US fighter jet shoots down unidentified, cylindrical object over Canada

F-22 fighter jets have now taken out three objects in the airspace above the US and Canada over seven days. (AFP)
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Updated 12 February 2023
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US fighter jet shoots down unidentified, cylindrical object over Canada

  • US and Canadian planes flew together to take on the object Saturday, the US Department of Defense said

WASHINGTON/OTTAWA: A US F-22 fighter jet shot down an unidentified cylindrical object over Canada on Saturday, the second such shootdown in as many days, as North America appeared on heightened alert following a week-long Chinese spying balloon saga that drew the global spotlight.
Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau first announced the shootdown over the Yukon territory in the country’s north and said Canadian forces would recover and analyze the wreckage.
Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand declined to speculate about the origin of the object, which she said was cylindrical in shape. She stopped short of describing it as a balloon but said it was smaller than the Chinese balloon shot down off South Carolina’s coast a week ago, but similar in appearance. She said it was flying at 40,000 feet and posed a risk to civilian air traffic when it was shot down at 3:41 EST (2041 GMT).
“There is no reason to believe that the impact of the object in Canadian territory is of any public concern,” Anand told a news conference.
The Pentagon said the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) detected the object over Alaska late Friday evening. US fighter jets from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, monitored the object as it crossed over into Canadian airspace, where Canadian CF-18 and CP-140 aircraft joined the formation.
“A US F-22 shot down the object in Canadian territory using an AIM 9X missile following close coordination between US and Canadian authorities,” Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said in a statement.
US President Joe Biden authorized the US military to work with Canada to take down the high-altitude craft after a call between Biden and Trudeau, the Pentagon said. The White House said Biden and Trudeau agreed to continue close coordination to “defend our airspace.”
“The leaders discussed the importance of recovering the object in order to determine more details on its purpose or origin,” the White House said in a statement.
A day earlier, Biden ordered another shootdown of an unidentified flying object near Deadhorse, Alaska. The US military on Saturday remained tight-lipped about what, if anything, it had learned as recovery efforts were underway on the Alaskan sea ice.
The Pentagon on Friday offered only a few details, including that the object was the size of a small car, it was flying at about 40,000 feet and could not maneuver and appeared to be unmanned. US officials have been trying to learn about the object since it was first spotted on Thursday.
“We have no further details at this time about the object, including its capabilities, purpose, or origin,” Northern Command said on Saturday.
It noted difficult arctic weather conditions, including wind chill, snow, and limited daylight that can hinder search and recovery efforts.
“Personnel will adjust recovery operations to maintain safety,” Northern Command said.
On Feb. 4, a US F-22 fighter jet brought down what the US government called a Chinese surveillance balloon off the coast of South Carolina following its week-long journey across the United States and portions of Canada. China’s government has said it was a civilian research vessel.
Some US lawmakers criticized Biden for not shooting down the Chinese balloon sooner. The US military had recommended waiting until it was over the ocean out of fear of injuries from falling debris.
US personnel have been scouring the ocean to recover debris and the undercarriage of electronic gadgetry since the shootdown of the 200-foot-tall (60-meter-high) Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon.
The Pentagon has said a significant amount of the balloon had already been recovered or located, suggesting American officials may soon have more information about any Chinese espionage capabilities aboard the vessel.
Sea conditions on Feb. 10 “permitted dive and underwater unmanned vehicle (UUV) activities and the retrieval of additional debris from the sea floor,” Northern Command said.
“The public may see US Navy vessels moving to and from the site as they conduct offload and resupply activities.”

 


UK PM refuses to say if Israel committing genocide in Gaza

Updated 8 sec ago
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UK PM refuses to say if Israel committing genocide in Gaza

 

— Keir Starmer: It is a ‘really serious, unacceptable, intolerable situation’

 

— UN humanitarian chief: International community must ‘act now’ to ‘prevent genocide’

 

London: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has refused to be drawn on whether Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

 

It follows comments from Tom Fletcher, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, that the international community needs to “act now” to “prevent genocide” in the Palestinian enclave.

 

Fletcher also told the UN Security Council that Israel has been “deliberately and unashamedly” blocking aid from entering Gaza.

 

Starmer was asked by Sky News at a press conference following a new set of agreements with the EU if he believes genocide is happening in Gaza.

 

He did not answer the question directly, but said it is a “really serious, unacceptable, intolerable situation.”

 

His words were echoed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who was also in attendance and called for the “unacceptable” blockade by Israel to be “lifted now.”

 

The Genocide Convention defines genocide as the “intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group,” including acts such as killings, causing physical or mental harm, or creating conditions in order to destroy an identified group.


Israeli politician slammed for saying country should not 'kill babies for a hobby'

Updated 27 sec ago
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Israeli politician slammed for saying country should not 'kill babies for a hobby'

JERUSALEM: Israeli government and opposition leaders condemned on Tuesday a left-wing politician, Yair Golan, after he said in a radio interview that “a sane country... does not kill babies for a hobby.”
“Israel is on the path to becoming a pariah state among the nations — like the South Africa of old — if it does not return to behaving like a sane country,” said Golan, chairman of Israel’s Democrats party.
“A sane country does not wage war against civilians, does not kill babies for a hobby, and does not set goals involving the expulsion of populations,” he told Israel’s Kan public radio.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Golan, a former major general in the military, of “wild incitement” against Israeli troops and of “echoing the most despicable anti-Semitic blood libels against the (Israeli army) and the State of Israel.”
Golan also drew condemnation from government critics, with opposition leader Yair Lapid saying in a post on X: “Our fighters are heroes and are defending our lives. The statement that they kill children as a hobby is incorrect and is a gift to our enemies.”
Education Minister Yoav Kisch, of Netanyahu’s party, called for an investigation for incitement into Golan, whose party is a coalition of several left-wing factions.
“Golan is not a member of Knesset and does not have immunity. I expect the attorney general to immediately open an investigation against him for incitement,” Kisch said on X.
Military chief Eyal Zamir in a statement condemned remarks that cast doubt on the “morality” of the army’s actions and of its troops.
Responding to criticism, Golan said on X that he was trying to sound the alarm on the direction he believed Israel was headed.
The government’s war plans are “the realization of the fantasies of (Itamar) Ben Gvir and (Bezalel) Smotrich,” Golan said, referring to two far-right ministers.
“If we allow them to realize them, we will become a pariah state,” the left-wing politician said.
Golan is a vocal opponent of Netanyahu’s government and its policies.
In November 2024, he accused Netanyahu of putting his own political interests before the country’s following a decision to dismiss defense minister Yoav Gallant.

Pakistan, India agree to withdraw troops by end May

Updated 20 May 2025
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Pakistan, India agree to withdraw troops by end May

  • More than 70 people were killed in the four-day conflict
  • The military confrontation involving intense tit-for-tat drone, missile, aerial combat and artillery exchanges

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and India have agreed to withdraw troop reinforcements deployed during their recent conflict back to their peacetime positions by the end of May, a senior Pakistani security official told AFP on Tuesday.
More than 70 people were killed in the four-day conflict, which was sparked by an attack on tourists by gunmen in Indian-administered Kashmir last month that New Delhi accused Islamabad of backing -- a charge it denies.
The military confrontation involving intense tit-for-tat drone, missile, aerial combat and artillery exchanges came to an abrupt end after US President Donald Trump announced a surprise ceasefire, which is still holding.
"Troops will be withdrawn to pre-conflict positions by the end of May," the senior security official told AFP on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media.
The official said both countries agreed a phased withdrawal of the additional troops and weaponry deployed, mostly on the already heavily militarised de facto border in Kashmir, known as the Line of Control (LoC).
It comes after the Indian army last week said both sides agreed to take "immediate measures to ensure troop reduction from the borders and forward areas".
"All of these steps were initially planned to be completed within 10 days, but minor issues caused delays," the Pakistani official added.
Kashmir is claimed in full by both India and Pakistan, which have fought several wars over Muslim majority region since their 1947 independence from British rule.
The latest conflict began on May 7 when India launched strikes against what it said were "terrorist camps" in Pakistan, triggering an immediate response from Islamabad.


WHO members adopt a ‘pandemic agreement’ born out of the disjointed global COVID response

Updated 20 May 2025
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WHO members adopt a ‘pandemic agreement’ born out of the disjointed global COVID response

GENEVA: The World Health Organization’s member countries on Tuesday approved an agreement to better prevent, prepare for and respond to future pandemics in the wake of the devastation wrought by the coronavirus.
Sustained applause echoed in a Geneva hall hosting the WHO’s annual assembly as the measure — debated and devised over three years — passed without opposition.
The treaty guarantees that countries which share virus samples will receive tests, medicines and vaccines. Up to 20 percent of such products would be given to the WHO to ensure poorer countries have some access to them when the next pandemic hits.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has touted the agreement as “historic” and a sign of multilateralism at a time when many countries are putting national interests ahead of shared values and cooperation.
Dr. Esperance Luvindao, Namibia’s health minister and the chair of a committee that paved the way for Tuesday’s adoption, said that the COVID-19 pandemic inflicted huge costs “on lives, livelihoods and economies.”
“We — as sovereign states — have resolved to join hands, as one world together, so we can protect our children, elders, frontline health workers and all others from the next pandemic,” Luvindao added. “It is our duty and responsibility to humanity.”
The treaty’s effectiveness will face doubts because the United States — which poured billions into speedy work by pharmaceutical companies to develop COVID-19 vaccines — is sitting out, and because countries face no penalties if they ignore it, a common issue in international law.
The US, traditionally the top donor to the UN health agency, was not part of the final stages of the agreement process after the Trump administration announced a US pullout from the WHO and funding to the agency in January.


Hungarian lawmakers approve bill to quit International Criminal Court

Updated 20 May 2025
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Hungarian lawmakers approve bill to quit International Criminal Court

  • The government announced the move after Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Hungary in defiance of an ICC arrest warrant

Hungary’s parliament approved a bill on Tuesday that will start the country’s year-long withdrawal process from the International Criminal Court, which Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government said has become “political.”
Orban’s government announced the move on April 3, shortly after Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Hungary for a state visit in a rare trip abroad in defiance of an ICC arrest warrant. The ICC’s Presidency of the Assembly of State Parties expressed concern at the move.
The International Criminal Court was set up more than two decades ago to prosecute those accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
Orban last month said the ICC was “no longer an impartial court, a rule-of-law court, but rather a political court.”
Hungary has rejected the idea of arresting the Israeli prime minister and has called the warrant “brazen.”
Hungary is a founding member of the ICC and ratified its founding document in 2001. However, the law has not been promulgated.
The bill to withdraw from the ICC passed on Tuesday with 134 members voting in favor and 37 against.
“Hungary firmly rejects the use of international organizations — in particular criminal courts — as instruments of political influence,” the bill, submitted by Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjen, said on parliament’s website.
Netanyahu called Hungary’s decision to leave the ICC a “bold and principled decision.”
The Israeli prime minister faces an ICC arrest warrant over allegations of war crimes in Gaza as Israel expands its military operation in the Palestinian enclave. Netanyahu has denied the allegations.
A country’s withdrawal from the ICC comes into effect one year after the United Nations Secretary-General receives a written notification of the decision.