VIDEO - French Police Use Tear Gas Against Participants of Protest Against Pension Reform

©Sputnik / Julien Mattia / Go to the mediabank

Police fired tear gas at a protest against the pension reform in Paris, a Sputnik correspondent reported on Tuesday.

The second nationwide strike against the pension reform is taking place in France on Tuesday, with more than 200 protests taking place across the country. Police expect 1.2 million people to take part in demonstrations across France, and 100,000 people in Paris.

The protest march in Paris began at 13:30 GMT from Italy Square and will proceed to Place Vauban. Tens of thousands of people are participating in the demonstration, including representatives of various industries and youth organizations. Some participants of the protest column began throwing bottles and stones at the police. Law enforcement officers, in turn, used tear gas against the crowd.

From tiny islands to major cities, demonstrators poured by the thousands into France’s streets Tuesday in the latest clash of wills with the government over its plans to push back the retirement age. Labor unions aimed to mobilize more than 1 million protesters in what one veteran left-wing leader described as a “citizens’ insurrection.”

The nationwide strikes and protests are a crucial test both for President Emmanuel Macron’s government and its opponents. The government says it is determined to push through Macron’s election pledge to reform France’s pension system. Labor unions and left-wing legislators fighting in parliament against Macron’s plans were counting on protesters to turn out massively to strengthen their efforts to kill the bill that that would raise the retirement age from 62 to 64.

As large crowds marched in cities and towns, veteran left-wing leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon celebrated “a historic day” of protests and predicted defeat for Macron. In Paris, flag-waving, horn-blowing demonstrators gathered in large numbers for an afternoon march through the capital.

“It’s not often that we see such a mass mobilization,” Mélenchon, speaking in the southern city of Marseille. “It’s a form of citizens’ insurrection.”

In big cities and small villages, rebellion was in the air. On Ouessant, a tiny western isle of some 800 people off the tip of Brittany, about 100 demonstrators gathered outside the office of Mayor Denis Palluel and marched, he said.

Speaking by phone with The Associated Press, Palluel said the prospect of having to work longer alarmed mariners on the island with arduous ocean-going jobs.

“Retiring at a reasonable age is important, because life expectancy isn’t very long,” he said.

A first round of strikes and protests brought out between 1 and 2 million demonstrators earlier this month, including many tens of thousands in Paris. Labor leaders were aiming to at least match and even better those numbers Tuesday, with around 250 demonstrations expected around the country.

The government mobilized 11,000 officers to police the protests.

Positions are hardening on both sides as lawmakers begin locking horns in parliament over the retirement reform bill

On Monday, Macron described the reform as “essential.” His prime minister, Elisabeth Borne, insisted this past weekend that raising the retirement age to 64 is “no longer negotiable.”

Strikers and protesters hoped to prove otherwise.

Rail operator SNCF reported major disruptions, with strikes knocking out most trains in the Paris region, in all other regions and on France’s flagship high-speed network linking cities and major towns. The Paris Metro was also hard hit by station closures and cancellations.

Construction worker Said Belaiba was among travelers whose morning train from Paris to the city of Lyon was cancelled, forcing him to wait. Still, the 62-year-old said he opposed the planned reform.

“My job is physically exhausting,” he said. “You can’t keep on over 64.”

Strikes also hit schools, with the Education Ministry reporting that around one quarter of teachers stayed off the job — fewer than in the Jan. 19 first round of protests.

French media also reported walkouts in oil refineries. Radio station France Inter played music instead of its usual morning talk shows and apologized to its listeners because employees were striking

Russian forces liberate Blagodatnoye in Donetsk advance, top brass reports

©Ivan Noyabrev/TASS

Russian forces liberated the village of Blagodatnoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) in their successful offensive operations in the Donetsk area over the past day during the special military operation in Ukraine, Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov reported on Tuesday.

"In the Donetsk direction, volunteers of assault units supported by operational-tactical and army aviation aircraft, missile troops and artillery of the southern battlegroup liberated the community of Blagodatnoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic as a result of successful offensive operations," the spokesman said.

Mortar crew 2S4 "Tulip" of the Western Military District successfully hit several targets in the special operation zone, RIA Novosti correspondent reports.

Russian artillery struck manpower and equipment of Ukrainian territorial defense brigades in the Kupyansk area, eliminating roughly 45 enemy troops in the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In the Kupyansk direction, the western battlegroup’s artillery inflicted damage by firepower on the personnel and equipment of units of the 114th and 103rd territorial defense brigades in areas near the settlements of Masyutovka and Tabayevka in the Kharkov Region," the spokesman said.

The strikes eliminated enemy manpower and equipment, the general said.

"The enemy’s losses in that area over the past 24 hours amounted to 45 Ukrainian personnel, one tank, four armored combat vehicles, one motor vehicle, and also a D-20 howitzer," Konashenkov reported.

Russian forces struck two Ukrainian army brigades in the Krasny Liman area, eliminating over 60 enemy troops in the past day, he said.

"In the Krasny Liman direction, artillery and heavy flamethrower fire by the battlegroup Center inflicted damage on units of the Ukrainian army’s 25th airborne and 95th air assault brigades in the area of the community of Yampolovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic and also the Serebryansky forestry," the spokesman said.

The strikes eliminated over 60 Ukrainian troops and four armored combat vehicles, the general specified.

Russian forces destroyed about 50 Ukrainian troops in the Donetsk area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In the Donetsk direction, as many as 50 Ukrainian troops, a French-made Caesar self-propelled artillery gun, a US-manufactured M777 artillery system and also a Msta-B howitzer were destroyed," the spokesman said.

Russian forces struck the Ukrainian army brigade near Ugledar in the Donetsk People’s Republic over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In the southern Donetsk direction, units of the battlegroup East inflicted damage by firepower on the forces of the Ukrainian army’s 72nd mechanized brigade near Ugledar and also 110th territorial defense brigade near the settlement of Novopol in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the spokesman said.

The Ukrainian army’s losses in that area in the past 24 hours amounted to over 40 personnel, one tank, two armored combat vehicles and two pickup trucks, the general specified.

Russian forces destroyed two Ukrainian Gvozdika self-propelled artillery systems and two ammunition depots in the Kherson area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In the Kherson direction, two Ukrainian Gvozdika self-propelled artillery systems were destroyed in the counter-battery warfare along with two ammunition depots near the settlements of Mikhailovka and Zmiyevka in the Kherson Region," the spokesman said.

Russian troops struck over 80 Ukrainian artillery units at firing positions in the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"Operational-tactical aircraft, missile troops and artillery of the Russian group of forces struck 84 Ukrainian artillery units at firing positions, manpower and military equipment in 126 areas over the past day," the spokesman said.

Russian forces destroyed two Ukrainian artillery ammunition depots near Ugledar and Katerinovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In the areas of the settlements of Ugledar and Katerinovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic, two Ukrainian artillery ammunition depots were destroyed," the spokesman said.

Russian air defense forces shot down a Ukrainian Air Force Mi-8 helicopter and five drones over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"Russian air defense capabilities shot down a Ukrainian Air Force Mi-8 helicopter near the community of Zolotaya Balka in the Kherson Region. They also destroyed five unmanned aerial vehicles in areas near the settlements of Krivosheyevka, Oborotnovka, Krasnorechenskoye and Vladimirovka in the Lugansk People’s Republic and Belogrudovo in the Kherson Region. In addition, they intercepted three rockets of the US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket system near the communities of Zlatoustovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic and Skadovsk in the Kherson Region," the spokesman said.

Russian forces have destroyed about 1,000 Ukrainian multiple launch rocket systems since the beginning of the special military operation in Ukraine, the spokesman said.

"In all, the following targets have been destroyed since the beginning of the special military operation: 381 aircraft, 206 helicopters, 2,987 unmanned aerial vehicles, 402 surface-to-air missile systems, 7,691 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 997 multiple launch rocket systems, 3,970 field artillery guns and mortars and 8,229 special military motor vehicles," Konashenkov reported.

Special operation, January 30th. The main thing:

▪️ After the US decision to supply tanks to Ukraine, it is pointless to talk with Kyiv and its puppeteers, Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation told RIA Novosti;

▪️ Russian troops continue to advance in Ugledar, entrenched in the eastern part of the city, Pushilin said;

▪️ The US hopes to get titanium from Ukraine, which they need in the military industry, writes Newsweek;

▪️ The Chinese Foreign Ministry called the United States the biggest initiator of the Ukrainian crisis and called for stopping the supply of weapons to Kyiv;

▪️ Kyiv expects to receive fighter jets from the West in the near future, it will take at least six months to train pilots, the Ukrainian prime minister said;

▪️ The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation will provide volunteers with weapons, equipment, food, will provide medical care, follows from the draft order of Shoigu;

▪️ The Russian Federation has been provoked from the outside into an armed conflict since 2014, said Croatian President Milanovic;

▪️ Germany will not supply fighter jets to Ukraine, debate on this issue is unnecessary, the German Cabinet said;

▪️ The Russian Defense Ministry managed to stop American military biological programs in Ukraine, the Pentagon transferred research to the states of Central Asia and Eastern Europe, the department said;

▪️ Soldiers of the Ukrainian army have been a target group in US experiments with HIV infection conducted in Ukraine since 2019, the Russian Defense Ministry said;

▪️ During the NMD, the Russian Armed Forces received more than 20 thousand documents and materials on the US military biological program in Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry also said.

Lavrov Says Received 'Certain Message' From Blinken Through Egyptian Foreign Minister

©AP Photo / Alexander Zemlianichenko

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday that he had received a "certain message" on what Russia should do in Ukraine from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken passed on through Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.

"Mr. Minister [of Foreign Affairs of Egypt] said that he conveyed a certain message from Secretary Blinken, who was recently on a visit to Cairo. I confirm this. We have always said that Russia is ready to listen to any serious, I emphasize this word, proposals aimed at resolving the current situation in its comprehensive context. In this regard, we have once again heard the message conveyed through Mr. Minister that Russia must stop, Russia must leave and then everything will be fine," Lavrov told a briefing, following his meeting with Shoukry in Moscow.

The minister added that there was a second part to Blinken's message that was not conveyed to Russia.

"Tony Blinken did not convey the second part of this appeal. But the second part of the appeal — and this is the true interest of the United States and the West — was outlined by NATO Secretary General [Jens] Stoltenberg when he was in the Republic of Korea. He said in one of his speeches that Russia must lose, Russia must be defeated, and the West cannot allow Ukraine to lose, because then the West will lose, and the whole world will lose, Stoltenberg said. That is, he took the liberty to speak not only on behalf of three dozen members of the North Atlantic Alliance, but also all other countries of the world, Asia, Africa and Latin America," Lavrov concluded.

There is a principle agreement to engage Iran in the trilateral discussions among Russia, Turkey and Syria, Sergey Lavrov said.

Russia supports Ankara's interest in improving relations with Damascus and will develop work in this regard, the minister said.

"An agreement in principle has now been reached on involving Iran in this work," Lavrov said.

Moscow is concerned about the situation around Iran, and believes that the attitude of the United States toward the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is similar to the attitude of the West to the Minsk agreements, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday.

"The actions of the West mean only one thing — that they still prefer, just as they did with regard to the Minsk agreements on the Ukrainian settlement, prefer to dismiss the UN Security Council resolutions and prefer to switch to aggressive actions, including using military force, instead of implementing the decisions of the supreme UN body," Lavrov told a briefing, following a meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry in Moscow.

NATO has been involved in a hybrid war against Russia for quite a long time, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said during a press conference after the talks with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry Tuesday.

"Whatever our Western partners may say, however they try to justify their actions on pumping Ukraine with weapons - including the known slogans that the path to peace lies through arms shipments - everyone understands everything. We are talking about NATO being involved in a hybrid war against Russia for a rather long time, a war that is being refracted in its hot displays, in actions of the Kiev regime," he said.

Lavrov noted that Moscow is taking necessary measures in order to prevent attempts to turn Ukraine into an even sharper threat to Russia’s security.

"Of course, we watch how discussions develop in the West about further pumping of Ukraine with increasingly serious weapons, including offensive weapons. Of course, we see it all, and we not merely observer, but take necessary measures in order to prevent further attempt to turn Ukraine into an even sharper threat for our security, and to prevent the Kiev regime from prevailing in its policy of discrimination and destruction of rights of all those Ukrainian citizens and former Ukrainian citizens, who felt involved in Russian history, Russian culture and Russian traditions," he said.

Lavrov underscored that Russia is watching this process, while the armed forces take all necessary measures to prevent Western plans from coming to fruition.

"And they will not [come to fruition]," Lavrov underscored.

Aksi Teror Bunuh diri masjid Pakistan membunuh 59 orang, melukai lebih dari 150 orang

Orang-orang membawa jenazah kerabat mereka, yang tewas dalam bom bunuh diri di dalam masjid, setelah dikumpulkan dari rumah sakit, di Peshawar, Pakistan, Senin, 30 Januari 2023. Seorang pembom bunuh diri menyerang Senin di dalam sebuah masjid di kota Pakistan barat laut. Peshawar, membunuh banyak orang dan melukai banyak jemaah, kata para pejabat. (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad)

Seorang pembom bunuh diri menyerang masjid yang sedang penuh umat muslim yang melakukan ibadah shalat di dalam kompleks polisi di Pakistan pada hari Senin, menyebabkan atap runtuh dan menewaskan sedikitnya 59 orang dan melukai lebih dari 150 lainnya, kata para pejabat.

Sebagian besar korban adalah anggota polisi. Tidak jelas bagaimana pembom itu bisa menyelinap ke dalam kompleks bertembok, yang menampung markas besar polisi di kota barat laut Peshawar dan terletak di zona keamanan tinggi dengan gedung-gedung pemerintah lainnya.

"Itu adalah bom bunuh diri," kata kepala polisi Peshawar Muhammad Ijaz Khan.

#WATCH: Scenes outside a hospital in Pakistan's Peshawar city after an explosion at a mosque inside a police headquarters on Monday, killing at least 59 and wounding 157 people. || #PeshawarBlast
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Full story: https://t.co/89ElrfuHX5 pic.twitter.com/7YYgLnjWsY

— Arab News Pakistan (@arabnewspk) January 30, 2023

Pihak berwenang mengatakan pembom meledakkan bahan peledak pada saat ratusan orang berbaris untuk berdoa. “Kami telah menemukan jejak bahan peledak,” kata Khan.

Kesalahan keamanan jelas terjadi karena pembom telah menyelinap melalui area paling aman di kompleks tersebut, katanya

Sarbakaf Mohmand, seorang komandan Taliban Pakistan, juga dikenal sebagai Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan atau TTP, mengaku bertanggung jawab atas serangan itu dalam sebuah posting di Twitter.

Tetapi beberapa jam kemudian, juru bicara TTP Mohammad Khurasani menjauhkan kelompok itu dari pengeboman, dengan mengatakan bahwa bukan kebijakannya untuk menyasar masjid, seminari, dan tempat-tempat keagamaan, menambahkan bahwa mereka yang mengambil bagian dalam tindakan semacam itu dapat menghadapi tindakan hukuman di bawah kebijakan TTP. Pernyataannya tidak membahas mengapa seorang komandan TTP mengaku bertanggung jawab atas pengeboman tersebut.

“Skala besar dari tragedi kemanusiaan tidak terbayangkan. Ini tidak kurang dari serangan terhadap Pakistan,” cuit Perdana Menteri Shahbaz Sharif, yang mengunjungi korban luka di Peshawar dan bersumpah “tindakan tegas” terhadap mereka yang berada di balik pengeboman. Dia menyatakan belasungkawa kepada keluarga para korban, dengan mengatakan rasa sakit mereka "tidak dapat dijelaskan dengan kata-kata."

Pakistan, yang sebagian besar Muslim Sunni, mengalami lonjakan serangan militan sejak November, ketika Taliban Pakistan mengakhiri gencatan senjata mereka dengan pasukan pemerintah.

Awal bulan ini, Taliban Pakistan mengklaim salah satu anggotanya menembak dan membunuh dua petugas intelijen, termasuk direktur sayap kontraterorisme dari agen mata-mata Inter-Services Intelligence yang berbasis militer di negara itu. Pejabat keamanan mengatakan, Senin, pria bersenjata itu dilacak dan tewas dalam baku tembak di barat laut dekat perbatasan Afghanistan.

TTP terpisah dari tetapi sekutu dekat Taliban Afghanistan. TTP telah mengobarkan pemberontakan di Pakistan dalam 15 tahun terakhir, mencari penegakan hukum Islam yang lebih ketat, pembebasan anggotanya dalam tahanan pemerintah dan pengurangan kehadiran militer Pakistan di wilayah provinsi Khyber Pakhtunkhwa yang telah lama digunakan sebagai basisnya. .

Serangan hari Senin di sebuah masjid Sunni di dalam fasilitas polisi adalah salah satu serangan paling mematikan terhadap pasukan keamanan dalam beberapa tahun terakhir.

Lebih dari 300 jemaah sedang salat di masjid, dengan semakin mendekat, ketika pelaku bom meledakkan rompi peledaknya. Banyak yang terluka ketika atap runtuh, menurut Zafar Khan, seorang petugas polisi, dan penyelamat harus memindahkan gundukan puing untuk menjangkau jemaah yang masih terperangkap di bawah reruntuhan.

Meena Gul, yang berada di masjid saat bom meledak, mengatakan dia tidak tahu bagaimana dia bisa selamat tanpa cedera. Petugas polisi berusia 38 tahun itu mengatakan dia mendengar tangisan dan jeritan setelah ledakan itu.

Mohammad Asim, juru bicara di rumah sakit utama pemerintah di Peshawar, menyebutkan jumlah korban tewas 59 orang, dengan 157 lainnya luka-luka. Pejabat polisi Siddique Khan mengatakan, pelaku meledakkan dirinya saat berada di antara jamaah.

Polisi senior dan pejabat pemerintah menghadiri pemakaman 30 petugas polisi dan pengaturan untuk menguburkan sisanya sedang dibuat. Peti mati dibungkus dengan bendera Pakistan, jenazah mereka kemudian diserahkan kepada kerabat untuk dimakamkan.

Peshawar adalah ibu kota provinsi Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, di mana Taliban Pakistan memiliki kehadiran yang kuat, dan kota itu sering menjadi tempat serangan militan.

Taliban Afghanistan merebut kekuasaan di negara tetangga Afghanistan pada Agustus 2021 ketika pasukan AS dan NATO ditarik keluar dari negara itu setelah perang selama 20 tahun.

Gencatan senjata pemerintah Pakistan dengan TTP berakhir karena negara itu masih menghadapi banjir yang belum pernah terjadi sebelumnya yang menewaskan 1.739 orang, menghancurkan lebih dari 2 juta rumah, dan pada satu titik menenggelamkan sepertiga wilayah negara.022.

Kementerian Luar Negeri Afghanistan mengatakan dalam sebuah pernyataan bahwa "sedih mengetahui bahwa banyak orang kehilangan nyawa dan banyak lainnya terluka oleh ledakan di sebuah masjid di Peshawar" dan mengutuk serangan terhadap jamaah karena bertentangan dengan ajaran Islam.

Kecaman juga datang dari Kedutaan Besar Saudi di Islamabad, serta Kedutaan Besar AS, menambahkan bahwa “Amerika Serikat mendukung Pakistan dalam mengutuk segala bentuk terorisme.”

Sekretaris Jenderal PBB Antonio Guterres menyebut pemboman itu "sangat menjijikkan" karena menargetkan tempat ibadah, kata juru bicara PBB Stephane Dujarric.

Pakistan yang kekurangan uang menghadapi krisis ekonomi yang parah dan mencari cicilan penting sebesar $1,1 miliar dari Dana Moneter Internasional—bagian dari paket bailout $6 miliar—untuk menghindari gagal bayar. Pembicaraan dengan IMF untuk menghidupkan kembali bailout terhenti dalam beberapa bulan terakhir.

Mantan Perdana Menteri Pakistan Imran Khan menyebut pemboman itu sebagai "serangan bunuh diri teroris." Dia tweeted: “Doa & belasungkawa saya pergi ke keluarga korban. Sangat penting bagi kita untuk meningkatkan pengumpulan intelijen kita & melengkapi pasukan polisi kita dengan benar untuk memerangi ancaman terorisme yang semakin meningkat.”

Pemerintahan Sharif berkuasa pada bulan April setelah Khan digulingkan dalam mosi tidak percaya di Parlemen. Khan sejak itu berkampanye untuk pemilihan awal, mengklaim pemecatannya ilegal dan bagian dari plot yang didukung oleh Amerika Serikat. Washington dan Sharif menolak klaim Khan.

INSIDE JAPAN'S SNOWY NIGHTMARE - 20,000 HOMES WITHOUT ELECTRICITY

Heavy snowfall in northern Japan leaves 20,000 homes without electricity

The country is set to experience more frequent and heavier snowstorms, and as the death toll rises, it becomes clear that its snow adaptation tactics must change.

A woman in her 70s was buried under a pile of thick snow in December, as heavy snowfall hit northern Japan, killing over a dozen people that month. The deadly snow also injured over 90 people and knocked down a power transmission tower, leaving 20,000 homes without electricity.

Heavy snowfall in northern Japan leaves 20,000 homes without electricity

This year's power cut is proving to be particularly tough for Japan, which is grappling with an energy crunch due to the Ukraine war while the demand for heating and electricity amid heavy snowfall was expected to spike.

This comes after some parts of northeastern Japan recorded three times more snowfall than average. A Japanese climate expert attributes this unusually heavy snowfall to human-caused climate change.

"Cold air outbreaks sometimes bring heavy snowfall over the coastal areas along the Japan Sea, especially in mountainous areas," Dr Hiroaki Kawase, a senior researcher at Japan’s Meterological Research Institute, told FairPlanet.

The snowfall might have become uneven, as Nagaoka city in the Niigata area, Otaru and Sapporo in Hokkaido are suffering heavy snowfall this year - a rare occurrence.

"These cities sometimes experience heavy snowfall, but not often," Dr Kawase said. On the other hand, he pointed out, cities near mountainous areas did not record snowfall as heavy as they did last year.

Japan to face more heavy snowfall

Heavy snowfall is projected by the government to occur more frequently in inland areas of Honshu Island and Hokkaido Island - estimates that correspond with Dr Kawase’s findings.

"Our computer simulations indicated that historical global warming, especially historical warming of Japan Sera, enhances the heavy snowfall in these areas because the evaporation becomes larger and cumulus convection develops more than those in the pre-industrial level."

Abrupt heavy snowfall has emerged as a new problem for Japan. Just a year ago, the country had faced similar incidents in its northern region, with some areas like Fujiwara, Gunma and Nagasaki recording the highest maximum snowfall.

Abrupt heavy snowfall has emerged as a new problem for Japan. Just a year ago, the country had faced similar incidents in its northern region, with some areas like Fujiwara, Gunma and Nagasaki recording the highest maximum snowfall.

Even areas in Kyushu and Shikoku which typically receive scarce snowfall were no exception. The winter fatalities number up to the end of April 2021 stood at 110.

Dr Masaki Nemoto, a researcher at Japan’s Snow and Ice Research Center, told FairPlanet that sudden snowfall can make it difficult for the authorities to respond in a timely manner.

"It is not easy to cope with heavy snowfalls that accumulate nearly a metre in a single day," Dr Nemoto explained. "Heavy snow disasters have the potential to become more sudden and severe than ever before."

Adaptation measures

So far, Japan has deployed several adaptation measures against sudden heavy snowfall, on top of improving its disaster response.

Such measures include setting up a snow removal system that utilises different types of equipment, building snow fences on highways and launching a heavy snowfall warning system, Dr Nemoto of Japan’s Snow and Ice Research Center said. 

Furthermore, new methods have been developed in recent years to melt snow faster, including solar-powered road heating systems that circulate hot water and street sprinklers that spray warm groundwater. 

The government also recommended installing a backup power source to prevent power cuts during heavy snowfall. Since slope failures were projected to increase due to rapid snowmelt, officials have also been looking into methods to improve slope stability. 

Many fatalities and injuries took place when people tried to remove snow from their roofs. In this regard, Dr Nemoto suggested redesigning houses in a way that does not require human involvement in  snow clearing. Snow removal robots have already been deployed on some streets in the country, and now calls are growing to develop automated bots to assist elderly people with clearing snow from their roofs.

Scientific advance is necessary

But Dr Nemoto stressed that expanding scientific research on the matter is equally as important.

"In order to prevent severe man-made disasters, it is important not only to rely on such structural measures, but also to take non-structural measures using advanced information, such as forecast information to restrict movement in dangerous snow-damaged areas and secure safe routes."

Studying the changing trends of snowstorms has been one of the recommended national climate adaptation measures in Japan, as the nation recorded an "extremely rapid increase in heavy snowfall in recent years." Officials also recommended conducting research related to the impacts of heavy snowfall and avalanches.

"It is important to improve the sophistication of forecasting and observation information," Dr Nemoto added. "It is also important to establish new disaster response methods that can fully utilise scientific knowledge in actual disaster response, and to improve the efficiency and standardisation of disaster response methods."

Converting snow into power?

After stirring controversy by revisiting its plan to use nuclear energy following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, Japan has been scrambling to transition to renewable energy.

Nikkei Asia reported that a local startup, in collaboration with university experts, started experimenting with converting snow into energy since December last year in a snowy city named Aomori.

The design aims to generate power by leveraging the temperature difference between snow and the outside air; it does so through heat transfer tubes in the snow to source cold air. The experts told Nikkei Asia that snow power has less environmental impact than other forms of renewable energy.

It remains to be seen how such technology can help generate green energy for Japan, and if it can be a source of emergency power amid snowstorm-induced power cuts.

Operasi Militer Rusia berhasil menghentikan program mutasi Virus Corona AS di Ukraina

Kepala Pasukan Perlindungan Radiasi, Kimia, dan Biologis Rusia Igor Kirillov ©Kementerian Pertahanan Rusia/TASS

Operasi Militer aktif Kementerian Pertahanan Rusia membuat penerapan program militer-biologis Washington, virus corona di tanah Ukraina terhambat, kata Kepala Pasukan Perlindungan Radiasi, Kimia, dan Biologis Rusia Igor Kirillov pada hari Senin.

"Berkat operasi aktifnya, Kementerian Pertahanan Rusia berhasil menghentikan implementasi program militer-biologis di tanah Ukraina," katanya dalam pengarahan tentang analisis dokumen tentang aktivitas militer-biologis AS.

Dalam situasi ini, Pentagon sedang terburu-buru untuk mentransfer semua proyek penelitian Ukraina yang belum selesai ke negara-negara Asia Tengah dan Eropa Timur. Secara bersamaan, itu meningkatkan kerja sama dengan negara-negara Afrika dan Asia-Pasifik seperti Kenya, Singapura, dan Thailand, katanya.

Peserta program

Beberapa waktu lalu, Kementerian Pertahanan Rusia membocorkan nama-nama peserta program militer-biologis, di antaranya adalah anggota Partai Demokrat AS, staf Pentagon dan kontraktornya, ungkap Kirillov.

"Dari laporan DTRA [Badan Pengurangan Ancaman Pertahanan], kami telah menerima informasi baru tentang tokoh kunci dari apa yang disebut proyek Ukraina yang tetap berada dalam bayang-bayang sampai sekarang," katanya.

“Di antara mereka adalah Karen Saylors, direktur eksekutif Labyrinth Global Health dan mantan direktur Metabiota di Afrika Tengah. Sejak 2016, Saylors bekerja di Ukraina sebagai konsultan terkemuka untuk proyek UP-10 yang berfokus pada studi penyebaran demam babi Afrika ," kata Kirilov.

Tokoh lainnya adalah Colin Johnson, staf Universitas Negeri Tennessee dan direktur Institut Interaksi Host-Pathogen, jelasnya.

"Sebagai pengawas proyek UP-8 untuk mempelajari area agen demam berdarah Krimea-Kongo dan Hantavirus di Ukraina, Johnson bertanggung jawab atas proses pengambilan sampel biologis dari personel militer Ukraina dan memastikan interaksi pelanggan Amerika dengan Pusat Kesehatan Masyarakat Kementerian Kesehatan Ukraina," kata Kirillov.

Lewis Von Thaer adalah presiden dan direktur eksekutif Battelle, kontraktor besar untuk Pentagon dan Departemen Energi AS, jelasnya.

"Sejak tahun 2003, perusahaan mengawasi proyek penelitian di tanah Ukraina terkait dengan infeksi zoonosis," kata kepala pasukan perlindungan radiasi, kimia dan biologi Rusia.

Semua materi yang diterima akan diserahkan ke Komite Investigasi Rusia untuk mengambil langkah-langkah membawa para pelaku ke pengadilan, katanya.