of hellfire!” and the gunman drives away. The video then cuts out.
There was a second shooting at the Linwood Masjid Mosque that Ardern said killed 10 people.
Mark Nichols told the New Zealand Herald he heard about five gunshots and that a Friday prayer-goer returned fire with a rifle or shotgun.
Nichols said he saw two injured people being carried out on stretchers past his automotive shop and that both people appeared to be alive.
The man who claimed responsibility for the shooting said he came to New Zealand only to plan and train for the attack. He said he was not a member of any organization, but had donated to and interacted with many nationalist groups, though he acted alone and no group ordered the attack.
He said the mosques in Christchurch and Linwood would be the targets, as would a third mosque in the town of Ashburton if he could make it there.
He said he chose New Zealand because of its location, to show that even the most remote parts of the world were not free of “mass immigration.”
New Zealand is generally considered to be a welcoming country for immigrants and refugees. Last year, the prime minister announced the country would boost its annual refugee quota from 1,000 to 1,500 starting in 2020. Ardern, whose party campaigned on the promise of raising the intake of refugees, dubbed the planned increase “the right thing to do.”
A cricket match between New Zealand and Bangladesh scheduled to start Saturday was canceled after the Bangladesh cricket team had a narrow escape.
Players and members of the team’s coaching staff were reportedly on their bus, approaching the Masjid Al Noor mosque in Hagley Park when the shooting broke out.
Batsman Tamim Iqbal tweeted “entire team got saved from active shooters. Frightening experience and please keep us in your prayers.”
Mass shootings in New Zealand are exceedingly rare. The deadliest in modern history occurred in the small town of Aramoana in 1990, when gunman David Gray shot and killed 13 people following a dispute with a neighbor.
(JERUSALEM) — Israeli warplanes on Friday struck some 100 Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip in response to a rare rocket attack on the Israeli metropolis of Tel Aviv. Rocket fire persisted throughout the morning, setting the stage for additional possible reprisals.
The army said that its targets had included an office complex in Gaza City used to plan and command Hamas militant activities, an underground complex that served as Hamas’ main rocket-manufacturing site, and a center used for Hamas drone development. There were no reports of casualties.
The late-night attack on Tel Aviv, Israel’s densely populated commercial and cultural capital, marked a dramatic escalation in hostilities. It was the first time the city had been targeted since a 2014 war between Israel and Gaza militants.
Hamas denied responsibility for the initial rocket attack, saying it went against Palestinian interests. But after a preliminary investigation, Israel said it had concluded that the militant group was behind the attack.
Following the Israeli airstrike, several additional rounds of rocket fire were launched into Israel. The military said several rockets were intercepted by its air defense systems, and there were no reports of injuries.
The fighting broke out as Egyptian mediators were in Gaza trying to broker an expanded cease-fire deal between the bitter enemies.
The initial blasts from the Israeli airstrikes in southern Gaza were so powerful that smoke could be seen in Gaza City, 25 kilometers (15 miles) to the north. The Israeli warplanes could be heard roaring through the skies above Gaza City.
Israel and Hamas are bitter enemies and have fought three wars since the Islamic militant group seized power in Gaza in 2007. Smaller flare-ups have occurred sporadically since Israel and Hamas fought their last war, in 2014.
The sudden outburst of fighting comes at a sensitive time for both sides. Israel is holding national elections in less than a month. Netanyahu is locked in a tight fight for re-election and could face heavy criticism from his opponents if he is seen as ineffective against the militants.
Cabinet Minister Naftali Bennett, a hard-line rival of Netanyahu’s, called on the prime minister to convene a gathering of his Security Cabinet and demand the army “present a plan to defeat Hamas.”
Likewise, Hamas has come under rare public criticism in Gaza for the harsh conditions in the territory. An Israeli-Egyptian blockade, combined with sanctions by the rival Palestinian Authority and mismanagement by the Hamas government, have fueled an economic crisis in the territory. Residents have little desire for another war with Israel.
Earlier Thursday, Hamas police violently broke up a small protest over the harsh living conditions.
Brig. Gen. Ronen Manelis, the chief Israeli military spokesman, said the army had been caught off guard by Thursday night’s rocket barrage and had no advance intelligence.
Israel holds Hamas responsible for all fire coming out of the territory. Hamas possesses a large arsenal of rockets and missiles capable of striking deep inside Israel.
But with Gaza’s economy in tatters, the group has been seeking to preserve calm.
Hamas denied responsibility for the attack on Tel Aviv, saying the rockets were launched when the group’s military wing was meeting with the Egyptian mediators.
In an unusual step that indicated Hamas was attempting to prevent further escalation, the Hamas Interior Ministry said the rocket fire went “against the national consensus” and promised to take action against the perpetrators.
But Israel’s military concluded that Hamas was responsible. In a statement early Friday, the army said “we can confirm” that Hamas carried out the rocket attack.
Islamic Jihad, an Iranian-backed militant group that also has a large rocket arsenal, also denied firing the rockets. Smaller factions inspired by the Islamic State group also sometimes fire rockets, though it is unclear whether they possess projectiles capable of reaching Tel Aviv.
Earlier this week, Israel struck Hamas targets in Gaza in response to rocket fire on southern Israel, near the border. Late Thursday, local media said that Egyptian mediators left the territory.
At the time, Netanyahu issued a warning to Hamas, rejecting suggestions that Israel would be reluctant to take tough action in Gaza ahead of national elections next month.
“I suggest to Hamas, don’t count on it,” he told his Cabinet. “We will do anything necessary to restore security and quiet to the area adjacent to the Gaza Strip and to the south in general.”
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump on Thursday sharply criticized Britain’s handling of negotiations over leaving the European Union, saying the talks have been bungled and that the wrenching debate was dividing the country.
“I’m surprised at how badly it’s all gone from the standpoint of a negotiation,” he said.
Trump, who holds himself up as a master deal-maker, said he gave Prime Minister Theresa May his ideas on how she could negotiate a successful deal for leaving the 28-member group of nations. But “she didn’t listen to that and that’s fine. I mean she’s got to do what she’s got to do,” he said at the White House as he welcomed Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar for an early St. Patrick’s Day celebration.
“I think it could have been negotiated in a different manner, frankly,” Trump said. “I hate to see it being, everything being ripped apart right now.”
Trump spoke hours before British lawmakers voted to delay Brexit for at least three months. Britain’s exit from the EU had been scheduled for March 29. The motion commits May’s government to seek an extension until June 30 if Parliament approves a U.K.-EU withdrawal deal next week.
Trump predicted later Thursday that the situation eventually would work itself out. The president said he and Varadkar discussed the issue during their Oval Office meeting. Varadkar opposes Britain’s EU exit and expressed concern about how such a move would affect Northern Ireland.
“We talked about Brexit, something that’s turning out to be a little more complex than they thought it would be,” Trump said at an annual Capitol Hill luncheon for the Irish. “But it’ll all work out. Everything does. One way or the other, it’s going to work out.”
The Republican president was at the Capitol just hours before 12 GOP senators broke ranks and voted to reject his declaration of a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump had taken that step so he could spend money that lawmakers refused to give the administration specifically to build a wall there.
The Democratic-run House, led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, voted last month to block the declaration.
Pelosi used the luncheon to make a pointed plug for immigration after just she had just described the annual event as “a tradition where we dispense with our differences, whether they’re political or whether they’re competitive in any other way.”
Speaking about the contributions of Irish-Americans, Pelosi quoted Republican President Ronald Reagan as saying U.S. leadership would be lost “if we ever close the door to new Americans.” Then she told the bipartisan luncheon: “You can applaud if you want.”
When an Ethiopian Airlines flight carrying 157 passengers crashed Sunday, killing all aboard, the world lost nearly two dozen “superheroes”—selfless humanitarians and peace-seekers whose work for the United Nations helped save thousands of lives across the globe, according to environmental leaders and friends of the victims.
At least 22 U.N. workers were killed when the doomed Nairobi, Kenya-bound flight went down minutes after taking off from Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, officials said. Some of them were headed to Nairobi to attend the fourth U.N. Environment Assembly, the top decision-making body on global environmental issues, which kicked off Monday with a somber moment of silence. Heads were bowed and flags were flown at half-staff, officials said, as the thousands gathered paid tribute to their fallen colleagues.
Among the dead was 38-year-old Victor Tsang, a kind and fierce fighter for women’s rights, who was about a month away from enjoying the birth of his second child, according to his colleagues and friends.
“He was the best of his generation and such a decent human being,” said Erik Solheim, the former executive director of the U.N. Environment Programme. “Victor made the world a better place. He spread sunshine wherever he went.”
Tsang, a Hong Kong native, championed gender equality and promoted sustainable energy as an ambassador for the U.N. Environment Programme, the agency said. “He was a very strong feminist,” Solheim told TIME, adding that Tsang may have been motivated to fight for the cause because of his close connection to his wife, who is eight months pregnant. The couple “did everything together” and deeply loved their 2-year-old son, colleagues said.
“He would play with his child like a child,” said Pushpam Kumar, the U.N. Environment Assembly’s chief environmental economist. “He had boundless energy.”
When he learned of his colleague’s death, Kumar said he had flashbacks of happier memories of Tsang bringing his son into his Nairobi office and expressing his excitement about his upcoming baby. But Kumar, 50, was also hit with waves of sadness. “Life is so fragile. We know that. But this was something else,” he said, adding that he had to ask himself, “Victor is no more?”
“He had a full life to go,” Kumar said. “All this potential gone forever.”
Solheim, Tsang’s former boss, said Tsang “could have achieved so much.” Solheim said Tsang was brave and determined to effect change even if it meant constantly barging into his office with new ideas. “A lot of people don’t dare to do that,” Solheim said with a laugh. “It may be strange, but the U.N. is a very authoritarian institution. But he was frank, coming with suggestions on how to do things other ways. That’s what I will remember about him.”
Tsang became “one of the strongest voices in the organization for the promotion of women,” Solheim said. He also took his activism outside of the office and spread awareness about the issue around the globe. “He had no enemies. His hard work, dedication—it would have taken him very far in life,” Solheim said. “It was a life cut short when it was starting to flourish.”
Sunday’s crash also claimed the life of Oliver Vick, a British native who worked for the U.N. Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) and helped set up elections in Afghanistan, according to the organization and his friends. “He was a very free spirit,” said Sheilagh Henry, a U.N. official based in New York and Vick’s good friend.
Deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague Oliver Vick in the Ethiopia plane crash. We express our heartfelt sympathies to his family and loved ones and mourn the loss of a passionate and talented friend who worked tirelessly for peace in #Somalia. We will miss Olly every day. pic.twitter.com/ow3QgMqGV6
Vick was also a skilled worker who fought “tirelessly for peace in Somalia,” UNSOM said in a statement. He also “had political knowledge of every country he ever worked with” and was the person his colleagues could turn to for “information, for insight and for friendship and fun,” Henry said. More importantly to him, Vick was an “amazing father” to two young children—at least one of whom was born while Vick was on the job in Afghanistan, Henry said.
“The world just won’t be the same without him,” Henry said through tears.
Also killed were seven people who worked for the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP), which helps more than 90 million people in more than 80 countries each year. Its workers face perilous conditions every day they’re on the job, often rushing toward tsunamis and volcanoes and setting up camp in war zones and hostile territories as others flee, according to WFP Executive Director David Beasley. They delivered food and relief despite threats from terrorists, extremists and the worst of Mother Nature.
“The seven we lost really represent the best of the best,” Beasley told TIME. “Thousands upon thousands are alive today because of these seven. Thousands upon thousands have better lives and dreams to fulfill now because of these seven.”
“They’re superheroes,” he added. “They laid their lives down for others every single day. We didn’t expect them to go down like this. This is heartbreaking.”
The seven WFP workers who were killed included Ekta Adhikari, 28, from Nepal, who was stationed in Addis Ababa. “She was the life of the office,” Beasley recalled, adding that she was also “inspiring and encouraging.” The team also lost Michael Ryan, a 39-year-old engineer from Ireland, who Beasley credits for saving thousands of people. Ryan joined the group as head of engineering in Addis Ababa in 2012. He leaves behind a wife and two children, including a 6-month-old baby.
Photo courtesy U.N. World Food Programme Michael Ryan
Other U.N. agencies that lost workers in the crash include the United Nations office in Nairobi, the International Telecommunications Union and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva.
The 157 victims in total came from 35 countries, including Kenya, Canada, Ethiopia, France, China, Italy, Britain and the U.S., officials said. It’s still unclear what caused the crash, which prompted about 40 nations—including the U.S. as recently as Wednesday—to ground all of its Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft. It was the second fatal crash involving the model in just five months.
Environmental leaders and colleagues of the slain humanitarians pledged to forge ahead in their memory. At Monday’s assembly, Joyce Msuya, acting executive director of the U.N. Environment Programme, urged the more than 4,700 delegates at the event to remain “optimistic and bold” and to keep working toward the goal of reducing fossil fuel use and waste.
Beasley said continuing the victims’ work would be the best way to remember them. “Every single one of [them] would want us to not skip a beat. They would want us to go and do more on their behalf,” he said. “This tragedy, I believe, is letting the world know the sacrifices that humanitarians go through every day around the world. And I’m hoping that through this tragedy, people all over the world will be inspired to do even more.”
“The deaths of all these humanitarians on that plane will not be vain,” Beasley added.
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