Monday, 19th September, 2022 (1)

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Ukrainian and international investigators have
been collecting evidence of war crimes
The European Union
presidency has called
for an international
tribunal over Russia's
invasion of Ukraine.
The call, from the Czech Republic
which currently holds the
rotating presidency of the bloc,
came after the discovery of hundreds
of graves in Izyum, a town
recently liberated by Ukrainian
troops.
Many are said to be civilians,
women and children among them.
"We stand for the punishment
US freight rail companies
and unions
representing their
workers have reached
a "tentative agreement"
to avert the first national
rail strike in 30 years.
The deal follows months of
back and forth negotiations and
20 hours of overnight talks on
working conditions.
President Joe Biden hailed the
outcome as "an important win for
our economy and the American
people".
The strike would have impacted
millions of Americans and cost
the economy an estimated $2bn
(£1.7bn) a day.
It would also have disrupted
passenger services, as many of
these trains run on tracks that
are operated and maintained by
freight carriers.
The agreement, which was
announced early on Thursday, ensures
that a strike that had been
due to begin after midnight on
Friday will no longer take place.
The deal includes a 24% wage
increase and $5,000 bonuses, as
well as changes to existing policies
on time off which had been a
crucial sticking point for workers.
"This is a win for tens of
thousands of workers and for the
dignity of their work," Mr Biden
said at a news conference. "They
earned and deserve these benefits,
and this is a great deal for both
sides."
"We reached an agreement
that will keep our critical rail
system working and avoid disruptions
of our economy," he added.
The resolution of the conflict
brought widespread relief as
many firms continue to grapple
with supply chain woes and had
been braced for further disruption.
"We're really excited about the
progress," Ford chief executive
Jim Farley told the BBC after the
of all war criminals," Czech Foreign
Minister Jan Lipavsky said.
Ukraine says it believes war
crimes have been committed
in Izyum, where 59 bodies have
been exhumed so far - with more
expected from the graves in a
forest at the edge of the city.
"In the 21st Century, such
attacks against the civilian
population are unthinkable and
abhorrent," Mr Lipavsky said.
"We must not overlook it. We
stand for the punishment of all
war criminals," he said.
DAILY ANALYST Monday, 19th September, 2022
"I call for the speedy establishment
of a special international
tribunal that will prosecute the
crime of aggression."
In his regular address on
Saturday evening, Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelensky said
investigators had discovered new
evidence of torture used against
the people buried in Izyum, in
Kharkiv region.
"More than 10 torture chambers
have already been found in
the liberated areas of Kharkiv region,
in various cities and towns,"
Mr Zelensky said.
He said the Russians would
have to answer "both on the battlefield
and in courtrooms".
On Thursday, EU Commission
President chief Ursula von der
Leyen said she wanted Mr Putin
to face the International Criminal
Court over war crimes in Ukraine.
First US rail strike in 30 years
averted with tentative deal - Biden
deal was announced. "Any delay,
like a real strike, even for a day
or two will have a tremendous
impact on an industrial company
like Ford. And even if it only lasts
for, you know, hours or a day, it
could have impacts for weeks to
come."
Heated contract negotiations
have been taking place for three
years between railroad management
and the dozen unions that
represent more than 100,000
workers.
Ten unions had agreed to the
most recent contract offer, but
until Thursday two of the largest
unions in the country - representing
the engineers and conductors
who make up two-person
train crews - held out.
They complained that staffing
shortages and workplace
attendance policies have created
punishing schedules for staff.
Workers say they are effectively
on call throughout the year,
with no paid time off in some
cases even if they are unwell or
have other personal emergencies.
More than one million Americans
worked on the railroads in
the 1950s, but the industry now
employs fewer than 150,000 people,
according to data from the
Bureau of Labour Statistics.
Cost-cutting has led to the
culling of some 45,000 jobs over
the last six years, putting pressure
on those who have remained in
their jobs.
Analysts had warned a strike
would result in supply chain
chaos and cost the economy more
than $2bn a day. In anticipation of
service interruption, the Amtrak
passenger rail service cancelled
all of its long-distance services
around the country for Thursday.
President Biden personally
called rail unions and companies
to try to broker a compromise
earlier in the week. Labour Secretary
Marty Walsh, a former union
leader himself, secured the deal
after the marathon talks.
The two holdout unions, BLET
and Smart, credited the duo and
other Democrats for "allowing for
an agreement to be reached across
the bargaining table, rather than
through legislation".
"The solidarity shown by our
members, essential workers to
this economy, who keep America's
freight trains moving, made the
difference," it added.
The agreement will now go
before union members for a ratification
vote.
The parties have also agreed
that, if the vote fails, there will be
a "cooling off period" before any
strike action is taken.
More than one million Americans worked on the railroads in the
1950s, but the industry now employs fewer than 150,000 people
Global News
Ukraine war: Grave sites
prompt calls for tribunal
over Russian killings
Russia claims it is fighting to
de-Nazify Ukraine, in a conflict it
still refers to as a "special military
operation" rather than a war.
It has not commented on the
burial sites at Izyum. Moscow
has previously denied targeting
civilians.
The discovery of the burial
sites came as Ukrainian troops
continue their counter-offensive
in the country's north-east, after
successfully recapturing territory
from Russia in recent days.
Russian President Vladimir
Putin said on Friday that
Ukrainian counter-offensives
would not change Russia's military
plans in the east of Ukraine.
The UK defence ministry says
Russia is intensifying attacks on
civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.
"As it faces setbacks on the
front lines, Russia has likely extended
the locations it is prepared
The 250 Ukrainian troops
with the UN peacekeeping
mission in the
Democratic Republic
of Congo have returned
home to help fight Russian forces.
When the withdrawal of
Ukraine's aviation unit was
announced in March, diplomats
warned it could leave the UN mission
seriously short of helicopters.
These are vital in the fight
against the various rebel groups
based in the thick forests of eastern
DR Congo.
The eight Ukrainian helicopters
made up about a third of the
UN fleet.
Since the Russian invasion
in February, Ukraine had already
pulled out its troops from the
other UN peacekeeping mission
where they had been deployed.
Jacques Ndjoli, who serves on
DR Congo's parliamentary defence
committee, told the BBC the
withdrawal was relatively serious,
however he pointed out that
bringing peace to the country was
primarily the responsibility of the
to strike in an attempt to directly
undermine the morale of the
Ukrainian people and government,"
it said in its daily assessment
of the conflict.
But Mr Putin is failing "on all
his military and strategic objectives"
in Ukraine, UK Chief of the
Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony
Radakin told the BBC on Sunday.
Adm Radakin, however, urged
caution as "the likely result with
all of this is that it's going to grind
on for a long time.
"And that's why there's a
wishfulness when people jump to
conclusions that either President
Putin is weak and his power base
might be undermined, or that
Ukraine has gained some ground
and there's been a magnificent
action in the north-east.
"But it doesn't automatically
lead on to easy victories elsewhere."
Ukraine troops leave
DR Congo peacekeeping
mission Monusco
These were the last Ukrainian
troops in a UN peacekeeping mission
Congolese army.
As the Ukrainians left DR
Congo, the Brazilian commander
of the UN force, Gen Marcos da
Costa, said "their 10 years of immense
contribution" was greatly
appreciated.
The UN mission in DR Congo,
Monusco, is already under pressure
in the country.
It is widely criticised for failing
to do enough to restore peace
in the east, where numerous
armed groups have operated for
three decades, killing, raping and
looting the region's rich minerals
resources such as gold and
diamonds.
In July, 36 people, including
four UN peacekeepers, died when
protesters ransacked UN buildings
in cities in eastern DR Congo.
After 22 years in the country,
the mission is supposed to be
winding down but no date has
been set for its operations to end.
It is one of the largest and
most expensive of the UN's 12
peacekeeping missions.