Syria’s Kurds push US to stop Turkish assault on key enclave - ABC News
▻http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/syrias-kurds-push-us-stop-turkish-assault-key-52750931
Syria’s Kurdish militia is growing frustrated with its patron, the United States, and is pressing it to do more to stop Turkey’s assault on a key stronghold in Syria.
UAE says Qatar fighter jets intercept flight ; Doha denies it - ABC News
▻http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/uae-claims-qatar-fighter-jet-intercepts-commercial-flight-52351549
aujourd’hui
The United Arab Emirates on Monday claimed that Qatari fighter jets intercepted one of its commercial airliners in international airspace on the way to Bahrain, an allegation promptly denied by a Doha official.
hier
Qatar says Emirati plane violated airspace, UAE denies
▻https://www.reuters.com/article/us-gulf-qatar-emirates/qatar-says-emirati-plane-violated-airspace-uae-denies-idUSKBN1F035W
Je précise à ceux qui ne suivent pas l’actualité du monde arabe qu’il ne s’agit pas de foot !
Je pense qu’on est toujours dans #nuit_torride
Deux (?) incidents avec des avions militaires émiratis,
Recently, Qatar accused Emirati military jets of violating its air space in December and January in two incidents, filing a complaint to the United Nations.
Celui de décembre est décrit, mais je ne trouve pas trace de celui de janvier. Peut-être s’agit-il du dépôt de plainte ?
Mais il y a aussi l’info sur le prince qatari dont MbS a pu, un temps, penser qu’il pouvait l’utiliser comme pion …
On Sunday night, an exiled Qatari ruling family member once promoted by Saudi Arabia amid its ongoing dispute with Doha appeared in an online video, claiming he’s being held against his will in the United Arab Emirates, an allegation denied by Abu Dhabi.
The video of Sheikh Abdullah bin Ali Al Thani, a little-known ruling family member until the Qatar crisis, also offered new fuel to the stalemated dispute. It also recalled the bizarre, now-reversed resignation of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri while on a trip Riyadh, a Nov. 4 decision that was widely perceived as Saudi-orchestrated at the time.
(info bien détaillée dans la légende de la photo dans ton billet)
Exiled Sheikh Abdullah, once promoted by Saudi Arabia amid its ongoing dispute with Doha, appeared in an online video posted Sunday, Jan. 14, 2018, and aired by Doha-based satellite news network Al-Jazeera, claiming he’s being held against his will in the United Arab Emirates, an allegation denied by an Abu Dhabi official.
Et dans Al Akhbar:
بديل «نظام الحمدين» محتجز في أبو ظبي! | الأخبار
▻http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/289286
ويوم أمس، انتشر مقطع مصور يظهر آل ثاني وهو يتهم ولي عهد أبو ظبي، محمد بن زايد، باحتجازه، محملاً الأخير المسؤولية عن أي أذى يلحق به. وقال آل ثاني، في التسجيل، «(إنني) كنت ضيفاً عند الشيخ محمد، (إلا أنني) الآن لم أعد في وضع ضيافة وإنما في وضعية احتجاز»، مضيفاً أن الإماراتيين أوعزوا إليه بعدم مغادرة المكان الذي يقيم فيه. وأعرب عن خشيته من أن «يحصل لي مكروه، ويقوموا بإلقاء اللوم على قطر»، مشدداً على أنه «إذا حدث لي شيء، فأهل قطر بريئون منه، والشيخ محمد هو من يتحمل المسؤولية».
I migranti che la Norvegia non vuole più
Nella contea di #Østfold, un centinaio di chilometri a sud di Oslo, in Norvegia, sorge un grande e asettico hangar un tempo conosciuto come Smart club. Per decisione del ministero dell’immigrazione e dell’integrazione, al suo interno sono state montate una cinquantina di tende militari in fila per tre, in modo che lo spazio libero tra una tenda e l’altra non sia maggiore di sei-sette metri. Il campo coperto è un mondo a sé: vi si può accedere solo da alcune porte, mentre su tutto il perimetro della sua superficie l’illuminazione è artificiale, anche di giorno.
Le tende raccolte nell’hangar possono raggiungere una capienza complessiva di mille posti letto. Qui, a partire dal 2018, saranno rinchiusi tutti i migranti che arrivano in Norvegia in attesa di sapere se otterranno o meno l’asilo politico. La permanenza durerà al massimo 21 giorni: chi otterrà l’asilo sarà poi trasferito in centri di accoglienza, chi andrà incontro a un rifiuto sarà invece immediatamente espulso. Rimpatriato nei paesi di partenza o rispedito in quelli di transito.
È questo il modo in cui la ministra dell’immigrazione e dell’integrazione #Sylvi_Listhaug intende procedere a una “revisione totale” del sistema d’asilo in Norvegia. Listhaug è una dei due ministri in quota al Partito del progresso, la formazione politica di destra radicale – che però rifiuta di essere definita sia di “estrema destra”, sia “populista” – che dal 2013 governa con il Partito conservatore. Le elezioni del settembre 2017 hanno confermato la stessa maggioranza di governo, lasciando il partito laburista e le altre formazioni di sinistra all’opposizione.
La decisione di rinchiudere tutti i migranti in unico luogo è solo l’ultimo atto della profonda rivisitazione delle politiche dell’immigrazione (e non solo di quelle che riguardano i richiedenti asilo) volute dal Partito del progresso.
cc @reka même si le texte est en italien...
Norway set to deport teenager to country she’s never visited
As an Afghan refugee born in Iran, her education during those years consisted of reading children’s books with her mother, and occasionally attending an informal class with other refugee children in someone’s home. At the age of 12, Taibah had never seen the inside of a proper classroom.
She’s now a senior at Thora Storm High School in Trondheim. Six years after setting foot inside a real school, she’s staring at a future on the outside, again.
https://s.abcnews.com/images/International/Taibeh-4-ht-er-180305_16x9_992.jpg 
https://s.abcnews.com/images/International/Taibeh-5-ht-er-180305_16x9_992.jpg 
https://s.abcnews.com/images/International/Taibeh-3-ht-er-180305_16x9_992.jpg 
Breaking silence, Lebanese PM’s brother backs resignation
▻http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/breaking-silence-lebanese-pms-brother-backs-resignation-51170615
Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s older brother broke his silence Wednesday over the premier’s mysterious resignation, saying he supports his brother’s decision to step down over the growing demands and actions of Hezbollah.
In a statement from Bahaa Hariri’s office sent to The Associated Press, he accuses Hezbollah of seeking “to take control of Lebanon.” He also expressed gratitude to Saudi Arabia for “decades of support” for Lebanon’s national institutions.
The Angry Arab News Service/وكالة أنباء العربي الغاضب : Bahaa Hariri
▻http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2017/11/bahaa-hariri.html
What is stunning about the detention of Sa`d Hariri, is that his brother (the benefactor of the Hariri Center at the Atlantic Council) didnot utter a word about the plight of his own brother. Blinded by political ambition.
Ten sailors missing after U.S. warship, tanker collide near Singapore
▻https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-navy-crash-idUSKCN1B100C
ça devient une habitude…
mais cette fois à babord, donc, a priori, c’est lui qui a priorité…
Ten sailors are missing after a U.S. warship collided with an oil tanker east of Singapore before dawn on Monday, tearing a hole beneath the waterline and flooding compartments that include a crew sleeping area, the U.S. Navy said.
The collision between the guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain and the tanker Alnic MC was the second involving U.S. Navy destroyers and merchant vessels in Asian waters in little more than two months.
The ships collided while the U.S. warship was heading to Singapore for a routine port call, the Navy said in a statement.
La trajectoire du Alnic MC (il y a 10 minutes, il était à l’arrêt à l’entrée du port - le point rouge à l’extrémité de la trajectoire)
(il faut dire, il y a beaucoup de monde devant Singapour et dans le détroit…)
Il revenait juste d’avoir fait le kéké, pardon fait respecter les principes de liberté de navigation, sur les Spratleys,…
▻https://seenthis.net/messages/621711
Ici, il est hors de question d’imaginer une quelconque défaillance de la veille sur l’un ou l’autre navire : ça doit être l’endroit où le trafic est le plus dense au monde et on est aux abords immédiats du port…
En revanche, le communiqué de la Navy laisse songeur. Le John McCain est abordé à babord (à l’arrière de sa seconde cheminée), vraisemblablement à l’endroit où s’achève la dernière ligne droite de la trajectoire) alors que le pétrolier vient de l’est et se dirige vers le terminal pétrolier (dans l’axe de cette ligne droite). Difficile à imaginer si le John McCain entrait au port ; normalement, il présentait son flanc tribord…
Au vu des photos, et de l’enfoncement des tôles, il semblerait que le pétrolier venait de l’arrière.
Stricken destroyer John S. McCain arrives in Singapore, 10 crew still missing
▻http://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2017/08/20/navy-destroyer-john-s-mccain-collides-with-merchant-vessel
Mounting questions
The details of how the collisions occurred remain unkown, But incidents such as those with the McCain and Fitzgerald incidents are troubling, said Jan van Tol, a retired commander of three war ships who now serves as an analyst with the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.
“Navy destroyers are remarkably nimble and responsive, including rapid acceleration ability, thus should certainly be able to get out of the way of almost anything approaching ‘too close,’” van Tol said in an email.
“Such close quarters situations should NEVER be allowed to develop without various watchstanders and watchteams being well aware that they are developing,” he said.
It is unknown whether McCain had suffered any kind of casualty to its engineering or steering systems ahead of the collision that would have contributed to the disaster.
The collision was the fourth significant safety incident of 2017 involving a U.S. 7th Fleet ship. In January, the cruiser Antietam ran aground in Tokyo Bay and in May, the cruiser Lake Champlain collided with a Korean fishing boat in the Sea of Japan.
(outre le Fitzgerald)
Complètement dingue !
La collision a eu lieu nettement plus à l’est, juste à l’entrée du dispositif de séparation de trafic. Dans les derniers instants, on voit l’Alnic NC abattre en grand sur la gauche en ralentissant fortement, indice évident d’une manœuvre en catastrophe, qui ne peut se justifier (on est dans le rail, bon sang !) que par une tentative d’évitement désespérée…
Mille sabords !, que fabriquait cet amiral de bateau-lavoir de USS John S. McCain à cet endroit là ?
(NB : le père et le grand-père du sénateur, John S. McCain III, ont tous les deux terminé leur carrière comme amiral et, pour faire simple portaient également le même middle name, Sidney. On fait dans la dynastie ou pas…)
Comment a-t-il pu couper la route d’un bateau dont la route est absolument rectiligne et prévisible (il est dans le rail) ? Peut-être le McCain n’y était-il pas et a-t-il manœuvré brutalement pour s’y placer ?
▻https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlrA36GzHNs
EDIT (24/08)
pour gCaptain, l’abattée à gauche est le résultat de la collision, ce qui parait tout à fait crédible et explique bien la forme de l’enfoncement sur l’arrière de l’ouverture. Le McCain devait filer vite pour dévier à ce point la trajectore.
Du coup, on peut élaborer un scénario où le McCain coupe, pour des raisons qu’il reste à préciser, le rail « conformément aux règles internationales » : perpendiculairement et le plus vite possible. Et dans ce cas, il est responsable à 100%…
Comment, elle a dit déjà l’amirauté ? ah oui, #poor_seamanship …
▻http://gcaptain.com/uss-john-s-mccain-collision-ais-animation-shows-tankers-track-during-colli
Une embarcation fait le tour du John McCain au mouillage
▻https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn8T_9JkTp0
(dans les spots télé, les séquences vidéo sont essentiellement des images d’archive ; c’est flagrant sur les (longues) images d’accostage, où le navire est dans ses lignes d’eaux, ce qui n’est plus le cas après l’abordage…)
The Latest: US Navy vessel arrives to help damaged destroyer - The Washington Post
▻https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/the-latest-us-warship-sailing-on-own-power-after-collision/2017/08/20/9c7ae012-860e-11e7-96a7-d178cf3524eb_story.html
5:00 p.m.
The oil tanker involved in a collision with the USS John S. McCain destroyer in busy Southeast Asian waters had four deficiencies including navigation safety violations in its last port inspection.
An official database for ports in Asia shows the Alnic MC was inspected in the Chinese port of Dongying on July 29 and had one document deficiency, one fire safety deficiency and two safety of navigation problems.
The database doesn’t go into details and the problems were apparently not serious enough for the Liberian-flagged and Greek-owned vessel to be detained by the port authority.
[…]
4:10 p.m.
The chief of Malaysia’s Maritime Enforcement Agency says the collision between an oil tanker and the USS John S. McCain guided missile destroyer early Monday occurred at the start of a designated sea lane for ships sailing into the Singapore Strait, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.
Zulkifli Abu Bakar said the incident occurred 4.5 nautical miles (8.3 kilometers) from Malaysia’s coast. He said a Malaysian warship was in the area monitoring the cleanup of an oil spill from an unrelated collision of two merchant ships and was contacted by the McCain.
Both Malaysia and Singapore say the accident happened in their waters, likely reflecting a dispute about ownership of some rocky outcrops in the area.
“It happened in Malaysian territorial waters, specifically in Teluk Ramunia waters,” Zulkifli said. “For this moment, we shouldn’t argue about whose waters. Most important thing is we focus on the search and rescue.”
Frontière entre la Malaisie et Singapour — Wikipédia
▻https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frontière_entre_la_Malaisie_et_Singapour
La délimitation de cette frontière maritime a fait l’objet d’un recours devant la Cour internationale de justice, effectué conjointement le 24 juillet 2003 par la Malaisie et Singapour. Le différend portait sur l’île de Pedra Branca, les Middle Rocks (deux rochers inhabités) et South Ledge, un haut-fond découvrant. Par un arrêt du 23 mai 2008, la Cour a attribué Pedra Blanca à Singapour, les Middle Rocks à la Malaisie, et South Ledge à l’État dans les eaux territoriales duquel il se trouve (la Cour n’ayant pas reçu mandat des parties pour délimiter leurs eaux territoriales respectives).
L’arrêt de la CIJ
Affaire relative à la souveraineté sur Pedra Blanca/Pulau Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks et South Ledge –(Malaisie/Singapour)
Arrêt du 23 mai 2008
▻http://www.icj-cij.org/files/case-related/130/130-20080523-JUD-01-00-FR.pdf
(il me semblait avoir vu passer ce contentieux ici)
Situation relative du rail et des îlots
(le phare Horsburgh Light est construit sur Pedra Blanca)
Serrage de boulons généralisé…
Admiral to order operational pause in Navy after warship, merchant ship collide - CNN
▻http://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/20/asia/us-navy-destroyer-collision-singapore/index.html
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson is expected to order a one-day pause in operations “to ensure we are taking all appropriate immediate measures to enhance the Navy’s safe and effective operation around the world,” according to a US Defense official and an advanced copy of Richardson’s statement obtained by CNN.
The stand-down will take place over the next couple of weeks, at the discretion of individual commands, the defense official said.
The order comes after a US Navy guided-missile destroyer collided early Monday with an oil tanker east of Singapore, the fourth accident this year involving a US warship in Asian waters.
“This is the second major collision in the last three months, and is the latest in a series of major incidents, particularly in the Pacific theater. This trend demands more forceful action,” Richardson’s statement says.
C’est le moment de ressortir la vanne éculée du phare et du porte-avions états-unien… #lighthouse_vs_US_Navy
▻https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lighthouse_and_naval_vessel_urban_legend
US Navy also considering ’cyber intrusion or sabotage’ as possible causes for USS John McCain collision
▻http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/us-navy-also-considering-cyber-intrusion-sabotage-possible-causes-uss-joh
A steering failure, or maybe even hacked systems – the US Navy is considering all possible reasons after launching a broad investigation into the collision of the US guided-missile destroyer USS John McCain with an oil tanker off the coast of Singapore on Monday (21 August).
Plusieurs médias reprennent l’hypothèse, apparemment émise par l’US Navy, de panne de l’appareil à gouverner (#avarie_de_barre, un des entrainements les plus fréquents en passerelle dans mon souvenir, presqu’autant que #un_homme_à_la_mer à babord/tribord suivie du Boutakov règlementaire…) Je ne trouve pas le communiqué original. Pas plus que, l’évocation officielle d’une #cyber-attaque qui aurait déjà été plus ou moins éliminée par la marine.
Apparemment, la source initiale est CNN
Ships, aircraft search for crashed US destroyer’s 10 missing crew - CNNPolitics
▻http://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/21/politics/uss-john-s-mccain-collision/index.html?sr=twCNN082217uss-john-s-mccain-collision0958AMVODtop
What caused the accident?
The warship suffered a steering failure as the warship was beginning its approach into the Strait of Malacca, causing it to collide with a commercial tanker Monday, a US Navy official told CNN.
The official said it was unclear why the crew couldn’t utilize the ship’s backup steering systems to maintain control of ship.
Earlier, another US Navy official told CNN there were indications the destroyer experienced a loss of steering right before the collision, but steering had been regained after the collision.
Évidemment, l’option #hacker circule pas mal (déjà pour l’USS Fitzgerald), Popular Mechanics explique de son côté que ça ne peut pas être du #GPS_spoofing, etc.
No, the USS McCain Wasn’t a Victim of GPS Spoofing
▻http://www.popularmechanics.com/military/navy-ships/news/a27854/uss-mccain-collision-gps
Ah, ben Les Échos relaient le complotisme, bravo…
(oubliant au passage l’hypothèse de l’avarie de barre, mise en avant par l’amiral Richardson (CNO : Chief of naval operations)
Après la collision d’un destroyer américain, des experts agitent la piste de la cyberattaque
▻https://www.lesechos.fr/industrie-services/air-defense/010189757977-apres-la-collision-dun-destroyer-americain-des-experts-agitent
L’amiral n’a pas exclu que la collision ait pu être provoquée par un facteur extérieur ou une cyberattaque. Cet accident n’est pas le premier (voir encadré) et intrigue certains spécialistes de la Défense.
« Il y a quelque chose de plus que la simple erreur humaine car sinon cela impliquerait énormément de gens », avance par exemple Jeff Stutzman interrogé par le site McClatchyDC.
Pour cet ancien spécialiste de la guerre de l’information et de la marine, qui travaille désormais chez Wapack Labs, une société de sécurité informatique, tout bâtiment qui s’avance dans le détroit de Singapour aura sur le pont une équipe complète de vigiles et d’opérateurs radars.
De son côté, interrogé par le site « International Business Times », Todd Humphreys, un professeur à l’Université du Texas et spécialiste en systèmes de navigation par satellite, va plus loin dans la suspicion.
Pour lui, cet accident semble « statistiquement très suspect ». Et il n’hésite pas à faire un parallèle avec un incident intervenu en juin en Mer noire et au cours duquel des signaux GPS auraient été trafiqués via, selon lui, « un signal qui provenait du continent russe ».
La piste russe n’est cependant pas la seule à être soulevée. Interrogé par le site australien news.com, Itay Glick, un autre expert de cybersécurité qui a travaillé pour les services de renseignements israéliens, avance que si la Russie a les capacités d’effectuer une telle attaque, la Chine l’a également.
« Je ne crois pas aux coïncidences », explique-t-il encore en rappelant que « l’erreur humaine » est toujours une solution de facilité pour expliquer un accident.
À « l’expert » dont les pontifications concluent l’article, on fera remarquer que la Navy a viré tout l’état-major de l’USS Fitzgerald et on rappellera aux Échos que l’amiral Richardson met en avant une deuxième hypothèse « matérielle ».
Certains font remarquer que les nombreuses gesticulations de la Navy dans un contexte où le nombre de bâtiments baisse pourraient avoir aboutir à une fatigue des équipements et des équipages…
Enfin, on sourira à la légende de la photo (bizarrement fournie par le SIPA) ouvrant l’article…
la légende d’AP est la suivante
Malaysian Maritime Director Indera Abu Bakar points to damage on USS John S. McCain at press conference in Putrajaya on Monday.
AP Photo/Daniel Chan
China Calls U.S. Navy ’Arrogant’ After USS John Mccain Collision Accident
▻http://www.newsweek.com/china-us-arrogant-john-mccain-653395
A Chinese state-run newspaper claimed Monday that the most recent collision of a U.S. Navy destroyer with a merchant ship was an example of the U.S.’s “arrogance” in conducting patrols in and around the South China Sea.
The nationalist Global Times ran an editorial Monday shortly after the USS John S. McCain was hit by an oil tanker east of Singapore in the Strait of Malacca and 10 sailors were reported missing.
While stating the collision was an example of the U.S. military’s decline and that Chinese society’s “applause” was tantamount to the nation’s feelings toward the U.S. encroaching on its territory, the opinion piece also claimed that the U.S. is not trying to avoid such collisions.
“U.S. warships are constantly involved in accidents around the South China Sea,” the op-ed, which is often considered direct thoughts from the Chinese government, read. “On the one hand, the U.S. Navy has behaved arrogantly in the Asia-Pacific region. It lacks respect for huge merchant ships and fails to take evasive action in time, thus resulting in serious accidents.”
On n’est pas loin de la blague du phare…
Blague qu’évoque le deuxième commentateur de l’article du Monde sur le sujet.
▻https://seenthis.net/messages/623860
CNN sur la même – et évidente – question, mais beaucoup plus terre à terre : quand il y a série, c’est qu’il y a problème de fond…
Why are so many Navy ships crashing ? - CNNPolitics
▻http://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/21/politics/navy-ships-crashing-readiness/index.html
The US Navy is facing difficult questions about the health of its fleet in the aftermath of the USS John S. McCain’s collision with an oil tanker east of Singapore on Monday, the latest in a series of naval accidents in the Pacific.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson ordered a rare, one-day operational pause in response to the latest collision. And while the cause of the USS McCain crash is still to be determined, the spate of accidents — four since January — suggests there could be a more systemic issue.
Lawmakers and defense analysts are warning that the Navy’s readiness problems — which have led to longer deployments for ships and less time and money for maintenance and training — could be playing a role in the uptick in crashes.
In addition to the Navy’s stand-down, the Marine Corps grounded all of its aircraft for 24 hours earlier this month on the heels of two deadly crashes “to focus on the fundamentals of safe flight operations, standardization, and combat readiness.”
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, said it was unprecedented that “two military services have now had to take a knee to review safety and training procedures.”
[…]
Former Virginia Republican Rep. Randy Forbes, who is now a fellow at the Naval War College, said the concern over the recent incidents goes beyond just determining why the collisions occurred, but points to a broader issue if the Navy had to ramp up in a significant conflict.
“When our ships are having this much difficulty sailing in open waters, it gives us a lot of concern about what would happen if we were in a major conflict and how we would operate there,” Forbes said. “The Navy is in desperate need of additional resources so that they can do the kind of training they need, they can do the kind of ship maintenance they need.”
[…]
Thomas Callender, a defense analyst at the Heritage Foundation and former Navy submarine officer, noted that the destroyer collisions occurred in low-light times of day and highly trafficked areas.
“Those are some of the most difficult times, sunset and sunrise, of trying to determine what your contact picture is, what you’re really seeing with this,” Callender said.
Forbes said traffic congestion would likely be a commonality, too.
“It’s like when you have accidents on roads: Normally it’s going to be where more vehicles are,” he said. “It still doesn’t justify it — we’ve got to operate in those waters.”
But the fact that all four Navy collisions this year occurred in the Pacific could also point to issues with training that are specific to the region, Hendrix said.
“The fact this is so regional ... it strikes me there’s a degradation in training standards and operational procedures,” he said.
Déclaration, ce soir à Singapour, de l’amiral Scott Swift, commandant de la Flotte du Pacifique (3è et 7è flotte)
▻https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4YIXBf03eo
• toute première question (7:00) (on ne les entend pas bien, mais les réponses permettent de les reconstituer) : cyberattaque ?
– j’ai entendu cette hypothèse, mais on n’a rien vu qui puisse laisser penser à quelque chose de cette nature, mais nous (il cite le CNO) n’écartons aucune hypothèse
• des modifications dans la chaîne de commandement
– c’est trop tôt pour conclure quoi que ce soit, laisser se dérouler l’enquête
• la flotte n’est-elle pas épuisée ? y a-t-il eu des négligences ?
– ce n’est pas ce que j’ai vu ce matin lors de ma visite du navire, les équipages sont déterminés et opérationnels, ils ont bien bossé pour le damage control
• découverte de corps ?
– la marine malaisienne a récupéré un corps (en mer, donc) et va nous le restituer ; les plongeurs ont trouvé des corps, nous sommes en train de les identifier
U.S. Navy to relieve admiral of command after collisions: WSJ
▻https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-navy-crash-admiral-idUSKCN1B3034
The U.S. Navy plans to remove from duty the commander of the fleet that has suffered four recent collisions in Asia and the deaths of a number of sailors, the _Wall Street Journal _reported on Tuesday, citing U.S. officials.
Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin, the three-star commander of the U.S. Seventh Fleet based in Yokosuka, Japan, will be relieved of command on Wednesday in connection with four collisions since January, including two involving fatalities, two U.S. officials said, according to the Journal. It said Navy officials declined to comment.
La Chine remet une couche…
After U.S. destroyer collision, Chinese paper says U.S. navy a hazard
▻https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-navy-crash-china-idUSKCN1B20O2
The state-run China Daily said in an editorial on Tuesday that people will wonder why such a sophisticated navy keeps having these problems.
“The investigations into the latest collision will take time to reach their conclusions, but there is no denying the fact that the increased activities by U.S. warships in Asia-Pacific since Washington initiated its rebalancing to the region are making them a growing risk to commercial shipping,” it said.
China has been upset at U.S. freedom of navigation operations near Chinese controlled islands in the disputed South China Sea, where China has been reclaiming land, building air bases and increasing its military presence.
“While the U.S. Navy is becoming a dangerous obstacle in Asian waters, China has been making joint efforts with the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to draw up a Code of Conduct for the South China Sea and it has boosted navigational safety by constructing five lighthouses on its islands,” the China Daily said.
“Anyone should be able to tell who is to blame for militarizing the waters and posing a threat to navigation.”
Ah, quand même, on se décide enfin à demander leur avis à des experts en autre chose que les cyberattaques !
US Navy 7th Fleet commander dismissed, Navy says - CNNPolitics
▻http://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/22/politics/uss-mccain-7th-fleet-commander-dismissal/index.html
Carl Schuster, a Hawaii Pacific University professor and former director of operations at the US Pacific Command’s Joint Intelligence Center, said that he thought it was unlikely that the ship would have been hacked.
“Navigating a ship in a shipping channel is a manual operation. It comes down to watch attention and awareness. It’s a training procedure issue and a watch qualification issue,” he said.
He added that even if the steering had been compromised it would be possible for the McCain to outrun the tanker, and that some degree of directionality would be possible by changing the speed of the port and starboard propellers.
The “traffic situation” in the shipping channel at that time should be the focus of investigation, Ridzwan Rahmat, a senior defense and security analyst at Jane’s suggests.
“The signs were that the merchant ship was in compliance and the damage on the USS John S. McCain suggests that it wasn’t in compliance” of traffic rules at the time, he said.
Si vous ne l’avez pas déjà lu, peut-être faites un petit détour sur le fil concernant le Fitzgerald, l’article de gCaptain, Red over red, concernant le rapport préliminaire sur l’abordage d’il y a deux mois est à lire absolument.
▻https://seenthis.net/messages/607667#message624112
Je reprends ici mon commentaire qui concernait plutôt les événements du McCain (je finis par m’y perdre…)
▻https://seenthis.net/messages/607667#message624116
Sur l’incompétence des commentateurs, je remarque qu’aucun n’a fait la remarque que le navire de guerre coupe la route d’un bâtiment de commerce dans un rail…
L’hypothèse d’une cyberattaque relève du délire. Mais peut-être que les hackers russes ou chinois dont déjà capables aujourd’hui de liquéfier les cervelles d’une équipe de quart en passerelle, après tout de quoi ne sont-ils pas capables ?
Si le GPS est tombé en rade ou a été piraté, on dispose d’autres moyens de navigation, mille sabords, notamment en vue de terre. Bon sang, l’abordage a eu lieu à 5 miles du principal phare de la région et à 10 miles de la côte ! Si la passerelle a besoin du GPS pour naviguer, il y a lieu de s’interroger sur les compétences requises pour être officier de quart dans l’US Navy.
Mais, de fait, on en est bien là : couper la route d’un navire dans le rail (je sais je me répète, mais ça ne passe pas !…)
d’où mon soulagement (enfin, presque…) dans le commentaire précédant immédiatement celui-ci…
Search for Missing U.S. Sailors Slowed by Extensive Damage to Vessel - The New York Times
▻https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/24/world/asia/mccain-collision-destroyer-united-states-navy.html
In the McCain case, the search is taking longer because the damage to the vessel appears to be more extensive. According to one Navy official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because investigations were underway, the Alnic appears to have hit the McCain nearly head-on, whereas the Fitzgerald suffered more of a glancing blow.
C’est en effet compatible avec l’enregistrement de la trajectoire de l’Alnic MC (j’ai complété mon commentaire de la vidéo des relevés AIS ▻https://seenthis.net/messages/623510#message623551 )
Par ailleurs, le corps repêché par la marine malaisienne n’avait pas de lien avec l’abordage.
A Malaysian Navy vessel found a body at sea on Tuesday, but it turned out to be the decomposed corpse of an elderly man and was unrelated to the collision, the United States Navy said.
China suspected after crashes of USS John S McCain and USS Fitzgerald | World | The Times & The Sunday Times
▻https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0988b8f8-88fa-11e7-a8f3-117a3aea90d9
The collision on Monday between a Liberian tanker and a US warship, the latest in a series of incidents in Asia, has provoked questions about possible Chinese involvement.
A former Royal Navy officer said that the movements of the Guang Zhou Wan, a Chinese commercial vessel, could be significant in explaining the fatal crash off Singapore that left at least one sailor dead. A further nine are missing.
Tracking data indicates that the tanker that collided with U_SS John S McCain_ was followed by the Chinese vessel, which appeared to steer out of the way before the incident.
“You get the impression that fleet forces command are going to be looking at wider potential problems — hacking, crew training, how they are navigating, validating of ship-watch…
With the USS McCain collision, even Navy tech can’t overcome human shortcomings | Ars Technica
▻https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2017/08/with-the-uss-mccain-collision-even-navy-tech-cant-overcome-human-shortc
Initial reports from the organization suggest that a “steering casualty”—a loss of control over steering from the bridge—contributed to the McCain’s fatal collision. That, and the nature of the ship’s steering and navigation system, has led to speculation that the McCain was “hacked” and that perhaps some sort of malicious electronic attack was also involved in the Fitzgerald’s collision.
But so far, available evidence suggests something much less sinister—though potentially more threatening to the overall readiness of the service. There was no hacking, no GPS spoofing or jamming, nor any other deliberate enemy electronic attack on the Navy ships involved in this year’s accidents. Instead, much more human factors were at work—and some of them are endemic to the Navy’s current management culture and operational readiness.
[…]
Watch standers aboard modern warships may have more technology to help them, but they still face a daunting task when they enter high-traffic areas as treacherous as the Strait of Gibraltar—or the Strait of Malacca, the approaches to the Bosporus and Dardanelles, and the approaches to Tokyo Bay. In each, hundreds of other vessels may be visible to the naked eye or on the radar scope. The resulting sea of data points can overwhelm even an experienced bridge crew regardless of how good their technology is.
Long article, où je finis par perdre le fil de ce qu’il cherche à dire…
Up-close look at gash on tanker that collided with USS John S. McCain Video - ABC News
▻http://abcnews.go.com/International/video/close-gash-tanker-collided-uss-john-mccain-49375629
U.S. Navy Provides Details of Surface Fleet Review In Wake of ’Disturbing Trend’ of Accidents – gCaptain
▻http://gcaptain.com/u-s-navy-provides-details-surface-fleet-review-wake-disturbing-trend-accid
The U.S. Navy has provided details of a comprehensive review of the Navy’s global surface fleet operations after the destroyers USS Fitzgerald and John S. McCain were both involved in major collisions with commercial vessels just two months apart.
▻http://navylive.dodlive.mil/files/2017/08/MEMO-FOR-USFF_COMPREHENSIVE-REVIEW-OF-RECENT-SURFACE-FLEET-INCIDEN
2. You are directed to lead a Comprehensive Review of surface fleet operations and incidents at sea that have occurred over the past decade with emphasis on SEVENTH Fleet operational employment to inform improvements Navy-wide. This review should address the follow areas:
a. Individual training and professional development, to include seamanship, navigation, voyage planning, leadership development, officer and enlisted tactical training in formal schools and on the job;
b. Unit level training and operational performance, to including manning, personnel management, watchbill management, bridge (and CIC) team resource management, contact management, contact avoidance, leadership oversight and risk assessment/mitigation at all levels of the chain of command;
c. Development and certification of deployed operational and mission standards (Force Generation) with particular emphasis on Forward Deployed Naval Force (FDNF), to include validation of required certification standards, gaps between required standards and actual employment practices, effectiveness of leadership and oversight at all levels of administrative and operational chains of command, maintaining and enforcing standards throughout FDNF assignment including self-assessment practices, external inspection reinforcement, remedial action mitigation plans;
d. Deployed Operational Employment and Risk Management (Force Employment), to include Combatant Commander mission requirements, theater security cooperation requirements, maintenance impacts, other competing priorities (fleet experimentation, concept development), and their corresponding impact to operational tempo (OPTEMPO) and fundamental mariner and seamanship proficiency;
e. Material Readiness of electronic systems to include navigation equipment (e.g. AIS, radars, ECDIS, VMS, WSNs), propulsion machinery to include steering systems, combat system modernization, and material availability;
f. Practical Utility of current navigation equipment and combat systems including sensors, tracking systems, displays, and internal communications networks to evaluate their effectiveness at integrating tactical data and providing situational awareness to our people.
Fatigue and Training Gaps Spell Disaster at Sea, Sailors Warn - The New York Times
▻https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/27/world/asia/fatigue-and-training-gaps-spell-disaster-at-sea-sailors-warn.html
The bridge of each Navy destroyer is controlled by a round-the-clock shift of young officers, who must pass written and oral exams to qualify for the positions. Still, they typically are under 25 and may have little shipboard experience. Junior officers also move on to other assignments after limited tours.
“Are we shortchanging their basic training, especially as we rotate our junior officers every 18 to 24 months?” asked Admiral Crowder.
Training for junior ship officers has changed significantly in recent years. In 2003, the Navy dropped what had been an intensive six-month training course on navigation, basic seamanship, engineering and maintenance before new officers were assigned to their first ship.
Instead, the new officers were sent directly to a ship where they were supposed to learn on the job. Some said they got practical training on deployments, and noted that the Seventh Fleet had a reputation as being the most experienced in the Navy. But, many commanders said, crews were too busy to provide that kind of instruction.
By last year, the Navy had largely reversed course, sandwiching a junior officer’s first sea tour between 14 weeks of classroom work.
[…]
Most ships use a traditional “five and dime” watch rotation, in which sailors serve five hours of watch, then have 10 hours off, he said. But during those 10 hours, sailors often have daytime duties.
The rotation can lead to a watch officer pulling a 20-hour day every three days, Mr. Cordle said, adding that even designated sleep time can be interrupted by drills or refueling operations that can keep sailors up for days at a time. A recent Government Accountability Office report said sailors were on duty up to 108 hours each week.
“I averaged 3 hours of sleep a night,” someone described as a Japan-based Navy officer wrote on Reddit last week. “I have personally gone without sleep for so long that I have seen and heard things that weren’t there. I’ve witnessed accidents that could have been avoided because the person was so tired they had no right to be operating heavy machinery.”
Navy tests of sailors on the five-and-dime schedule found lack of sleep led to blunted decision-making and reflexes that were roughly the same as those of sailors who had downed several beers.
The Naval Postgraduate School has developed a shorter watch schedule to match circadian rhythms, which uses three hours of watch duty and nine hours off. Recognizing the benefits, submarines were ordered to move to a similar schedule in 2015.
Mr. Cordle said adopting the schedule could result in greater safety. But the Navy has left scheduling up to individual captains, and three quarters of ships still use the five and dime.
Ship Collisions : Address the Underlying Causes, Including Culture | U.S. Naval Institute
▻https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2017-08/ship-collisions-address-underlying-causes-including-culture
Un think tank naval, grosse institution privée (estd 1873…), entre dans la danse (après plusieurs autres dont gCaptain). Dans le collimateur :
• l’organisation des tours de quart
• la non-spécialisation des officiers entre pont et machine
• la (non-)formation au quart
(j’ai lu sur un blog que, sur les navires modernes de la Navy (classe Ticonderoga !), il n’y aurait plus de table à carte en passerelle (support traditionnel du point à la main) mais uniquement de l’électronique…, à confirmer)
In the wake of the USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) and USS John S. McCain (DDG-56) collisions, the Navy is conducting investigations, relieving commanding officers, conducting safety stand downs (operational pauses), and retraining. This is a similar response to past mishaps, but this time the Navy must include true root cause analysis . Analysis after mishaps invariably uncovers human error and training deficiencies as causal factors. Some people get fired and others retrained. The Navy has begun to dig deeper with the CNO’s mandate for a fleet-wide investigation last week. I predict some of the findings of root causes will include the Navy’s approach to training and career development, surface warfare officer (SWO) culture, and high operational tempo (OpTempo) driving mission over people.
When a junior officer (JO) reports to a warship, he or she immediately has three jobs: standing watch under instruction, running a division, and earning qualifications (first as an officer of the deck and then as a SWO). Once qualified to be a watchstander, a JO is on the watch bill and expected to train the next batch of JOs. Depending on the number of qualified watchstanders on board, the watch rotation varies: “port and starboard” (6 hours on watch and 6 hours off); “five and dime” (5 hours on and 10 hours off watch, rotating); three or four section “chow to chow” rotating (based around mealtimes); “3 on/9 off” or “4 on/8 off” with two watches per day that do not change for a given underway. The “off” time is when a JO can accomplish day work, run the division, and work on qualifications—along with a little sleep and maybe squeeze in a run on the treadmill.
[…]
The U.S. Navy appears to be the only maritime organization in the world that does not have dedicated watchstanders and separate dedicated professional tracks for deck and engineering.
[…]
Another root cause likely will be the alertness level of those watchstanders. Watch rotations vary greatly in the fleet, partly because of the variability in the number of qualified watchstanders and partly because of SWO culture. Many COs will direct the watches be run the way he or she experienced as a JO. The vast majority of Navy ships still use rotating watches, which is completely against human circadian rhythms. With rotating watches, everyone sleeps when they are off watch because they are in a constant state of exhaustion. Myriad sleep deprivation studies have proven that lack of sleep is cumulative. You can’t “catch up” on sleep, and decision-making is impaired just like being under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Yet the Navy has not addressed watch rotations to maximize crew rest. Instead, it perpetuates a culture where lack of sleep is a rite of passage, and the main risk assessment tool does not account for crew rest.
Singapore-led safety investigation underway into USS John S McCain collision - Channel NewsAsia
▻http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/singapore-led-safety-investigation-underway-into-uss-john-s-9174198
The Singapore Transport Safety Investigation Bureau (TSIB) launched a marine safety investigation following the collision of the USS John S McCain and Liberian-flagged oil tanker Alnic MC on Aug 21.
A TSIB spokesperson said on Thursday (Aug 31) that the investigation was launched immediately after the collision, and the probe was being conducted in accordance with the International Maritime Organization’s Casualty Investigation Code in Singapore’s capacity as a coastal state.
“The US Coast Guard, on behalf of the US National Transportation Safety Board, and the Liberian Maritime Administration are participating in Singapore’s safety investigation as Substantially Interested States,” the spokesperson said.
To date, investigators have interviewed the crew members of the Alnic, while TSIB has been coordinating with the US Coast Guard to gather relevant information on the US guided-missile destroyer, including statements of account from its crew.
TISB has also obtained shipboard data from the Alnic and other ships in the vicinity at the time of the collision to support the Singapore-led safety investigation, the spokesperson said.
Si on lit entre les lignes, il semblerait que le TSIB rende public l’ouverture de leur enquête (avec 10 jours de retard) pour faire pression sur la Navy qui, à son habitude, ne semble pas particulièrement coopérative…
Clairement, il n’est pas prévu qu’ils aient accès directement aux témoignages des marins du McCain…
U.S. Navy to Haul Damaged Destroyer John S. McCain to Japan for Damage Assessment – gCaptain
▻http://gcaptain.com/u-s-navy-to-haul-damaged-destroyer-john-s-mccain-to-japan-for-damage-asses
The U.S. Navy is planning to haul the damaged guided missile destroyer USS John S. McCain to its ship repair facility in Yokosuka, Japan where damage assessments will continue to take place.
The Navy said Tuesday it intends to issue a task order on an existing contract, for the salvage patching and transport via heavy lift of USS John S McCain (DDG 56) from Changi Naval Base in Singapore to the U.S. Navy’s Ship Repair Facility-Japan Regional Maintenance Center in Yokosuka, Japan. The Navy did not specify which existing contract it was referring to.
Une hypothèse circule depuis quelques jours : l’USS John S McCain aurait été en train de doubler l’Alnic NC, suffisamment près (ie beaucoup trop près…) pour que, vers la fin du dépassement, la perturbation hydrodynamique due à la vague d’étrave de l’Alnic vienne perturber le safran du McCain, provoquant une embardée à gauche, voire mettant en panne l’appareil à gouverner.
▻http://forum.gcaptain.com/t/uss-j-mccain-alnic-mc-collision-near-singapore/45819/327
Un peu de ménage…
Pour l’instant, l’état-major du destroyer n’a pas été touché.
Admiral, Captain Removed in Ongoing Investigations into USS John S. McCain, USS Fitzgerald Collisions
▻https://news.usni.org/2017/09/18/admiral-captain-removed-part-investigation-uss-john-s-mccain-uss-fitzgera
The commander of the Navy’s largest operational battle force and his subordinate in charge of the attached destroyer squadron have been removed from their positions as a result of ongoing investigations into a string of incidents this year that resulted in the death of 17 sailors and hundreds of millions of dollars in damages, USNI News has learned.
U.S. 7th Fleet Commander Vice Adm. Philip Sawyer removed Rear Adm. Charles Williams, commander of Combined Task Force 70, and Capt. Jeffery Bennett, commodore of Destroyer Squadron 15, from their positions on Monday (Tuesday local time) due to a loss of confidence in their ability to command, two Navy officials told USNI News and later confirmed by a statement from the service.
Les réparations auront lieu « localement », à Yokosuka. Localement, parce qu’il faut encore acheminer l’USS John S McCain de Singapour à Yokosuka (transfert prévu dans le courant de ce mois). Contrairement à l’USS Fitzgerald qui lui était à Yokosuka et va être acheminé à Pascagoula dans le Mississippi (probablement en décembre).
USS John S. McCain to Be Repaired in Japan – gCaptain
▻http://gcaptain.com/uss-john-s-mccain-to-be-repaired-in-japan
The U.S. Navy will repair the guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) at the U.S. Naval Ship Repair Facility-Japan Regional Maintenance Center in Yokosuka, Japan.
Repairs will begin upon arrival from Singapore aboard a heavy lift vessel in October, the Navy said.
Accessoirement, on profitera de l’immobilisation pour faire un peu de remise à niveau :
In addition to supporting repairs, the McCain’s crew will focus on training, readiness, and certifications to prepare the ship for its return to the Seventh Fleet, according to the Navy.
[…]
On Thursday, the USS John S. McCain departed Changi Naval Base to meet the heavy lift transport vessel MV Treasure, which will transport it to Fleet Activities Yokosuka for repairs.
U.S. Navy says deadly McCain collision was #preventable, relieves ship commander
▻https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-navy-asia/u-s-navy-says-deadly-mccain-collision-was-preventable-relieves-ship-command
“The commanding officer exercised poor judgment, and the executive officer exercised poor leadership of the ship’s training program,” the USS Seventh Fleet said in a statement released in Japan on Wednesday.
[…]
The McCain’s captain, Commander A. Sanchez, and his executive officer, Commander J. Sanchez, were reassigned to other duties in Japan, where the Seventh Fleet is headquartered, the Navy said.
On attend le rapport préliminaire d’enquête…
Time lapse de la mise en place de l’USS John S McCain sur le MV Treasure qui va l’acheminer jusqu’à Yokosuka pour les réparations.
Conclusion de l’enquête singapourienne ▻https://seenthis.net/messages/675189
Étude détaillée de ProPublica sur le rôle de la technologie dans la catastrophe ►https://seenthis.net/messages/817125
Russia says US-led coalition colludes with IS in Syria - ABC News
▻http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/russia-us-led-coalition-colludes-syria-47938799
The Russian military on Friday accused the U.S.-led coalition in Syria of providing safe corridors for the Islamic State group to leave the area around its stronghold of Raqqa.
Col. Gen. Sergei Surovikin, the commander of Russian forces in Syria, said IS made a deal earlier this month with the Kurdish forces to leave two villages southwest of Raqqa and move toward Palmyra.
Surovikin said the U.S.-led coalition along with the allied Kurds “collude with the leaders of the IS, who surrender the areas under their control and head to provinces where Syrian government forces operate.”
“There is an impression that under the slogan of fighting international terrorism in Syria the Americans are using IS to offer resistance to government forces’ advances,” he said at a briefing.
Israel pushes ahead with plans for 3,000 settlement homes
An Israeli Defense Ministry committee responsible for West Bank construction gave the green light to plans for around 3,000 homes at various stages of the approval process.
▻http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/israel-pushes-ahead-plans-3000-settlement-homes-47908097
#Israël #occupation #Palestine #Cisjordanie
cc @clemencel
Iraqi troops torture and execute civilians in secret videos - ABC News
▻http://abcnews.go.com/International/deepdive/brian-ross-investigates-the-torture-tapes-47429895
Officers of an elite Iraqi special forces unit, praised by U.S. military commanders earlier this year for its role in fighting ISIS, directed the torture and execution of civilians in Mosul in at least six distinct incidents caught on tape.
“That’s a murder,” retired Green Beret Lt. Col. Scott Mann told ABC News after reviewing the graphic footage. “There should be punishment for anyone doing it. It’s reprehensible and it shouldn’t be allowed on any modern battlefield."
The alarming footage was smuggled out of Iraq by a prize-winning Iraqi photojournalist, Ali Arkady, who spent months embedded in combat with the elite Iraqi troops leading the fight against ISIS late last year. Since turning over his cache of photos and videos to ABC News, he says he has received death threats from the soldiers he once considered friends and has now fled Iraq to seek asylum in Europe.
“This is happening all the time,” Arkady said of the war crimes he documented, which he recounted in an exclusive interview with ABC News’ Brian Ross to be broadcast tonight on ABC’s World News Tonight with David Muir and Nightline.
Iraqi officials are now launching an investigation into Arkady’s allegations.
“Arkady, 34, is an Iraqi Kurd and Sunni Muslim working with VII, a news agency that specializes in coverage of conflict. Based in Iraq, his work has focused on war orphans and Iraqi soldiers disabled by the ongoing violence that has engulfed his home country since the 2003 U.S. invasion.
Last year, he followed Iraqi soldiers as they swept through Fallujah, liberating the city from ISIS control. The E.R.D. special forces unit impressed him, he said, not only because they were “strong” but also because its leaders — Capt. Omar Nazar, a Sunni, and Cpl. Haider Ali, a Shi’a — worked together despite the religious divide that had torn Iraq apart.
From these first embeds with Nazar and Ali’s detachment, Arkady produced a different type of story, one he later described as a mix between journalism and art, as an attempt to show a softer side of a place he felt was too often defined by more than a decade of grim headlines. “Happy Baghdad” would garner nearly 100,000 views on Facebook, and it featured Nazar and Ali drawing clear distinctions between themselves and the ISIS enemy.
“We are liberators not destroyers,” Capt. Omar Nazar said. “All of ISIS are criminals and psychopaths. Don’t expect us to be cruel to you. We are one of you and more merciful than those strangers and intruders.”
“We came to free you and to save you from ISIS,” Cpl. Haider Ali added. “Be happy. Have fun. Go out. Study. Love. Get married. We are here for you.”
For Nazar and Ali, the film gave them folk hero status in Iraq, and for Arkady, it opened the door to more combat embeds with the E.R.D. men as they joined the fight last fall to liberate Iraq’s second-largest city, Mosul. They hoped, Arkady said, that he would make another film, like “Happy Baghdad,” which would show them in a new light.
Arkady’s effort to film an upbeat documentary about the two soldiers putting aside sectarian differences to defeat ISIS together took a dark detour last fall when the soldiers conducted a night raid on Nov. 22, pulling a man out of the bed where he slept with his family in the village of Qabr Al-Abed.”
#Tunisie : manifestation contre une loi « rétrograde » sur le mariage des mineures
Des dizaines de personnes se sont rassemblées mercredi devant le Parlement tunisien pour réclamer la révision d’une #loi qui permet à un homme d’échapper à des poursuites pour des relations sexuelles avec une mineure en épousant sa victime.
Jordan to cancel ’marry the victim’ clause shielding rapists
A pregnant 15-year-old who had been raped by a brother-in-law decided to marry her attacker, hoping this would shield her from other male relatives who might kill her in the name of “family honor.”
▻http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/jordan-cancel-marry-victim-clause-shielding-rapists-48251480
#Jordanie
2 Girl Suicide Bombers Die in Blasts Near Market in Nigeria
▻http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/twin-bomb-blasts-market-northeast-nigerian-city-44120252
Two girl suicide bombers died when they exploded Sunday in a crowded area near a market in Nigeria’s northeastern city of Maiduguri, injuring 17 people, rescue officials said.
[…]
Officials blamed the Boko Haram Islamic extremist group that has staged numerous attacks in Maiduguri, the birthplace of the insurgency.
One bomber appeared no older than 7 and the second about 8 years old, said Abdulkadir Jabo, a civilian self-defense fighter who stopped them from going into the market. “I asked the older girl where she was going but she could not speak Hausa or Kanuri ... and appeared very unsettled, so I turned her back,” he told The Associated Press.
Seconds later, she detonated, followed by the younger girl, Jabo said.
[…]
In a particularly horrific instance, a woman suicide bomber carrying a baby on her back was shot by soldiers at a checkpoint on Nov. 28. The shot detonated her explosives, killing the woman and the baby.
US Officials Ask How ISIS Got So Many Toyota Trucks - ABC News
▻http://abcnews.go.com/International/us-officials-isis-toyota-trucks/story?id=34266539
U.S. counter-terror officials have asked Toyota, the world’s second largest auto maker, to help them determine how ISIS has managed to acquire the large number of Toyota pick-up trucks and SUVs seen prominently in the terror group’s propaganda videos in Iraq, Syria and Libya, ABC News has learned.
Toyota says it does not know how ISIS obtained the vehicles and is “supporting” the inquiry led by the Terror Financing unit of the Treasury Department — part of a broad U.S. effort to prevent Western-made goods from ending up in the hands of the terror group.
“We briefed Treasury on Toyota’s supply chains in the Middle East and the procedures that Toyota has in place to protect supply chain integrity,” said Ed Lewis, Toyota’s Washington-based director of public policy and communications.
Toyota has a “strict policy to not sell vehicles to potential purchasers who may use or modify them for paramilitary or terrorist activities,” Lewis said. He said it is impossible for the company to track vehicles that have been stolen, or have been bought and re-sold by middlemen.
Obtained by ABC News
ISIS militants race through Raqqa in a propaganda training film released online in September 2014.more +
Toyota Hilux pickups, an overseas model similar to the Toyota Tacoma, and Toyota Land Cruisers have become fixtures in videos of the ISIS campaign in Iraq, Syria and Libya, with their truck beds loaded with heavy weapons and cabs jammed with terrorists. The Iraqi Ambassador to the United States, Lukman Faily, told ABC News that in addition to re-purposing older trucks, his government believes ISIS has acquired “hundreds” of “brand new” Toyotas in recent years.
“This is a question we’ve been asking our neighbors,” Faily said. “How could these brand new trucks... these four wheel drives, hundreds of them — where are they coming from?”
ISIS propaganda videos show gunmen patrolling Syrian streets in what appear to be older and newer model white Hilux pick-ups bearing the black caliphate seal and crossing Libya in long caravans of gleaming tan Toyota Land Cruisers. When ISIS soldiers paraded through the center of Raqqa, more than two-thirds of the vehicles were the familiar white Toyotas with the black emblems. There were small numbers of other brands including Mitsubishi, Hyundai and Isuzu.
“Regrettably, the Toyota Land Cruiser and Hilux have effectively become almost part of the ISIS brand,” said Mark Wallace, a former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, who is CEO of the Counter Extremism Project, a non-profit working to expose the financial support networks of terror groups.
“ISIS has used these vehicles in order to engage in military-type activities, terror activities, and the like,” Wallace told ABC News. “But in nearly every ISIS video, they show a fleet — a convoy of Toyota vehicles and that’s very concerning to us.”
Toyota says many of the vehicles seen in ISIS videos are not recent models. “We have procedures in place to help ensure our products are not diverted for unauthorized military use,” said Lewis, the Toyota executive.
But, Lewis added, “It is impossible for Toyota to completely control indirect or illegal channels through which our vehicles could be misappropriated.”
Questions about the ISIS use of Toyota vehicles have circulated for years. In 2014, a report by the radio broadcaster Public Radio International noted that the U.S. State Department delivered 43 Toyota trucks to Syrian rebels. A more recent report in an Australian newspaper said that more than 800 of the trucks had been reported missing in Sydney between 2014 and 2015, and quoted terror experts speculating that they may have been exported to ISIS territory.
Attempts to track the path of the trucks into ISIS hands has proven complicated for U.S. and Iraqi officials.
Toyota’s own figures show sales of Hilux and Land Cruisers tripling from 6,000 sold in Iraq in 2011 to 18,000 sold in 2013, before sales dropped back to 13,000 in 2014.
Brigadier General Saad Maan, an Iraqi military spokesman, told ABC News he suspects that middlemen from outside Iraq have been smuggling the trucks into his country.
“We are spending our time to fight those terrorists so we cannot say we are controlling the border between Iraq and Syria,” he conceded. “We are deeply in need for answers.”
In a statement to ABC News, Toyota said it is not aware of any dealership selling to the terror group but “would immediately” take action if it did, including termination of the distribution agreement.
Toyota distributors in the region contacted by ABC News said they did not know how the trucks reached ISIS.
Sumitomo, a Japanese conglomerate that ships vehicles to the region, wrote to ABC News, “In terms of how anyone operating outside of the law obtain vehicles for misappropriation, we have no way to know and therefore cannot comment.”
A spokesman for former owners of the Toyota dealership in Syria said its sales operation was halted in 2012.
The former owners, a Saudi company called Abdul Latif Jameel, said it “made the decision to cease all trading activities in the country and fully divested the business in October, 2012,” according to a spokesperson.
Wallace, of the Counter Extremism Project, said his organization wrote directly to Toyota earlier this year to urge the company to do more to track the flow of trucks to ISIS, and noted that the trucks are stamped with traceable identification numbers.
“I don’t think Toyota’s trying to intentionally profit from it, but they are on notice now and they should do more,” Wallace said. “They should be able to figure it out... how are these trucks getting there. I think they should disclose that, put a stop to that, and put policies and procedures in places that are real and effective to make sure that we don’t see videos of ISIS using Toyota trucks in the future.”
Earlier this year, Toyota responded to Wallace’s organization with similar language the company has used to answer questions from ABC News, writing that Toyota stopped entirely its sales of vehicles in Syria several years ago.
Toyota told ABC News that after company officials briefed the U.S. Treasury team and that Treasury indicated the meeting was “helpful.”
“We cannot provide further details of our interaction with Treasury as we do not want to compromise its efforts to understand and prevent diversion, or make it easier for illicit groups to penetrate our supply chains or those of any other company,” Lewis said.
Treasury officials told ABC News they could not comment publicly about the agency’s engagement with specific private companies. But in response to questions about Toyota, the officials said investigators are “working closely with foreign counterparts and stakeholders” on the issue.
ABC News’ Randy Kreider and Mazin Faiq contributed to this report.
MADAYA MOM - ABC News
▻http://abcnews.go.com/International/deepdive/madaya-mom-mother-struggle-survival-syria-civil-war-42362213
Via al-akhbar : deux sociétés philantropiques nord-américaines, ABC et Marvel Comics, distribuent gratuitement sur le net une bande-dessinée pour nous aider à comprendre les malheurs du peuple syrien assiégé à Madaya.
Tecniquement c’est très bien fait, maintenant, idéologiquement, vous en pensez ce que vous voulez.
U.S. Navy Fires Commander Over Iran’s Detention of 10 Sailors - ABC News
▻http://abcnews.go.com/International/us-navy-fires-commander-irans-detention-10-sailors/story?id=39079977
The U.S. Navy has relieved of command the head of a Riverine Squadron who oversaw the 10 American sailors who in January were held by Iran for 15 hours after straying into Iranian territorial waters in the Persian Gulf.
“Commander, Coastal Riverine Group (CRG) 1, relieved Cmdr. Eric Rasch of his duties May 12 as commanding officer of Coastal Riverine Squadron (CRS) 3,” said a statement issued by the Navy on Thursday.
According to the statement, “Rasch was relieved due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command.”
Rasch has been temporarily reassigned to another unit. He was responsible for the training and operational readiness of the 400 sailor squadron. Riverine boats provide maritime security in harbor areas as well as conducting escort support for U.S. Naval vessels.
Capt. Gary Leigh, commander of Command Riverine Group 1, relieved Rasch after his review of the results of the Navy’s investigation into the incident.
On January 12, two Navy Riverine craft and the 10 sailors aboard were detained by Iran after the craft strayed into the territorial waters off of Farsi Island. The two craft were en route from Kuwait to the U.S. Naval base in Bahrain. A Navy investigation found that faulty navigation equipment did not indicate the craft’s position in Iranian waters. Furthermore, one of the craft had mechanical problems that delayed their potential transit out of those waters.
Leader of U.S. Sailors Captured by Iran Faces Punishment
▻https://news.usni.org/2016/08/09/leader-u-s-sailors-captured-iran-faces-punishment
The officer in charge of the U.S. sailors who were captured and held by Iranian forces in January faces administrative punishment for his role in the incident, several defense officials have confirmed to USNI News.
Lt. David Nartker – previously assigned to Costal Riverine Squadron 3 — faces an unspecified punishment recommended by the commander of Naval Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) Rear Adm. Frank Morneau at admiral’s mast last week, USNI News has learned.
[…]
Nartker’s reprimand is the last of a total of nine sailors who faced administrative punishment as a result of the January incident in which Nartker and nine other sailors on two riverine command boats were seized by Iranian Republican Guard less than two miles from the Iranian naval base on Farsi Island on the eve of the adoption of an international nuclear deal with Iran.
4th Kashmiri Dies in Clashes With Indian Troops Amid Curfew - ABC News
▻http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/curfew-imposed-kashmir-indian-army-fire-kills-38353707
Indian authorities on Wednesday imposed a curfew in parts of Kashmir to stop fresh anti-India demonstrations following the killings of four people by Indian troops and a general strike called by separatists.
The latest death occurred when a man was hit on his head by a tear gas shell fired by security forces and died in a hospital in the northern village of Drugmulla, police said.
He was part of hundreds of rock-throwing protesters who clashed with government forces for a second straight day Wednesday as authorities enforced a curfew in Srinagar, Handwara and neighboring villages.
[…]
The protest and clashes in the northern town of Handwara erupted Tuesday following an allegation by residents that an Indian army soldier tried to sexually assault a teenage schoolgirl.
L’ONU va établir une liste noire d’entreprises israéliennes
▻http://www.lemonde.fr/proche-orient/article/2016/03/25/l-onu-va-etablir-une-liste-noire-d-entreprises-israeliennes_4890107_3218.htm
israéliennes ou étrangères,
La colonisation est illégale au regard des lois internationales. Le Conseil des droits de l’homme (CDH) des Nations unies a donc décidé jeudi 24 mars de dresser une liste des entreprises opérant dans les territoires occupés par Israël.
Et toujours le même sens de l’obscène de la part des responsables israéliens,
▻http://fr.timesofisrael.com/israel-denonce-la-creation-dune-liste-noire-des-entreprises-israel
« Les actions de l’ONU nous rappellent une époque sombre », a déploré l’ambassadeur d’Israël à l’ONU
On attend la condamnation de l’#ONU par notre gouvernement socialiste
ça vaut le coup de tout citer :
L’ambassadeur d’Israël à l’ONU, Danny Danon, a réagi à la décision en expliquant que « quand l’ONU marque une entreprise juive afin d’être boycottée, cela nous rappelle des périodes sombres de l’Histoire. Le Conseil des droits de l’Homme s’est transformé en un complice du mouvement #BDS et son comportement est à la fois anti-israélien et antisémite ».
Apparemment ni la France, ni même les Etats-Unis n’ont voté contre la résolution,
▻http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/us-israel-denounce-resolution-passed-rights-council-37910982
It passed 32-0 with 15 abstentions.
J’arrive pas à obtenir le détail du vote, apparemment pas encore dispo : ▻http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/RegularSessions/Session31/Pages/ResDecStat.aspx
Les pays de l’UE dont la France, se sont courageusement abstenus comme d’habitude . Le cours de la dignité est au plus bas en Europe.
Le Conseil des droits de l’homme des Nations Unies (CDH) réuni à Genève était saisi le 24 mars de plusieurs résolutions sur la question de Palestine. Deux d’entre elles étaient spécialement importantes, l’une portant sur le suivi de la situation à Gaza et l’impunité, l’autre sur l’établissement d’une « liste noire » des compagnies israéliennes et internationales opérant en territoire palestinien occupé, liste noire dont il est précisé qu’elle sera mise à jour tous les ans.
Ces deux résolutions ont été adoptées avec 32 voix pour et 15 abstentions. La France s’est abstenue avec les autres pays de l’UE membres du CDH. Ce faisant elle a montré une nouvelle fois l’ambiguïté, sinon l’incohérence, de sa position puisqu’elle condamne rituellement la colonisation tout en se refusant à en tirer des conséquences pratiques.
Le premier titre de l’ensemble des MSM suite à l’attentat d’aujourd’hui à Istanbul, alors même que Erdogan avait juste déclaré que l’auteur était syrien, a été celui de l’AFP :
L’attentat suicide d’Istanbul a fait 10 morts, la piste syrienne privilégiée.
▻http://www.lematindz.net/news/19611-lattentat-suicide-distanbul-a-fait-10-morts-la-piste-syrienne-privi
Or ni la piste ni l’auteur ne sont Syriens,
▻http://abcnews.go.com/International/suicide-bomber-tourist-hub-attack-affiliated-isis-turkey/story?id=36230656
The alleged attacker is Nabil Fadli, born in Saudi Arabia in 1988, Turkish officials said. He recently entered Turkey through Syria, officials said. Fadli was not on a watch list, Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said.
Svoboda members Shvaika, Syrotiuk informed of being suspected of crimes over Aug. 31 events
▻http://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukraine/svoboda-members-shvaika-syrotiuk-informed-of-being-suspected-of-crimes-ove
Svoboda All-Ukrainian Union leader Oleh Tiahnybok has said that two Svoboda members, former agrarian policy minister Ihor Shvaika and former MP Yuriy Syrotiuk, have been informed of their being suspected of crimes during clashes outside the Verkhovna Rada on Aug. 31.
======================
Senior Right-Wing Party Members Charged With Monday Clashes - ABC News
▻http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/ukraines-wing-party-leader-questioned-kiev-33530959
Svoboda leader Oleh Tyahnybok turned up for questioning at the Interior Ministry on Friday. Tyahnybok, who is officially a witness while 16 Svoboda members have been arrested on suspicion of orchestrating the riots, blamed the violence on the government.
“It’s only the current government which is building a dictatorship under the guise of pretty slogans that is benefiting from the tragedy that happened on Aug. 31, 2015, outside the Supreme Rada,” he told reporters before questioning.
Boy Still Longing for Friends a Year After Deadly Israeli Attack at Gaza Beach - ABC News
▻http://abcnews.go.com/International/boy-longing-friends-year-deadly-israeli-attack-gaza/story?id=31996202
Moatasir says that’s when he screamed, “We will all die at once.”
The IDF’s Lerner wrote, "Shortly before their exit from the compound, an additional missile was fired from the air towards them, which hit the figures in question after they had exited the compound.”
Moatasir said, "From the sea, they shot another missile at us. We start screaming and we start saying, ‘Oh, my God, oh my God…’”
When he stopped running, his younger brother and two cousins lay on the sand, motionless. Returning to the same beach a year later, Moatasir freezes, unable to speak.
Diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, Moatasir barely sleeps now and violent nightmares plague his nights. He doesn’t go to school and his parents can’t remember the last time he picked up a soccer ball. The PTSD medicine costs around $100 per prescription, an unmanageable fee for the impoverished family of fishermen.
Moldovans Choose Between Europe, Russia In Local Elections
▻http://www.rferl.org/content/moldova-elections/27071837.html
Moldovans on June 14 voted in local elections considered a test of whether the country is committed to European integration or will seek closer ties with Russia.
The elections came two days after pro-European Prime Minister Chiril Gaburici resigned following his being questioned about the authenticity of his high school diplomas and university degree.
Voter turnout was almost 49 percent of the country’s 2.8 million eligible voters.
Early results are expected later in the evening. A runoff will take place on June 28 for seats where no candidate secures 50 percent of the vote.
The key seat is the capital, Chisinau, where Dorin Chirtoaca, the pro-European mayor of the capital, faces Zinaida Greceanii, who is running for the pro-Russian Socialists.
Opinion polls show the majority of regional seats being won by pro-Moscow parties that support Moldovan membership in the Russia-led Customs Union, which also includes Belarus and Kazakhstan.
Pas de résultats pour le moment (le président de la Commission électorale a donné le taux de participation : long plan fixe de 4’30" en moldave…)
Contrairement aux sondages, ce sont plutôt les partis pro-européens qui l’ont emporté. C’est sans doute pour cela qu’on n’en entend pas parler…
Pro-European Parties Ahead in Moldova’s Local Elections - ABC News
▻http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/pro-european-candidate-ahead-moldova-elections-runoff-31767355
Pro-European parties scored about 51 percent of the votes nationwide in Sunday’s ballot, with pro-Russian parties polling at about 36 percent, the results showed. The remainder of votes went to independent parties.
The elections were seen as a test of whether Moldova would remain committed to European integration or choose to move closer to Russia.
Pro-European parties won outright in 348 cities, towns and villages, while pro-Russian parties won in 56 others and independent candidates in 34. In some 458 other places runoffs will be held June 28 because no candidate secured more than 50 percent of the vote.
L’homme d’affaires israélo-moldave impliqué dans la disparition d’un milliard et demi de dollars, Ilan Shor, pro-russe emporte haut la main la mairie de Orhei (30000 habitants)
cf. ▻http://seenthis.net/messages/367060
Pro-Russian businessman Ilan Shor, who is being probed over the disappearance of $1.5 billion from three Moldovan banks before the November elections, won outright in the eastern town of town of Orhei, polling 62 percent of the vote.
#Terror_Files: What’s on #Osama_Bin_Laden’s Private Bookshelf
The U.S. government today released dozens of documents recovered from the special operations raid that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, including now declassified correspondences from bin Laden and 39-English language books in which the terror leader apparently took interest.
▻http://abcnews.go.com/International/terror-files-whats-osama-bin-ladens-bookshelf/story?id=31173365
#terrorisme #livre #correspondance