World

The world voiced revulsion Wednesday at the massacre of Texas schoolchildren, which for some raised new questions on whether the United States can legitimately promote itself as a global model.

President Joe Biden, who has made championing democracy a key priority, appeared conscious of the damage to the US reputation in an impassioned plea for action late Tuesday moments after returning from Asia.

“What struck me on that 17-hour flight, what struck me, was these kinds of mass shootings rarely happen anywhere else in the world,” said Biden, who had mourned victims of another mass shooting in Buffalo on the eve of his trip.

US allies as well as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who rarely weigh in on US domestic affairs, all voiced horror over a teenage gunman’s killing of 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — who has been relying on US weapons to repel a Russian invasion — called such peacetime deaths “terrible,” while French President Emmanuel Macron said he shared “the rage of those who are fighting to end the violence.”

Some allies questioned, politely, why the United States — with its constitutional right to bear arms and powerful gun lobby — cannot tackle gun violence, which claims on average 111 lives a day.

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who was visiting the United States, pointed to how her government tightened gun laws after a white supremacist killed 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch in 2019.

“We are a very pragmatic people. When we saw something like that happen, everyone said, ‘Never again,'” she told the CBS “Late Show.”

In Australia, which banned semi-automatic weapons after a mass shooting in 1996, Treasurer Jim Chalmers told reporters: “It is hard to imagine that a great country like the United States can go on like this, with this gun violence, these mass atrocities.”

– China takes aim –

Like during other recent episodes in the United States, including the attack on the US Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump and the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, US adversaries went on the offensive.

China — which faces constant US criticism on human rights, including over what Washington considers “genocide” against the Uyghur minority — said it was “unacceptable” that the United States has not addressed gun violence or racial discrimination.

“How can one expect the US government, (which) doesn’t even care about the human rights of its people, to genuinely concern itself with the human rights situation in other countries?” foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said.

The Global Times, a nationalist state-controlled newspaper, said the Texas shooting exposed the “failure” of the United States which it called “the most dangerous place in the world.”

Asked about China’s statement, State Department spokesman Ned Price said that events in the United States can be “a source of schadenfreude” for US adversaries.

“When we’re at our best, that example is one that countries around the world would seek to emulate,” Price said, while adding that the opposite can also be true.

“That will have implications for our standing and we’re very mindful of that.”

– ‘Dysfunctional’ democracy –

The United States has long faced accusations of double standards in boasting of its democracy.

During the Cold War, the Soviet Union pointed to Jim Crow-era systemic racism and, more recently, allies have voiced revulsion that the United States is the last Western nation to practice capital punishment.

Jeremi Suri, a professor of history and public affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, said it was commonplace for authoritarian leaders to say they keep citizens safe, pointing to arguments presented by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

But he said the level of gun violence in the United States made it increasingly difficult to dismiss the issue as just “one of the oddities of American society, that we’re cowboys and carry guns.”

“The inability to manage basic safety for citizens contributes to an image that we are, unfortunately, seeing more and more evidence of, of people in foreign societies who believe that democracy is a dysfunctional form of government,” he said.

“Even though we’ve always fallen short at home, democracy nonetheless is an important part of our international brand, and this definitely diminishes that.”

Gerard Araud, the outspoken former French ambassador to the United States, on Twitter described gun violence as a “craziness without any prospect of improvement.”

“Nothing. Nothing will happen. There will be more massacres,” he wrote.

Four bombs ripped through minibuses and a mosque in Afghanistan on Wednesday, killing at least 12 people, officials said, with at least some of the attacks claimed by the Islamic State group.

The number of bomb attacks have dropped across the country since the Taliban seized power last year in August, but several deadly bombings had rocked the country during the holy month of Ramadan.

On Wednesday, at least 10 people were killed when three bombs placed on board separate minibuses exploded in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, a health official and police said.

“The bombs were placed on three minibuses in different districts of the city,” Balkh provincial police spokesman Asif Waziri told AFP, adding that 15 other people were wounded.

Najibullah Tawana, head of the Balkh health department, said three women were among the 10 killed in the blasts on board the vehicles.

Hours after the explosions, the so-called Islamic State group (IS) claimed responsibility for the minibus attacks on social media. 

It said on Telegram its “soldiers” were behind the three bombings.

Another bomb exploded inside a mosque in the capital Kabul late on Wednesday, killing at least two people and wounding 10 others, the interior ministry said.

Kabul’s Emergency hospital tweeted that five people had been killed in the mosque blast and 22 others wounded.

Several ambulances rushed to the mosque in Kabul to ferry the victims, witnesses said.

The ministry said the bomb was placed inside a fan in the mosque.

It was still unclear whether Wednesday’s bombings targeted any specific community.

Dozens of civilians were killed in Kabul and other cities during Ramadan that ended on April 30 in Afghanistan in the primarily sectarian attacks — some also claimed by IS.

On April 29, at least 10 people were killed in a Sunni mosque in Kabul in an attack that appeared to have targeted members of the minority Sufi community who were performing rituals.

On April 21, a bomb at a Shiite mosque in Mazar-i-Sharif had killed at least 12 worshippers and wounded scores more.

The deadliest attack during Ramadan was in the northern city of Kunduz when a bomb tore through a mosque also targeting Sufi worshippers on April 22.

At least 33 people were killed in that blast and scores more were wounded.

The regional branch of IS in Sunni-majority Afghanistan has repeatedly targeted Shiites and minorities such as Sufis, who follow a mystical branch of Islam.

IS is a Sunni Islamist group, like the Taliban, but the two are bitter rivals.

The biggest ideological difference is that the Taliban pursued an Afghanistan free of foreign forces, whereas IS wants an Islamic caliphate stretching from Turkey to Pakistan and beyond.

Taliban officials insist their forces have defeated IS, but analysts say the jihadist group remains a key security challenge. 

Pakistan’s ousted prime minister Imran Khan on Thursday arrived in the capital Islamabad with a convoy of thousands of supporters for a major rally the new government has attempted to shut down, with clashes breaking out between police and protesters.

Since being removed from power through a no-confidence vote last month, the cricket star turned politician has heaped pressure on the country’s fragile new coalition rulers by staging mass protests, touting a claim he was ousted from office in a “foreign conspiracy”.

In a centrepiece showdown with his rivals, Khan had called for supporters of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party to convoy to Islamabad and stage a sit-in until fresh elections are announced.

“I want to remind you that we are doing jihad, not politics. This is our struggle for true freedom,” Khan said in a video message.

Khan joined the march in dramatic fashion, arriving in a helicopter that touched down on a motorway clogged with supporters outside the city of Mardan, 100 kilometres (62 miles) northwest of Islamabad.

His convoy of around 25,000 supporters, which started in his powerbase of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, inched along the motorway before reaching Islamabad shortly after midnight on Thursday.

The government headed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had pledged to stop the protesters from entering the capital, calling the rally an attempt to “divide the nation and promote chaos”.

But in an emergency Supreme Court hearing on Wednesday afternoon, judges granted permission for the rally on the edge of the city, though Khan said he would press on with plans to reach the centre.

Police have since relaxed some routes into Islamabad, which was blockaded throughout the day with shipping containers on major entry and exit points. 

“We voted for him and foreign powers threw him out of power. We won’t let this injustice take place,” Afzal Ali, 29, told AFP, after joining the convoy.

Thousands more have also gathered in Islamabad in anticipation of Khan’s arrival.

– Tear gas deployed –

Clashes broke out between police and protesters throughout the day — with both sides armed with sticks and stones — as supporters attempted to break through barriers and clear the roads, including with a digger truck.

Police deployed tear gas in the capital and several other cities where supporters had gathered. 

One senior PTI leader said her car windows were smashed by police as she attempted to travel from Lahore to the capital.

The Supreme Court also ordered the government and PTI leaders to hold urgent negotiations over the political crisis and the release of supporters detained by police.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said it was “deeply concerned by the highhandedness of law enforcement agencies” in disrupting the march.

“The state’s overreaction has triggered, more than it has prevented, violence on the streets,” it tweeted.

More than 1,700 people have been arrested since police began raiding the homes of PTI supporters on Monday night, said Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, who has previously accused protesters of planning to carry weapons at the march.

The blockades around Islamabad caused major disruption on Wednesday, with schools closed and hospitals put on alert. 

Salon worker Sawera Masih said daily wage workers like herself were hit the hardest.

“Whoever is in power doesn’t make a difference to us, but not earning even for a single day affects me and my family,” the 23-year-old said.

Khan came to power in 2018, voted in by an electorate weary of the dynastic politics of the country’s two major parties.

The former popular sports star — who enjoyed the backing of the nation’s powerful military — had promised to sweep away decades of entrenched corruption and cronyism but is believed to have fallen out with Pakistan’s generals.

He was brought down by opposition parties in part by his failure to rectify the country’s dire economic situation, including its crippling debt, shrinking foreign currency reserves and soaring inflation.

But he retains mass support throughout the country, particularly among the youth. 

Ukraine’s foreign minister said Wednesday his country “badly” needed multiple launch rocket systems to match Russian firepower as he pressed Western allies for heavy weapons at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss Alps.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said he had come to Davos at a “very difficult moment on the frontline” as fighting rages in the eastern Donbas region.

“The battle for Donbas is very much like the battles of the Second World War,” Kuleba told journalists following talks with a slew of government officials and business leaders.

“Some villages and towns, they do not exist anymore,” he said.

“They were all turned into rubble by Russian artillery fire, by Russian multiple launch rocket systems. It’s devastating.”

Russia overwhelms Ukraine in a number of heavy weapons, but the biggest imbalance is with MLRS, mobile batteries of long-range rockets, he added.

Washington and European countries have poured billions of dollars’ worth of arms into Ukraine to help the country’s outgunned forces beat back the better-armed Russian invaders.

But Kuleba said that the MLRS “is really the weapon that we badly need.

“Those countries who are dragging their feet with the issue of providing Ukraine with heavy weapons, they have to understand that every day they spend deciding, weighing different arguments, people get killed.”

Ukraine has asked Washington for the MLRS.

— Need for unity —

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made his second video appearance at Davos, this time to ask the West to show more unity behind his country.

“Unity is about weapons. My question is, is there this unity in practice? I can’t see it. Our huge advantage over Russia would be when we are truly united,” Zelensky told a traditional “Ukraine Breakfast” event on the sidelines of the WEF.

Ukraine was grateful for support from US President Joe Biden, he said — but resolve was lagging closer to home.

“We are on the European continent, and we need the support of a united Europe,” he added.

Zelensky specifically named neighbouring Hungary, which has voiced opposition to a European Union-wide embargo on Russian oil, another key Ukrainian demand.

“Hungary is not as united as the rest of the EU,” Zelensky said.

He also pointed to a lack of consensus over Sweden’s and Finland’s historic bid to join NATO, which has been called into question by Turkey.

“Is there this unity regarding the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO? No, no. So, is there a strong joint West? No,” the Ukrainian leader said.

– Food corridor –

Appearing in person at the same Davos event, Kuleba said Ukraine wanted the West to “to finally accept the idea that the ultimate goal of this war should be the victory of Ukraine.

“Even some very good friends of Ukraine who help us really a lot, they’re still hesitant,” Kuleba said.

Kuleba also called on the West to step up sanctions to “kill Russian exports”.

“Every dollar and euro Russia makes on this trade is then invested on upholding the Putin regime and in keeping the Russian machine of war crimes running,” he said.

Addressing concerns over Ukraine’s inability to ship wheat and grains due to a Russian sea blockade, Kuleba told reporters Ukraine was in talks with the United Nations over the possibility of having a safe passage in the port of Odessa.

The harbour would have to be demined and Kyiv would need security guarantees that Russia would not then attack the port.

“In the end the whole story with this corridor is an issue of trust with Russia,” he said, adding that Moscow had not proposed such an initiative.

“We are working with the United Nations to find a way to address this security concern.”

Boeing’s Starliner capsule headed back to Earth Wednesday in the final step of a key test flight to prove itself worthy of providing rides for NASA astronauts to the International Space Station.

The spaceship autonomously undocked at 2:36 pm Eastern time (1836 GMT) and was set to touch down in New Mexico just over four hours later, at 2249 GMT, wrapping up a six-day mission crucial to restoring Boeing’s reputation after past failures.

“#Starliner separation confirmed,” tweeted Boeing Space.

Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) is the last hurdle for Starliner to clear before it carries humans in another test flight that could take place by the end of this year.

Starliner docked with the ISS on Friday, a day after blasting off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Over the weekend, astronauts living aboard the research platform opened the hatch and “greeted” the capsule’s passengers: Rosie the Rocketeer, a sensor-equipped mannequin, and a plush toy named Jebediah Kerman, a video game character and the ship’s zero-g indicator.

The mission hasn’t been without its hiccups.

Two thrusters responsible for placing Starliner in a stable orbit failed, though officials insisted there was plenty of redundancy built into the system to overcome the problem.

On the day of docking, the vessel missed its scheduled contact time by more than an hour, after a ring responsible for latching on to the station failed to deploy correctly. Engineers had to retract the ring and pop it out again before it worked the second time.

– Second taxi service –

Still, the glitches are minor compared to the troubles Starliner saw during its first test launch, back in 2019, when one software bug caused it to burn too much fuel to reach its destination, and another almost meant that the vehicle was destroyed during re-entry.

The second error was caught in time to upload a patch, and the vessel was able to achieve a gentle landing, slowed by its enormous parachutes, at White Sands Space Harbor — the same spaceport where the space shuttle Columbia once landed, and where Starliner is once more expected for touchdown.

The spacecraft will bring back more than 600 pounds (270 kilograms) of cargo, including reusable tanks that provide breathable air to station crew members, which will be refurbished and taken back up on a future flight.

Boeing and NASA also tried to launch Starliner in August 2021, but the capsule was rolled back from the launchpad to address sticky valves that did not open as they should, and the ship was eventually sent back to the factory for fixes.

NASA is looking to certify Starliner as a second “taxi” service for its astronauts to the space station — a role that Elon Musk’s SpaceX has provided since succeeding in a test mission for its Dragon capsule in 2020.

Both companies were awarded fixed-price contracts — $4.2 billion to Boeing and $2.6 billion to SpaceX — in 2014, shortly after the end of the space shuttle program, during a time when the United States was left reliant on Russian Soyuz rockets for rides to the orbital outpost.