THE “lawless” activities of South Sudan’s national security and military intelligence risk turning the war-torn country into a police state run on fear and corruption, the United Nations has said.
Increased security in the state threatens citizens’ rights as the country emerges from five years of civil war, which killed almost 400,000 people and displaced millions, said the report published by the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan.
At least 47 accounts of people who had been arbitrarily arrested, detained or subjected to torture and inhuman treatment by national security and the army’s intelligence wing were documented between December 2013 and late 2018.
South Sudan’s challenges moving forward are “immense”, compounded by the protracted conflict, deep ethnic divisions, an economic crisis and a “dysfunctional and predatory elite system of government”, said the report.
Despite a fragile peace agreement signed five months ago, violations including rape and sexual violence reportedly continue across the country.
ELSEWHERE, the defence ministry of Russia has released a video showing a test of a new nuclear-powered underwater drone said to be immune from interception.
The brief video showing the Poseidon’s test launch was released shortly after Vladimir Putin mentioned the new weapon in his state-of-the-nation address.
It showed the drone and the moment of its launch, but did not provide information about when or where it took place.
Putin said tests of the Poseidon have been conducted successfully and the first submarine equipped to carry it will be commissioned later this year.
The president has previously said it is immune to interception and can carry a heavy nuclear weapon to target aircraft carrier groups or coastal areas.
MEANWHILE, Switzerland-based commodities giant Glencore has said it will cap coal mining operations amid shareholder pressure for it to help reduce global emissions of greenhouse gases.
The move is a sharp reversal for a firm that has long championed the burning of fossil fuels. The decision follows consultation with investors, known as the Climate Action 100+ initiative, who have clubbed together to lobby for corporate action against global warming.
AND finally, a barbershop in Hanoi is offering free Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un-style cuts ahead of the pair’s summit in the Vietnam capital next week.
Trump and Kim are expected to discuss nuclear weapons during what will be their second meeting. Opportunistic hairdresser Le Tuan Duong said: “Kim’s style is a lot more popular among customers.”
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