https://english.almayadeen.net/news/miscellaneous/nasas-webb-telescope-captures-clearest-image-of-neptune-in-d

Nasa's Webb telescope captures clearest image of Neptune in decades

The James Webb space telescope has captured an image of a luminous Neptune and its delicate rings, located 30 times farther from the Sun than Earth, in detail not seen in decades.

“It has been three decades since we last saw these faint, dusty rings, and this is the first time we’ve seen them in the infrared," said Heidi Hammel in a NASA release, a Neptune system expert and interdisciplinary scientist for Webb.

Webb’s unmatched infrared imaging capability has given a new glimpse into Neptune’s atmosphere, said Mark McCaughrean, a senior adviser for science and exploration at the European Space Agency who has worked for more than 20 years at the Webb project.

The telescope “takes all that glare and background away” in a way “we can start to tease out the atmospheric composition” of the planet, McCaughrean added.

In images the Hubble space telescope took previously, Neptune seems as deep blue due to methane in its atmosphere. However, Webb’s primary imager NIRCam captured near-infrared wavelengths that show the planet as greyish white, with icy clouds streaking the surface.

“The rings are more reflective in the infrared,” McCaughrean said, “so they’re much easier to see.”

In the new image, an “intriguing brightness” can be seen near the top of Neptune, NASA said in a statement. Seven of Neptune’s 14 known moons were also spotted by Webb. What appears to be a very bright star looms over Neptune, but it is in fact Triton, the planet's strange, huge moon haloed with Webb’s famed diffraction spikes.

Triton is larger than dwarf planet Pluto, and due to being covered in ice, it appears brighter than Neptune. Meanwhile Neptune “absorbs most of the light falling on it”, McCaughrean said.

Webb has been operational since July and is the most powerful telescope ever built. It has already revealed significant unprecedented information and scientists hope it will herald a new era of discovery.

“The kind of astronomy we’re seeing now was unimaginable five years ago,” McCaughrean said.

“Of course, we knew that it would do this, we built it to do this, it is exactly the machine we designed. But to suddenly start seeing things in these longer wavelengths, which were impossible before … it’s just absolutely remarkable.”

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/border-demarcation-file-reaching-happy-conclusions:-aoun

Border demarcation file reaching 'happy conclusions': Aoun

Lebanese President General Michel Aoun confirmed on Thursday that the file of demarcating the southern maritime borders is reaching its "happy conclusion", and Lebanon will get the wealth it deserves.

A statement issued by the Lebanese presidency following a Wednesday meeting at the Baabda Palace with the Vice-President of the Islamic Shiite Council, Sheikh Ali Al-Khatib, quoted the president as confirming that matters "have come to their happy conclusion" in the file of demarcating the maritime borders and that Lebanon will get the wealth it deserves.

He pointed out that "no one can give up his sovereign right in light of the one Lebanese position, and the standing of all the Lebanese people with this position," stressing "the necessity of not creating a vacuum at the governmental and presidential levels."

Al-Khatib also stressed "the importance of forming a new government as soon as possible, and that everyone bear responsibility and cooperate to save the country and lift people out of the miserable reality they are suffering from."

Earlier, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati stressed Lebanon's adherence to its sovereignty, wealth, and rights over its territorial waters, saying that his country was close to concluding an agreement with "Israel" on the demarcation of the maritime borders.

It is noteworthy that the US mediator in the file of the demarcation of the southern maritime border, Amos Hochstein, visited Lebanon on September 9 and handed the coordinates of the line of maritime buoys on September 11.

The United States made an offer to the Israeli occupation and Lebanon to resolve the maritime border issue, Israeli media claimed on Monday. The proposal is reportedly linked to the path the Lebanese-Israeli maritime borders will follow.

The settlement proposal, Haaretz said, asked to change and adjust line 23 toward Lebanon instead of near the coast in order to allow for a "bigger defensive area against possible threats from the sea, near the coastline."

The Israeli outlet clarified that the political leadership in "Tel Aviv" was ready to make concessions with regard to Qana and believed that the main achievement would be the stabilization of ties between the two parties in the sea, as well as preventing an escalation related to this issue in the future.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah reiterated his threats against the occupation during a speech on September 17, saying, "Lebanon is facing a golden opportunity that may reoccur by the possibility of extracting gas to address its crisis." He also stressed that oil and gas extraction from the Karish field could not be allowed before Lebanon obtains its full rights, a red line for the Lebanese Resistance group.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/navy-scammer-fat-leonard-caught-in-venezuela-after-10-days-o

Navy scammer 'Fat Leonard' caught in Venezuela after 10 days on run

A Malaysian-American defense contractor named Leonard Glenn Francis, aka “Fat Leonard”, has been caught on Tuesday at the Caracas airport while on the lam in Venezuela after he carried out one of the biggest bribery scandals in US military history.

He was about to board a flight for another country, the US Marshals Service said on Wednesday, when he was caught by the Interpol.

The “Fat Leonard” investigation exposed 60 admirals and 550 other US navy officers for accepting bribes. Just days before Francis was due to be sentenced for overcharging the navy $35 million, he cut off his GPS tracking ankle bracelet that kept him on house arrest, dropped it in a water cooler, and fled his residence in California on September 4. When US marshals arrived, neighbors said they witnessed U-Haul trucks in front of his house.

In addition to a $40,000 reward for his arrest, US authorities issued a red notice, meaning that law enforcement worldwide is allowed to temporarily arrest an individual with the possibility of extradition.

In 2015, Francis pleaded guilty on account of offering prostitution services, luxury hotels, cigars, gourmet meals, and more than $500,000 in bribes to navy officials to finance and expand his Singapore-based ship servicing company, Glenn Defense Marine Asia Ltd (GDMA).

Among the list of violations, the company overcharged the Navy by at least $35 million for servicing ships and additionally supplied the navies of Britain, France, Mexico, India, and the Netherlands, flaunting a fleet of 50 vessels which includes a pirate patrol ship with British-trained Gurkha soldiers from Nepal. To add to his collection, Francis purchased a decommissioned British warship RFA Sir Lancelot, but renamed it the Glenn Braveheart, and turned it into a party boat with prostitutes in the wardroom to greet US officers.

According to prosecutors, officers involved in the scandal disguised themselves as "the Lion’s King Harem", "Brotherhood" and "Wolfpack" to recruit others to join in on the scam. US media outlets disclosed that four navy officers have been found guilty and approximately 29 people, including naval officials, contractors, and Francis, had pleaded guilty.

During his house arrest for medical care reasons, Francis remained cooperated with the prosecution, which helped prosecutors secure convictions of 33 of 34 defendants, including more than two dozen Navy officers.

As of now, there has been no update on when Francis would be extradited to the US.

>> What the heck!?!?!

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/ben-gvir-storms-al-aqsa-calls-for-mass-raids-during-jewish-o

Ben Gvir storms Al-Aqsa, calls for mass raids during Jewish occasions

Right-wing extremist Knesset member Itamar Ben Gvir stormed on Thursday Al-Aqsa Mosque amid restrictions on the entry of worshipers.

Ben Gvir toured the Al-Aqsa mosque courtyards, starting from the Mughrabi Gate (Bab Al-Mughrabi), guarded by the occupation forces.

"Ben Gvir stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque, through the Mughrabi Gate, in the western wall of Al-Aqsa Mosque, guarded by the Israeli police which prevented worshipers from entering the mosque," eyewitnesses told Anadolu Agency.

Before Ben Gvir stormed Al-Aqsa, the occupation police tightened their presence at the gates of Al-Aqsa and prevented entry to it, especially from the Qattanin Gate (Bab Al-Qattanin). At the door of the Council Gate (Bab Al-Majlis), the forces detained the worshipers and prevented them from entering it.

This comes ahead of the Jewish holidays, amid calls to organize mass incursions by settlers into Al-Aqsa during the holiday's three-week period that begins on Sunday. On the other hand, Palestinian institutions called for intensifying the presence of Palestinians in Al-Aqsa Mosque during this period.

In a separate context, the occupation forces arrested earlier today Zeina Omar after storming her house in Al-Thawri neighborhood in Silwan town and took her for interrogation.

Ben Gvir is one of the most notorious Israeli politicians, as he is infamous for constantly carrying out provocative tours in Al-Aqsa mosque and rallying illegal Israeli settlers that call for the death of Arabs and Palestinians alike while chanting racist slogans and slurs against Muslims and Arabs.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/japan-makes-first-currency-intervention-as-yen-value-deterio

Japan makes first currency intervention as yen value deteriorates

The Japanese central bank (Nichigin) conducted its first currency intervention to try and pull the staggering yen from the hot water it has been plunged into for months, selling the US dollar and buying the yen from the Japanese market, Kyodo news agency reported on Thursday.

The Bank of Japan's intervention marks its first since June 1998, as the yen's value continues dwindling, reaching its lowest rate since 1998, the Japanese media outlet added.

Kyodo said the size of the intervention was unknown, but it is believed that the Japanese government had to sell some of the US Treasury bonds it had in its central bank.

Nichigin left its short-term interest rates at -0.1% following a two-day policy meeting. Immediately after the decision to keep the interest rates unchanged, the yen immediately went into freefall, hitting its lower price in 24 years at 145.24 yen per USD on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, beating the former record of 135.19 yen per dollar.

The Japanese yen sold at the lowest price against the US dollar on June 13 for the first time since 1998, as the United States is battling soaring consumer prices, one of whose repercussions have been a widening monetary policy gap between Japan and the US.

The yen has been in freefall for months, especially in light of the Fed aggressively hiking interest rates to try and mitigate the soaring inflation. The current financial situation is expected to maintain its momentum through the coming period as the US grapples with several issues, including the sanctions on Russia that have been causing supply cuts, surging gas prices, and rising food prices.

The Bank of Japan said it would adhere to its long-standing monetary easing program, which it hopes would lead to stable growth, a step that goes against what the Fed is doing at home.

The contradicting policies have given the USD a lot more ground against the Japanese currency, with the former buying 135.19 yen. This beats the former record of 126 yen on the dollar, which was the Japanese currency's lowest since 2002. This high rate had not been seen since the 1998 Asian currency crisis.

While other countries like the US and UK are currently facing arguably more serious cost of living problems, soaring commodity prices, fuelled by the war in Ukraine, pushed Japan’s consumer inflation above the Bank of Japan’s 2% target for the first time in seven years.

The yen took its latest hit after the US Federal Reserve's Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) announced Wednesday that it was raising the federal funds rate by 75 base points to between 3% and 3.25%, which would be the third increase in a row after the central bank decided in April to increase rates to attempt and keep inflation under control.

On Wednesday, Fed chair Jerome Powell said it would sometime become appropriate to slow the rate of interest rate increases; the median forecast showed the bank expects to increase interest rates to at least 4.4% by the end of 2022. However, it could continue to rise, hitting 5% in 2023.

Despite the fact that higher interest rates are supposed to limit intra-bank loans and thus create new money, the Economic Policy Institute found in an April study that corporate profits accounted in the last two years for 54% of inflation in the US. This means that the problem is price speculation, not overeager lenders.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/omct:-naval-blockade-contributes-to-the-starvation-of-yemeni

OMCT: Naval blockade contributes to the starvation of Yemenis

The World Organization Against Torture (OMCT) said, in a report obtained by Al Mayadeen, that The naval blockade imposed on Yemen by a Saudi-led coalition has significantly contributed to the starvation of Yemeni civilians and can be considered torture.

Legal Director at OMCT’s Middle East and North Africa office Helene Legeay said, “The tens of thousands of civilians who die due to malnutrition, waterborne diseases, and the lack of access to healthcare are no collateral damage of the conflict”.

They are the direct victims of a combination of war crimes committed by the various sides, in which the naval blockade imposed by the Saudi-led Coalition plays a major role. The blockade threatens to plunge the country into famine and violates international norms, including the United Nations Convention against Torture,” she added.

The organization highlighted that the United Nations recorded 131,000 deaths due to a lack of food, health services, and clean water in December 2020, adding that the World Food Program estimated in July this year that nearly one Yemeni out of every three - 19 million people - were food insecure, with 3.5 million acutely malnourished.

The report, titled Torture in Slow Motion, demonstrates that the strict controls imposed on maritime imports to north of Yemen, which houses 70% of the country's 30 million people, play a critical role in this devastation.

The report went on to say that Yemen imports 90% of its requirements, including food, fuel, and medicines.

Control of commercial and humanitarian cargo ships by the Coalition, ostensibly to enforce an UN-mandated arms embargo against Yemenis, has resulted in significant delays in deliveries, leading to price spikes that have brought an already fragile economy to its knees, it added.

The report stressed that coalition member states, most notably Saudi Arabia and the UAE, could be held liable, resulting in international criminal liability for their agents.

The report added that the same is true for their accomplices, states, and private companies that supply arms and thus play an important role in exacerbating the situation.

It is worth noting that the report calls for the blockade to be lifted, international investigation of these crimes, prosecution of perpetrators, and collective reparations to the Yemeni people.

The International Organization for Migration has lately warned that over 25.5 million Yemenis are living in poverty as a result of the Saudi-led aggression, which entered its 8th year.

The UN migration agency also posted on Twitter, using the hashtag "Yemen Can't Wait," that the war on Yemen has displaced over 4 million people and forced more than 2 million children out of school.

The war on Yemen and the Saudi-led coalition's blockade of the poverty-stricken country is the main driving force behind the hunger crisis - the situation is likely to worsen with the most recent war in Ukraine, which is the source of 30% of Yemen's wheat imports.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/hungary-orban-demands-eu-sanctions-against-russia-be-lifted:

Hungary Orban demands EU sanctions against Russia be lifted: reports

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is demanding EU sanctions against Russia be lifted by the end of the year, according to a pro-Budapest daily newspaper on Thursday.

Orban has been advocating against the European Union's sanctions against Russia, stressing that they hurt European interests and benefit Russia instead.

According to the newspaper Magyar Nemzet, Orban urged members of his party, the Fidesz party, in a meeting behind closed doors, to advocate for lifting the sanctions.

"According to our information… Orban called on the members of the Fidesz faction to do their utmost to ensure that Europe lifts these sanctions by the end of the year at the latest," the newspaper wrote.

On their part, the government confirmed the article's content.

Orban's party has also recently announced that it will be launching a national public consultation regarding the sanctions, which is a method used to denounce the EU's racist migration policy. This would enable the Hungarian people to voice their opinion regarding the sanctions, according to Mate Kocsis, the head of the Fidesz party's parliamentary group.

"It is not normal that sanctions are only decided by the Brussels elite," Kocsis said.

Peter Szijjarto, Hungarian foreign minister, said that sanctions will "deepen difficulties."

"Europe is suffering more from the restrictions imposed in response to the war in Ukraine than Russia, and therefore the eighth package of sanctions should be forgotten," he said at the UN General Assembly in New York.

Czech European affairs minister, Mikulas Bek, has recently warned that Hungary's stance on Russia and the conflict in Ukraine could potentially see it exiting the European Union.

EU may approve more sanctions against Russia in October

During a meeting in the Czech Republic which will take place between October 6 and 7, leaders from European Union countries may approve new measures against Russia, including an oil price cap - which will worsen the energy crisis - and individual sanctions.

Reuters said that the European Commission is expected to submit a written proposal with restrictive measures against Russia to Union leaders, which would then be approved in Prague.

Unnamed EU officials said that the Union has been considering putting a price cap on Russian oil, restricting high-tech exports from the EU to Russia, in addition to implementing strict measures against Russian individuals.

The European Union on Wednesday threatened Russia with new sanctions in the event of referenda in the LPR, DPR, Kherson, and Zaporozhye regions.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/finland-to-ban-russian-tourists-due-to-a-moral-and-ethical-p

Finland to ban Russian tourists due to “a moral and ethical principle"

Helsinki is “working” on new rules that would further harden the rules on Russian tourists, Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto told journalists Wednesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

“Finland does not want to be a transit country, not even for [holders of] Schengen visas issued by other nations,” Haavisto said, adding that Finland looks for bringing the Russian tourist traffic “under control.”

The Finnish foreign ministry is currently seeking a “solution” with a group of experts to help the country “limit this traffic or completely stop it,” the foreign minister said.

Pekka added that the measures might include some new regulations or amendments to those existing. The national parliament “will quickly deal with it,” Haavisto said, without providing a specific date for the possible changes.

Russians who travel to the EU, Haavisto added, are not considered by Finland as a security threat, unlike the Baltic States, which restricted access for Russian citizens holding EU visas by September 19 to deal with "public policy and security threats."

"An ordinary person traveling for the purpose of tourism is not a security threat,” the minister said, adding that there is “a moral and ethical principle involved": Russians cannot just keep spending their vacations in Europe when their country is “waging a war,” Haavisto argued.

A mechanism denying visas to Russians and rejecting entry to Russians who have them is already in place in Finland. Helsinki also asked Brussels earlier to allow EU states that deny entry to Russians to revoke their visas or place them on a Schengen entry ban list too. This would prevent Russians from entering the bloc through another member’s territory, as per Finland.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres previously relayed his hope that conflicts surrounding the EU's suspension of visa processing for Russian citizens will soon be resolved, stating that such measures do not amount to a good idea, according to the Russian news agency RIA Novosti.

Earlier this month, the European Council announced that it has fully suspended visa facilitation between the EU and Russia, thus reversing the agreement that served to simplify visa applications for Russian citizens.

Some member states also stopped issuing tourist and business visas, while the three Baltic states and Poland announced they would deny entry to all Russian citizens, even those with valid Schengen visas issued by other EU members.

In early August, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky mused that the Russians should “live in their own world until they change their philosophy,” and urged the West to refuse entry to Russian tourists. Moscow has condemned the new legislation as "flagrant nationalism" and "xenophobia." The Kremlin also expressed hope that "common sense" will win in the long run.

At the end of August, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko asserted that the decision of the EU to suspend the facilitated visa regime with Russia will not remain without consequences, Moscow can respond with both symmetrical and asymmetric measures, which are not expected in Brussels; if they decide to “shoot themselves in the foot” once again, then this is their choice, said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko.

It is also worth noting that the EU will lose around €21 billion ($20.97 billion) if it bars Russian tourists from entering the bloc, according to State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, who commented on what he called “the frenzy of proposals to ban our citizens from entering the EU continues.”

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/liz-truss-considering-to-relocate-uk-embassy-to-al-quds

Liz Truss considering to relocate UK embassy to Al-Quds

British PM Liz Truss informed Israeli PM Yair Lapid that she is considering relocating the UK Embassy to occupied Al-Quds.

The two met on the sidelines of the 77th UNGA session held on Wednesday, where, according to a spokeswoman for the British PM, Truss told Lapid "about her review of the current location of the British Embassy in Israel," reported The Guardian.

Furthermore, Lapid discussed with Truss the negotiation on the nuclear deal with Iran, stating that there mustn't be further Western concessions on the matter.

During the PM elections in the UK last August, Truss sent a letter to the Israeli lobby group, Friends of "Israel", in an effort to gain the favor of Zionist voters, saying that she will “review” the embassy matter, writing “I understand the importance and sensitivity of the location of the British Embassy in Israel. I’ve had many conversations with my good friend Prime Minister Yair Lapid on this topic.”

In 2017, the UK was one of the 128 countries that backed a resolution that condemns former US President Trump’s decision to relocate the Israeli embassy to Al-Quds, with the resolution calling on countries not to move their offices.

Only a handful of embassies have relocated from “Tel Aviv” to occupied Al-Quds, including those of the United States, Guatemala, Moldova, Romania, and Honduras. However, other embassies see this move as a security threat, notably given Al-Quds' unique place as the Palestinian capital, and thus in turn reject the recognition of Al-Quds as the capital of “Israel” – that is if they recognize “Israel" in the first place.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/icc-case-of-abu-aklehs-murder:-addendum-proves-intentional-t

ICC case of Abu Akleh's murder: addendum proves intentional targeting

A complaint has been filed at the International Criminal Court (ICC) by murdered Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh's family, following the emergence of evidence from a new report proving that the slain journalist was deliberately killed at the hands of Israeli occupation forces (IOF).

In the family's official statement submitted at The Hague on Tuesday, it read: “The evidence is overwhelming. It’s been over four months since Shireen was killed. Our family shouldn’t have to wait another day for justice, it’s obvious that Israeli war criminals cannot investigate their own crimes. The US still has an obligation to investigate and take meaningful action for one of their own citizens. But when an individual state fails to protect its own citizens, it’s the responsibility of the international community to protect them instead.”

Shireen Abu Akleh, famed Al Jazeera journalist and a veteran reporter, was murdered on May 11 when the IOF, storming the Jenin refugee camp north of the West Bank, shot her with a live bullet to the head as she was covering the events of the storming.

Palestinian "militants" were initially accused by "Israel" of her murder but following the spark of widespread international outrage, it was later announced that her murder at the hands of an Israeli soldier was a “high possibility”, as the IOF still insists that the shooting was "accidental", and the US Department of State ruling it as "unintentional", leading to an "unfounded" criminal investigation.

The journalist's family slammed the American probe, calling it "incredulous" for its inconclusive findings, and has continued to press for justice for Abu Akleh's killer in July. Abu Akleh's niece, Lina, said: “[Secretary Blinken] told us that he has a duty to protect every US citizen. We will hold him to this. Nothing short of a US investigation that leads to real accountability is acceptable, and we won’t stop until no other American or Palestinian family endures the same pain we have.”

It was concluded however by a UN investigation into the matter, alongside several journalistic probes, that Israeli forces were culpable for killing Abu Akleh. A new collaborated report from Forensic Architecture, a research agency based at Goldsmiths, University of London, and respected Palestinian human rights organization Al-Haq, reasserts that the journalist and her colleagues were intentionally targeted, including a civilian who attempted to carry out first-aid on the scene. This report is considered the most comprehensive to date.

The report entailed drone surveys, spatial and audio analysis, geolocated video, and photos from witnesses used by the researchers, in addition to previously unseen footage recorded by an Al Jazeera videojournalist at the scene which aided in recreating a digital reenactment of events.

The investigation tracked the movements of various actors, the trajectory and the scattering of the bullets, taking into account the precise angle of the Israeli sniper, deducing that the location of the sniper was clear enough to locate and identify the target group as journalists.

Per the findings of the comprehensive investigation, the sniper fired three rounds: an initial six shots, followed by another seven after eight seconds. It was a shot in the second round of fire that struck Abu Akleh right under her helmet. However, attempts to take her to safety and aid were obstructed by another three shots just two minutes later. Appallingly, all bullets were aimed above the shoulders, indicating their intent to kill on site. The report's findings have been incorporated and supplied in the complaint raised by Abu Akleh's family to the ICC.

An initial complaint was sent to the ICC in April, less than a month before her murder, by an alliance consisting of the International Federation of Journalists, the Palestinian Press Syndicate, and leading human rights lawyers for the systematic and frequent targeting of Palestinian journalists.

Under Additional Protocol 1 of the Third Geneva Convention, Article 79 states that "journalists engaged in dangerous professional missions in areas of armed conflict shall be considered as civilians" and Rule 34 of the customary international humanitarian law states that “civilian journalists engaged in professional missions in areas of armed conflict must be respected and protected as long as they are not taking a direct part in hostilities” regardless if in a non-international or an international armed conflict.

Last year, the ICC decided that it had an obligation to investigate violence and war crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories, but as "Israel" is not a member of the ICC, it does not acknowledge the court’s authority.