Powerful earthquake kills at least 126 in western China
A strong earthquake shook a high-altitude region of western China and areas of Nepal on Tuesday, damaging hundreds of houses, littering streets with rubble and killing at least 126 people in the autonomous Chinese region of Tibet.
Many others were trapped as dozens of aftershocks shook the remote region. Rescue workers climbed mounds of broken bricks, some using ladders in heavily damaged villages, as they searched for survivors.
Videos posted by China’s Ministry of Emergency Management showed two people being carried on stretchers by workers treading over the debris from collapsed homes.
At least 188 people were injured in Tibet on the Chinese side of the border, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported that about 1,000 houses were damaged, citing the Tibet earthquake relief headquarters.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake measured magnitude 7.1 and was relatively shallow at a depth of about 10 kilometres. China recorded the magnitude as 6.8.
Over the past century, there have been 10 earthquakes of at least magnitude 6 in the area where Tuesday’s quake hit, the USGS said.
About 6,900 people live in three townships and 27 villages within 20 kilometres of the epicentre on the Chinese side, state media said. The average altitude in the area is about 4,200 metres.
Mount Everest area closed
The epicentre — about 75 kilometres northeast of Mount Everest — was in Tibet’s Tingri county, where the India and Eurasia plates grind against each other and can cause earthquakes strong enough to change the heights of some of the world’s tallest peaks in the Himalayan mountains.
About 150 aftershocks were recorded in the nine hours after the earthquake, and the Mount Everest scenic area on the Chinese side was closed.
The area, often crowded with climbers and hikers, was empty in the depths of winter. Many residents move to the south to avoid the harsh winter.
About 1,500 fire and rescue workers were deployed to search for people, the Ministry of Emergency Management said. Two hundred soldiers joined the search, CCTV said.
Chinese Leader Xi Jinping called for all-out efforts to rescue people, minimize casualties and resettle those whose homes were damaged. Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing was dispatched to the area to guide the work, which CCTV said involved more than 3,000 rescuers.
Tibet is part of China, but many Tibetans’ loyalties lie with the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader who has lived in exile in India since a failed anti-Chinese uprising in 1959. Western governments and human rights organizations have repeatedly accused the Chinese government of abuses in Tibet, where it has cracked down on dissent while investing heavily in economic development.
About 230 kilometres from the epicentre in Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, the earthquake woke up residents and sent them running out of their homes into the streets.
Published at Tue, 07 Jan 2025 11:12:25 +0000
Israel says no foreign courts have warrants issued against reservists
Israel said on Tuesday that pressure groups were pushing foreign courts to take action against Israelis over alleged war crimes in Gaza, but described the actions as “propaganda activity.” It said no warrants had been issued.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants in November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-defence minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes in Gaza, as well as for Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri, also known as Mohammed Deif, for his alleged role in planning the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
The warrants sparked outrage in Israel, but also drew fears that Israelis who served in the military in Gaza could be issued similar warrants.
On Sunday, an Israeli reservist on holiday in Brazil left the country after a Brazilian federal judge in Salvador ordered police to open an investigation into allegations that he had committed war crimes while serving with the military in Gaza.
The Hind Rajab Foundation, the pro-Palestinian group which brought the action, says on its website it “focuses on offensive legal action against perpetrators, accomplices and inciters of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Palestine.” It said it filed a complaint based on video footage, geolocation data and photographs it said showed the reservist taking part in the demolition of civilian homes.
The Belgium-based group, named after a six-year-old Palestinian girl killed in Gaza last year, also said it had filed evidence of alleged war crimes with the ICC against 1,000 Israelis, including video and audio reports, forensic reports and other documentation. The ICC confirmed it had received a filing and said it would “analyze the materials submitted, as appropriate.”
Issue not widespread: Israel’s foreign ministry
Israel’s foreign ministry offered assistance to the reservist singled out by the action, but officials said the issue was not widespread.
“This is a phenomenon of very limited scope in numbers,” foreign ministry director general Eden Bar Tal told reporters in Jerusalem, saying there had been no more than 10 to 12 cases since the beginning of Israel’s campaign in Gaza 15 months ago.
“There was no warrant issued in any of these cases. So it was, I would say, a relatively strong PR activity but with very low, very, very low — zero — in judicial results.
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, and Hamas military leader Mohammed Deif — all for alleged war crimes. The court lacks the power to make arrests or enforce warrants.
“We believe it’s a lot of propaganda activity in general and it’s sponsored by entities, a very low number of entities, that have direct connections to terrorist organizations.”
Hind Rajab Foundation founder, Dyab Abou Jahjah, posted messages on the social media platform X promising to file legal action against Israeli soldiers and asking for help identifying them.
The group did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Complaints against IDF soldiers filed abroad
The case in Brazil has attracted wide attention in Israel, underscoring fears that individuals beyond government and military leadership could be drawn into the war crimes issue, particularly through social media posts.
The Israeli military has warned reservists that they could face arrest abroad over alleged war crimes in Gaza, according to documents published by Israeli media. The Haaretz newspaper said complaints against IDF soldiers have been filed in South Africa, Belgium and France, as well as Brazil.
However, Rubens Becak, a law professor at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil, said it was not always straightforward for third countries to respond to suits of this kind.
“Without specific legislation, it becomes very difficult for institutions such as the [Federal Police of Brazil] to act in cases like this.”
Published at Tue, 07 Jan 2025 19:39:15 +0000
