Latest news with #mineclearance
NHK
17-07-2025
- Politics
- NHK
Japanese experts conduct landmine dectection training in Ukraine
Japanese experts have conducted training in Ukraine on clearing landmines using detection equipment provided by Japan, amid Russia's continued invasion. Officials from the Japan International Cooperation Agency and other experts held the training in Kyiv this week for participants including staff from the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. Trainees used a Japanese mine detector known as ALIS. The device is equipped with a ground-penetrating radar. About 50 ALIS detectors have been reportedly provided to Ukraine. The trainees learned how to identify landmines underground while carefully looking at the monitor. An official from the State Emergency Service said, "We still find the remains of explosive objects from World War Two and sometimes from World War One in Ukrainian territory. So you understand that this can take quite a long period of time." The Ukrainian government estimates that about 30 percent of the country is littered with landmines and unexploded shells following Russia's invasion. It also says 335 people have died in incidents related to explosive objects. Sato Motoyuki, professor emeritus of Tohoku University who developed the ALIS detector, has been involved in landmine clearance in Cambodia. He recognizes challenges in removing landmines in Ukraine. He said unlike Cambodia, whose conflict has ended, Ukraine must deal with more and more landmines being placed one after another. Sato also said that Ukraine will also have to address a large number of landmines that have been newly placed close to the ground.
CTV News
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Prince Harry is in Angola to raise awareness for land mine clearing, repeating Diana's 1997 trip
Diana, Princess of Wales, left, uses a remote switch to trigger the detonation of some explosive ordinance dug up by mine sweepers in Huambo, central Angola, Jan. 15, 1997. (AP Photo/Giovanni Diffidenti, File) CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Prince Harry visited the African nation of Angola on Tuesday with a land mine clearing charity, repeating a famous trip his mother made in 1997. Harry, the Duke of Sussex, met with Angolan President João Lourenço on Tuesday at the start of his trip, according to a statement from the Halo Trust, an organization that works to clear land mines from old warzones. Princess Diana visited Angola with the Halo Trust in January 1997, just seven months before she was killed in a Paris car crash. Diana was famously photographed on that trip wearing protective equipment and walking through an active minefield during a break in fighting in Angola's long civil war. Her advocacy helped mobilize support for a treaty banning land mines later that year. This is not the first time Harry has followed in his mother's footsteps by raising awareness for the Halo Trust's work. He also visited the southern African country in 2019 for a land mine clearing project. British media reported that Harry traveled to Angola this week without his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. Halo Trust CEO James Cowan said in a statement Tuesday that he and Harry met with Lourenço to discuss continued demining efforts in Angola and thanked the president for his support for that work. Angola was torn apart by a 27-year civil war, which lasted from 1975 to 2002, with some brief and fragile periods of peace in between. The Halo Trust says there are estimates that around 80,000 Angolans have been killed or injured by land mines during and after the war, although there are no exact figures. The organization says just over 1,000 minefields covering an estimated 67 square kilometers (26 square miles) still needed to be cleared at the end of 2024. Angola had set itself a goal to be land mine-free by 2025. Gerald Imray, The Associated Press
Arab News
24-06-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Ukraine has cleared 20 percent of mined land, PM says
KYIV: Ukraine has intensified efforts to clear land mines and has cut the affected area to around 137,000 square km (53,000 square miles), a 20 percent reduction from the end of 2022, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on of the remaining mined areas are farmland, Shmyhal is a global major grain grower but it reduced harvests sharply after Russia's 2022 invasion left large areas occupied and said about 9,000 people from 112 specialized companies are now involved in mine analysts say Ukraine needs at least 10 years to demine all territories.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pace of humanitarian mine clearance in Ukraine increases by 50%
The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine has reported that the scale of humanitarian mine clearance in Ukraine has increased by almost 50% over the past year. A total of 108 mine action operators have been certified, working to clear areas of explosive ordnance as of the beginning of June. Source: Mezha media, a technology and IT news platform within Ukrainska Pravda's holding company, with reference to Ukraine's Ministry of Defence Details: Oleh Shuvarskyi, Head of the Mine Action Department, said that quality control of mine clearance has intensified, and five national standards in this area are in place. Inspections have been carried out at 241 sites with a total area of 32 sq km since the beginning of 2025. About 139,000 sq km of Ukrainian territory is potentially contaminated with explosive ordnance, including 14,000 sq km of water. However, only 31,000 sq km can be cleared due to the hostilities. The Ministry of Economy of Ukraine estimates that about 300 large pieces of equipment in this category are currently used in Ukraine to clear large areas, which is the largest fleet in the world. However, even this number is still not enough to clear the entire mined area. Foreign large demining machines are expensive and produced by a few manufacturers. That is why Ukraine is already mastering its own production of such equipment and localising Western equipment at domestic plants. Recently, the first heavy remote demining complex, GART 5100, manufactured by the Ukrainian engineering company XTI Engineering, underwent the state certification procedure. The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine said that this device is designed to defuse various types of mines and other explosive objects by detonating them and destroying them with hammers of a chain unit or a cutter. Complex Gart 5100 developed by XTI Engineering Photo: Veronika Vlasiuk Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
News.com.au
02-06-2025
- General
- News.com.au
Memorial service to be held for Nicholas Parsons who was killed volunteering in Ukraine
A memorial service for an Australian who died volunteering with a humanitarian and mine clearance charity in Ukraine will be held this week. Nicholas Parsons, 28, was working in the country's war-torn east with Prevail Together, a US and UK-based group that sends volunteers into Ukraine. He was killed alongside the charity's co-founder Chris Garrett, as well as another team member who was severely injured in an incident near Izyum on May 6. Mr Parsons heartbroken friends have been raising money to help his family 'give him the send off he deserves' at a service in Townsville on Thursday. Lachie Romer organised the fundraiser, which has seen people donate more than $22,000, saying on the tribute page they had lost their beautiful mate far too soon. 'It still doesn't feel real, and it's hard to find the right words to say,' he said. 'Nic was one of those people you just loved being around — always up for a laugh, always there when you needed him, and someone who made life better just by being in it. 'Let's come together and do this for Nic — for the good times, the laughs, and the memories we'll never forget. Rest easy, legend. We'll miss you forever.' A funeral will be held for Mr Parsons at the Morley Funeral Home, followed by a wake at the Townsville RSL.
