Search

Just another WordPress site

Pag ibig housing projects in zamboanga city

Family claims forcefully evicted from Gandhi Ashram, district collectorate denies

by indianexpress.com Leave a Comment

With the Gujarat and the Union governments implementing the ambitious Rs 1,200-crore Gandhi Ashram Memorial and Precinct Development project, a family living on the Gandhi Ashram premises near Jamna Kutir in Ahmedabad was allegedly forcefully evicted and their house sealed by officials of the Ahmedabad district collectorate on Wednesday.

The district collectorate officials, however, denied that they had forcefully evicted the family and maintained that no wrong had been committed.

The family of Karan Soni (35), a descendent of a Dalit settled by Mahatma Gandhi at the Ashram in the early 1900s, alleged that they were forcefully evicted, as they demanded more money as compensation for their displacement as per the “changed” rehabilitation policy for the project.

Soni has been living with his family – mother, wife, two daughters and uncle on the maternal side – near Jamna Kutir within the Gandhi Ashram premises for years. He said that his great grandfather on the maternal side, Laxman Vaghela, was settled in Gandhi Ashram by Mahatma Gandhi. “My uncle and my mother are siblings and are great grandchildren of Laxman Vaghela,” he added.

“Ours is a one-storey pucca house. My mother and mama live on the ground floor and I live with my family on the first floor. We have separate kitchens,” Soni said.

He added, “On Wednesday afternoon, a team of the Ahmedabad collectorate and Ahmedabad City Police forcefully evicted us from the house as the family members were having their meal. The team did not allow us to even collect our stuff and sealed the house.”

Soni said that initially, the family was ready to vacate the house after accepting the compensation being offered by the state government. “They were offering Rs 90 lakh for my kind of house (ground + one floor) as per their stated policy. So, we accepted a cheque of Rs 60 lakh from the government after signing an agreement with it. We demanded a copy of the agreement, but did not get one. Soon, I realised that the authorities were adopting favouritism in awarding compensation.”

The rest of the amount was to be paid after the family vacated the house, as per officials of the collectorate.

“I came to know that for my type of houses, where two or three families stay, the government was paying compensation of Rs 60 lakh per family. In that case, we are eligible to get (minimum) Rs 1.2 crore. So, I returned the Rs 60 lakh with interest to the district collectorate. But they refused to accept it,” he said.

According to Soni, the state authorities had been forcing him and his family to vacate the house for long. When they did not do so, they were forcefully evicted, he alleged.

Soni, who has shifted to a house on S G highway in Bodakdev with his family, said he is going to move court against the eviction.

When contacted, Ahmedabad Collector Praveena D K, who is member secretary of the governing council and executive council for the Gandhi Ashram Memorial and Precinct Development project, asked The Indian Express to contact City Deputy Collector Umang Patel, “who is handling the matter”.

Patel refuted Karan’s allegations. “No forceful eviction has taken place. They (Soni and his family) had accepted a cheque of Rs 60 lakh in October 2021 while signing an agreement. As per the conditions (of the agreement), they had to vacate the house in 30 days and the remaining cheque of Rs 30 lakh was to be given to them after that. However, even after one-and-a-half years, they have not vacated the house.”

“As per the agreement, we have given them three notices to vacate the house. Yet they did no do so. So, we sent them one last notice and took possession of the house on Wednesday,” he added.

Denying that there are different policies for awarding compensation, Patel, “They (Soni and his family) have made representations before various authorities and their proposal has been rejected. There is no favouritism in granting compensation and the policy is same for all. People are getting what they are eligible for.”

On not providing a copy of the agreement to Soni’s family, Patel said nobody had asked for the same. “If someone demands the same, we will provide it.”

According to Patel, around 290 families within the Ashram premises are to be rehabilitated for the project. Among the 290, 270 to 275 families have vacated their houses.

‘Ek dum Jannat’: hands that moulded new Parliament bask in its glory one last time

by indianexpress.com Leave a Comment

In the hours before the country would wake up to a new Parliament building , several pairs of hands worked furiously — the red sandstone tiles on the walls got a final scrub, the pruning shears gave the shrubs a quick haircut and the smallest of chipped tiles got instant attention.

For over two years now, thousands of labourers have been working behind giant green corrugated tin curtains to bring to life one of the biggest projects of the Narendra Modi government — a new, modern Parliament building that the Prime Minister will inaugurate on Sunday.

Twenty Opposition parties have announced their decision to boycott the event , saying the PM’s “decision to inaugurate the new Parliament building by himself, completely sidelining President (Droupadi) Murmu, is not only a grave insult but a direct assault on our democracy”. However, others, including non-NDA parties like the JD(S), BSP and TDP, have opposed the boycott and are expected to attend the inauguration.

parliament gandhi statue For all their hard work, sweat and calloused hands, for Arun, Imran, Naresh and the others, it was the role they played in building a part of history that they will carry away with them. (Express photo by Aiswarya Raj)

Away from the political rancor that has marked the event, labourers and their supervisors — 60,000 of them, on- and off-site, according to the government — have been quietly working to get the building ready for the big day.

On Saturday, a day before the inauguration, the entire complex stands cordoned off, with only specially screened cars — VIPs, security personnel, police and other staff — being allowed through boom barriers.

The old Parliament House stands quietly, gracefully, while the action has shifted to the brand-new triangular structure across the road. A white tent, to the left of the Mahatma Gandhi statue, has been erected for Sunday’s event. Barricades have come up at Iron Gate 8, through which labourers stream in and out.

Arun, 40, a mason from Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior, says that over the last couple of years, he has been working 12 hours a day, earning around Rs 17,000 a month. “Work is almost 99 per cent complete… We worked 24×7 in two shifts… we didn’t stop even during the pandemic,” he says.

It started with a phone call he got in February 2021, he recalls. “They asked me if I could work in Delhi on the Parliament building. I couldn’t have been happier. Who would want to miss such an opportunity?.”

Imran, 24, a worker from Bihar, says scaffolding work is still on in some parts of the building and that it would take a few more months before it’s completed. Ramdin Dagar, another worker from MP, says most of the work inside the building is done except for some furnishing that is needed in a few chambers. “Ek dum jannat (It’s just heaven),” Naresh, a mason from MP, chimes in, smiling broadly.

For all their hard work, sweat and calloused hands, for Arun, Imran, Naresh and the others, it was the role they played in building a part of history that they will carry away with them. “The work was gruelling, but if people ask us what we did, we can say we built the Parliament building, that too in two years,” says Ram Murti, who is from Morena, adding, “We have seen the whole building coming up in front of our eyes.”

As three road rollers rumble along, a group of workers give finishing touches to patches of the stretch outside Sansad Bhavan.

India's parliament house

Akash Kumar, 20, a worker from Bihar who is part of a group laying asphalt, says, “We have been working for 5-6 days for more than 15 hours. Some days, we were asked to work for more than that. Now that the roads inside the complex are paved, there is time to breathe.”

His colleague Sohit Kumar Sharma, 27, says, “Yesterday we slept for just two hours. Desh ke liye itna toh karna padega (This is the least we can do for the country). We are not going to sit inside the Parliament building, par achha lagta hai (but it feels good).”

Akash and Sohit say that though they had been hired for two days, the road-laying work had stretched on for five, and 100 more workers were called in. “On top of it, it was raining today and the entire work got delayed. There is a lot of pressure to complete the work in time for the inauguration,” says Sohit.

After two years of hard work, Arun knows he won’t get to see the building when it’s finally inaugurated on Sunday. But he is not complaining. “There are thousands of workers. It is impossible to permit all of them on the premises,” he says.

The hands that build come with a big heart.

Why cycleways are polarising communities

by i.stuff.co.nz Leave a Comment

Claire Hutt, the coordinator local business association Our Town Motueka, is incensed.

Hutt, also an elected member of the Motueka Community Board, was left feeling “flabbergasted” once she heard of plans to instal a cycleway down High St, State Highway 60 in Motueka.

So much so, that together with another board member, Terina Graham, they launched a petition calling for a halt to the plans. Over 400 people have signed.

Running along High St south, the cycle lanes would result in the removal of on-road carparking between Wharf Rd and Whakarewa St.

Funding of $8.6 million for the project came from the Government’s Transport Choices, part of its Climate Emergency Response Fund, a pool of $350 million divvied out to “ rapidly reallocate existing street space for walking, cycling and public transport ”.

READ MORE: Tina Turner’s hectic 1997 NZ tour: Bomb scares, collapsed roof, falling dancers – but ‘amazing’ shows Jackie Clarke heads off beaten track, paying homage to divas she loves NBA great Scottie Pippen has always been in Nelson Giants’ import’s corner

Hutt and Graham weren’t the only ones perturbed by the proposal. On April 28, the Motueka Community Board wrote a letter to the chief executive of Tasman District Council, Janine Dowding, requesting that the High St portion of the project be paused until all affected parties had been informed and had the opportunity to give feedback.

“It’s almost not about cycling now, it’s almost about the process,” Hutt said. She said there”pretty much wasn’t any” consultation.

The Motueka Community Board letter said it received the impression that “considerable consultation” had taken place. But the feedback they had from the community was that in fact, only 23% of properties had been visited.

Graham and Hutt have been going door to door to talk with businesses. Most, they say, hadn’t had an inking about what was in store. Once they found out, they were less than thrilled.

The removal of parking, Hutt said, meant that many businesses “would have to close down”.

“We’re not against having cycleways,” she said. “We just don’t want them on bloody High St.”

Graham said promoting cycling on a state highway was not safe.

“The only thing between you and a logging truck is a 100 millimetre concrete bollard … if your tyre whacks that while you are not paying attention, which way are you going to fall?”

Both women point to a cycleway that snakes around the estuary, that runs parallel to the High St route. Could money not be better spent on paving it? On cutting back flax?

“I’m just saying we don’t agree with High Street south having two cycle lanes going from Toad Hall to McDonald’s taking away all the parking,” Graham said.

Other detractors have observed that many of those coming into town live rurally and transport goods in utes and vans, that those attending open homes will have to walk some distance to get to them, that “it’s just not practical to try and force everybody out of cars and onto bikes,” as Graham puts it.

Cycling advocates, like Bicycle Nelson Bays convenor Bevan Woodward, sees the issue differently.

“To those people who are saying ‘not everyone’s going to cycle’, what about giving us choice, and giving people the freedom to have safe cycling, so they can choose how they want to get around, rather than forcing people to hop in a car?”

Motueka, he points out, is flat, not overly large, and would be a fantastic city to use bikes to get around in, and could potentially be a tourist drawcard as a cycle friendly destination.

Woodward describes New Zealand’s transport as a “tragedy”, a place where people bought into the dream of “being able to sit in luxury behind the steering wheel”.

The reality of that nowadays though, he said, was we were “trapped in our cars, stuck in congestion, becoming unhealthy and doing terrible things to the planet.”

The owner of one of the businesses that will be affected by the plans told Stuff the loss of parking would be a “huge deal”.

Council staff confided that the issue was being “hijacked” by misinformation, she said. At one of the meetings she attended to talk about the plans, she witnessed councillors getting shouted at by men “going off”.

She said her experience was that council staff had been “very reasonable” and “good to talk to”, yet she had issues with the “significantly flawed consultation process”. The first she got wind of what was happening was via Facebook.

Herein lies the conundrum for councils who received Transport Options money – time-limited Government funding. Sometimes council projects seem to consult, consult and consult, and produce an alphabet of reports, but little appears to change on the ground.

Woodward has repeatedly criticised the Nelson City Council for using ‘we have to consult’ as a reason for inaction .

Caught between a rock and hard place, chief executive Dowding alluded to the communication breakdown in a recent council meeting.

“The council put in some project requests [to Transport Choices] and some were approved. What we are very aware of is the need to really clearly communicate from the outset and to consult with communities and those affected in a really carefully staged way, including the timeframes required to do the project, and that is the learning that we are increasingly getting,” Dowding said.

“It is forcing us to consider resets in some places that we have these projects now, and that includes Motueka.”

At a Tasman District Council operations committee council meeting on Thursday, Lower Moutere School principal Chris Bascand described an accident in March. A trio of students were biking to school – the eldest a 12-year-old, a sibling and a neighbour.

Seeing a car approaching a 15kph corner way too fast, the 12-year-old yelled at the other kids to get off the road. It was too late. The car struck the two of the three bicycles, throwing the first bicycle over the bonnet of the car, then into the road, with the school bus coming up behind.

The driver was charged and the kids no longer bike to school.

The principal, accompanied by two children who talked about how worried the road made them feel, pleaded for the speed limit to be reduced.

Lower Moutere is on the outskirts of Motueka, and a semi rural community rather than a township, but the scenario is every parent’s worst nightmare and what inhibits many children from cycling to school.

Council group manager community infrastructure Richard Kirby said while the council had heard the negative feedback from places like Motueka about cycleways, unfortunately, they did not often hear the stories of children like they heard that morning.

“They are the ones that are feeling it, and they are the ones we were wanting to focus on [with] the walking and cycling strategy. The schools are one of the key destinations that we’re trying to help,” Kirby told councillors.

“There’s a silent majority out there that are wanting these things in place, and we’ve just got to hold the line and do them as best we can, while at the same time listening to community.”

BRADEN FASTIER / STUFF
Margriet Maarsingh is passionate about using her bicycle for daily transport in Motueka but she wishes motorists made it a smoother ride. (Video first published in April, 2019)

Listening to the community must sometimes be wearying.

Across the region, parking issues have been a hot topic of contention – in Stoke, where a bus interchange is planned , in Millers Acre, where a cinema complex director objected to a reduction in carparks to make way for a bus terminal .

The Nelson City Council eventually bought a building on an adjacent site that will be “deconstructed” and plans to put parking spaces in its place .

In Pōhara, a store owner said he was in the fight of his life objecting to plans to put a cycleway in front of his shop.

The woes of Pōhara store owner Dave Hix became national news, and attracted 274 comments online, ranging from “NZ wants to stay in the dark ages of petrol, cars and more cars” to councils being on a “virtue signalling crusade to put the use of bicycles ahead of common sense”.

Wellington City Council environment and infrastructure committee chair Tamatha Paul said when they first put the idea out to connect the entire city with the cycleway network, there was a lot of “naysaying”.

Now, they see kids riding to their friends houses, women and children on bikes, and business benefiting. In one year, they have seen an increase of 1750 trips a day taken by bike.

“Evidence internationally shows that cyclists and pedestrians spend more time browsing stores,” Paul said.

“Which makes sense. If you’re driving past the place, you’re not stopping or looking in there.”

However, people are afraid of change, Paul says, and on top of that, the impacts from Covid have made businesses even more fearful.

“I just think it’s really worth trying out and seeing what benefits come about through re-allocating road space and sharing that with other road users, rather than every road in every street being dominated by car parking, which is not an efficient use of space,” she said.

“When you re-allocate road space from cars, it makes more space for people to move around.”

Tasman District Council
As part of the TDC’s Richmond Streets for People programme, this is how the Salisbury Fly Through will look once completed.

In terms of being a town for a rural community, Paul pointed out that many countries around the world had “really good rural cycleway networks”.

If people weren’t riding in one particular area, that indicated it was “extremely hostile” to cyclists, and that wasn’t a good measure to say why a cycleway shouldn’t be used in that area.

A significant portion of our emissions nationally came from private vehicle usage, and cycleways were one part of “future low carbon transport infrastructure”.

“The reality is, the future of transport in New Zealand has to be a low carbon one.”

In a letter to Motueka residents and business owners on High St the Tasman District Council said the trade-off for the removal of carparks was “improvements to road safety” and “better transport options for the community”.

Council vehicle counts showed that parking on High St was “not used significantly”, and was “not considered safe” in a number of places.

The 156 carparks from Old Wharf Rd to Whakarewa St had an average use of 6.84%, while the 122 spaces from Toad Hall to Old Wharf Rd had a utilisation average of 13.11%.

In addition, 95% of residents and businesses had off-road parking for two or more vehicles. The council expects that the final design will be ready for construction on June 30.

In the meantime, the council’s philosophy is that they need to “get it right”, says spokesman Chris Choat, while taking in a “whole mix of views”.

“There’s obviously been some interesting commentary about what we’re doing in the future and the fact that ‘It’s part of the World Economic Forum’s demand to get to 15 minute cities’. That’s one end of the spectrum.

“On the other side, we’ve got people saying, ‘oh, we should be able to bike anywhere’. We understand there’s a balance to be achieved, and key to this is safety and access.”

High St was one small part of the project to network the city, but it seemed to have become the flashpoint – though he pointed out that the council was “not colonising entire provinces”, merely 1.5m of roadway.

Motueka had plenty of parking in the CBD that was readily accessible. But the key thing, he said, was that the council was taking this feedback and treating it very seriously.

“There are some issues there, and we understand that, and we’re working closely with these people to see if we can resolve them”.

Claire Hutt will be closely watching this (parking) space.

“We know we have to do something about emissions,” Hutt said.

“But we also have to be realistic and not just rush in with the digger without thinking it through.”

Russia scrambles to bolster defence as ‘breakthrough’ threatens Crimea

by www.express.co.uk Leave a Comment

Crimea: Russian barracks on fire

Russia is scrambling to boost its defences in southern Ukraine as Volodymyr Zelensky’s forces eyes a strategic breakthrough through which could offer access to Crimea. The UK Defence Ministry’s latest bulletin suggests Vladimir Putin ’s forces were bolstering defensive fortifications in central Zaporizhzhia Oblast, especially near the town of Tarasivka. The statement explained: “Despite the current operational focus on central Donbas, Russia remains concerned about guarding the extremities of its extended front line.”

Ukrainian soldiers in Zaporizhzia

Ukrainian soldiers in the Zaporizhzia region (Image: REX/Shutterstock)

This was demonstrated by continued construction of defensive fortifications in Zaporizhzhia and Luhansk oblasts and deployments of personnel, the MoD’s post continued.

Russia ’s front line in Ukraine amounted to approximately 800 miles with the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia oblast frontline at 120 miles, the Mod said.

It added : “A major Ukrainian breakthrough in Zaporizhzhia would seriously challenge the viability of Russia ’s ‘land bridge’ linking Russia ’s Rostov region and Crimea; Ukrainian success in Luhansk would further undermine Russia ’s professed war aim of ‘liberating’ the Donbas.

“Deciding which of these threats to prioritise countering is likely one of the central dilemmas for Russian operational planners.”

THIS LIVE BLOG IS NOW CLOSED – READ COVERAGE BELOW…

Trending

Robert Fisk

Ukrainian defence forces spokesperson talks about Vuhledar onslaught

Oleksiy Dmytrashkivskyi, a spokesman for the Tavriskiy district of Ukrainian defence forces, says they think Russia is likely to have lost a 5,000-strong brigade from its elite 155th naval infantry.

Speaking to Politico, Mr Dmytrashkivskyi said: “A large number of enemy forces, including the command staff, were destroyed near Vuhledar and Mariinka in Donetsk Oblast.

“In addition, over the past week, the enemy lost about 130 units of equipment, including 36 units of tanks.”

The 155th naval infantry and the separatist Vostok Battalion have been at the heart of Moscow’s attempts to take Vuhledar.

Mr Dmytrashkivskyi added: “The 155th brigade already had to be restaffed three times.

“The first time after Irpin and Bucha; the second time they were defeated near Donetsk – they recovered again. And now almost the entire brigade has already been destroyed near Vuhledar.”

Robert Fisk

Satellite images show the extent of destruction around Vuhledar

Satellite images captured by US-based Maxar Technologies show the extent of the fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces as the battle for the strategic town of Vuhledar continues.

new satellite images (from Feb. 8-10) in and around Vuhledar, Ukraine, where Russia reportedly suffered a disastrous loss of troops, equipment last week. Image 1:-2 armored vehicles deployed along treeline southeast of Vuhledar. Image 3: craters SW of Pavlyvka. \ud83d\udcf8 @Maxar pic.twitter.com/xpFUsj6C94

\u2014 Mike Eckel (@Mike_Eckel) February 13, 2023

Robert Fisk

Rocket strike destroys HQ of pro-Russian separatist battalion near Vuhledar

The headquarters of a pro-Russian separatist battalion near the eastern Ukrainian town of Vuhledar has been destroyed in a Himars rocket strike.

Writing on the Telegram app, Alexander Khodakovsky, the Vostok battalion’s commander, said at least one Russian officer had been killed in the Ukrainian strike.

The separatist battalion has been engaged in heavy fighting to try to capture the coal-mining town of Vuhledar, in the Donetsk region, losing around five thousand troops in an attempt to take it.

Daily Telegraph reports that in recent weeks the town, which is around 100 miles southwest of Bakhmut, has become one of the focal points of Russia ’s renewed offensive.

Ukrainian military officials say that Moscow’s forces were losing between 150 and 300 troops a day in its attempts to capture Vuhledar.

Robert Fisk

Rishi Sunak pays tribute to New Zealand’s support of Ukraine

Rishi Sunak has paid tribute to New Zealand’s support for Ukraine in a call with the country’s new premier Chris Hipkins.

The Prime Minister spoke to Mr Hipkins, who took office following the unexpected resignation of Jacinda Ardern, this evening, Downing Street said.

According to a readout of the call, Mr Sunak paid tribute to New Zealand’s support for Ukraine in its struggle against Russia ‘s invasion, “including the important role the country was playing in training Ukrainian soldiers in the UK”.

“Both leaders agreed that the continued international solidarity in support of Ukraine sent a strong message to aggressors across the world,” No 10 said.

Mr Hipkins was sworn in as New Zealand’s 41st prime minister last month.

The Labour Party politician served as education and police minister under Ms Ardern, who dramatically resigned saying she no longer had “enough in the tank” to fulfil the demanding role.

Rishi Sunak

Rishi Sunak had a call with New Zealand’s new prime minister (Image: PA)

Robert Fisk

Putin’s favourite TV propagandist calls for missile attack on British Parliament

Russian president Vladimir Putin ‘s favourite TV propagandist has called for Parliament to be targeted in a missile attack on the UK. Vladimir Solovyov asked in comments translated from Russian why Moscow couldn’t strike London .

Read the full story here

Russian pundit discusses possible ‘strike’ against London

Robert Fisk

Ukraine Forever programme of events announced in Scotland

Events to mark the start of Vladimir Putin ‘s war on Ukraine are set to begin on Saturday ahead of the one-year anniversary of Russia ‘s invasion.

The Ukraine Forever programme was announced earlier today at Edinburgh Castle by Lord Provost Robert Aldridge.

He joined other representatives at the landmark ahead of a series of events to mark the war’s beginning which include a planned parliamentary debate and march next week.

On February 24 2022, Putin’s troops tried to storm the country but they have met stiff resistance from Ukrainian fighters defending their homeland.

To mark the start of the full-scale invasion attempt, there will be a wreath-laying ceremony at the castle and the City War Memorial on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile.

Mr Aldridge said: “On this most sombre of anniversaries, we are reminded of the terrible consequences of Russia ‘s illegal invasion during the past year.”

In cities and towns north of the border there will be events to mark the start of the war, with other wreath-laying events to take place as well as church services and processions.

Edinburgh’s first event, a commemorative gala concert in support of Ukraine , will be held at St Cuthbert’s Parish Church, Lothian Road, on February 18.

And as part of the Ukraine Forever programme in Edinburgh, there will be events including a fundraiser for a paramedic charity at the Scottish Storytelling Centre on February 23, and a night of music with Scottish and Ukrainian artists at the Usher Hall on February 28.

Hannah Beaton-Hawryluk, Edinburgh’s branch chairwoman of the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain, said she hoped the programme of events would “provide an opportunity for both residents of Edinburgh and Ukrainians living in the city to come together to commemorate the human sacrifice in the defence of Ukraine “.

She added: “The first anniversary is a really important, but sombre, milestone to ensure that the profile of Ukraine ‘s fight is kept at the forefront of society’s discourse in the coming year ahead.

“We need all of your help to continue supporting Ukraine .”

On February 23, there will be a special debate at the Scottish Parliament, with politicians from across the spectrum set to take part.

And, two days later, there will be a march in support of Ukraine , which will head from Edinburgh Castle to the Scottish Parliament.

MSP Neil Gray, the minister with special responsibility for refugees from Ukraine , said as the anniversary approached it was “important for us to take a moment to pause and reflect, and to remember all those who have lost their lives in the conflict”.

He added: “Edinburgh’s Ukraine Forever programme will help us all to show our continued support and solidarity with Ukrainians all over the world.

“To all the Ukrainians in Scotland, my message remains clear, we stand with you and want you to know that Scotland is your home for as long as you need it to be.”

Thousands of Ukrainian refuges have made Scotland home since the invasion, with more than 22,000 people from the war-torn country arriving north of the border through private sponsors or super-sponsor scheme.

The Lord Provost of Edinburgh pictured with King Charles last September

The Lord Provost of Edinburgh pictured with King Charles last September (Image: PA)

Robert Fisk

Ukrainian troops doing intensive training sessions to learn how to use Leopard 2 tanks

Poland’s president and defence minister have met the instructors who are intensively training Ukrainian troops to operate the German-made Leopard 2 tanks that some European countries and Canada have offered Kyiv to help fight the Russian invasion.

President Andrzej Duda and minister Mariusz Blaszczak also watched Leopard 2 training at a military base and test range in Swietoszow, in southwestern Poland.

The training is part of the European Union’s military assistance to Ukraine , but Canadian instructors also have a role, as do Norwegians.

Taking part are Ukrainian tank crews from units fighting in the east of the country.

The intensive training lasts up to 10 hours a day, including weekends, the Polish military said. Instruction is also being held in Germany.

President Duda said he hoped the tanks would help Ukrainian forces “in a much efficient way to defeat the enemy.”

He said the Ukrainian trainees have come straight from the front line. “You can see in their faces that these people have gone through terrible things, but they are determined to defend their homeland.”

Stationed in Swietoszow are Poland’s 10th Armored Cavalry Brigade and a U.S. armored cavalry combat group.

Warsaw is among the most active supporters of neighboring Ukraine , and has pushed European nations to provide the Leopard 1 and 2 tanks. Germany has pledged at least 178 Leopard 1 tanks and 14 Leopard 2s. Poland has pledged 14 Leopard 2s. Other contributing countries include Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands, while Britain has pledged Challenger tanks and the U.S. its M1 Abrams main battle tanks.

Duda especially thanked Germany for allowing the German-made tanks to be made available to Kyiv and for its own contribution.

Poland has also provided or pledged more than 300 of its Soviet-era T-72 tanks and modernized PT-91 tanks.

Ukrainian officials say they expect Russian forces to make a new drive in eastern and southern Ukraine , as the Kremlin strives to secure territory it illegally annexed in late September and where it claims its rule is welcomed.

Germany’s Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said last week that the first battalion of 31 Leopard 1 tanks in Ukraine should be ready in April.

The first Ukrainian soldiers to be trained on the tanks departed for Germany last week.

Poland’s president and defence minister meeting instructors

Poland’s president and defence minister meeting the instructors who are doing the training (Image: Anadolu)

Robert Fisk

NATO warning about Ukraine using ammunition faster than allies can provide it

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has warned that Ukraine is using up ammunition far faster than its allies can provide it and putting pressure on Western defence industries, just as Russia ramps up its military offensive.

He said: “The war in Ukraine is consuming an enormous amount of munitions and depleting allied stockpiles.

“The current rate of Ukraine ’s ammunition expenditure is many times higher than our current rate of production. This puts our defence industries under strain.”

According to some estimates, Ukraine is firing up to 6,000-7,000 artillery shells each day, around a third of the daily amount that Russia is using almost one year into the war.

Speaking on the eve of a two-day meeting of NATO defence ministers, Stoltenberg said the waiting time for the supply of “large-calibre ammunition has increased from 12 to 28 months,” and that “orders placed today would only be delivered two-and-a-half years later.”

The former Norwegian prime minister said that President Vladimir Putin has already begun Russia ’s long-anticipated spring military offensive in Ukraine , “so we must continue to provide Ukraine with what it needs to win and to achieve a just and sustainable peace.”

“It is clear that we are in a race of logistics. Key capabilities like ammunition, fuel, and spare parts must reach Ukraine before Russia can seize the initiative on the battlefield. Speed will save lives,” he told reporters in Brussels.

NATO members and Ukraine ’s other allies are meeting at the alliance’s headquarters on Tuesday under U.S. supervision to drum up more weapons and ammunition for the war-torn country.

Many NATO allies are bilaterally supplying weapons to Ukraine , but NATO as an organization only provides non-lethal aid.

Tomorrow evening, U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and his counterparts will separately hold talks with Ukraine ’s defence minister. On Wednesday, they will discuss NATO’s defences on its eastern flank, close to Russia . Moves to beef up military budgets are also on the agenda.

Robert Fisk

Taking over the live blog

Good afternoon from London. I’m Robert Fisk, I’ll be bringing you all the latest developments on the Ukraine war. Please feel free to get in touch with me as I work if you have a story or tips to share! Your thoughts are always welcome.

You can send me a DM on Twitter @RobertFisk or email me [email protected]

Ciaran McGrath

New advanced drones delivered to Russia for its war on Ukraine smuggled by Iran

At least 18 advanced armoured drones were delivered by Iran to the Russian Navy last November, sources close to the operation have revealed.

Russian officers who visited Iran in November selected six Mohajer-6 drones and 12 Shahed 191 and 129 drones from Tehran’s stocks.

The drones have a range of around 200km and can carry two missiles under each wing with advanced air-to-ground strike capability, an expose in the Guardian has revealed.

They are also designed to deliver bombs and return to base unscathed unlike the so-called kamikaze drones used so far by Vladimir Putin ‘s military against Ukraine .

CLICK FOR FULL STORY

Ciaran McGrath

Berlusconi leaves Italy in shame as he attacks Zelensky in renewed defence of Putin’s war

Silvio Berlusconi has blamed Vladimir Putin ‘s decision to invade Ukraine on the Ukrainian President, as he argued Zelensky should have ceased to “attack” the republics of Donbas against Russian occupation.

The former Italian Prime Minister said he judges Zelensky’s behaviour “very negatively”.

Speaking in Milan, Mr Berlusconi, who has a long-standing friendship with Putin, said: “It would have been enough for him to stop attacking the two autonomous republics of Donbass and this war would not have happened. So I judge this gentleman’s behaviour very, very negatively.”

The Italian leader of Forza Italia, part of the coalition government led by Giorgia Meloni, also attacked his premier claiming he would have never engaged in talks with Zelenksy at last week’s European Council Summit in Brussels.

Silvio Berlusconi Vladimir Putin

Silvio Berlusconi and Vladimir Putin in Crimea in 2015 (Image: GETTY)

Ciaran McGrath

Russia accused of plotting to derail Moldovan government

Moldova’s President outlined Monday what she described as a plot by Moscow to use external saboteurs to overthrow her country’s government, put the nation “at the disposal of Russia ” and derail its aspirations to one day join the European Union.

President Maia Sandu’s briefing comes a week after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country had intercepted plans by Russian secret services to destroy Moldova, claims that were later confirmed by Moldovan intelligence officials.

Ms Sandu told reporters: “The plan for the next period involves actions with the involvement of diversionists with military training, camouflaged in civilian clothes, who will undertake violent actions, attack some state buildings, and even take hostages..

“The purpose of these actions is to overthrow the constitutional order, to change the legitimate power from Chisinau to an illegitimate one, which would put our country at the disposal of Russia , in order to stop the European integration process.”

She vowed: “The Kremlin’s attempts to bring violence to our country will not succeed.”

Ciaran McGrath

Artillery fire hits more than 20 cities in 24 hours, say reports

In the neighboring Luhansk region, Russian troops pulled back after several days of intense fighting near the key city of Kreminna, although they’re not “running out of steam”, Luhansk Governor. Serhii Haidai told Ukrainian television.

In the partially occupied southern region of Kherson, artillery fire hit more than 20 cities and villages over the past 24 hours including the regional capital of the same name which was recaptured by Ukrainian forces in November.

Two men were killed in one of the villages when their car ran over a landmine.

In the neighboring Dnipropetrovsk region, Russian shelling of the city of Nikopol killed one person and wounded two others. The shelling also damaged a residential building, a water treatment facility and a college.

Ciaran McGrath

Fierce battles rage outside Bakhmut as Russians advance

Fierce battles raged outside Bahkhut as Russian forces pushed their advance on the eastern city with heavy shelling and infantry attacks, Ukraine ‘s presidential office said Monday, with at least five civilians killed and as many wounded in action across the war-torn country in the last 24 hours.

The presidential office said the situation in Bakhmut’s northern suburb of Paraskoviivka is “difficult” as Russian forces continued to pummel the area with “intense shelling and storming actions.” The nearby town of Vuhledar is also under heavy bombardment.

Russian forces shelled a dozen cities and villages in the Donetsk region in the last 24 hours including in Druzhkivka where a missile hit a hospital and in Pokrovsk where shelling damaged seven houses and a kindergarten.

Donetsk Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said: “The shelling intensifies, and the Russians accumulate more forces for an attack on peaceful cities. We’re seeing a very tough battle in which the Russians aren’t sparing neither themselves, nor us.”

Ciaran McGrath

Putin deploys ‘kamikaze’ spies to infiltrate UK as he lashes out over support for Ukraine

Vladimir Putin has sent out an order for Russian spy agencies to intensify their recruitment of “kamikaze” intelligence operatives in Britain, leaked emails suggest.

Former members of Britain intelligence have warned that the UK is a “major” target for the Kremlin, which will be taking every step to “get access to people and turn agents in useful places”.

According to The Sun, emails from a Russian intelligence source close to Putin’s administration suggest that Moscow will “intensify undercover work with secret informants” in Britain, including sitting politicians and civil servants.

The leaked email said: “Another direction – to intensify undercover work with secret informants in all spheres of society in Britain, mainly among civil servants and politicians of all ranks – including those who sit in Parliament and members of the Lords.”

CLICK FOR FULL STORY

Russian President Vladimir Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin (Image: GETTY)

Ciaran McGrath

Kremlin silences propaganda on Wagner Group’s successes as insiders fear mercenary leader

The Kremlin’s support for the mercenary Wagner Group is waning due to fears of its leader’s unpredictability. Sergei Markov, a well-known pro- Vladimir Putin commentator, revealed that he had received a directive from the leadership because Prigozhin had become too unpredictable.

The order came after Prigrozhin claimed that Wagner forces had taken control of a village close to Bakhmut, the center of the conflict in eastern Ukraine .

He shared a video that he claimed showed Wagner fighters at the entrance of Krasna Hora, a village that had a pre-war population of 600.

In an audio message, he also stated that only Wagner fighters were in control within a 50km radius of Bakhmut.

CLICK FOR FULL STORY

Russian Wagner soldiers appear to attack their commander

Ciaran McGrath

Soviet Russia’s unearthed chilling plan to take war to the West and capture Europe

More than three decades may have passed, but some things never change. Today’s grim relationship between Moscow and Washington continues to be at its lowest point since the Cold War, with despot Vladimir Putin ‘s incessant push to take over Ukraine sending the West into despair.

Much of the bad blood with Russia in recent history has been played out with the US.

While many near clashes were faced during the second half of the 20th century, one, in 1988, saw the American missile cruiser USS Yorktown purposefully rammed by its Soviet rival, in the form of a frigate called Bezzavetnyy, on the Black Sea.

The exchange took place on Soviet territory, which Yorktown countered by claiming it was on an innocent passage through the sea, something Moscow claimed was in its waters.

CLICK FOR FULL STORY

Ciaran McGrath

Putin’s mercenaries post horrifying video of ‘murder with a sledgehammer’ of rebel fighter

A Wagner Group mercenary was allegedly killed with a sledgehammer after he refused to continue to fight for Russia against Ukraine .

A video showing the horrific attack is circulating the Telegram channel GrayZone, which is close to PMC Wagner, a private military company working for Vladimir Putin and recruiting soldiers to fight Ukraine .

Posting the video, the group wrote that the mercenary “fell ill with the same disease, from which you lose consciousness in the cities of Ukraine , then in Kiev, now in the Dnieper, and then you wake up in the basement at your last court session”.

Earlier, the same group had posted a video with the execution of Wagner PMC fighter Yevgeny Nuzhin.

CLICK FOR FULL STORY

Ciaran McGrath

Red Sea braces for Russian naval expansion as Kremlin approves strategic base

Moscow has secured Red Sea expansion with an agreement to allow Russia to establish a presence on one of the world’s busiest waterways.

Western authorities are worried that the first Russian naval base in Africa could be used to project power into the Indian Ocean.

Discussions about the base originally began during Omar al-Bashir’s rule, but were disrupted when he was removed from power in 2019.

However, two years later, the country’s democratic transition was interrupted by a military coup, and there are currently negotiations for a military-civilian power-sharing arrangement.

CLICK FOR FULL STORY

Ciaran McGrath

Russian hackers target earthquake relief effort

Russian hackers are disrupting contact between Nato and military aircraft offering aid to victims of the Turkish-Syrian earthquake.

A Nato official said that the alliance was the cyber attack thought to have been undertaken by the Killnet group of hackers.

The Killnet group of hackers claimed responsibility for the distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks without offering further details.

It posted on Telegram: “We are carrying out strikes on Nato. Details in a closed channel.”

The website of Nato Special Operations Headquarters, based in Belgium, was down for only a couple of hours before being was restored, reported the Telegraph.

Ciaran McGrath

Wagner chief hints at rivalry with Kremlin as he brags about military win

Yevgency Prigozhin, the man who bankrolls the Russia ‘s mercenary army the Wagner Group, has hinted at divisions with the Kremlin as he claimed his forces had captured a key village close to Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine .

Prigozhin, sometimes called Putin’s chef because of his links in the catering business, said: “Today, Wagner’s assault units took the town of Krasna Hora.

“After the capture of Soledar and the mass hype saying that there were other soldiers besides Wagner in Soledar, of course, the guys were very frustrated.

“Within a 50 kilometers radius, more or less, only Wagner fighters remain, and they will take Bakhmut.”

Yevgeny Prigozhin

Yevgeny Prigozhin (Image: GETTY)

Ciaran McGrath

Shocking images show the destruction Russia has wrought on Ukraine

Pictures have shown the devastation impact Russian bombs have had on Ukraiine since the start of the war almost a year ago.

Ukraine

Ukraine: The damage caused by Russian airstrikes (Image: GETTY)

Ukraine

Ukraine: The damage caused by Russian airstrikes (Image: GETTY)

Ciaran McGrath

Mod tweet

DefenceHQ’s latest update

Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 13 February 2023 https://t.co/ixYOQYQdXc #StandWithUkraine \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 pic.twitter.com/mmbgKuxUpo

\u2014 Ministry of Defence \ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7 (@DefenceHQ) February 13, 2023

Ciaran McGrath

Ex-Russian commander slams his country’s military as ‘complete morons’ after big tank fail

An ex-commander from Russia has called his country’s generals “complete morons” following Ukrainian claims that they have destroyed almost an entire tank brigade in Vuhledar.

Vladimir Putin is said to have had an entire tank brigade smashed in a battle for the small coal-mining town in the Donetsk region because of a vehicle pile-up.

The former commander Igor Girkin, who was sentenced to life in prison by a western court after a trial in abstenia for bringing down the MH17 flight in 2014, said Ukraine pounded the vehicles “like in a shooting gallery”.

He noted how the vehicles, including tanks, piled up along a narrow road while the Ukrainian artillery fired at them.

CLICK FOR FULL STORY

Ciaran McGrath

Russia scrambles to bolster defences in southern Ukraine

Russia is scrambling to boost its defences in southern Ukraine as Volodymyr Zelensky’s forces eyes a strategic breakthrough through which could offer access to Crimea.

The UK Defence Ministry’s latest bulletin suggests Vladimir Putin ’s forces were bolstering defensive fortifications in central Zaporizhzhia Oblast, especially near the town of Tarasivka.

The statement explained: “Despite the current operational focus on central Donbas, Russia remains concerned about guarding the extremities of its extended front line.”

This was demonstrated by continued construction of defensive fortifications in Zaporizhzhia and Luhansk oblasts and deployments of personnel, the MoD’s post continued.

Why the Shinnecock Tribe Is Clashing With the Hamptons’ Elite

by www.nytimes.com Leave a Comment

For two decades, the Shinnecock Indian Nation has tried and failed to open a casino near Manhattan in the hope that a gambling hall would be an economic engine to wrest them from poverty and fund social programs.

Now the tribe has its eye on a new location: its home in the Hamptons.

The Shinnecock Hamptons Casino is expected to rise on the tribe’s reservation here on the East End of Long Island as early as 2023.

But some of the tribe’s neighbors are uniting in opposition against placing the casino in this summer getaway known for staid, shingled summer homes owned by wealthy and influential people, who fiercely guard the area’s low-key feel. They regard the casino, which would feature bingo slots and poker, as a distasteful element as unwelcome as franchise restaurants and big box stores — which have been kept out to preserve the area’s character.

Tribal leaders of the Shinnecocks said they have no choice but to build on the reservation and to start construction this summer, in an effort to get a jump on competitors seeking state licenses to build other casinos in or around New York City.

“This is about the preservation of our people,” said Bryan Polite, the tribe’s chairman. “The story of the Shinnecocks is one of struggle and perseverance, and that’s what’s happening right now.”

The new casino plan comes as the country grapples with social and financial inequity issues with regard to many disenfranchised and oppressed groups, including Indigenous peoples. On the Shinnecock reservation, one person in five lives below the poverty line in a sparse mix of modest houses and ramshackle trailers. From a scruffy shoreline, the Shinnecocks can gaze across the bay at workers landscaping the lawns of huge Southampton summer mansions. It is a stark inequity that tribal leaders hope can be improved by the financial lifeline of a tribally run casino.

Because the reservation is sovereign land, free from government regulations, the planned Shinnecock Hamptons Casino cannot be blocked by local zoning laws and restrictions. That has not stopped a group of roughly 200 homeowners from forming the Hamptons Neighborhood Group and setting up a website with the motto: “Keep the Hamptons the Hamptons!”

The group called the casino out of character with its residential surroundings and said it would lead to increased traffic, as well as possible noise problems, disturbances and crime. They have begun discussing with tribal leaders the possibility of finding another location that might also benefit the tribe.

“A lot of us are bleeding-heart liberals and sympathetic to the oppressed, and we understand their attempt for economic development,” said a homeowner in the group, James Wacht. “But it’s not the right location.”

The Southampton town supervisor, Jay Schneiderman, said many local residents oppose the casino plan, and some have vowed to move away if it is built. He said he respects the tribe’s rights but added, “I cannot think of a worse location to build a casino.”

Alan Woinski, a gambling industry analyst and consultant, said the Shinnecocks’ proposal could cause enough of an uproar to pressure Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to offer the tribe a deal to build a more lucrative casino elsewhere.

Mr. Polite said the tribe would certainly not rebuff an offer to find a more lucrative location.

“We would have preferred to have a Las Vegas-style casino close to Manhattan, but modest returns are better than no returns,” Mr. Polite said.

Shinnecock leaders would not disclose financial details, and it remains unclear how profitable the 76,000-square-foot casino might prove to be.

The casino on the reservation won approval from the federal National Indian Gaming Commission after the Shinnecocks failed to get state support for a casino near Manhattan. That approval mandates that the casino must operate as a smaller Class 2 gaming facility — on reservation land only — with only bingo slots and a limited poker option. Those restrictions and being 80 miles away from Manhattan could put the Shinnecocks’ casino at a disadvantage with competitors.

When the Shinnecocks began trying to open one of the first casinos in New York State roughly 20 years ago, they cited studies reporting that, with the local market wide open, such a gambling facility would be likely to be one of the most lucrative casinos in the country.

Members envisioned their fortunes turning as they had for the Mohegans and Mashantucket Pequot tribes in Connecticut, which benefited from the Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods, two of the largest casinos in the country.

As the Shinnecocks’ proposals f ailed, more than a dozen other casinos opened across the state, including three downstate — Jake’s 58 Casino Hotel in Islandia, in Suffolk County, is some 40 miles to the west — that would certainly affect the tribe’s potential customer base. Jake’s 58, which opened in 2017, is among the highest earning video-lottery betting sites in the state and is seeking state authorization to double its existing number of 1,000 video lottery terminals.

Shinnecock leaders are eager to open their casino quickly, with the state set to issue three new licenses in 2023 for full-scale casino locations in or near New York City. These licenses are being sought by large casino operators and would further siphon potential customers from a casino in Southampton.

“We were at the table before those guys were and somehow we got overlooked,” said Seneca Bowen, 32, a tribal trustee, as he viewed the planned casino site one day earlier this month.

The tribe, which is expecting up to $6 million toward economic relief and social programs from the Biden administration’s stimulus package, is embarking on the casino with Tri State Partners, which has worked with the Seminole tribe on the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City.

Of the roughly 500 casinos opened by Indian tribes across the country, some have succeeded in lifting tribes out of poverty while others have disappointed with meager profits or even closed because of competition, poor location or disputes with financial partners, Mr. Woinski said.

Even with a limited profitability because of size and gaming restrictions, the Shinnecock casino’s location would probably yield reliable revenue, he said. “It’s the Hamptons,” he said. “And also, there are no other casinos there, so people will go.”

That’s what residents surrounding the reservation worry about.

Shinnecock leaders said they were open to working with the homeowners group as long as it did not derail the casino plan.

Mr. Polite called the project vital to the survival of the Shinnecocks and dismissed the opposition as “hysteria created anytime we try to do anything.” Compared to the planned casino, he said, “You have houses around here that are three times that size.”

Striding the parcel of land where the casino would be built, Randy King, 58, vice chairman of the tribe, said members do not want an opportunity to pass them by. As casino attempts failed through the years, he said tribal members wondered, “When is the arc of justice going to swing our way?”

The first white settlers arrived in the Town of Southampton, the oldest English settlement in New York, in 1640. In the centuries since then, the tribe has had repeated disputes with the town and has seen its land steadily shrink to its current 900-acre reservation.

It has sued seeking reparations and the return of thousands of acres, including the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, where the U.S. Open has been played five times.

Of the tribe’s 1,600 members, some 720 live on the reservation, where the median household income is about $30,000, less than a third of the median income in surrounding Suffolk County.

The tribe’s existing income streams range from the annual Labor Day powwow to smoke shops selling untaxed cigarettes to t he large electronic billboards on tribal land along Sunrise Highway.

Casino revenue would help economic development and welfare on the reservation by funding social programs and improvements as well as creating jobs, Mr. Polite said.

The possibility of cash stipends for families has not been decided yet, but casino revenue would help the tribe expand its family assistance fund to help members with such expenses as rent, food, utilities and car payments, he said. Money would also go to a new recreational center and expansion of the tribal security force, Mr. Polite said.

“It’s significant revenue for us, and it will make an immediate impact and change the quality of life here overnight,” he said.