Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

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Dozens of political killings during the riots in Bangladesh

Published 8 August 2024
– By Editorial Staff
It is difficult to ascertain how many people has actually died or been injured in the riots.

At least 29 bodies of leaders of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League political party and their family members have been found in several cities in Bangladesh, according to local media.

According to the Dhaka Tribune , “at least 10 people were killed in attacks and violence in Satkhira district following the news of Sheikh Hasina’s resignation as prime minister and departure from the country on Monday”, and homes and businesses of party leaders and activists were vandalized, looted and burned.

In the city of Cumilla, “at least 11 people were killed in the mob attacks” and another six people were reportedly killed when a house belonging to a senior Awami League official was set on fire.

According to media reports, not only party members were killed, but also their children and family members. On Monday, in the midst of the protests and riots, Hasina decided to resign and left the country shortly thereafter.

Soon after, the unrest escalated, her house was stormed and large-scale looting and arson broke out across the country. Army chief Waker-uz-Zaman, said an interim government would be formed and promised to investigate all deaths and end the violence.

1400 may have been killed

In early July, students took to the streets in many Bangladeshi cities, protesting what they saw as widespread corruption, a lack of democracy, and a quota system for government jobs that they accused of unfairly favoring groups allied with the prime minister.

Pro-government groups and opposition protesters have also clashed in several places, resulting in a number of deaths.

No one knows exactly how many people have died. Some analysts say at least 350 have died, while others, such as India Today, say the death toll could be as high as 1,400. More than 11,000 people have been arrested since the riots began.

More than 90% of Bangladesh’s population is Muslim, and according to testimonies and reports, people from the country’s Hindu minority (around 8%) are also often victims of the violence.

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Innovative police weapon: Kevlar lasso

Published today 9:28
– By Editorial Staff
The idea is that the "weapon" will be used in situations where conventional weapons or physical intervention are not considered appropriate.

The BolaWrap “remote handcuffs” are marketed as a non-lethal method of incapacitating a person from a distance without causing unnecessary pain or injury.

The tool, which resembles a small taser, fires a thin and strong Kevlar line with hooks at the ends that quickly wrap around the person’s arms or legs.

Developed by the US company Wrap Technologies, the non-lethal remote weapon is designed as an alternative to traditional means of restraint such as tear gas and tasers.

It is powered by a small gas cartridge and works by firing the line at high speed at a target up to eight meters away. The line wraps around the person’s arms or legs, making it difficult for the target to move or resist, giving the police a few extra moments to act, such as handcuffing the person.

Today, technology is mainly used by police and law enforcement in situations where a person is considered a potential danger to themselves or others, but where conventional weapons or physical intervention are not considered appropriate. This may include people with mental health problems, suicidal individuals, or individuals who disobey verbal instructions but do not carry a weapon.

BolaWrap has been tested by several police forces around the world, including in the United States and Europe, and its proponents believe it is an effective method for reducing violent confrontations between police and civilians.

Not used in Sweden

It should be noted, however, that critics have raised concerns that the technology does not always work as intended and that there is still some risk of injury, especially if the line hits sensitive areas such as the head or neck.

However, Wrap Technologies says it is continuing to work on developing the weapon, increasing its accuracy and trying to further reduce the risks of use. In parallel, it is also working to train police forces on how to use the technology safely and effectively.

 

 

While large parts of both the United States and Europe have long been hard hit by escalating violent crime, there have been a large number of incidents reported over the years where unarmed – and often mentally ill – people have died or been seriously injured during police interventions. It is therefore hoped that remote handcuffs and similar tools can play a greater role in future policing.

In Sweden, BolaWrap or similar tools are not used by the police today. Instead, an officer is typically equipped with a service pistol, an expandable baton, pepper spray, and a stun gun.

Israeli army shelled its own on October 7

The situation in Gaza

Published yesterday 11:47
– By Editorial Staff
Yoav Gallant was dismissed as Minister of Defense on 5 November.

Former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant now admits that the Israeli military used the much-criticized Hannibal Directive during the Hamas-led attack on 7 October 2023.

The military protocol allows for the use of lethal force even if it carries a very high risk of killing hostages and aims to prevent Israeli prisoners from falling into enemy hands.

I think that, tactically, in some places, it was given, and in other places, it was not given, and that is a problem, Gallant said in an interview with Israel’s Channel 12.

The policy has long been the subject of harsh criticism, including from Israel, and is believed to have been used unofficially in several conflicts. The directive prioritizes preventing the enemy from gaining an advantage over protecting the lives of its own soldiers.

One version of the directive states that “kidnapping must be stopped by all means, even at the price of striking and harming our own forces”.

Tanks and helicopters

According to figures from Israeli authorities, Hamas killed around 1,100 Israeli soldiers and civilians during the 2023 attack but Gallant’s admission is interpreted by analysts as meaning that many of these may in fact have been killed by the Israeli military instead.

In connection with the October 7 attacks, the Israeli army deployed helicopters, drones and tanks on its own territory to fight Hamas, and an unknown number of Israelis are believed to have lost their lives during that operation.

Mr. Gallant has not commented on how many of his own citizens may have been killed during the Israeli counter-offensive, but according to witnesses, Israeli attack helicopters were used to fire on civilian targets at the Nova music festival, near the Reím military base.

“Shot at civilians”

An independent international commission concluded last May in a report submitted to the UN Human Rights Council that

The Commission is aware of allegations that ISF used the “Hannibal Directive” to prevent the capture of Israeli civilians and their transfer to Gaza, even at the cost of killing them. Such allegations were made in relation to ISF actions in the Nova site, including reports of ISF attack helicopters shooting at Israeli civilian cars, resulting in the killing of Israelis”.

The Commission confirmed the presence of at least eight attack helicopters in various locations on 7 October, but it could not confirm that they shot at civilians or civilian cars, including in the area of the festival. The Commission documented one statement by an ISF tank crew, confirming that the crew had applied the Hannibal Directive by shooting at a vehicle which they suspected was transporting abducted ISF soldiers”.

“The Commission also verified information indicating that, in at least two other cases, ISF had likely applied the Hannibal Directive, resulting in the killing of up to 14 Israeli civilians. One woman was killed by ISF helicopter fire while being abducted from Nir Oz to Gaza by militants. In another case the Commission found that Israeli tank fire killed some or all of the 13 civilian hostages held in a house in Be’eri”.

Trump’s defense secretary: Diversity is the opposite of strength

Donald Trump's USA

Published yesterday 7:41
– By Editorial Staff
In future, all military personnel will be assessed on their own merits, according to the Secretary of Defense

Newly appointed US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is fed up with phrases such as “diversity is our strenght” and says this kind of left-liberal attitude has no place in the US military.

I think the single dumbest phrase in military history is “our diversity is our strength”, Hegseth told a meeting of Defense Department officials at the Pentagon on Friday.

– I think our strength is our unity, our strength is our shared purpose, regardless of our background, regardless of how we grew up, regardless of our gender, regardless of our race, he continued.

The defense secretary went on to declare that all military personnel will be treated equally and judged by the same standards going forward.

– We will treat everyone with fairness. We will treat everyone with respect. And we will judge you as an individual by your merit and by your commitment to the team and the mission. That’s how it has been. That’s how it will be.

Hegseth has pledged to eliminate the Defense Department’s “diversity initiatives” and identity politics activism and instead focus on building a more effective and efficient military apparatus.

“Get transgender ideology out of our military”

At the end of January, Donald Trump also signed a presidential order promising to “get transgender ideology the hell out of our military.

A man’s assertion that he is a woman, and his requirement that others honor this falsehood, is not consistent with the humility and selflessness required of a service member”, it proclaims, among other things.

During Friday’s meeting, Pete Hegseth also clarified that the military should prepare to assist in Trump’s promised mass deportations of illegal migrants.

Border security is national security and, as the president has told us, we’re going to get 100 percent operational control of our southern border and that will – needs to be and will be a focus of this department, he said.

Israeli defense minister: Europe should take in Gaza’s population

Population replacement in the West

Published 9 February 2025
– By Editorial Staff
“The people of Gaza should have the right to freedom of movement and migration, as is customary everywhere in the world”, said the Minister of Defense.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz praises Trump’s plans for the US to take control of the Gaza Strip.

He also emphasizes that European countries are legally obliged to take in Gaza’s Palestinian population and that their “hypocrisy will be exposed” if they refuse.

The Nordic Times has previously reported on Trump’s plans to take control of the Gaza Strip and permanently empty the area of Palestinians.

Like Netanyahu, Katz praises the plans, describing them as a “bold initiative”. He also claims that European countries are legally obliged to receive the displaced Palestinians and that he expects this to happen.

“Countries such as Spain, Ireland, Norway, and others, which have falsely accused Israel over its actions in Gaza, are legally obligated to allow Gazans to enter their territory. Their hypocrisy will be exposed if they refuse. Meanwhile, countries like Canada, which has a structured immigration program, have previously expressed willingness to take in residents from Gaza”, he writes.

The people of Gaza should have the right to freedom of movement and migration, as is customary everywhere in the world”, the Minister of Defense further argues.

Mr. Katz announces that he has instructed the Israeli army to “allow any resident of Gaza who wishes to leave to do so, to any country willing to receive them”. The plan is to deport the Palestinian civilian population, partly via land crossings, but also by ship and airplane.

Unclear how Sweden will be affected

The Swedish government has so far refused to distance itself from or condemn the Israeli genocide in Gaza. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson will not even answer whether the systematic bombing of Palestinian hospitals falls within the scope of proportionate self-defence.

Instead of pressuring Israel, he has chosen to focus on protecting Israeli interests in Sweden – for example, by monitoring parts of Stockholm with drones around the clock.

Historically, Sweden has also been hit very hard by mass immigration in connection with conflicts and wars in the Middle East – but there is no information yet on how many Palestinians the government plans to accept this time.