The world this week: Tightening emergency response measures

Declare a state of emergency

Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared a state of emergency in a region of northern Siberia after a major oil spill turned a river red and posed a significant threat to the Arctic environment.

More than 20,000 tons of diesel fuel have leaked into the Ambarnaya River near Norilsk, a remote city in northern Russia above the Arctic Circle. The massive fuel storage tank that burst is located in an industrial zone owned by the Norilsk Nickel mining group.

The river turned red due to the oil spill. Photo: Siberian Times

Aerial video and images show large areas of the Ambarnaya River turning red. The pollution is so obvious that it can be seen in satellite images on Google Maps and Yandex Maps. Environmental campaigners are warning of long-term damage to the area.

Mitchsei Knizhnikov, an expert from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in Russia, said that this accident is one of the largest oil spills in modern Russian history.

Surprisingly, however, the local authorities only learned about the incident two days after it occurred, after it was posted on social media by residents. This shocked President Putin and he criticized him during an online meeting with Alexander Uss, governor of the Krasnoyarsk region - a large Siberian territory that includes Norilsk. "The emergency situations that we learned about came from social media? Are you really okay?", President Putin said, and asked the investigating agencies to study the oil spill carefully, to clearly assess how officials responded.

President Vladimir Putin chairs an online meeting to address the oil spill in the Arctic Circle. Photo: Sputnik/AFP/Getty.

Norilsk Nickel is the world's largest producer of platinum and nickel. The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations and Norilsk Nickel are working to clean up the spill. So far, more than 340 tons of diesel have been collected. In a statement on June 4, Keith Dyachenko, CEO of Norilsk Nickel, said that it was likely that the facility was built on permafrost and that the incident occurred during thaw, while excluding operator negligence.

The cause of the accident is still unclear. “It is likely a combination of two factors: climate change and infrastructure,” said Dmitry Streletsky, a professor at George Washington University. “The Arctic region is particularly fragile. Similar accidents have happened here before. Fixing the problem could take five to 10 years, and it is estimated to cost 100 billion rubles ($1.5 billion),” said Oleg Mitvol, a former deputy head of Russia’s environmental watchdog Rosprirodnadzor.

The Russian Prosecutor General's Office has opened a criminal investigation into allegations of environmental damage. The director of the power plant's turbine department has been detained as a suspect, and its general director has been given a warning.

Rescue workers work at the oil spill area on the Ambarnaya River. Photo: TASS

Anti-terrorism bill

With 173 votes in favor, 31 votes against, and 29 abstentions, the Anti-Terrorism Bill of 2020, which repeals the Human Security Act of 2007, was passed by the Philippine Congress on June 3. The bill is an effort to prevent and punish terrorism, as well as increase the government's oversight powers.

The bill allows authorities to detain terror suspects without a warrant for up to 24 days. While the time for police or military surveillance of terror suspects is increased from 60 days to 90 days, subject to judicial authorization from the Court of Appeal.

President Rodrigo Duterte, who has long floated the idea of ​​placing the Philippines under martial law, will have the authority to appoint an anti-terrorism council that would designate individuals and groups as terrorists without court approval. This would allow for the arrest of suspected terrorists.

This new draft terrorism law not only prevents Filipinos from joining terrorist organizations abroad, but also ensures that foreign terrorists do not use the Philippines as a transit point, safe haven to plan and train recruits for other terrorist attacks.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has floated the idea of ​​imposing martial law on the country. Photo: EPA

The fight against terrorist and rebel groups has lasted for decades in the Philippines. The Philippines' counter-terrorism operations have long been focused on opposition groups, especially in the provinces. The main hotspot is the southern region of the country. Over the past 20 years, about 40 large-scale bombings have taken place here to cause instability and demand autonomy. There are many extremist organizations coexisting here, including the three main groups: the Maute rebels, the Abu Sayyaf rebels and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters. These organizations have continuously carried out attacks to hinder the peace process that the Philippine government is promoting. Some have declared allegiance to IS.

President Duterte also directed the authorities to step up anti-terrorism operations and impose martial law in the southern regions. The Philippines also built an elite special forces force of 7,000 - 10,000 people to deal with the growing threat from terrorist groups affiliated with IS.

In addition, the United States, which has cooperated with the Philippines in counterterrorism operations for decades, is expected to approve an arms sale to Jakarta. Furthermore, President Duterte has announced a delay in terminating the Visiting Forces Agreement with the United States. This is considered a positive move because it will help maintain the ability of the United States to participate in training and combating extremists in the Philippines.

It can be seen that President Duterte's anti-terrorism bill has achieved positive results. The upcoming new bill will give more power, helping his administration ensure the country's security.

On the other hand, in a quick accusation, the opposition said that President Duterte quickly passed the bill to secure foreign funding for the government's anti-terrorism campaigns.

Protesters in Quezon City protest against the anti-terrorism bill. Photo: Getty

Despite widespread condemnation from human rights groups, Senate President Vicente Sotto has lashed out at critics of the bill, saying “only terrorists are afraid.” On Twitter, Sotto said the protests would not be classified as terrorism, and urged people not to be drawn into false propaganda. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana also said the bill had adequate human rights protections.

Antonio Carpio, a former Supreme Court justice, said the bill could be challenged in court immediately after its passage, citing violations of freedom of speech and the scope of warrantless arrests.

A segment of Filipinos have protested the bill both on social media and in the streets. Protesters gathered at the University of the Philippines Diliman campus in Quezon City. On Twitter, the hashtag #JunkTerrorBill has been trending over the past week.