Tag Archives: oceania

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'Violent extremists': Neutral host to deploy troops for Biden-Putin summit

Swiss authorities plan to temporarily restrict airspace over the city of Geneva and to deploy up to 3000 troops and police officers as part of extra security for the summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden next week.

Switzerland's seven-member executive body, the Federal Council, approved temporary security measures Friday that include the deployment of up to 1000 troops and airspace surveillance by the Swiss air force during Wednesday's summit.

"Switzerland is obliged to ensure the protection of persons who enjoy special protection under international law, such as the American and Russian heads of state," the Federal Department of Defense said.

READ MORE: Biden warns he'll tell Putin 'what I want him to know'

The defense department said in a statement that commercial flights to and from Geneva's airport would not be affected by the airspace restriction that runs from 8am Tuesday to 5pm Thursday.

Colonel Monica Bonfanti, the commander of the Geneva police department, said during a news conference outside the summit venue that 900 extra police officers would be called in from other Swiss regions, raising the police contingent in the city to about 2000 including local officers.

Stephane Theimer, vice director of the Federal Office of Police, or fedpol, and head of the Federal Security Service, said the office had received no indication of threats or upheaval involving the summit. But he said "the terrorist threat remains high in Switzerland and Europe" and cited "other threats from extremist violent circles."

READ MORE: Putin chafes at US, criticises response to Capitol attack

"Naturally, the respective diasporas of the two countries could want to take advantage of the visit of their president to carry out actions," Theimer said. "We are at a high level (of alert)."

Elaborating on his comments to The Associated Press, he said the meeting offered a "window of opportunity" for opponents.

"For the moment we don't have any concrete sign when it comes to actions by the diaspora, but it's something we're taking into consideration," Theimer said.

The extra troops will have roles in the protection of foreign emissaries and support for Geneva regional police in the air and on Lake Geneva, the defense department said.

READ MORE: China, Russia modernising nuclear weapons faster than US: admiral

Local authorities announced Thursday that the summit, part of Mr Biden's first overseas trip as president, will take place in an 18th-century manor house in a public park that looks out onto the lake.

The White House has played down expectations for the summit and said Biden plans to raise Ukraine, arms control, human rights and cyber ransomware attacks with Putin.

Russian officials have said their summit agenda includes strategic stability, global crises, climate change and efforts to counter the coronavirus pandemic.

You can find out more details about how to book your vaccine through the Federal Government health site here.

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New photos show Chinese rover's exploration of Mars

The dusty, rocky Martian surface and a Chinese rover and lander bearing small national flags were seen in photos released overnight that the rover took on the red planet.

The four pictures released by the China National Space Administration also show the upper stage of the Zhurong rover and the view from the rover before it rolled off its platform.

Zhurong placed a remote camera about 10 metres from the landing platform, then withdrew to take a group portrait, the CNSA said.

READ MORE: Volcanoes could still be active on Mars

China landed the Tianwen-1 spacecraft carrying the rover on Mars last month after it spent about three months orbiting the red planet. China is the second country to land and operate a spacecraft on Mars, after the US.

The orbiter and lander both display small Chinese flags and the lander has outlines of the mascots for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics.

The six-wheeled rover is surveying an area known as Utopia Planitia, especially searching for signs of water or ice that could lend clues as to whether Mars ever sustained life.

READ MORE: NASA Mars helicopter heard humming through thin Martian air

At 1.85 metres in height, Zhurong is significantly smaller than the US Perseverance rover which is exploring the planet with a tiny helicopter. NASA expects its rover to collect its first sample in July for return to Earth as early as 2031.

In addition to the Mars mission, China's ambitious space program plans to send the first crew to its new space station next week. The three crew members plan to stay for three months on the Tianhe, or Heavenly Harmony, station, far exceeding the length of any previous Chinese mission. They will perform spacewalks, construction and maintenance work and carry out science experiments.

Subsequent launches are planned to expand the station, send up supplies and exchange crews. China has also has brought back lunar samples, the first by any country's space program since the 1970s, landed a probe and rover on the moon's less explored far side.

You can find out more details about how to book your vaccine through the Federal Government health site here.

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Pulitzers give special award to teen who filmed George Floyd's murder

The Pulitzer Prizes recognise some of the year's most important journalism. This year, someone who isn't a professional journalist, but whose actions had as much impact as any, is among those being honoured.

Darnella Frazier, who filmed the death of George Floyd, received a special citation, Aminda Marqués González, co-chair of the Pulitzer Prize Board, announced Friday.

Ms Frazier was cited "for courageously recording the murder of George Floyd, a video that spurred protests against police brutality, around the world, highlighting the crucial role of citizens in journalists quest for truth and justice."

The 2020 news cycle was dominated by the pandemic, altering every aspect of life including how newsrooms operated. News organisations also covered and were affected by a reckoning over racial injustice. And of course, there was the presidential election.

These three topics, unsurprisingly, were the coverage areas honoured with Pulitzer Prizes, the most prestigious awards in American journalism, on Friday afternoon.

"The magnitude of these stories and the pace at which they unfolded pushed many in the news business to the limits of endurance," Marqués González said during a live broadcast.

"Much of the great work this year came against the backdrop of unfathomable loss as our colleagues and fellow citizens mourn the deaths of more than 600,000 people from COVID."

The awards, administered by Columbia University, recognise reporting in newspapers, magazines and digital news outlets.

This year's announcement was originally scheduled for April 19. But it was postponed to June so that the board members could meet in-person to evaluate the entries rather than choose the winners remotely.