Latest news with #ChemicalWeaponsConvention
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Israel's attacks on Damascus hinder chemical weapons search, Syrian official says
Find out what's new on ST website and app. FILE PHOTO: A view of a destroyed building, after powerful airstrikes shook Damascus on Wednesday, targeting the defense ministry, as Israel vowed to destroy Syrian government forces attacking Druze communities in southern Syria and demanded their withdrawal, in Damascus July 16, 2025. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi/File Photo THE HAGUE - Israeli airstrikes on Damascus are hampering Syria's efforts to find and destroy chemical weapons stockpiled during the rule of toppled ruler Bashar al-Assad, a government adviser said on Thursday. A planned visit by inspectors from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has already had to be postponed, adviser Ibrahim Olabi said. The OPCW will hold an urgent meeting on Tuesday next week to discuss the situation and impact of the Israeli attacks, Olabi, who is the legal adviser to Syria's Foreign Ministry tasked with the chemical weapons file, said. The OPCW did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Israel launched powerful airstrikes on Damascus on Wednesday, blowing up part of the defence ministry and hitting near the presidential palace, taking action it said was to protect the Druze minority in southern Syria. The Syrian defence ministry provided the institutional infrastructure needed to organise and secure visits from OPCW inspectors, Olabi said. Since March there have been several visits by inspectors to previously unseen production and storage locations for chemical weapons to prepare for the task of destroying remnants of Assad's illegal stockpile. Syria's interim-government has vowed to rid itself of chemical weapons. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Fatal abuse of Myanmar maid in Bishan: Traffic Police officer sentenced to 10 years' jail Singapore Man charged over manufacturing DIY Kpods at Yishun home; first such case in Singapore Singapore HSA launches anti-vaping checks near 5 institutes of higher learning Business 5 things to know about Kuok Hui Kwong, tycoon Robert Kuok's daughter and Shangri-La Asia head honcho Singapore 'Sex first, then you can sell my flat': Women property agents fend off indecent proposals and harassment Singapore Jail for elderly man for using knife to slash neighbour, who later died of heart disease Singapore Maximum $7,000 fine for caterer involved in ByteDance food poisoning case Opinion Grab tried to disrupt taxis. It now wants to save them The OPCW, a treaty-based agency in The Hague with 193 member countries, is tasked with implementing the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention. REUTERS
Qatar Tribune
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Qatar Tribune
Qatar participates in OPCW Executive Council session
QNA The Hague The State of Qatar participated in the 109th session of the Executive Council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), held in The Hague. The Qatari delegation was headed by Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the Kingdom of the Netherlands and its Permanent Representative to the OPCW HE Dr Mutlaq bin Majid Al Qahtani. In Qatar's statement during the session, Al Qahtani noted that the meeting is taking place amid serious challenges to international peace and security, foremost among them the war waged by Israel on the Gaza Strip, which has resulted in severe humanitarian tragedies. He affirmed Qatar's support for the request made by the State of Palestine, as a party to the Chemical Weapons Convention, for an immediate investigation into Israel's use of prohibited substances during its military operations in Gaza. Al Qahtani stressed that such actions constitute a blatant violation of international law and relevant conventions and require accountability for the perpetrators. In this context, he condemned Israel's repeated targeting of sites within Syrian territory, which hinders the work of OPCW missions and endangers the lives of its experts, especially as Syria continues its cooperation with the OPCW Technical Secretariat to identify sites containing chemical materials and develop destruction plans. Al Qahtani praised the recent positive progress in cooperation between the Syrian Arab Republic and the OPCW Technical Secretariat, commending the vital role played by the organization in this regard and Qatar's support for enhancing this cooperation, calling on the Executive Council to engage positively with this new reality and to take the necessary steps to restore Syria's rights and privileges as an active member of the organization. He also reiterated Qatar's position calling for the resolution of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis through dialogue and diplomatic means, and for the peaceful settlement of international disputes.
Straits Times
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
UK sanctions Russians over chemical weapons in Ukraine
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox LONDON - Britain on Monday targeted two Russian individuals and one Russian entity as part of its chemical weapons sanctions regime, in its latest effort to punish Moscow for the war in Ukraine. It imposed asset freezes and travel bans on Aleksey Viktorovich Rtishchev and Andrei Marchenko, the head and deputy head of Russia's radiological chemical and biological defence troops, for their role in the transfer and use of chemical weapons in Ukraine, the British government said. It said the Joint Stock Company Federal Scientific and Production Centre Scientific Research Institute of Applied Chemistry was sanctioned for supplying RG-Vo riot control agent grenades to the Russian military. The grenades have been used as a method of warfare against Ukraine in contravention of the Chemical Weapons Convention, the British government said. The Russian embassy in London did not immediately respond to Reuters request for a comment. Moscow has previously called Western sanctions illegal. REUTERS
Business Recorder
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Business Recorder
UK sanctions Russian individuals, research institute under chemical weapons sanctions regime
LONDON: Britain on Monday targeted two Russian individuals and one Russian entity as part of its chemical weapons sanctions regime, in its latest effort to punish Moscow for the war in Ukraine. It imposed asset freezes and travel bans on Aleksey Viktorovich Rtishchev and Andrei Marchenko, the head and deputy head of Russia's radiological chemical and biological defence troops, for their role in the transfer and use of chemical weapons in Ukraine, the British government said. UK announces new sanctions against Russia It said the Joint Stock Company Federal Scientific and Production Centre Scientific Research Institute of Applied Chemistry was sanctioned for supplying RG-Vo riot control agent grenades to the Russian military. The grenades have been used as a method of warfare against Ukraine in contravention of the Chemical Weapons Convention, the British government said.
Straits Times
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
UK sanctions Russian individuals, research institute under chemical weapons sanctions regime
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox LONDON - Britain on Monday targeted two Russian individuals and one Russian entity as part of its chemical weapons sanctions regime, in its latest effort to punish Moscow for the war in Ukraine. It imposed asset freezes and travel bans on Aleksey Viktorovich Rtishchev and Andrei Marchenko, the head and deputy head of Russia's radiological chemical and biological defence troops, for their role in the transfer and use of chemical weapons in Ukraine, the British government said. It said the Joint Stock Company Federal Scientific and Production Centre Scientific Research Institute of Applied Chemistry was sanctioned for supplying RG-Vo riot control agent grenades to the Russian military. The grenades have been used as a method of warfare against Ukraine in contravention of the Chemical Weapons Convention, the British government said. REUTERS
