Friday, January 14, 2022

Six In The Morning

 

 US intelligence indicates Russia preparing operation to justify invasion of Ukraine


Updated 1613 GMT (0013 HKT) January 14, 2022


The US has information that indicates Russia has prepositioned a group of operatives to conduct a false-flag operation in eastern Ukraine, a US official told CNN on Friday, in an attempt to create a pretext for an invasion.

The official said the US has evidence that the operatives are trained in urban warfare and in using explosives to carry out acts of sabotage against Russia's own proxy forces.
The allegation echoes a statement released by Ukraine's Ministry of Defense on Friday, which said that Russian special services are preparing provocations against Russian forces in an attempt to frame Ukraine. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan hinted at the intelligence during a briefing with reporters on Thursday.



Ethiopia: Tigray on brink of humanitarian disaster, UN says

Supplies for more than 5 million people in need of food are running out, says World Food Programme


The Tigray region of northern Ethiopia stands on the edge of a humanitarian disaster, the UN has said, as fighting escalates and stocks of essential food for malnourished children run out.

The World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday that it would be distributing its last supplies of cereals, pulses and oil next week to Tigray, where more than 5 million people are estimated to be in need of food assistance.

Fierce clashes between forces loyal to the federal government in Addis Ababa and fighters with the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front have meant that no WFP convoys have reached Mekelle, the capital of Tigray, since mid-December.


Myanmar junta adds five new charges against Aung San Suu Kyi

The new charges leveled at ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi are piling up and could lead to some 160 years in prison if convicted. Her supporters have denounced the allegations against her.

Myanmar's ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi is facing up to 160 years in prison after a court added five new charges against her on Friday.

The Nobel Laureate Suu Kyi has been under house arrest since February 1, 2021, hours before the military ousted elected leaders and took power.

She has already been sentenced to six years in prison after the court found her guilty of five criminal charges.


Omicron spikes in Brazil as Bolsonaro downplays threat

Cases have doubled since last week, with experts warning of strains on the health systems and the economy.


Brazil is experiencing an Omicron variant-fuelled spike in coronavirus infections that has seen cases, already suspected to be vastly undercounted, double in a week.

The surge has put strains on the country’s hospital system and is threatening the already lagging economy, but has been largely downplayed by President Jair Bolsonaro, who has been hostile towards restrictions and has spread misinformation about the virus since the pandemic began.


US judge reassigned after reversing sex assault conviction


An Illinois judge who came under fire after overturning a man's sexual assault conviction has been removed from adjudicating criminal cases.

Last year, Adams County Judge Robert Adrian found Drew Clinton, 18, guilty of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old.

Mr Clinton faced a minimum of four years in prison, but this month Judge Adrian said the 148 days spent in jail by Clinton was "plenty of punishment".

The judge has been assigned to civil cases, the Herald-Whig newspaper said.

Judge Adrian's reversal during a January sentencing hearing drew immediate backlash from advocates for sexual assault survivors and the 16-year-old girl who reported the assault.


Pacific undersea province given name ‘Godzilla Megamullion’


By MASANORI ISOBE/ Staff Writer

January 14, 2022 at 18:40 JST



Godzilla will soon have a home as an undersea province off Okinotorishima, a tiny island that is Japan’s southernmost point.

A proposal to name the area "Godzilla Megamullion" was approved at a January meeting of the Sub-Committee on Undersea Features Names (SCUFN).

The committee was jointly set up by the International Hydrographic Organization and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO.

The name will be used in nautical charts and research papers.





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