‘Russian Atrocities Ukraine: Not isolated incidents’: Amnesty accuses Russia of war crimes

Amnesty International says it has documented war crimes in Ukraine, including the “wilful killings of civilians” by Russian forces when they occupied an area northeast of Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, in February and March.
Civilians have also suffered abuse such as “reckless shootings and torture” at the hands of Russian forces in the early stages of Russia’s invasion, the rights group said in a report published on Friday.

Read more at: ‘Not isolated incidents’: Amnesty accuses Russia of war crimes | Russia-Ukraine war News | Al Jazeera

China-US relations: Blinken speaks with Chinese foreign minister on Ukraine: State Dept.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke on Saturday with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi about "Moscow's premeditated, unprovoked, and unjustified war against Ukraine," a U.S. State Department spokesperson said.

"The Secretary noted the world is watching to see which nations stand up for the basic principles of freedom, self-determination and sovereignty," spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement.

Read more at: Blinken speaks with Chinese foreign minister on Ukraine: State Dept. | Reuters

Middle East: US strikes Houthi rebels, getting deeper into Yemen war

The United States military directly targeted Yemen's Houthi rebels for the first time on 13 October in what a Pentagon official has called “limited defense strikes”, pulling Washington deeper into the conflict.

Tomahawk rockets destroyed radar sites controlled by the rebels after US warships came under missile attacks twice in four days. The rebels have denied any responsibility.

The US action comes days after Saudi planes hit a funeral gathering in Yemen’s capital Sana’a kiling more than 155 people.

Just after the attack on the funeral, the US had said it would review its cooperation with Saudi Arabia but the latest strikes seem to be doing the reverse.

Some critics doubt the US strikes were justified.

“There were no missile strikes or attacks against American ships,” says Muhammad Marandi, an Americas specialist with the University of Tehran.

“Those are fabrications by the Americans because they felt the need to put extra pressure on the Houthis and the Yemeni army resisting the Saudis, since the Saudis are losing the war.”

According to Marandi, the Saudis and their allies created a naval blockade around the access ways to Yemen’s ports. But a successful Houthi attack against an Emirati vessel forced Saudi and Emirati warships to pull away from the shore, “thus allowing more food to enter the country”.

He sees the American claim that that they were attacked as was an excuse to directly enter the war.

“The Americans are basically carrying out these attacks in support of the Saudis and the Emiratis to reinforce the siege against the Yemeni people and to induce starvation as a weapon to put the Saudis in a stronger position at the negotiating table,” he says.

Read more: US strikes Houthi rebels, getting deeper into Yemen war - Middle East - RFI

Middle East: Russia: All talks participants agreed Syrians must decide own future no-one else - by Dmitry Solovyov

Russia said all participants in talks in Lausanne had agreed Syrians should decide their own future through inclusive dialog and that the country should remain whole and secular, after the meeting ended without a breakthrough.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Sunday that in order for a U.S.-Russian ceasefire agreement to succeed and to facilitate humanitarian aid deliveries, Syria's moderate opposition must separate from Jabhat Fatah al Sham, previously known as the Nusra Front, and other "terrorist groups" affiliated with it.

"At the same time, it should be understood that operations against terrorists of Islamic State and the Nusra Front will be continued," the ministry said.

Saturday's talks, convened by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in the Swiss city, failed to agree on a common strategy with Russia to end the conflict in Syria, now in its sixth year.

Kerry hosted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and seven foreign ministers from the region - from Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar, Jordan and Egypt - weeks after the collapse of a painstakingly crafted U.S.-Russian ceasefire plan that many saw as the last hope for peace this year.

Western powers have accused Russia and Syria of committing atrocities by bombing hospitals, killing civilians and preventing medical evacuations in Syria's largest city Aleppo, as well as targeting an aid convoy with the loss of around 20 lives. Syria and Russia say they are only targeting militants.

Europe was not represented at the Lausanne meeting. But France's Foreign Ministry confirmed that Kerry and foreign ministers of like-minded nations planned to meet in London on Sunday to discuss Syria.
Read more: Russia: All talks participants agreed Syrians must decide own future

ISIS: Hacker Group Anonymous Announces 'Biggest Operation' Against ISIS After Paris Attacks

The Hacker group Anonymous declared "total war" on the Islamic State (ISIS) extremist group on Sunday following the wave of attacks in Paris that killed at least 129 people and left dozens more in a critical condition.

A masked, French-speaking figure with a distorted voice is shown reading a statement from the group in the two-minute-long YouTube video. Clips from the attacks in Paris are shown in the video.

"War is declared. Get prepared," the masked figure says in the video in reference to ISIS. "The French people are stronger than you and will come out of this atrocity even stronger. Anonymous from all over the world will hunt you down. You should know that we will find you and we will not let you go. We will launch the biggest operation ever against you."

The escalation in Anonymous's operation against ISIS comes after at least seven suspected attackers carried out gun and bomb attacks against a number of civilian targets across the French capital, leaving 352 wounded and at least 99 in a critical condition. French police are continuing a manhunt for a man they believe took part in the attacks, identified as 26-year-old Salah Abdeslam.

Anonymous has targeted ISIS for a number of months, revealing the Twitter accounts of ISIS members and hacking a number of the group's sites. U.S. magazine Foreign Policy estimates that the group has dismantled at least 149 of the extremist group's affiliated websites, flagged approximately 101,000 Twitter accounts and nearly 6,000 propaganda videos.

Note EU-Digest: Excellent initiative. The more the better . Unity is the best defense against terrorism and fear.

Read more: Hacker Group Anonymous Announces 'Biggest Operation' Against ISIS After Paris Attacks

China joins Russia in staying away from Syria talks

China joined Russia on Thursday in boycotting a "Friends of Syria" meeting aimed at coordinating efforts to stop violence in the country, where three senior regime officers are among the latest to be killed.

In Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin told reporters China would not attend the Paris gathering on Friday. "(China) at present does not consider attending the meeting," he told reporters.

Russia, a long-time ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has also said it will stay away from the meeting after accusing the West of seeking to distort a weekend deal by world powers in Geneva aimed at achieving a transition of power.

Note EU-Digest: It is puzzling why China and Russia, who consider themselves to be close friends and allies of Syria are boycotting a meeting called "friends of Syria". Even if they do not agree with the agenda or the attendees of that meeting it would at least show they are flexible and don't want to be placed under the same denominator as Mr. Assad and the atrocities his regime is committing?

Read more: China joins Russia in staying away from Syria talks | Radio Netherlands Worldwide