Violence and atrocities : weapons

Showing posts with label weapons. Show all posts

Monday, November 14, 2022

Police arrest a student of University of Virginia suspected of shooting dead three football players of the school

In another of incident of gun violence in a school, a student of University of Virginia is suspected of shooting down three of the school's football players. The authorities have identified the suspect as well as the victims. UVA President Jim Ryan announced this during a press conference. The shooting incident injured two other students and one of them is in critical condition. It happened late Sunday night near a campus-parking garage on a bus "full of students." They were returning from a play in Washington, D.C. "This is a sad, shocking and tragic day for our UVA community," Ryan told reporters. Police took the 22-year-old suspect into custody from Henrico County, Virginia and charged him with three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of using a handgun in the commission of a felony. UVA shooting: 3 football players killed, 2 students wounded and suspect in custody. It seems the suspect was involved in a criminal incident involving a concealed weapon violation outside Charlottesville in February 2021.

The suspect was listed as a member of the UVA football team in 2018, when he was a freshman. He had not been on the football team for over a year. First-year head football coach Tony Elliott said the victims "were all good kids" and that he would talk more about them "when the time is right." Warnings were given to students and staff to shelter in place late Sunday night after the shooting. It was later lifted. Elected leaders of Virginia reacted to the shooting on social media. Gov. Glenn Youngkin went to Twitter and said - "This morning, Suzanne and I are praying for the UVA community." Suzanne Youngkin was his wife. Sen. Tim Kaine added in a tweet - "Heartbroken to hear of another Virginia community devastated by gun violence. Praying for the UVA community and closely monitoring the situation."

Wednesday, November 9, 2022

Fresh row erupts between China and Taiwan over visit of Greg Hands, British Trade Policy Minister to Taiwan

There are indications that China has plans to make use of the massive civilian maritime fleet it has in order to transport military equipment to seize Taiwan. This appears to be the result of the visit of Greg Hands, the British Trade Policy Minister, to Taiwan. Photos in the social media reveal a massive military convoy of trucks, main battle tanks (MBT), and armored fighting vehicles (AFV) at civilian ports. These are moving in between passenger ships and car carriers. Chinese defense enthusiasts claim the design of the concept has a Taiwan operation in mind. China has its own fleet of roll-on-roll-over (RoRo) ships and dedicated car carriers. These can double up as amphibious transport vessels when required. In short, China wants to assert its claims over Taiwan and use every possible means. Photos in the media do not identify the port and the date of the military exercises. China had conducted such exercises in the past. Civilian Ship Armed With Tanks — Scary Images Reveal China’s ‘Notorious Plan’ To Invade & Annex Taiwan.

It seems, the civilian fleet can be commandeered under China’s January 2017 National Defense Transportation Law, which treats basic infrastructure and transport systems as “civil-military fusion assets”. This is as informed by Ian Easton, Senior Director of the Project 2049 Institute. On August 31 this year, seven dual-use amphibious ferries landing craft came to a Chinese beach near the Taiwan Strait. This is according to a defense analyst Tom Shugart. One of the RoRo ferries was the Bo Hai Heng Tong, a 15,000-ton multipurpose cargo ship. As Tom Shugart explains – “The ferry’s internal parking ‘lane’ is 1.6 miles long and three meters wide, spread across three decks. It translates into a vehicle cargo capacity almost three times that of a San Antonio-class amphibious warship (LPD-17).” Obviously, the plans of China appear to have a single agenda – Taiwan. Whether these weapons of warfare are actually used is anybody’s guess.

Thursday, October 13, 2022

Kim Jong-un supervised long-range cruise missile tests to demonstrate Pyongyang's readiness for "actual war"

North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reports that its leader Kim Jong-un supervised long-range cruise missile tests. He described them as a demonstration of his country’s readiness for "actual war." The two missiles flew for nearly three hours and showed their ability to strike targets roughly around 1,250 miles away. The agency said the test was conducted to improve the "combat efficiency and might" of long-range strategic cruise missiles "for the operation of tactical nukes." The leader of North Korea said his country's nuclear forces were prepared for "actual war to bring enemies under their control at a blow." He described his weapons systems as "mobile, precise and powerful." He went on to clarify that the missile tests send "another clear warning to enemies." Moreover, he said North Korea would "resolutely deter any crucial military crisis and war crisis at any time and completely take the initiative in it." North Korea's Kim Jong Un supervises cruise missile test.

North Korea has launched 12 ballistic missiles in a span of two weeks through October 9. One of these flew over Japan. Authorities in Pyongyang said the tests were a warning to the South and the US for staging joint naval exercises that including a US aircraft carrier. North Korea called these drills "dangerous." It seems the parliament of the North passed a law giving permission for preemptive use of nuclear weapons against these countries in the event of an attack on the leadership of North Korea. Pyongyang added that it would surrender its nuclear arsenal only if there were global disarmament. This would come as a big blow to those who still nurse hopes of negotiating Pyongyang's disarmament individually. Officials in South Korea do not rule out possibilities of the North conducting a nuclear test in the coming months.

Saturday, October 8, 2022

America imposes fresh sanctions on North Korea after it conducts more ballistic missile tests

Within the last two weeks, North Korea has launched as many as six missiles. This happened within the past two weeks and the western world is worried. In view of this situation, the US has imposed fresh sanctions on the hermit kingdom. The US Treasury and State Department announced this. These would target two individuals and three entities. They have links to the delivery of refined petroleum to the DPRK. Such an action directly supports the development of DPRK weapons programs and its military. Secretary of State Antony Blinken disclosed this and provided details. The targets indicated by the Treasury Department are two Singapore registered companies and an entity registered in the Marshall Islands associated with illicit ship-to-ship (STS) transfers to circumvent UN sanctions. US imposes new sanctions connected to North Korea following spate of missile tests. Blinken explained that the purpose of this action is to send a clear message that the U.S. “will continue to take actions against those who support the development and sustainment of the DPRK’s military and weapons arsenal.”

The activities of North Korea vis-à-vis aggressive acceleration in weapons testing has become a matter of concern for South Korea and Japan. They along with the US responded with missile launches and joint military exercises. The US has also redeployed an aircraft carrier into waters near the peninsula. This is a move described by South Korean authorities as “very unusual.” Blinken warned that if North Korea continues “down this road” of provocation “it will only increase the condemnation, increase the isolation and increase the steps that are taken in response to their actions.” Incidentally, these recent tests have added to the concerns of the administration. It feels these could be in preparation of Kim Jong-un overseeing his nation’s seventh nuclear test.

Thursday, September 29, 2022

US Vice President Kamala Harris on a visit to South Korea and will visit the Demilitarized Zone DMZ also

US Vice President Kamala Harris arrived in Asia to attend the state funeral of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo. There she met leaders of South Korea and Australia. She has plans to visit the Demilitarized Zone DMZ. This zone divides the two Koreas and the North responded by firing two short-range ballistic missiles into the waters off its east coast. The launch of these weapons was from the Sunan area of Pyongyang. This is according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The missiles covered a distance of about 224 miles, reached an altitude of 19 miles and attained a speed of about Mach 6. This is equal to six times the speed of sound. Kamala Harris visits DMZ amid tension over North Korean missile launch.

Kamala Harris met President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea. The White House said the two leaders could discuss issues like the threat posed by the North, the “importance of peace” in the Taiwan Strait, cooperation on economics and technology etcetera. While in Seoul, she also met a group of female industry leaders. She would later proceed to the DMZ. This is described as one of the world’s most heavily armed borders. It has been a regular destination for Presidents and vice presidents of the United States during their official visits to South Korea. Once there, she would interact with service members, and receive a briefing from US commanders. Launch of this missile happens to be the 20th such launch of North Korea this year. This is based on a count maintained by a media house. Speaking on board the USS Howard at the Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan, Harris heaped criticism on the recent missile launch of North Korea. She described them as “part of its illicit weapons program which threatens regional stability and violates multiple UN Security Council resolutions.” Incidentally, the US and South Korea have been conducting joint naval exercises featuring the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier.

Sunday, March 20, 2022

At least 50 sleeping soldiers killed in Mykolaiv due to Russian missile attack, toll could increase

This time the Russians targeted a military base in Mykolaiv. It was another missile attack and a part of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia. The calculations of Russian President Vladimir Putin appear to be off course. This is because of the defiance of the Ukrainians. There were 200 troops inside the barracks and the attack took place as they slept. The exact number of casualties yet to be ascertained but the authorities have recovered at least 50 bodies. A serviceman of Ukraine has indicated this to a media agency. Details are provided by Sky News.

It will take time to assess the full extent of losses. This is because the site was under the control of the military. Many more bodies could still be in the rubble. A media outlet from Belgium visited the scene of the missile attack. They tried to record the scenes of destruction. According to the media outlet, the Russians had launched at least two missiles. In the words of a soldier, probably someone wants to test his weapons. A war does provide opportunities to test out new weapons.

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