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- Summary
- Rights groups say Moura attack worst atrocity in war
- Report does not identify foreign fighters
- West has been concerned by presence of Russia's Wagner
DAKAR, May 12 (Reuters) - Malian soldiers and unidentified "armed white men" likely executed at least 500 people, and sexually assaulted or tortured dozens of others during a five-day operation in the village of Moura in central Mali last year, the U.N. Human Rights Office said on Friday.
On March 27, 2022, Malian soldiers and foreign personnel descended in helicopters and opened fire on fleeing residents, the report said. In a roundup of civilians in the following days, hundreds more were shot and thrown in ditches.
The U.N. report on the incident was released after a months-long investigation into what rights groups say is the worst atrocity in a 10-year conflict between Islamist groups and the army in which thousands have died and millions have been displaced.
The identity of the white men was not clear, U.N. Human Rights Office regional spokesperson Seif Magango said. But Western countries have raised concerns over Russian private military contractor Wagner Group's activities in Mali since late 2021, including allegations of its role in the killings of civilians in Moura.
"These are extremely disturbing findings," U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said, adding that the actions could amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity.
Mali's military government and an army spokesman did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. Authorities have previously said that Islamist fighters, not civilians, were killed in Moura.
Mali, whose leaders seized power in a 2021 coup, and Russia have previously maintained that Russian forces there are not mercenaries but trainers helping local troops with equipment bought from Russia.
Russia's U.N. envoy Maria Molodtsova told a U.N. human rights meeting in Geneva last week that those killed in Moura were militants and that the military operation "contributed to peace and tranquillity".
But the U.N. report backs up Reuters reporting at the time in which witnesses said white men in army fatigues, speaking what the residents believed was Russian, were involved.
The U.N. report was based on interviews with victims and witnesses in the West African country, as well as forensic and satellite imagery. A fact-finding team obtained the names of at least 238 victims, the U.N. said.
KILLING, RAPE, TORTURE
Moura was largely under the control of Islamist groups that since 2012 have carried out a campaign of violence against civilians, despite interventions from international forces, including former colonial power France.
French forces left last year amid a diplomatic spat with Mali's junta. They stopped joint operations with Mali forces in February 2022.
Groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State have spread into Burkina Faso and Niger, killing thousands and threatening to destabilise the whole region.
Insurgents from Katiba Macina, a local group affiliated with al Qaeda, returned fire when the soldiers arrived on March 27 last year, the U.N. said.
A day later, soldiers went house to house searching for militants. They executed people with long beards and ankle-length trousers, and those with marks on their soldiers suggesting they were used to carrying weapons.
"A group of men ... were led away by soldiers and shot in the head, back or chest, and their bodies thrown into a ditch," the U.N. said.
At least 58 women and girls were raped or subjected to other forms of sexual violence. Other civilians were tortured, the report said.
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. | Africa politics |
A quarter of Hungarians support closer ties with Russia, but even Fidesz and Mi Hazánk voters are pro-NATO
June 08. 2023. – 01:20 PM
updated
The number of Hungarians who say they want closer cooperation with Russia has doubled in two years and now stands at 26 percent. Many see Zelensky as a negative figure – especially pro-government voters – but neither side's voters would leave NATO, and the military alliance is perceived as well as it was when Hungary first joined its ranks. In their latest research, Policy Solutions examined how Hungarians view the world in 2023. Where do we see ourselves in the world? How do most people feel about important international issues?
The research focused especially on where Hungarian society sees the country's future in terms of values. The majority of Hungarians (55%) still believe that in 2023 the country traditionally belongs to the West in terms of values and should continue to move closer to these partners. In fact, regardless of whether the West is declining (a popular government narrative – TN) or not, Western values have become even more popular compared to 2021. On the other hand, one in five governing party voters disagree with the country's affiliation with the West, but most of them (46%) still see Hungary's future in the West.
The poll was conducted between 27 March and 4 April 2023 by Závecz Research. The survey, which involved face-to-face interviews with 1,000 people, is representative of the country's adult population according to gender, education and type of settlement where the respondents live. Four categories of political affiliation were applied: six-party opposition, Fidesz-KDNP, Mi Hazánk, and the undecided.
There are still relatively few who believe that it is in Hungary's interest to move closer to Russia and away from the European Union (26 per cent). A relative majority – 45 per cent – reject closer cooperation with Russia, a trend that has not changed in either direction despite the war. However,
twice as many people support a closer relationship with Russia compared to 2021: their number went up from 13 to 26 percent.
Those in favour of rapprochement with Russia are most numerous among Fidesz-KDNP voters (35%), but there are also plenty of them on the opposition side: a quarter of them support this position, while the majority (60%) reject it. It is also interesting to note that Mi Hazánk voters are only as pro-Russian as the supporters of the six-party opposition: a quarter of them support, while 51% reject developing closer ties with Russia.
The government's approach that one of the most important tasks of Hungarian foreign policy is to defend national sovereignty is slightly more popular among the majority than the idea that the country should cooperate with its Western allies. Nearly half of governing party voters consider the defence of sovereignty to be particularly important. Among the six-party opposition voters, the majority (44%) think that Hungary should first and foremost forge closer ties with its Western allies, and they rank independence and sovereignty third.
The survey also looked at which countries Hungarians think it is important to have good relations with. The results are hardly surprising given that the top-ranked countries all have a signficiant number of Hungarian nationals working in them: Germany, Austria and the UK. When asked about a specific country, Austria was clearly the country which respondents ranked first as the most important to have good (neighbourly) relations with, followed closely by Germany, while Croatia ranked third.
Even among Mi Hazánk voters, more were of the opinion that good relations with Ukraine are also necessary, than among the governing party voters.
Russia, China and Ukraine all ranked at the bottom of the list of 17 countries – perhaps unsurprisingly, Fidesz voters ranked Ukraine's partnership as the least important, while opposition voters ranked Russia's.
The survey also looked at which countries Hungarians see as the biggest threats. Here again, voters are aligned with the narrative of their preferred party:
the majority of Fidesz voters see Ukraine as a major threat (46 percent), while voters of the six-party opposition clearly (64 percent) regard Russia as such.
Interestingly enough, the United States came second on the list of threats among governing party voters. This somewhat contradicts what the survey also revealed: that the United States is still identified by many with prosperity and freedom, but there are also many who think the country is aggressively expansionist. In fact, it is the Mi Hazánk voters (71%) who most identify the US with prosperity, followed by the six-party opposition voters and finally, those of Fidesz-KDNP.
In addition to measuring pro-EU sentiment, the popularity of the Hungarian membership of NATO is relatively rarely examined, but Policy Solutions looked at this in their recent survey as well. The research shows that confidence has changed little over the past 25 years:
a substantial majority of society is pro-NATO, with 76 percent still supporting Hungary's membership in the alliance.
Even after 24 years of membership, this proportion is very similar to that in the referendum before accession, when 85% voted to join and only 14% would have preferred to stay out of NATO. Among party voters, there is a broad consensus on this issue: there is no party in Hungary that does not have a two-thirds majority of voters in favour of Hungary's membership in NATO. Momentum voters are the most pro-NATO and Mi Hazánk voters the least, but even they have two-third support for the alliance. The alliance is also popular within Fidesz-KDNP, where 72 percent would choose to remain.
The survey indicates that Hungarian society likes to "hide behind the EU". One such issue is financial support for Ukraine: a large majority agrees that Hungary should support Ukraine through the EU, but two thirds reject direct support.
On the other hand, there is full agreement about not giving weapons to the Ukrainians either directly or through the EU.
An interesting aspect of these assumptions was also the respondents' media consumption habits: TV2 (strongly pro-government station -TN) viewers are much less supportive of Ukraine than, for example, the regular viewers of RTL, who would be more supportive of sending aid via the EU. Telex.hu's readership supported EU aid and some form of Hungarian aid as well, the research found.
Government: the Brussels sanctions are bad, Hungarian society: yes, they are
Hungarians' empathy for Ukrainians has been somewhat eroded by the war, which has been going on for almost a year and a half. According to the survey, only 16 percent of the population would feel comfortable – compared to 25 percent in the past – if a Ukrainian moved to their neighbourhood, and 43 percent would feel uncomfortable. However,
the survey shows that the majority still has the most negative view of refugees from the Middle East.
A phrase often heard from the government is "we must stay out of the war" and "the opposition would drag Hungary into the conflict in our neighbourhood". 80 percent of those polled admit that the government intends to stay out of the war, while 59 percent fear that Hungary will be dragged into the fighting.
Even voters in the six-party opposition hardly question the government's "pro-peace" stance. An intriguing find of the survey is that, although a majority of all political groups rejected the assumption,
a fifth of Fidesz-supporting respondents agree that the government's goal is to eventually annex Transcarpathia back to Hungary.
The government's "accusation" that the opposition is pro-war is less likely to go down well with voters: a majority – 55 per cent – do not think the six-party opposition would send Hungarian soldiers to fight in Ukraine. Four out of ten respondents accept the government's claim, however.
The government's answer to every bad economic indicator lately has been that the country is where it is because of " the Brussels sanctions". Of those surveyed, 44% say that sanctions have hurt the EU economy more than Russia. Only 11% agree that EU sanctions have actually hurt Russia.
The majority is not able to ascertain the outcome of the war or whether it will continue, but the survey shows that a high proportion of Hungarian society doesn't believe that the Ukrainians have a chance of winning the war.
Nearly 40 percent believe that the war will continue with further Russian territorial gains.
The same number think that the front lines will freeze and there will be no change, while only 7 percent are of the opinion that the Ukrainians will be the more successful side in the coming year. Half of the ruling party voters think there is a better chance of the Russians succeeding, 38 percent in Mi Hazánk think so, and just over 30 percent of those polled in the six-party opposition share this opinion.
Policy Solutions also surveyed the familiarity and popularity of 23 international politicians and other public figures. In Hungary, the best known are Putin, Donald Trump and Pope Francis. Pope Francis, who recently visited Hungary, leads in terms of positive perception, while Putin is at the bottom of the list and Trump has a particularly poor perception as well. The Russian president is viewed negatively by 54% of Fidesz-KDNP voters, while among the six-party opposition's voters and those of Mi Hazánk, many more have a negative view of Putin.
Nearly two-thirds of Fidesz voters have a negative opinion of Joe Biden, with just under 10% of them giving the US president a favourable rating. Volodymyr Zelensky also has a particularly poor rating among supporters of the governing party and Mi Hazánk: the majority of Fidesz-KDNP (74%) and Mi Hazánk (78%) voters have a negative opinion of him, while only 37% of the six-party opposition supporters have a similar opinion. It is significant that even among opposition voters, the proportion of those who have a positive opinion of Zelensky is not particularly high.
Policy Solutions' full, 100-plus page research, which in addition to these issues also looks at the global problem map of Hungarians and other questions, is available here.
For more quick, accurate and impartial news from and about Hungary, subscribe to the Telex English newsletter! | Europe Politics |
A spate of protests and strikes across government-held areas in southern Syria have continued into their second week, with demonstrators increasingly unafraid to call for the removal of the president, Bashar al-Assad.
Protesters gathered in the southern city of Suwayda on Monday, closing provincial roads. The province of Suwayda has remained under government control since Syria’s 2011 uprising and is home to much of the country’s Druze minority.
Video shared by the activist-led organisation Suwayda24 showed several hundred people gathered in a central square waving Druze flags and chanting “long live Syria, and down with Bashar al-Assad”.
Another video circulating online showed activists chanting on Sunday evening after welding shut the doors of a branch of the ruling Ba’ath party in the town of Melh in the east of Suwayda province.
One protester explained that they targeted the building due to its role in suppressing previous protests calling for an increase in basic services such as water and electricity.
He then directed his cries towards the Syrian president, who has worked to stamp out all dissent since protests against his rule first erupted in 2011. “From Melh we call on you, Bashar al-Assad … we say leave, we don’t want you, you’re going to fall.”
He added: “You have two options: either you leave with your dignity, or you are destined to die.”
Protests spurred by a rise in fuel prices and anger at economic corruption and mismanagement quickly morphed into anti-government demonstrations, including repeated calls for Assad to leave. Demonstrations have grown steadily throughout Syria’s south.
In Suwayda, people held signs citing a UN security council resolution demanding a transitional government, or calling for the release of thousands that have been forcibly disappeared by the Syrian security apparatus since protests first gripped the country 12 years ago.
“Suwayda hasn’t witnessed a civil strike and movement like this before. People don’t want reforms. This regime is not able to provide people with any of their needs,” said Rayan Marouf, the exiled head of Suwayda24.
“These protests have awakened hope in Syrians. Their demands are clear, and no one is making economic demands. People in Suwayda also protested over the past few years and nothing changed.”
Marouf emphasised that the renewed protests were about calls for political change, rather than economic grievances that saw smaller protests in Suwayda in previous years.
“If they wanted economic reforms they would have protested differently, they would have taken to the streets, for example, and tried to break into banks, or called for a change of ministers and to bring back fuel subsidies. They wouldn’t have attacked the Ba’ath party offices, one of its few functioning branches in Syria. People want Assad to go,” he said.
The demonstrations in majority Druze areas, which have drawn support from local clerics and other groups in the area, like Bedouin, represent a further blow to the Assad regime, which has long touted its defence of the country’s minorities.
The Syrian pound has hit historic lows throughout the summer, plummeting to almost 15,000 to the dollar on the black market, depreciating threefold since its value late last year. The government continues to hike wages amid a costly restructuring plan on subsidies for basic goods, including bread and petrol.
The United Nations said in June that Syria’s 12-year conflict had pushed 90% of its remaining population over the poverty line, amid rising food costs and cuts to electricity and fuel.
Despite efforts by Assad to oversee a return to the Arab League and re-establish relations with former foes in the Gulf, his control over Syrian territory remains fractured and a profound economic crisis persists.
The government has offered little comment on the protests, apart from the state’s head of reconciliation, Omar Rahmoun, who posted on social media to accuse protesters of acting as a conduit for extremist groups.
Damascus has blamed its collapsing economy on western sanctions, which increased following documentation of war crimes committed by the Assad regime as well as its role in the regional drug trade.
Marouf said the protests show Assad’s efforts at control have done little to quell public anger, even in government-held areas. “People want a fair government, and al-Assad’s regime is incapable of giving his people that. Whatever this regime does it won’t be enough for his people,” he said.
“The world thinks that Bashar al-Assad has won after being readmitted to the Arab League, but it’s those on the ground who decide whether he’s a legitimate ruler or not.” | Middle East Politics |
Sometimes defeat can come with small victories. In his NSW election concession speech, defeated Liberal-National Coalition Premier Dominic Perrottet remarked the campaign had been a “race to the top”. Voters seemed to agree. Perrottet’s opponent, Labor’s Chris Minns, brought the conciliatory tone he maintained as opposition leader into the campaign.
Combative politics, in NSW at least, might be a thing of the past. Minns went further, noting this campaign had set a standard against which Australian federal and state politics could be judged. That will largely depend on his ability to maintain a constructive tenor, as premier, in a parliamentary arena dubbed the “bear pit”.
While calm prevailed between leaders, the flow of votes was volatile. As counting wound up on Saturday evening, Labor looked assured of the 47 Legislative Assembly seats required to form a majority government. Attracting around a 7% statewide swing, Labor’s performance in western Sydney was particularly strong.
There was almost a sense of inevitability about the loss of Parramatta when sitting Liberal Geoff Lee announced his retirement. A protracted preselection battle ensued, with Lee’s successor swept aside by a more than 20% swing to Labor’s well-known candidate, Parramatta Lord Mayor Donna Davis.
Further west, the seat of Riverstone, vacated by retiring Liberal Kevin Connolly, saw swings eclipsing those of the federal election, propelling Labor’s Warren Kirby into the lower house.
High profile retirements led to vulnerabilities for the Coalition in Sydney’s east as well. Wakehurst, which has been held by outgoing health Minister Brad Hazzard for over 30 years, fell to independent Michael Regan. It remains to be seen whether Ryde and Pittwater, the former stomping grounds of cabinet members Victor Dominello and Rob Stokes respectively, suffer the same fate.
One of the shocks of the night was the ousting of former deputy Liberal leader, Stuart Ayres. Mentioned as a potential leadership candidate post-election, party insiders were confident of overcoming the challenge from local Labor councillor, Karen McKeown, whom Ayres defeated in 2019. Enlisting former Premier Gladys Berejiklian on the campaign trail, Ayres was seeking to re-enter cabinet after his ousting in the fallout from the trade appointment inquiry.
Ayres’ exit will complicate the party’s efforts to rebuild in western Sydney, given his standing in the region, and his industry and community networks. The retirement of his colleague, David Elliott, the former member for Baulkham Hills and Ayres’ successor as Minister for Western Sydney, further depletes the Liberals’ base in the electorally critical region.
While privatisation fuelled the delivery of a substantial transport infrastructure pipeline for the Coalition over the past two terms, it struggled to balance service provision with population growth.
Lags and gaps in the construction of critical health, education and transport infrastructure proved a pivotal issue for voters in growth areas in Sydney’s outer south-west. Peter Sidgreaves gave up the one-time safe Liberal seat of Camden to Labor’s Sally Quinnell, while her colleague, Nathan Hagarty, secured the newly constituted seat of Leppington.
On the peri-urban edges of the city’s south west, Wollondilly is shaping as a very tight contest between sitting Liberal Nathaniel Smith and former Liberal Party member now independent challenger, Judy Hannan.
Labor’s broadly strong performance in Sydney’s west did not come without some contrasts. Party strategists will be hoping that swings towards the Liberals in Liverpool and Cabramatta are down to the retirement of long serving Labor members, rather than the beginnings of a deeper trend.
In rural and regional parts of the state, voter sentiment was more stable. The Nationals retained the seat of Tweed, with Labor and the Greens failing to attract new support. Labor’s hopes of turning Upper Hunter look thwarted with the Nationals set to retain the seat. However, nearby Terrigal remains in play with Labor edging ahead on the back of a more than 13% swing.
The nominally Shooters, Fishers and Farmers seats of Barwon and Murray now look firmly in the hands of former SFF members, now independents, Roy Butler and Helen Dalton.
Labor’s success overall speaks to the party’s ability to tap into voter concerns at the local level. This is unsurprising in areas like western Sydney, where pandemic lockdowns, followed by rising interest rates, housing unaffordability and wage stagnation focussed minds on “everyday” rather than “grand vision” politics.
To consolidate and build in its victory, Labor will need to translate its success at grassroots campaigning to the wider task of governing. Maintaining its commitment to a “dialogue” on priorities such public sector wages, infrastructure funding and affordable housing will be important.
Labor will be keen to point out that solutions to the challenges the state faces cannot come from government alone. Creating wider channels for community, industry and research-led policy development will mitigate Cabinet inexperience. This inclusive approach will also allow Labor to move on from the command-and-control tendencies the Coalition exhibited in the latter half of its incumbency, when it eschewed its traditional “small government” doctrine to create multiple agencies and statutory bodies to augment portfolio responsibilities.
For the NSW Coalition, the task of rebuilding will begin. With Perrottet relinquishing the leadership, and Liberal moderate, Matt Kean ruling himself out as a contender, the party may revert to a candidate from the right. This would certainly mark a departure from the policy convergence with Labor that characterised the campaign.
It might work. It might also signal an end to peace within the bear pit, and a return to more traditional party politics. | Australia Politics |
Australia’s NSW government pledges to introduce conversion therapy ban this year
The NSW (New South Wales) government in Australia has pledged to push forward plans to introduce a conversion therapy ban.
LGBTQ+ advocate groups had feared that plans to introduce legislation on the traumatic practice, promised by the NSW government earlier this year, would be delayed or put on ice.
In an email to its members, seen by the publication, ACL’s managing director Michelle Pearse claimed that the group had made over 8,000 calls to MPs to ask them to reconsider the conversion therapy ban.
The claims sparked fears among gay conversion survivor groups, who wrote to NSW Attorney-General Michael Daley calling for the government to push the conversion therapy ban through as soon as possible.
“We are especially concerned that the Australian Christian Lobby has now claimed credit for delaying progress on reforms,” the letter read.
“Banning conversion practices should be about protecting the health and welfare of LGBTQ people first and foremost, not appeasing those who seek to perpetrate those practices at the expense of the health and welfare of LGBTQ people.”
Now, a spokesperson for the NSW premier’s office has confirmed that laws banning gay conversion practices would be brought forward and introduced to parliament before the year’s end, ABC reports.
This is particularly promising news, as it was previously reported that the laws would not be introduced until 2024.
“Labor made an election commitment to ban LGBTQ+ conversion practices, consultation was the first step in developing our own bill to bring to Parliament – this will happen by the end of year,” said a government spokesperson.
While Equality Australia CEO Anna Brown has welcomed the government’s pledge to introduce the legislation by the end of the year, she warned that said legislation must be strong and thorough.
“Any scheme to end conversion practices will only be effective if it is inclusive of all practices that seek to change or suppress a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, including health and religious settings,” she said.
New South Wales is following in the footsteps of Victoria, Queensland, and the ACT, who have already introduced bans on gay conversion therapy.
How did this story make you feel?
MyPinkNews members are invited to comment on articles to discuss the content we publish, or debate issues more generally. Please familiarise yourself with our community guidelines to ensure that our community remains a safe and inclusive space for all. | Australia Politics |
It looks like Elon Musk may be backing away from offering Starlink access to Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
A month ago, Musk tweeted about supplying satellite internet connectivity to humanitarian aid groups working in Gaza. In response, Israel’s Minister of Communications Shlomo Karhi threatened to cut ties with SpaceX over fears the Starlink units could be used by Hamas.
On Monday, however, Karhi said his country had reached a deal over the Starlink access, as Musk was filmed touring Israel with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“As a result of this significant agreement, Starlink satellite units can only be operated in Israel with the approval of the Israeli Ministry of Communications, including the Gaza Strip,” Karhi tweeted.
“As the State of Israel fights against Hamas - ISIS, this understanding is vital, as is it for everyone who desires a better world, free of evil and free of anti-Semitism, for our children's sake,” he added.
So far, Musk hasn’t responded to the news. But in an online chat with Netanyahu, Musk said joined the prime minister in touring the areas where numerous Israeli civilians were massacred during Hamas' attack on Oct. 7, which sparked the ongoing war.
Musk said “I’d like to help as well” after Netanyahu said Israel is focused on destroying Hamas and “de-radicalizing Gaza” while rebuilding it again. “It’s important to pair firmness in taking out the terrorists, and those who wish, or intent on murder. And at the same time to help those who remain," Musk added.
So it’s possible Israel and SpaceX could bring the Starlink connectivity to the Gaza Strip, but only after the war ends. In the meantime, internet access in Gaza has remained unstable. On Nov. 17, broadband access was down in the area for over 24 hours “after the depletion of generator fuel and backups supplying network infrastructure,” according to internet monitoring group NetBlocks. Although some internet service was restored, “service remains significantly below pre-conflict levels,” the group added. | Middle East Politics |
ROME -- Italy's lawmakers are debating a bill that would make it a crime for Italian citizens to try to become parents through a surrogate's pregnancy abroad, even in countries where the practice is legal.
A 2004 law already banned surrogacy within Italy. The proposed law, which would make it illegal in Italy for citizens to engage a surrogate mother in another country, would authorize prison terms of up to three years and fines of up to 1 million euros ($1.15 million) for convictions.
“We strenuously say no to the sale of children. Surrogate maternity is the most extreme form of commercialization of the body,″ lawmaker Maurizo Lupi, who heads a tiny centrist party that is a partner in Italy's coalition government, said.
Protests erupted inside the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of the Italian Parliament, and outside in a square during the debate that began Monday and continued Tuesday. A vote on the bill has not been scheduled.
Lawmakers opposed to the law held up placards that read, “Parents, not criminals.” Some members of the political opposition have joined the government’s side, contending that surrogacy violates the dignity of women if they are paid to carry someone else’s child.
The government of Italy's far-right premier, Giorgia Meloni, is heavily promoting the legislation. Meloni's coalition has a comfortable majority both in the Chamber of Deputies and in the Senate, which would take up the bill next.
Although the so-called “universal ban” would apply equally to same-sex and opposite-sex couples, opponents see the law as part of an effort by Meloni's government to penalize what it deems “non-traditional” families.
"With this law, we're looking at a very heavy attack on ‘rainbow’ families and on the LGBT community,'' lawmaker Alessandro Zan, who is gay, said.
Same-sex marriages also are banned in Italy. LGBTQ+ couples have been fighting to obtain parental rights for the partner who is not the biological parent of their children, including the ability to make medical decisions and to pick a child up from school without needing a permission note.
A top court ruled last year that non-biological parents cannot automatically be listed on children's birth records. Some mayors had done that when certifying birth records from abroad. The court said non-biological parents instead needed to petition for adoption, a long legal process.
The prosecutors' office in the northern city of Padua this week ordered non-biological parents removed from the birth certificates of 33 children registered since 2017. Under the change, the children also can no longer legally use their non-biological parent's surname.
Lawmaker Chiara Appendino, who registered non-biological parents on birth certificates when she served as mayor of Turin, said the crackdown ignores the rights of children.
“While the government is blathering about absurd universal crimes, the consequences are being paid by children,'' Appendino tweeted. | Europe Politics |
At about 4pm on Wednesday, a column of men, women and children moved slowly through the rubble of the city they had once called home. Above them the blue sky was streaked with smoke.
To one side the skeletal remains of houses, stripped by shellfire and bullets to their bare concrete bones. To the other, the bulldozed berms from where men of the Israeli Defence Force’s Jerusalem brigade watched warily.
Automatic fire cracked some way away. A thudding bang signalled something nearer and bigger. Drones buzzed in the distance. The file of people moved forwards in fits and starts.
A young girl with a pink school bag, bulging with those belongings she had been able to take with her, stood in front of an old woman in a wheelchair pushed by a youth in a football shirt.
A middle-aged man in brown office trousers limped ahead behind a teenager pulling a suitcase on rollers through the shattered blocks of concrete, twisted iron and refuse. Three younger children stood in a row, waiting.
Many held their identity documents high in the air as they passed through the two shipping containers used by the soldiers as a makeshift screening centre. Through a bullhorn, a soldier shouted in Arabic: “Move along, don’t push, you in the red shirt stand aside.”
Occasionally, the soldiers switched to Hebrew, appealing to anyone who spoke Israel’s national language to make themselves known.
“You will be safe. No one will touch you,” the men with bullhorns shouted. The aim, said an officer, was to offer a route to safety for any hostage concealed among the thin crowd, especially children.
The IDF took the Guardian and a number of other media organisations into Gaza and, following longstanding guidelines, read this report for any sensitive military details. The Guardian was not asked to make any changes.
Six weeks ago, only a tiny handful of the residents of Gaza City had any inkling of what was about to happen. For most, that morning was like any other. Now they stood like so many victims of so many other wars on the shattered outskirts of what had been a bustling town not long before.
Just a short drive away, down a new road cut by the IDF through the sandy low hills east of Gaza City, and through the now redundant billion-dollar perimeter fence around Gaza, were the burnt out houses of Be’eri, a kibbutz that was one of the places worst-hit in the attacks launched into Israel by Hamas on 7 October in which 1,200 people, mostly civilians at home or at a dance party, were killed.
Since the Israeli offensive started a few days later, more than 11,000 in Gaza have been killed, of whom about 40% were under 18, according to Hamas-run health authorities.
On Wednesday after days of fighting in the centre of Gaza City, the IDF moved into al-Shifa hospital, after calling for the 2,500 or so patients, staff and displaced people there to evacuate. Israel is now under growing international pressure to agree a ceasefire.
The IDF has established what it calls “humanitarian corridors” to allow residents to leave the north of Gaza, which is the main battle-zone, for the relative safety of the southern half of the territory.
The file of Palestinians walking through the rubble were some of the 75,000 who have left over the previous 48 hours. Critics say the corridors are no substitute for a ceasefire that would allow free movement and desperately needed aid to be brought into Gaza and for power to be restored.
Watching them was Idan, 37, a reservist from north Israel. He had been among the first Israeli forces to reach the south. Mobilised with a phone call on the morning of 7 October, he had reached the scene of the rave party attacked by Hamas by late afternoon.
“It was a massacre. There are no other words. It was an atrocity,” he told the Guardian.
“I am a father, and they were all kids, just like your kids or mine, talented, happy young people … to see so many murdered people, it is hard,” he said.
Assaf, a 49-year-old NCO in the Jerusalem brigade, which has done much of the fighting in this sector of Gaza over recent weeks, stood nearby.
A resident of one of the villages just across the perimeter fence into Israel, he and five others had fought off the Hamas militants who had attacked his home last month.
“We are not looking for vengeance. I have four children. I want them to live peacefully. If I want that, then there is no other option than this war,” Assaf said.
“After those brutal murders, and all that has happened to us, no one who hasn’t experienced something like that has the right to judge us.”
Earlier, the soldiers had shown us the entrance to a tunnel, in what had once been a lemon orchard 30 metres or so from a house. The tunnel network built by Hamas extends across much of Gaza, and has long been considered virtually impregnable. The more than 240 hostages seized by the group and other smaller factions on 7 October are thought to be hidden deep underground.
Like almost every building across the few square miles of northern Gaza seen by the Guardian, the nearby house was a shattered wreck, split open and spilling its contents across the dusty soil. Thin cats picked their way past buckets, linen and clothes. On a wall within had been daubed graffiti: “I Want My Scalps.”
Col Netai Okshi, commander of the Jerusalem brigade, said fighting in Gaza had been “very, very complicated”, not least because his forces were split, with some deployed to the “humanitarian corridor” and others fighting Hamas.
“It is urban fighting. We are going from building to building … we warn in advance with telephones, media, flyers, sometimes with bullhorns, and the civilians usually leave,” Okshi said.
“If they don’t leave, they don’t get targeted but they can be hurt or killed. We don’t forcibly remove them but we still have to go in.”
Watching the line of Palestinians file through the rubble of their former homes, one soldier commented: “Put everything you can carry in your bag and walk? It’s better than death but it’s pretty bad.” | Middle East Politics |
French presidential candidate fined under hate-crime law after condemning lesbian mums
Far-right French presidential candidate Éric Zemmour has been fined for condemning lesbian mums under hate-crime laws.
Zemmour was handed a 4,000 euro fine for anti-LGBTQ+ comments that violated the law – a decision his attorney said he’ll be appealing.
The fine is for a comments made on French TV show Face à l’info on 15 October in 2019. The judge ruled Zemmour’s comments “present a contemptuous image of the people they target”.
In the ruling, the judge added that Zemmour’s comments reduced those who wish to have a child “to a selfish ‘whim.”
“They become outrageous when they say these people, in order to satisfy their whim, can use their enslavement of the apparatus of the state,” he added.
On the show, Zemmour discussed medically assisted reproduction, following France passing a draft law to allow lesbian couples and single women to access fertility treatments, including artificial insemination and IVF.
In June 2021, the French parliament passed its bioethics bill with 326 MPs in favor and 115 against.
‘This is about the whims of a tiny minority’
He said at the time, as reported by LGBTQ Nation: “This is about the whims of a tiny minority that controls the government and enslaves it for its own benefit and is going to disintegrate society…
“Because we will have children without a father and I just said that it’s a catastrophe and, secondly, who is going to force all the other French people to pay for these whims?”
His comments sparked outrage from LGBTQ+ organisations with French LGBTQ+ organisation, Stop Homophobie, filing the successful lawsuit against Zemmour.
The ruling noted that Zemmour’s words saw gay people “find themselves denigrated in the eyes of the public because of who they are”.
“Their sexual orientation leads necessarily, according to the defendant, to behavior contrary to the public good.”
The director of Face а l’info, Serge Nedjar, was fined 4,000 euros and ordered to pay 3,000 euros to several LGBTQ+ organisations and 2,000 euros in attorneys’ fees.
In 2022, Zemmour was sued by six LGBTQ+ groups who say he denied gay Holocaust victims in his book La France n’a pas dit son denier mot (“France has not said its final word”).
He has also been convicted two times for hate speech and in 2022 was appealing a third, The Guardian reported. A conviction against him came in January 2022 after he said that child migrants were “thieves, killers” and “rapists”, adding “we should send them back”.
Zemmour, who was found guilty of copyright infringement after he used unauthorised film clips and newsreels in a campaign video, ran for president in 2022 and used his anti-LGBTQ+ beliefs to garner supporters.
He has previously compared equal rights for trans students to Nazism, referred to abortion as “collective suicide”, and claimed homosexuality is being spread with LGBTQ+ “propaganda”.
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KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine on Monday launched a criminal investigation into military officers who organized a troop-honoring ceremony that was hit by a Russian missile strike, killing 19 soldiers in one of the deadliest single attacks reported by Ukrainian forces.
The State Bureau of Investigation said it aims to hold military officials accountable for the Rocket Forces and Artillery Day event held Friday near the front line in Zaporizhzhia, where Russian reconnaissance drones could easily spot the crowded gathering.
The carnage sparked a wave of criticism among Ukrainians who questioned on social media the planning of an event so close to the battlefield. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy lamented the deaths of the men of the 128th Separate Mountain-Assault Brigade of Zakarpattia as a “tragedy that could’ve been avoided.”
The investigation announcement came shortly before Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, said a top aide and close friend, Maj. Gennady Chastyakov, was separately killed by an explosive device hidden inside a birthday present as he celebrated with his family.
READ MORE: 6 people killed across Ukraine as Russia intensifies attacks in the east
Writing on his Telegram channel, Zaluzhnyi expressed his “inexpressible pain” for the “heavy” loss of Chastyakov and indicated a judicial investigation would establish how he died.
Earlier, officials said Russian drone and missile strikes in the city of Odesa wounded eight people and damaged an art museum that is part of a UNESCO World Heritage site, and satellite photos showed damage done by a Ukrainian missile strike to a Russian naval ship.
Odesa’s National Art Museum said seven exhibitions, most featuring the work of contemporary Ukrainian artists, were damaged by a strike that left a large crater outside the museum, which was celebrating its 124th anniversary.
Photos and video showed shattered windows, doors, and some paintings lying on the floor amid debris strewn across the galleries.
The attack followed reports by the Russian Defense Ministry that Ukrainian cruise missiles aimed at the Zaliv shipyard in Kerch, a city in the east of the Moscow-held Crimean Peninsula, had struck one of its vessels.
Satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press showed damage to a Russian navy corvette moored off Kerch.
READ MORE: Russian missiles kill policeman, wounds 73 people in Zelenskyy’s hometown in central Ukraine
The satellite pictures Sunday from Planet Labs PBC show what appeared to be a firefighting vessel, as well as booms in the water to stop oil leaks from the damaged ship. What appeared to be burn marks can be seen on the vessel, which was still afloat. Those marks were not visible on other satellite images captured of the vessel at port.
The measurements of the vessel and its shape correspond with a Karakurt-class corvette. In Russian, “karakurt” means “Black Widow spider.”
The ships are designed to carry Kalibr cruise missiles, the same kind of missiles that Moscow has used repeatedly against Ukrainian targets since launching the all-out war on the neighboring country in February 2022.
The Russian Defense Ministry said late Saturday that Ukrainian forces fired 15 cruise missiles at the Zaliv shipyard in Kerch, with at least two striking a ship and the shipyard.
Lt. Gen. Mykola Oleshchuk, the commander of Ukraine’s air force, later wrote in an online message that he believed the strike targeted a vessel carrying Kalibrs. He also suggested Kyiv used long-range French Scalp cruise missiles in the attack.
READ MORE: Russia says Moscow and Crimea hit by Ukrainian drones
Andriy Ryzhenko, a captain in the Ukrainian naval reserve, had told Ukrainian media he believed the vessel struck by the missile was the Askold. That Karakurt-class corvette was being built at the port when Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Kerch and the shipyard in July 2020.
The Crimean Peninsula, which Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014, has been a frequent target since Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Crimea has served as the key hub supporting the invasion.
Between Sunday and Monday, a 77-year-old man was killed and at least 16 people were injured by Russian shelling and airstrikes in southeastern Ukraine, the country’s presidential office said.
The attacks on Odesa also damaged grain warehouses and homes. The bomb blast in front of the fine arts museum caused damage to the building and collections but there was no immediate assessment of the scale of destruction, a spokesperson for the U.N. cultural agency said.
UNESCO “strongly” condemned the attack on the museum, saying on X, formerly Twitter, that: “Cultural sites must be protected in accordance with international law.”
It was the second time the museum has been damaged during the ongoing war. In July 2022, a blast destroyed the historic glass roof and windows of the museum.
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Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) saved Omar A. from possible death or abduction in an international operation and offered him protection as the renowned Palestinian hacker was targeted by Mossad in Türkiye and Malaysia. The young man credited with hacking into Israel’s notorious Iron Dome air defense system was sought by Israel for a long time.
After three years of research, Israeli intelligence traced disruptions to Omar A. that affected the Iron Dome in 2015 and 2016 that helped the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the resistance group Hamas, launch rocket attacks toward Israel. Omar, a computer programming graduate of the Islamic University of Gaza, was the architect of a hacking software for Gaza’s Interior Ministry that can infiltrate cellphones operating on Android. This put him on the list of Mossad as a potential target. Seeking to lure him, they offered him a job through a Norwegian software company in 2019 but Omar, suspicious of Israel’s involvement, rejected the offer.
The young man moved to Istanbul in 2020, but Mossad was after him in Türkiye as well. MIT was also aware of his residence in Türkiye due to his background as a hacker. In April 2021, an agent named Raed Ghazal contacted him, claiming to be the human rights manager of the French company Think Hire, again, offering a job to Omar. Ghazal “interviewed” Omar twice in Istanbul, trying to convince him to join the company. After Ghazal, Omar Shalabi, another Mossad operative, contacted him on behalf of the French “company.” He offered Omar $10,000 for coding software for them.
Omar did the job and was paid by the French company. In June 2022, another Mossad operative using the name Nikola Radonij contacted Omar, offering him a job either in Brazil or in Istanbul. He was accompanied by three other people working for Israeli intelligence and posing as a team of “developers.”
They tried to convince Omar to join the team for an online project. Radonij tried to persuade him to travel abroad for a project as Mossad was intent on taking Omar to Tel Aviv for interrogation. Omar was about to accept the offer but MIT contacted him and warned him against the scheme.
But Mossad operatives did not give up. Omar A. decided to take a vacation in Malaysia in September 2022. The Istanbul branch of MIT’s counter-intelligence department intervened again and installed tracking software on his cellphone after warning him against a possible abduction while abroad. Indeed, Omar A. was kidnapped days later in Kuala Lumpur and was taken to a remote cabin some 50 kilometers (31.06 miles) from the Malaysian capital. There, he was interrogated and tortured by suspects working for Mossad. Mossad operatives in Tel Aviv joined the interrogation via video call.
He was questioned on the methods he employed to infiltrate Iron Dome and Android-based hacking software he developed. When MIT became aware of the abduction, Turkish officials contacted Malaysian authorities and through tracking software, helped them to pinpoint the location where Omar A. was held. Malaysian security forces raided the house and rescued Omar A. Eleven suspects were arrested in connection with his abduction.
Omar A. returned to Türkiye and was taken to a safe house provided by MIT. The organization also coordinated the capture of Foad Osama Hijazi with counterterrorism police in Istanbul. Hijazi was one of the Mossad operatives who worked with Nikola Radonij.
In 2018, Fadi al-Batsh, a research engineer thought to be linked to Hamas, was gunned down near his home in the Malaysian capital by two gunmen who fled the scene.
While his family has accused the Israeli spy agency Mossad of carrying out the assassination, then-Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman denied Israel's involvement.
Israel is widely believed to have killed several Palestinian activists in the past, many of them overseas.
In 1997, in Jordan, Mossad agents tried and failed to kill then-Hamas political chief Khaled Meshaal by spraying poison into his ear.
Mossad is also believed to have been behind the assassination in 2010 of top Hamas commander Mahmud al-Mabhuh in a Dubai hotel.
Israel has never confirmed or denied its involvement in Mabhuh's murder.
The Turkish intelligence earlier uncovered similar Mossad plots to spy on Palestinians in the country. In July, media outlets reported that MIT exposed a “ghost” cell of 56 operatives spying on non-Turkish nationals on behalf of Mossad.
Documents from MIT revealed that the spies were gathering biographical intelligence on foreign nationals through an online routing method, tracking vehicle movements via GPS, hacking into password-protected networks based on Wi-Fi devices and finding private locations. The cell, consisting of citizens from various Middle Eastern countries, used several fake websites in multiple languages, chiefly Arabic, to obtain technical locations and real IP addresses, MIT discovered.
Turkish media also reported in May that MIT busted another cell of 15 Mossad agents based in Istanbul and made six arrests. The agents were also found to be trained in Europe by Mossad executives and tasked with watching a company and 23 individuals with trade ties to Iran and targeted by Israel. Last December, Türkiye exposed another group of seven people spying on Palestinians for Mossad, which used their intelligence to launch online defamation campaigns and threats against Palestinians.
The MIT, in cooperation with Turkish police, has uncovered a string of espionage networks in recent years, including one working for Russia, and thwarted a plot by Iran to assassinate Israeli citizens in Türkiye. Operations have also led to the discovery of a story by Iranian intelligence operatives to kidnap Iranian dissidents who took shelter in Türkiye. | Middle East Politics |
President Joe Biden declared it was a “fact” that Hamas had “their headquarters, their military hidden under a hospital.” Senior White House officials said that the group was operating a “command-and-control node” in the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, citing US intelligence, and State Department officials referred to the hospital as being a Hamas “command centre.”
Those statements from the Biden administration this week, in response to questions about Israel’s military assault of Gaza’s largest hospital, appeared to qualify as tacit approval from the Biden administration for an operation that has been condemned by the United Nations and aid groups as a potential war crime.
Israel began what it described as a “precise and targeted” raid of al-Shifa hospital on Wednesday, which it has described as the “beating heart” of Hamas operations in northern Gaza. But after two days of searching the hospital grounds, the Israeli military has yet to produce any evidence to match those descriptions from the White House. Nor has Israel been able to prove their own claims that Hamas was operating from a sprawling underground layer beneath the hospital, which they had described in detail with maps and graphics.
Videos posted by the Israeli army on Wednesday showed a relatively scant haul from their initial search of the hospital grounds. In one clip, an Israeli soldier tours a room in the hospital and shows the camera what he describes as “a grab bag,” containing weapons and other military equipment, behind an MRI machine. The soldier finds another bag in another location during their search. The soldier displayed a total of 14 weapons, in addition to other military equipment, following the search. The Israeli army described the room as an “operational command center,” where they found “technological assets, along with military and combat equipment used by the Hamas terrorist organization.”
“These weapons have absolutely no business being inside a hospital,” Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus, a military spokesperson said, adding that he believed the material was “just the tip of the iceberg” as troops continued to search for traces of the militants inside and beneath the facility.
On Thursday, Israel’s military announced they had found “an operational tunnel shaft and a vehicle containing a large number of weapons,” at the hospital. It also said it had recovered the body of an Israeli woman near the hospital, one of around 240 hostages taken by Hamas gunmen when they stormed into southern Israel on 7 October.
But so far, Israel has not presented evidence that shows a large-scale headquarters under the hospital, although that may be forthcoming as the search of the hospital grounds continues.
In the meantime, that lack of evidence has raised questions for the Biden administration.
State Department spokesperson Matt Miller appeared to soften the administration’s language on the matter on Thursday, when asked whether al-Shifa was a legitimate target for a military assault.
“We never said there were command posts in every hospital in Gaza,” he told reporters. “We don’t want to see hospitals struck from the air. We understand that Hamas continues to use hospitals in places where they embed their fighters.”
When asked again if the US was certain al-Shifa hospital was a headquarters for Hamas, despite a lack of apparent evidence so far, Mr Miller responded: “I saw a host of rifles in videos. … I’m not aware that there’s a sort of acceptable threshold for assault rifles in hospitals. That’s not a general humanitarian practice.”
The Independent has asked the White House for comment on the al-Shifa raid.
The raid on al-Shifa hospital was preceded by at least four Israeli strikes on the facility, where thousands of Gaza residents had been sheltering, according to an investigation by the New York Times.
Israel had justified its attacks on al-Shifa with claims that Hamas had built an extensive network of tunnels and an underground headquarters beneath the hospital. Earlier this month, the Israeli army released what it described as an “intelligence-based illustration video” which showed a vast network of rooms and tunnels underneath the hospital that constituted the Hamas headquarters.
John Kirby, a National Security Council spokesman, appeared to back up that assessment for a second time on Thursday, describing the intelligence as “definitive,” but refusing to share it publicly.
“We have our own intelligence that convinces us that Hamas was using al-Shifa as a command and control node, and most likely as well as a storage facility,” he said. “We are still convinced of the soundness of that intelligence.”
Mr Kirby said earlier in the week that “Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad use some hospitals in the Gaza Strip, including al-Shifa, and tunnels underneath them, to conceal and to support their military operations and to hold hostages,” without providing any evidence.
He added, “Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, PIJ, members operate a command-and-control node from al-Shifa in Gaza City. They have stored weapons there and they are prepared to respond to an Israeli military operation against that facility.”
Mr Biden’s comments on the facility came at a press conference on Wednesday evening alongside China’s president, Xi Jinping.
“You have a circumstance where the first war crime is being committed by Hamas by having their headquarters, their military hidden under a hospital. And that’s a fact. That’s what’s happened,” he said in response to a question about whether the raid was justified.
“Israel did not go in with a large number of troops, did not raid, did not rush everything down. They’ve gone in and they’ve gone in with their soldiers carrying weapons or guns,” he added.
Hamas denied that it was using al-Shifa for military purposes in a statement on Thursday, describing them as “a blatantly false narrative.”
The raid on al-Shifa Hospital was condemned by the United Nations.
“I am appalled by reports of military raids at al-Shifa hospital,” the UN humanitarian agency chief, Martin Griffiths, said on X, formerly Twitter. “The protection of newborns, patients, medical staff and all civilians must override all other concerns. Hospitals are not battlegrounds.”
WHO director Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that he was “extremely worried for the safety of staff and patients. Protecting them is paramount.”
“Even if health facilities are used for military purposes, the principles of distinction, precaution and proportionality always apply,” he added.
Dr Ahmed Makhalati, the head of al-Shifa’s burns unit, told The Independent on Wednesday that the Israeli army had taken over a section of the hospital complex.
“The soldiers are still inside the complex — they seem to be moving something inside the hospital complex but I can’t see properly as it’s too dangerous to take a look from the window. It’s a gamble to move between the buildings,” he said, as the sound of gunfire could be heard in the background.
“We are running out of fuel - it will be out by the end of the day — we don’t have food or water. We have lost 6 newborn babies in total — there are still 36 newborns here,” he said. The Independent has not been able to contact Dr Makhalati since.
All hospitals in Gaza have effectively been shut down since the war began after Israel cut off electricity and water and blocked deliveries of fuel, humanitarian aid and medicine from entering the territory, which is home to 2.3 million people.
Israel launched a military operation in Gaza after Hamas killed more than 1,200, including hundreds of civilians, on 7 October. Israel’s response to that attack has killed more than 11,000 Palestinians, including more than 4,700 children. | Middle East Politics |
AP
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In this photo released by Dnipro Regional Administration, emergency workers extinguish a fire after missiles hit a multi-story apartment building in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, Tuesday, June 13, 2023.
AP
In this photo released by Dnipro Regional Administration, emergency workers extinguish a fire after missiles hit a multi-story apartment building in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, Tuesday, June 13, 2023.
AP
KYIV, Ukraine — At least six people were killed when Russian missiles hit civilian buildings in an overnight attack Tuesday in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, regional officials said, as rescuers scrambled to retrieve people believed trapped under the rubble.
The strike involving cruise missiles hit a five-story residential building, which was engulfed in fire, Gov. Serhiy Lysak of the Dnipropetrovsk region wrote on Telegram.
After initial reports of three dead, Kryvyi Rih mayor Oleksandr Vilkul wrote on the social media app that the death toll had risen to a least six, and seven people were feared trapped under the rubble. Authorities initially said at least two dozen people were injured.
The devastation in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's hometown is the latest bloodshed in Russia's war in Ukraine, now in its 16th month, as Ukrainian forces are mounting counteroffensive operations using Western-supplied firepower to try to drive out the Russians.
Images from the scene relayed by Zelenskyy on his Telegram channel showed firefighters battling the blaze as pockets of fire poked through multiple broken windows of a building. Charred and damaged vehicles littered the nearby ground.
"More terrorist missiles," he wrote. "Russian killers continue their war against residential buildings, ordinary cities and people."
The aerial assault was the latest barrage of strikes by Russian forces that targeted various parts of Ukraine overnight.
Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, was attacked with Iranian-made Shahed drones, and the surrounding region was shelled, local Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said on Telegram. The shelling wounded two civilians in the town of Shevchenkove, southeast of Kharkiv.
The mayor of Kharkiv, Ihor Terekhov, separately reported early Tuesday that the drone strike damaged a utilities business and a warehouse in the city's northeast. Neither Terekhov nor Syniehubov referenced any casualties within Kharkiv.
The Kyiv military administration reported that the capital came under fire as well on Tuesday, but the incoming missiles were destroyed by air defenses and there were no immediate reports of any casualties there.
Ukrainian forces are "moving forward" outside Bakhmut, the commander of the country's ground troops said on Tuesday morning. In a Telegram post, Oleksandr Syrskyi said that Russian forces are "losing positions on the flanks" near the embattled eastern city, while characterizing Ukrainian operations in the area as "defensive."
For weeks, Ukrainian officials have been reporting small gains west of Bakhmut, which Moscow took last month following the war's longest and bloodiest battle.
A day earlier, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said the country's troops recaptured a total of seven villages spanning 90 square kilometers (35 square miles) of eastern Ukraine over the past week — small successes in the early phases of a counteroffensive.
Russian officials did not confirm those Ukrainian gains, which were impossible to verify and could be reversed in the to-and-fro of war.
The advance amounted to only small bits of territory and underscored the difficulty of the battle ahead for Ukrainian forces, who will have to fight meter by meter to regain the roughly one-fifth of their country under Russian occupation. | Europe Politics |
Diane Demetre gained some notoriety as an author of a series of erotic fiction novels and a couple of murder mysteries. But her most recent writings strike a very different tone.
Demetre, who ran for the Liberal Democrats at the 2022 federal election, claims in social media posts that Covid is a “behavioural conditioning experiment” and warns about “the totalitarian rule of a group of globalists who want to play god”.
She also urges her followers to get involved in party politics and help sway preselections.
“We must take action now, recruit, pre-select, endorse and vote for candidates who will not be corrupted … act now, get involved and make your internal vote count,” she wrote on Facebook last year.
In October, the Gold Coast businesswoman invited the Queensland Liberal National party senator, Gerard Rennick, to speak at an event hosted by her new networking business, dare2care Australia, which also runs get-rich seminars and presentations by those hostile to commonly accepted climate science.
Rennick addressed about 200 people at the Gold Coast Croatia Sports Centre hall at Carrara. In his speech he encouraged the crowd to become more politically engaged and have “a seat at the table”.
He also brought a pile of LNP membership forms.
Guardian Australia understands multiple people who attended the meeting, including Demetre, subsequently attempted to join the LNP but were blocked by the party administration. Sources say LNP officials have become increasingly alert to attempts by the rightwing fringe, since the federal election, to build influence within the party.
Also blocked have been membership applications from multiple people known to have campaigned for minor parties at the 2022 election, as part of a stronger stance taken by the new administration to – in the words of one source – “keep out the cookers”.
Bernard Gaynor, a controversial former party member linked to several small rightwing political movements, and who has made anti-gay and anti-Muslim statements, was also refused membership.
Particular concerns have been raised internally about Rennick, who is expected to struggle to win LNP preselection when his term ends at the next election, but whose public following and online presence has grown substantially after claims that people had suffered side-effects from Covid-19 vaccines. Claims shared by Rennick have previously been disputed by expert medical bodies such as the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
Stronger stance on vetting potential members
Political analysts say the 2022 federal election result, the rise of centrist independents, and the fracturing of the political right presents a broad ideological challenge for the LNP as a mainstream force – one that is more acute given the party was already struggling with an identity crisis.
Many minor political actors who had splintered rightwards – including conservative Christians and anti-lockdown protesters who gravitated to a coterie of unconventional small parties – have been picking over the federal result, having failed to make a significant impact from the fringe.
Duncan McDonnell, a professor of politics at Griffith University, says the border “between the edge conservative right and the radical right” is often porous.
“It’s not an unusual phenomenon,” McDonnell says.
“There are people who would have been involved in One Nation, the Lib Dems who would have been disillusioned [by the federal election result] and they’re looking at what are their options in terms of efficacy and translating activism into results.
“That’s a problem for the Liberal party nationally because [shifting further right is] not a winning strategy electorally.”
The former LNP state leader, now mayor of Goondiwindi, Lawrence Springborg, last year assumed control of the party administration from a group, known internally as the “cabal”, which included officials with ongoing ties to the billionaire Clive Palmer. That Palmer controlled his own fringe political party became a fundamental problem.
One of that group, the former LNP president Bruce McIver, has previously said that social conservatives who didn’t like candidates “should get all their mates to get involved [in the party]… that’s what democracy is”.
Under Springborg, sources say, the party is taking a more active approach to vetting potential members.
However, this presents a particularly acute challenge given the way some existing members of the LNP operate in broad conservative circles. One party member said there is “a lot of discomfort” about the way these circles operate, including the extent of crossover with notional political rivals and those deemed persona non grata by the LNP.
Last year, former senator Amanda Stoker spoke at an event hosted by the Australian Taxpayers Alliance, a group with links to the Liberal Democrats and which employs Barclay McGain, who was forced to resign after a series of offensive social media posts.
A group of LNP members known internally as the “Christian Soldiers” – having recruited widely in recent years – are still licking their wounds after Stoker was relegated on the ticket at the 2022 election. She subsequently lost her seat.
Some eyebrows were raised within the party when the Australian Christian Lobby hired as its Queensland director Rob Norman, a Pentecostal pastor from Adelaide who has previously told parishioners it was their “mission” to join political parties. InDaily reported that Norman argued party membership gave churchgoers “the right to vote at meetings, and that will include the preselection of local candidates”.
South Australian Liberal party senator Alex Antic, who had run a “believe in blue” Christian recruitment drive in the state, was present for that speech.
In the immediate aftermath of the federal election, Norman wrote on his personal blog that he held “particular concern” for the conservative side of politics.
“Whenever we have a weak Liberal Party, conservatives tend to splinter into a multitude of pieces,” he said.
“For Christians who care about the economic, social, and moral state of our nation we must be prepared to enter the political world as ‘prophets’ and ‘missionaries’, bringing truth and redemption.”
Speaking to Guardian Australia, Demetre said she couldn’t explain why members of her networking group were rejected by the LNP, but confirmed she had applied for membership “to give a voice to mainstream Australia”.
“As far as I know it was knocked back because I ran for the Liberal Democrats,” she said.
“If the Liberal party is looking for strong female candidates, they’re not getting what they need, they’re not getting female candidates who have run for other parties who want to work with the broad church party.”
The LNP, Rennick and Gaynor declined to answer Guardian Australia questions. | Australia Politics |
West Bengal: Toll In Panchayat Poll Violence Rises To 15
Tension was palpable in the area, and a large police contingent was deployed to prevent any further flare-up.
The toll in the violence during panchayat elections in West Bengal rose to 15 after a person was found dead in South 24 Parganas, and two others succumbed to their injuries, officials said on Sunday.
A person, identified as Abu Salem Khan, was found dead near a polling booth in West Gabtala in Kultali police station area. He had injuries on his head, they said.
He was known to be a TMC worker in the area, locals said.
Police said they are investigating the cause of the death.
Tension was palpable in the area, and a large police contingent was deployed to prevent any further flare-up.
Another TMC worker, identified as Azhar Lashkar, injured during violence in the district's Basanti area on Saturday night died at the state-run SSKM Hospital in Kolkata, doctors who were treating him said.
In Malda district's Baishannagar, TMC worker Motiur Rahman was stabbed outside a polling booth. The incident happened near KBC primary school in the Barkamat area, officials said.
TMC alleged the incident happened when Congress workers were trying to tamper with the ballot box, and he tried to stop them. Congress denied the charge.
Rahman succumbed to the injuries on the way to the Malda Medical College and Hospital, officials said.
Till Saturday night, 12 deaths were reported in the violence that broke out in the state during the polling. Among them, eight were from the ruling TMC and one supporter each of the BJP, CPI(M) and Congress.
However, different political parties claimed that the number of deaths was higher, totalling 18. TMC claimed nine of its members died in the violence, while the Congress claimed three of its supporters were killed. The BJP claimed two of its supporters died, and the CPI(M) also said that two of its members died. The political affiliation of two deceased could not be known.
The State Election Commission (SEC) said it has sought detailed reports on the deaths from the district magistrates (DMs).
'We have asked the DMs to file reports on the deaths within 24 hours,' an official told PTI.
A total of 73,887 seats in the state's three-tier panchayat system went to the polls, with lakh 2.06 lakh candidates in the fray. A voter turnout of 66.28 per cent, provisionally, was recorded, while 5.67 crore people living in the state's rural areas were eligible to vote, officials said.
Repolling was underway in 32 booths in Cooch Behar district's Dinhata, they said. | India Politics |
Tensions are running high as the Democratic Republic of Congo prepares to hold parliamentary and presidential elections on 20 December. Concerns over transparency and recurrent violence have observers worried about the vote and its aftermath.
The campaign in the central African nation of about 100 million people officially kicked off on 19 November, just a month before the polls.
Opposition parties and civil society groups have been saying for months that the country simply isn't ready, but the president in power, Felix Tshisekedi, wants the election to go ahead.
Now the European Union has said that its team of election observers cannot observe the polls because of security concerns.
Forty EU observers were supposed to travel to DRC but they are "currently unable to deploy in the country for security reasons", a spokesperson for the mission said this week, which "makes the necessary long-term observation impossible".
As a result the EU decided on Wednesday to cancel its plan to send election observers to provinces across the DRC. It is still considering sending monitors to observe the vote from the capital, the EU's diplomatic service said in a statement.
'Perilous conditions'
Insecurity is one of the main challenges for both the campaign and the polls.
The think tank International Crisis Group said the new electoral cycle was beginning in "perilous conditions".
The DRC saw its first peaceful transition of power since independence following general elections in December 2018, despite widespread reports of vote rigging.
Read more on RFI English
Read also:
DRC opposition leader Moïse Katumbi officially launches presidential campaign
DRC's Nobel winner Mukwege stages presidential rally in hometown
DRC leader files bid for re-election amid crowded race | Africa politics |
Opposition Seeks Discussion On Mahua Moitra Report In Winter Session
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh presided over a meeting of floor leaders of political parties in Parliament on Saturday.
The impending expulsion of Trinamool Congress member Mahua Moitra from the Lok Sabha, three bills to replace criminal laws and a proposed law for the appointment of election commissioners are issues set to dominate the winter session of Parliament, with the government urging the Opposition to ensure a conducive environment for discussions in the House.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh presided over a meeting of floor leaders of political parties in Parliament on Saturday, which was attended by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh, Gaurav Gogoi and Pramod Tewari, TMC leaders Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Derek O'Brien and Nationalist Congress Party leader Fouzia Khan, among others.
The results of the Assembly elections in four states — Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Telangana — on Sunday are also expected to have a bearing on the winter session of Parliament that begins on Monday and will continue till Dec. 22.
The report of the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee recommending the expulsion of Moitra from the Lower House over a 'cash-for-query' complaint is also listed for tabling in the House on Monday, the first day of the session.
At the all-party meeting on Saturday, TMC leaders demanded a discussion in the Lok Sabha on the Ethics Committee report, before any decision is taken to expel Moitra from the House.
Tewari said the Opposition also insisted on a discussion in Parliament on issues such as the situation in Manipur, rising inflation, 'misuse' of the Enforcement Directorate and Central Bureau of Investigation, the 'imposition' of Hindi through the names of laws, particularly in reference to the three bills to replace criminal laws.
"We are ready for a discussion on any issue. But when you seek a short-duration discussion, you also have to ensure an atmosphere conducive for a debate in the House," Joshi told reporters.
Shiv Sena leader Rahul Shewale said the House should discuss the issue of reservation for the Maratha and Dhangar communities, which were a subject of a hot debate in Maharashtra.
Revolutionary Socialist Party member N K Premachandran and AIADMK member M Thambi Durai opposed the 'imposition' of Hindi by naming criminal laws Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Sakshya and Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, which are set to replace the Indian Penal Code, the Indian Evidence Act and the Code of Criminal Procedure respectively.
"It is very difficult to pronounce as far as the people belonging to the south Indian states are concerned," Premachandran said, adding that opposition parties will raise the issue during the winter session of Parliament.
The government has listed 19 bills and two financial agenda items for the winter session of Parliament.
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader Mahua Maji demanded that smaller parties be given more time to raise issues in the House.
"Smaller parties barely get three minutes to speak in Parliament. We need more time to put across our views effectively," the Rajya Sabha member said. | India Politics |
Russia Puts Nuclear-Capable Sarmat Missile On Combat Duty
Russia has placed its Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile on combat alert, bringing into commission a weapon capable of carrying nuclear warheads that President Vladimir Putin earlier said would guarantee the nation’s security.
(Bloomberg) -- Russia has placed its Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile on combat alert, bringing into commission a weapon capable of carrying nuclear warheads that President Vladimir Putin earlier said would guarantee the nation’s security.
The head of Roscosmos, Yury Borisov, made the announcement Friday, according to the Interfax news service.
Putin revealed the ICBM in a March 2018 speech where he touted a series of new modern weapons that he said were capable of rendering US missile defenses “ineffective.” He called Sarmat a “unique weapon,” and a video presentation during his speech appeared to show warheads closing in on a map of South Florida.
But the first test launch was only conducted in April last year, two months after the start of the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine. The missile was due to enter service at the end of 2022, according to the state-run RIA Novosti news service, though that deadline passed. Putin said in June that the missiles would be deployed soon.
Whether the Sarmat, which Russia has said can strike over the North or South Pole, works reliably is unclear. In February, a test launch appears to have failed, CNN reported, citing US officials.
Read more: Russia Test-Fires Nuclear-Capable ICBM in Warning to U.S. Allies
Throughout the war in Ukraine, Putin has repeatedly warned the US and its allies against involvement in the conflict, hinting at Russia’s willingness to use any weapon in its arsenal to protect its security.
In February, Russia suspended participation in a key nuclear-arms pact with the US. Putin said that while Russia wouldn’t be the first to resume nuclear weapons tests, it would do so in response to any US testing.
(Updates with details of missile tests in fourth, fifth paragraphs)
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2023 Bloomberg L.P. | Europe Politics |
UNITED NATIONS: Religious scholars from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Indonesia are trying to convince Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers that Islam does not ban women from going to school or work, says the UN mission chief in Afghanistan.
In an interview with UN News, UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan’s (UNAMA) acting chief Markus Poztel said the United Nations should work as a “bridge builder” in a very complex setting where the needs were as great as the challenges.
The United Nations, he said, should focus on restoring and protecting basic rights in Afghanistan, particularly the rights of women and girls.
Asked if the UN had received cooperation from Islamic countries in helping you deliver its message to the Taliban, Mr Poztel said: “A delegation of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) came here and tried to convince the decision-makers in this country of the view that education is part of Islam.”
The delegation included scholars from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Indonesia, and during the earlier visit a woman was part of the scholars’ delegation.
“Islamic countries probably have better access and are probably more convincing in talking to the Taliban. We hope that in the end, all our efforts will bear fruit,” Mr Poztel said.
“So far to no avail, but they will come back,” said the UN official when asked if such visits have had a positive impact on the Taliban.
The UN report noted that when the Taliban surged back into power in August 2021, Afghanistan was virtually cut off from the rest of the world, and decisions by the de facto authorities to further restrict human rights had only deepened the country’s isolation.
Since then, as international funding has stalled amid skepticism about the Taliban’s return, the UN has been acting as the world’s “eyes and ears” in Afghanistan, the report added.
Mr Poztel told UN News “there is no middle ground” on the issue of women and girls’ education and that broader human rights and the decrees banning women’s participation in society “should be reversed as soon as possible”.
He noted that Afghanistan was still the world’s largest producer of opium but the Taliban rulers were trying to deal with the situation.
“We’ve recently seen a ban on poppy cultivation, production, and trafficking. Initial field reports suggest that there has been a decline in poppy cultivation, which we commend,” he said.
Published in Dawn, July 6th, 2023 | Middle East Politics |
To Check Air Pollution, Bihar To 'Name And Shame' Farmers Who Burn Crop Residue
Amid rising air pollution caused by the burning of crop residue, the Bihar government has decided to identify farmers who are indulging in this practice and put up their names at the block offices, officials said on Saturday.
Amid rising air pollution caused by the burning of crop residue, the Bihar government has decided to identify farmers who are indulging in this practice and put up their names at the block offices, officials said on Saturday.
Besides naming and shaming, directions have also been given to initiate action against such farmers under CrPC section 133 that deals with unlawful obstruction or nuisance, they said.
"The state government has banned crop residue burning to check air pollution, and protect the fertility of the soil. It has issued a strict warning to farmers that if they indulge in stubble burning, financial assistance and subsidies under government schemes would be denied," Agriculture Minister Kumar Sarvjeet told PTI.
"The state offers electricity to farmers at a cheaper rate, and diesel at subsidised prices, among others. Therefore, farmers must take the matter seriously for the benefit of the people and also the environment," he added.
It was also decided at a meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Amir Subhani that the names of farmers who were earlier prosecuted for crop residue burning would be put up at the block offices, officials said.
Bihar State Pollution Control Board (BSPCB) chairman Devendra Kumar Shukla said the decisions were taken to discourage farmers from stubble burning and harming the environment.
"The state government has taken several measures to discourage farmers from burning crop residues. The state government has undertaken awareness campaigns, and giving subsidies to farmers on various farm equipment," he said.
Poor air quality, especially during winter, in different cities of the state has always remained a matter of concern, he added.
Several farmers in Rohtas, Kaimur, Buxar, Nalanda, Gaya and Patna districts were penalised by the Agriculture Department in April for violating norms related to crop residue burning.
The highest number of such cases were reported from Rohtas at 1,298, followed by Kaimur (438 cases) and West Champaran (279 cases). | India Politics |
New Delhi: Indian officials expressed “surprise and concern” when the US informed them of the plot to assassinate Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, and asserted that “activity of this nature was not their policy”, the White House Said Wednesday.
“We are treating this issue with utmost seriousness, and it has been raised by the U.S. government with the Indian government, including at the senior-most levels,” said White House spokesperson Adrienne Watson Wednesday to Reuters.
“They stated that activity of this nature was not their policy … We understand the Indian government is further investigating this issue and will have more to say about it in the coming days. We have conveyed our expectation that anyone deemed responsible should be held accountable,” Watson added.
The Financial Times reported Wednesday that the US government had thwarted a plot to assassinate Pannun — a US and Canadian dual citizen. The report did not mention when the alleged plot took place.
The British daily also reported that the US government has issued a “diplomatic warning” to the Indian government over the plot and that US federal prosecutors have filed a sealed indictment (formal accusation filed in court and not made to the public) against at least one alleged perpetrator in a New York district court.
News of the indictment comes two months after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that they were investigating “credible allegations” of a potential link between agents of the Indian government and the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on 18 June in Surrey, British Columbia.
Pannun is the founder of the banned Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), a US-based group that has repeatedly called for a “referendum” for an independent Sikh state of ‘Khalistan’. India banned SFJ in 2019 and designated Pannun a terrorist in 2020.
Pannun on NIA radar
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a case against Pannun Tuesday for his alleged attempt to “target and disrupt the transportation sector in India” by urging Sikhs not to fly Air India.
In a video message earlier in November, Pannun asked Sikhs not to take Air India flights on 19 November — the birth anniversary of the former Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi and on the day of the 2023 Cricket World Cup final.
The video triggered memories of one of the worst aviation tragedies in history — the bombing of Air India Flight 182 on 23 June 1985, which was enroute from Canada to India. All 329 passengers on board were killed in the attack orchestrated by Sikh separatists.
Pannun however told Reuters his message was to “boycott” Air India and not to bomb the airline.
‘Received inputs on crime nexus’
In a statement Wednesday, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that certain inputs pertaining to the “nexus between organised criminals, gun runners, terrorists and others” were being examined by the relevant departments.
“During the course of recent discussions on India-US security cooperation, the US side shared some inputs pertaining to nexus between organised criminals, gun runners, terrorists and others. The inputs are a cause of concern for both countries and they decided to take necessary follow-up action,” Bagchi said.
“On its part, India takes such inputs seriously since it impinges on our own national security interests as well. Issues in the context of US inputs are already being examined by relevant departments,” he added.
The statement made no mention of Pannun.
Edited by Tikli Basu.
Also read: | India Politics |
LONDON -- Virtually the entire ethnic Armenian population of the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh has fled, with the last buses carrying refugees having left on Monday, according to Russia's peacekeeping force deployed there.
More than 100,000 ethnic Armenians left the enclave in the last week, according to local officials, abandoning their homes after Azerbaijan, backed by Turkey, recaptured the region with a military offensive just over a week ago.
The exodus has emptied the enclave in what Armenia has condemned as "ethnic cleansing."
A television news crew from Al Jazeera showed the region's capital, known to Armenians as Stepanakert, completely deserted. The city, which had a population estimated at more than 50,000, appeared now to be a ghost town. The Al Jazeera crew showed the city's central square abandoned and strewn with empty chairs, used by people waiting for evacuation.
Before Azerbaijan's offensive, the enclave's population was estimated at 120,000. But a spokesperson for the Karabakh Armenians' unrecognized state's emergency services ministry on Sunday said only a tiny handful of people now remained in the enclave.
Azerbaijan's authoritarian president, Ilham Aliyev, announced plans for Nagorno-Karabakh's reintegration into his country, signaling he intended to quickly restore strong control over it.
The region will now be overseen by special representative offices to Azerbaijan's president and security will be handled by Azerbaijan's interior ministry, Aliyev said. Azerbaijan's currency, the manat, would be reintroduced.
Aliyev said the equality of rights and freedoms, including security, would be guaranteed for all residents of Nagorno-Karabakh, and it would be permitted to use Armenian there. He also pledged that religious freedoms would be guaranteed, and cultural and religious monuments protected.
The pledges appeared to ignore the fact that the enclave's Armenian population had already fled. The Armenians fleeing have said they don't believe Azerbaijan's guarantees of their rights and fear they would face persecution.
A United Nations mission also arrived in Nagorno-Karabakh Sunday to assess humanitarian needs, but it faced heavy criticism from local ethnic Armenian authorities who said they were far too late, given the civilian population was no longer there.
Nagorno-Karabakh has been at the center of a bloody conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan for decades. Internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, it had been home to an ethnic Armenian population for centuries. As the Soviet Union collapsed in the late 1980s into the early 1990s, Nagorno-Karabakh's Armenians tried to break away from Azerbaijan, declaring independence.
A bloody war, in which Armenia aided the separatists, saw hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijani civilians also driven out of the region and ended with ethnic Armenians controlling most of Nagorno-Karabakh with their own unrecognized state.
But Azerbaijan reopened the conflict in 2020, starting a full-scale war that decisively defeated Armenia and ended with a truce deal brokered by Russia, which deployed peacekeepers to enforce it.
Two weeks ago, after blockading the enclave for nine months, Azerbaijan launched a new offensive, swiftly defeating the ethnic Armenian authorities in two days. The enclave's population started fleeing shortly afterward to Armenia.
There has been little international response to the crisis. Western countries, including the U.S. and France, have expressed concern and called for Azerbaijan to protect the rights of the Armenians. The Biden administration announced $11.5 million in humanitarian aid and dispatched the high-profile head of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Samantha Power, to the region last week.
Richard Giragosian, the director of the Regional Studies Center based in Yerevan, Armenia's capital, said the international response was "too little too late" and had set a "dangerous precedent."
"[This was] a seeming vindication of the use of force over diplomacy," Giragosian told ABC News by phone. "A military victory of authoritarian power over a struggling democracy."
But he said it had also shown the West has little influence over Azerbaijan. "What we see is Azerbaijan simply does not care about Western threats, pronouncements, and at the same time, the West has little leverage over Azerbaijan," Giragosian said.
Armenia's defense ministry on Monday also accused Azerbaijani forces of opening fire on a car carrying food to an Armenian border post near the village of Kut.
Azerbaijani forces are likely to move into Nagorno-Karabakh's now-empty capital, which it calls Khankhendi, in the next few days.
Russia's peacekeeping contingent said a joint Russian-Azerbaijani patrol came under sniper fire inside Nagorno-Karabakh on Monday, but that there were no casualties.
A meeting of representatives from Azerbaijan and the Karabakh Armenian leadership will take place for the first time in the capital in the "near future," the news agency of the enclave's unrecognized Armenian state reported Monday. | Europe Politics |
China’s Fury Over Fukushima Water Casts Shadow on Asean Forum
China’s outrage over Japan’s release of treated wastewater from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant has dimmed prospects for improved ties when top officials of the two countries meet this week.
(Bloomberg) -- China’s outrage over Japan’s release of treated wastewater from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant has dimmed prospects for improved ties when top officials of the two countries meet this week.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese Premier Li Qiang will attend the Asean summit in Jakarta in what could have been a chance to stabilize relations. Instead, Li might use the meeting with Southeast Asia nations and South Korea as an opportunity to berate Kishida in front of regional dignitaries.
Beijing has been the most vocal opponent to Japan’s move to discharge treated radioactive water into the ocean. Even though scientists, including at least one from China who contributed to an International Atomic Energy Agency-led review of the plan, have said the release will have a negligible impact on people and the environment, the backlash was immediate and extreme.
Read more: Why Japan Is Releasing Fukushima Water Into the Sea: QuickTake
The government banned all Japanese seafood imports, prompting Tokyo to threaten World Trade Organization action. State media dialed up criticisms of the move. People called for boycotts of Japanese products. The Japanese embassy, consulates and schools in China were pelted with eggs and stones.
With the Asean summit starting Tuesday, Beijing may seize the chance to push back against Tokyo’s increasingly cozy ties with Washington and Seoul. US President Joe Biden hosted a three-way summit with Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in August that left China increasingly isolated.
“Anything that China can do to sow division between Japan and its regional partners, it will do,” said Bates Gill, executive director of the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis.
Fraught relations between China and Japan have laid the groundwork for public mistrust of the water release. Chinese state media promoted cartoons, including one that depicts a monster rising from the ocean apparently spawned by radiation. Hu Xijin, former editor-in-chief of Global Times, posted a clip from The Simpsons on his X account showing a three-eyed fish.
“The disinformation campaign around the water release has geopolitical context,” said Hamsini Hariharan, a China-focused researcher at Logically, a company that provides fact-checking services using AI.
“This is part of a larger campaign to point out how the US and its allies are failing the world and people across the world,” Hariharan said. “It’s definitely to discredit Japan but is part of larger foreign policy goal that China has.”
The Chinese government has repeatedly said Japan failed to prove the release is safe and harmless to people and the environment. By dumping the water, Japan is spreading the risk to the rest of the world, according to Beijing.
The incident may also be a useful distraction from China’s own problems. The world’s second-biggest economy is slowing, debt is rising, the property market is in the doldrums and youth unemployment has soared to a record.
“Domestically, I think that China’s playing a diversionary strategy,” said Yinan He, an associate professor in the Department of International Relations at Lehigh University. “This is a good opportunity for the government to divert public attention away from domestic problems to Japan.”
How far it will affect Japan’s economy remains to be seen. Fisheries exports make up a tiny proportion of Japan’s gross domestic product. Ill feeling could hamper an anticipated increase in Chinese tourism to Japan, although such downturns have in the past been short-lived, Bloomberg Economics said.
Read more: JAPAN INSIGHT: Wastewater, China Tourism Risk and History (1)
Relations between the two Asian giants hit their lowest point in decades in 2012 due to a territorial dispute over a group of islands in the East China Sea. It took former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe almost two years to secure a meeting with President Xi Jinping from which point ties gradually warmed.
Kishida himself scored a formal meeting with Xi on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum in Bangkok in November last year, at which the two leaders asserted their desire to improve relations.
There are signs China wants to work on ties. Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his South Korean counterpart that he supports Seoul’s efforts to resume three-way summits that include Japan. China and South Korea exchanged views on Japan’s wastewater discharge, Beijing said in a statement late Thursday.
China and Japan are engaged in a “quarrel,” said Alfred Wu, associate professor at the National University of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. He doesn’t expect things to become as bad as 2012 when there were mass protests, but doesn’t see a swift resolution either.
“It’ll take time to go back to normal,” he said. “It’ll take weeks, months or even more. Then the China side will gradually cool down.”
--With assistance from Stephen Stapczynski and James Mayger.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2023 Bloomberg L.P. | Asia Politics |
(ATTN: ADDS more details throughout)
SEOUL, Sept. 18 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will invest about 290 billion won (US$218 million) to develop an improved version of a homegrown bunker-buster missile capable of striking underground enemy targets, the state arms procurement agency said Monday.
The project comes as South Korea's military has been seeking to reinforce its deterrence capabilities against North Korea's evolving missile and nuclear threats.
The improved Korean Tactical Surface-to-Surface Missile-II will be operated on a mobile launcher, and will enhance the military's precision strike capabilities against targets hidden inside tunnels and bunkers, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).
A DAPA official said the new missile is designed to mainly target North Korean weapons systems stationed underground, such as its long-range artillery pieces inside tunnels.
In 2010, North Korea's coastal artillery shelled South Korea's Yeonpyeong Island near the western sea border from its underground tunnels.
The provocation, which killed two marines and two civilians, prompted South Korea to develop its existing missile system.
The new bunker-buster missile will also have increased range and penetration capabilities, compared with the current system that has a range of up to 180 kilometers. DAPA did not provide details on the new weapon's specifications, but it is expected to have a range of over 300 km.
Still, the DAPA official declined to provide details on the penetration capabilities of both the existing and new systems, citing operational security.
The state-run Agency for Defense Development will oversee the project, which is set to run through the end of 2027, with major defense companies taking part in producing prototype models.
[email protected]
(END) | Asia Politics |
Editor’s Note: A version of this story appears in CNN’s Meanwhile in the Middle East newsletter, a three-times-a-week look inside the region’s biggest stories. Sign up here.
Leaked audio recordings of a meeting between freed Israeli hostages and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have revealed considerable anger at the government’s conduct, as well as the enduring terror of captivity by Hamas in Gaza.
Audio of the meeting between the former hostages, relatives of some still being held, and Israel’s war cabinet on Tuesday was leaked, with parts of it published on Israeli news site ynet.
It comes amid building pressure on Netanyahu to secure the release of the remaining captives, and scrutiny of Israel’s intensifying military campaign in Gaza.
Ynet also reported that Netanyahu’s efforts to respond to the hostages and relatives were met with tense and angry remarks.
A female abductee freed with her children – but without her husband, who remains in captivity – is heard on one recording saying: “The feeling we had there was that no one was doing anything for us. The fact is that I was in a hiding place that was shelled and we had to be smuggled out and we were wounded. That’s besides the helicopter that shot at us on the way to Gaza.”
She adds: “You have no information. You have no information. The fact that we were shelled, the fact that no one knew anything about where we were… You claim that there is intelligence. But the fact is that we are being shelled. My husband was separated from us three days before we returned to Israel and taken to the [Hamas] tunnels” under Gaza.
Israel has launched intense air bombardments on Gaza since Hamas’ October 7 attacks on the country, which resulted in the capture of more than 240 people. The conflict has resulted in a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and led to the deaths of more than 15,000 Palestinians, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah, which cites sources from the Hamas-controlled enclave.
The former abductee continues: “Do you think the men are strong? My husband would beat himself every day, punch his face until it bled because it was too much for him, and now he is alone, and God knows under what conditions.”
“And you want to topple the Hamas government, to show that you have bigger balls? There is no life here that is more important than others,” she adds. “None of us there deserve any less treatment than any resident of Israel. Return them all and not in a month, two months or a year.”
Referring to reports that the Israeli military is considering flooding Hamas tunnels in Gaza, she continues: “And you are talking about washing the tunnels with sea water? You are shelling the route of tunnels in the exact area where they are. The girls ask me where is their father? And I have to tell them that the bad guys don’t want to yet release him.”
The woman adds: “You put politics above the return of the kidnapped.”
‘We felt abandoned’
Netanyahu has been under intense pressure for weeks over the status of the Israelis still being held hostage by Hamas.
A deal with Hamas has since seen dozens of captives – mostly women and children – freed, but the government remains under pressure to secure the release of the remaining captives, and has faced questions over the time taken to strike a deal. The IDF said Friday that there are 136 hostages still being held in Gaza, including 17 women and children.
According to the ynet account of the meeting, one man related what family members had told him after being freed. “They were under constant threat from the IDF shelling. You sat in front of us and assured us that it does not threaten their lives. They also roam the street and [are] not only in the tunnels. They are mounted on donkeys and carts. You will not be able to recognize them on the street and you are endangering their lives. It is our duty to return them now.”
And according to ynet, a parent whose son was kidnapped told the meeting it was his son’s birthday, and asked, “What do you have to say to him? He saved people there. You abandoned him.”
Referring to Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, a member of the war cabinet, the parent adds: “You are arguing, Gallant, at a press conference. Enough. Bring them home.”
Testimonies from released captives have shed some light on the conditions in which captives were held. Many referred to limited supplies and food; some said they were unaware of the fate of their loved ones during captivity, and a number of hostages required hospital care for days after their release.
One woman who had been a hostage said in the meeting that those remaining in captivity were living “on borrowed time. All day, they lie on a mattresses, most of them need glasses and hearing aids that were taken from them when they were kidnapped, they have difficulty seeing and hearing, which affects their functioning even more. While I was there, I helped them slowly get up off the mattresses and be a little active. I don’t know what they manage to do since I have left,” the woman said, according to the audio released.
“In addition to their physical condition, I feel that I left them in a very poor mental state. I and those who were released before me – I was young and active, I took care of them, I helped them to maintain optimism. They know they must survive, but they are on the verge of losing hope.”
In addition to scrutiny over the release of hostages, Netanyahu and his government have been criticized for failing to prevent Hamas’ October 7 attack.
The attack was widely seen as a major Israeli intelligence failure, with a number of top defense and security officials coming forward in October to take responsibility to some extent for missteps that led to the attacks.
The woman heard in the recording added during the meeting: “Throughout the time we were there we felt abandoned twice, once on Saturday (October 7), when you did not protect us. And a second time every day that passes that we are not released. We didn’t believe we would be there for so long.”
She issued an appeal to the war cabinet. “Every day that pass is a game of roulette in their lives, why don’t you release (Palestinian) prisoners? Release them all and bring them (hostages) back. They live on borrowed time. Their lives are in your hands, and I ask you, in the light of my testimony and what we hear from other released people and what we hear in the media, that there were all kinds of possibilities. If you can commit, each and every one of you, that you don’t give up on any opportunity, to bring everyone home and not postpone it by a day or an hour.”
Comments at the meeting by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu were not released but were reported by ynet. CNN cannot verify they are accurate.
Netanyahu is reported to have told the hostages: “I came together with my friends to hear you. There is still darkness to get rid of. And we need to bring them all back. I heard the anxiety, the humiliation, the suffering, the torture, the rape. This thing that shakes the whole world and it is important to continue to tell. It is important that we listen. You are right: there is a huge enterprise that collects evidence, trying to reach each and every one. How to bring everyone in.”
At that point, there was heckling, with some people saying “Shame.”
Netanyahu’s reported response
Referring to a dog tag with the name of a hostage that he had been given, Netanyahu said: “The dog tag you gave me is by my bed, it’s in my heart.”
But the father retorted: “You don’t put it on your neck because you’re ashamed,” to which Netanyahu responded: “Absolutely, absolutely not.”
Netanyahu continued: “The first thing you asked is whether we have the possibility to bring them home all at once. It is important to know, and my friends can reinforce that, that this thing didn’t exist. Until we started the ground maneuvers there was nothing. Nothing, nada, zero. Just talk.
“Only when we started the ground maneuvers, only then was the pressure created that began to exert its signals on Hamas and this created the possibility of releasing hostages. With God’s help, we were able to increase the list and with the help of [US] President [Joe] Biden, who we asked him to help him with the matter.”
When Netanyahu said Hamas was to blame for the end of the truce, an individual identified by ynet as a family member of a released hostage replied: “Nonsense.”
Netanyahu responded: “No bullsh*t. What I’m saying here are clear facts. I respect you too much. I heard your heartbreak. We couldn’t release everyone at once. The price they want is not prisoners. The price they want is not only the prisoners.”
The Prime Minister went on: “It is shocking to hear about what you went through in the face of our shelling and our activity, of the IDF, and it still continues.”
“I can tell you that it penetrates not only the heart, it affects, as you will surely hear from my friends, also the considerations of our actions and if you wanted to bring this message - you brought it.”
Netanyahu’s office declined to comment on the leaked recordings.
CNN’s Rob Picheta contributed reporing | Middle East Politics |
JERUSALEM, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Israel stepped up accusations of Hamas abuses at the Gaza Strip's biggest hospital on Sunday, saying a captive soldier had been executed and two foreign hostages held at a site that has been a focus of its devastating six-week-old offensive.
At one point a shelter for tens of thousands of Palestinian war refugees, Al Shifa Hospital has been evacuating patients and staff since Israeli troops swept in last week on what they called a mission to root out hidden Hamas facilities.
Israel is also searching for some 240 people Hamas kidnapped to Gaza after an Oct. 7 cross-border assault that sparked the war.
One of these was a 19-year-old Israeli army conscript, Noa Marciano, whose body was recovered near Shifa last week. Hamas said she died in an Israeli air strike and issued a video that appeared to show her corpse, unmarked except for a head wound.
The Israeli military said a forensic examination found she had sustained non-life-threatening injuries from such a strike.
"According to intelligence information - solid intelligence information - Noa was taken by Hamas terrorists inside the walls of Shifa hospital. There, she was murdered by a Hamas terrorist," chief spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said.
He did not elaborate.
In his televised briefing, Hagari said Hamas gunmen had also brought a Nepalese and a Thai, among foreign workers seized in the Oct. 7 raid, to Shifa. He did not name the two hostages.
CCTV video aired by Hagari appeared to show a group of men frog-marching an individual into a hospital, to the surprise of medical staff. A second clip showed an injured man on a gurney. Another man nearby, in civilian clothes, had an assault rifle.
Hamas did not immediately comment on Hagari's statements. The Palestinian Islamist group, which runs Gaza, has previously said it took some hostages to hospitals for treatment.
Separately on Sunday, the Israeli military published video of what it described as a tunnel, running 55 metres in length and dug by Palestinians 10 metres under the Shifa compound.
While acknowledging that it has a network of hundreds of kilometres of secret tunnels, bunkers and access shafts throughout the Palestinian enclave, Hamas has denied that these are located in civilian infrastructure like hospitals.
The video showed a narrow passage with arched concrete roofing, ending at what the military, in a statement, described as a blast-proof door.
The statement did not say what might be beyond the door. The tunnel had been accessed through a shaft discovered in a shed within the Shifa compound that contained munitions, it said. A second video showed an outdoor shaft-opening in the compound.
Mounir El Barsh, the Gaza health ministry director, dismissed the Israeli statement on the tunnel as a "pure lie".
"They have been at the hospital for eight days ... and yet they haven't found anything," he told Al Jazeera television.
Writing by Dan Williams; Editing by David Holmes and Alex Richardson
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. | Middle East Politics |
Former NBA star Dwyane Wade and actress Gabrielle Union-Wade called for increased visibility and advocacy to protect the rights and lives of Black transgender people while accepting the President’s Award at the 2023 NAACP Image Awards.
The couple dedicated the award – which recognizes outstanding achievements in public service – to their teenage daughter, Zaya, who is transgender.
“Zaya, as your father, all I wanted to do was get it right,” Wade said Saturday during the couple’s acceptance speech. “I’ve sat back and watched how gracefully you’ve taken on public scrutiny, and even though it’s not easy, I watched you walk out of the house every morning as yourself. I admire how you’ve handled the ignorance in our world. I admire that you face every day.”
“To say that your village is proud of you is an understatement,” Wade told his daughter.
Union-Wade added that the Black community is standing on the precipice of a “new era of activism.”
“A new era that demands our collective answer to one simple question: Will we fight for some, or will we fight for all of our people?,” she said, eliciting a round of applause from the audience.
Union-Wade said groups like the NAACP must step up to the plate to defend Black LGBTQ people – especially Black transgender and gender-nonconforming people – whose dual identities put them at greater risk for discrimination and violence.
“Even as we demand equality at the top of our lungs, we consistently fail to extend our advocacy to protect some of our most vulnerable among us,” Union-Wade said. “Black trans people are being targeted, terrorized and hunted in this country. Everyday. Everywhere.”
An October report from Everytown for Gun Safety, a national organization advocating for stronger gun control laws, found that the number of transgender people killed in the U.S. nearly doubled between 2017 and 2021, driven primarily by gun violence.
More than 70 percent of transgender homicide victims were Black women, according to the report, despite Black people accounting for just 13 percent of the nation’s total transgender population, according to a recent estimate by the Williams Institute.
A December report from the Human Rights Campaign, a leading LGBTQ advocacy group, found that at least 38 transgender people were killed in the U.S. in 2022, a majority of them women of color. At least 50 fatalities were cataloged by the group in 2021, the deadliest year on record for transgender and gender-nonconforming people.
Union-Wade on Saturday said she and Wade approach their activism as parents “who love our children and will do whatever the hell we can to keep them seen and secure and safe.”
“This is a conversation worth having in ways that can actually build bridges; that don’t fan the flames of hatred or division; that don’t enable lawmakers or justice systems to look the other way when Black trans people are under attack,” she said.
“We are humbled and we are hopeful for the future,” Union-Wade said. “We are hopeful that we may witness a real shift in the fight for justice. The moment, the movement makes room for everyone – everyone.” | Human Rights |
Nicola Sturgeon has come under fire over £87,000 paid in bonuses to managers at a shipyard despite a lack of certainty over when two over-budget and late ferries will be delivered.
Earlier this week, the auditor general released a scathing report which revealed that six managers at the Ferguson Marine yard in Port Glasgow had been awarded bonuses for the year 2021-22 without Scottish government approval.
Speaking at First Minister's Questions on Thursday, Douglas Ross asked: "Why are fat cat bosses getting a single penny before a ferry has been finished?"
The Scottish Conservatives leader also called for the money to be returned to the taxpayer, stating: "We think [the bonuses] are downright scandalous, it's indefensible, it's a bonus for failure."
Ms Sturgeon said she welcomed the Audit Scotland report and said the Scottish government accepted the criticism.
She said: "We accept that criticism and can assure parliament that new arrangements have been put in place, indeed at the deputy first minister's request to ensure that that doesn't arise in the future."
The Inverclyde yard was nationalised in 2019 when problems with the Glen Sannox and as-yet-unnamed hull 802 were discovered.
The ferries are already five years late and estimated costs have ballooned from an initial budget of £97m to £293m.
Read more:
SNP leadership candidates pile pressure on the party over lack of transparency in ballot
Does hunger for independence remain in Scotland's 'Yes' towns and cities?
According to Stephen Boyle's report, the payments were approved by the remuneration committee at the yard and based on a paper from former turnaround director Tim Hair, who recommended a 7.5% bonus for the directors, which he later said in a letter "was payable as a result of the structural completion of the hull on vessel 801 [Glen Sannox]".
The auditor general's report added: "There was a lack of transparency and good governance around the assessment and approval of these payments. FMPG was unable to evidence the evaluation over the discretionary element of this payment."
Mr Hair, the report found, was also paid a total of £1.8m during his time at the yard between August 2019 and February 2022.
Following further questioning from Mr Ross, Ms Sturgeon said: "I am of the view that the failures here are unacceptable.
"I deeply regret these failures, but that is why it is important that we continue to focus on delivering these ferries and also securing a long-term future for the shipyard."
Deputy First Minister John Swinney is expected to make a statement on the issue on Thursday afternoon.
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Following the exchange, Mr Ross stated: "The SNP ferry scandal has damaged our nation's reputation for shipbuilding excellence, and left islanders without vital transport links they rely on.
"This is a bonus for failure - and this failure is all on the SNP government. Ferguson Marine is owned by ministers, they're ultimately in charge of it.
"As Nicola Sturgeon prepares to sail off into retirement, she needs to tell the public when these ferries will finally be ready - and what the final price for them will be.
"She singularly failed to do so, and instead passed the buck to John Swinney. That's simply unacceptable - the first minister can't wash her hands of one of the worst scandals of her time in office." | United Kingdom Politics |
A former US fighter pilot accused of helping train Chinese military pilots has been moved to a maximum security jail in regional New South Wales ahead of his next court appearance.
Key points:
- Former US fighter pilot Daniel Duggan has been moved to the maximum security Lithgow jail
- He is accused of helping train Chinese military pilots
- Mr Duggan has questioned why he remains in maximum security prison
Daniel Duggan was arrested in October last year by Australian Federal Police at the request of American authorities, who accused him of helping train members of the Chinese military to fly jet fighters.
The federal government late last year approved a request from Washington to extradite the father of six, who became an Australian citizen in 2012, which Mr Duggan's lawyers are fighting.
According to US court documents, an investigation led by the FBI, Naval Criminal Investigative Service and Homeland Security Investigations alleged that between 2009 and 2012, Daniel Duggan and others conspired to "export and exported defense services to the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the form of aircraft carrier approach and landing training".
Court documents state that Mr Duggan at times used an alias name of "Ding San Xing" and that he travelled to South Africa on more than one occasion to provide military aviation training to PRC pilots.
Investigators claimed payments totalling more than $182,000 were made to Mr Duggan's company Top Gun Australia between 2011 and 2012.
Under US law, a person must apply for and obtain a license to provide defence training to foreign defence forces.
Mr Duggan did not seek approval, but court documents show that in 2008 he was informed by the US state department that it was a requirement to lodge paperwork before training foreign military personnel.
Authorities in the US allege Mr Duggan breached money laundering and arms export control laws, but he has strenuously denied the allegations and claims he was training civilian pilots.
His lawyers are fighting the extradition, with the matter back before court tomorrow.
They have already filed a submission to the UN Human Rights Commission stating that his treatment constitutes four breaches of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
From Silverwater to Lithgow
Mr Duggan was moved from Silverwater jail to Lithgow jail about a week ago and said he was given no explanation as to why.
His family argues he should be granted bail or released into home detention immediately because he does not pose a flight risk.
Speaking from jail via spokesman, Mr Duggan said he was in a two-metre by four-metre cell and was surrounded by convicted rapists, terrorists and murderers.
"I reject the allegations against me 1,000 per cent," he said.
"The insinuation that I am some sort of spy is an outrage.
Federal Greens senator David Shoebridge, who has questioned the case, said there was no reason for Mr Duggan to remain in jail.
"For reasons not clear, he's remaining in maximum security and is still refused bail," he said.
"With no criminal history, he is not a flight risk; it's unnecessarily cruel to keep him in maximum."
He also questioned how Mr Duggan could be extradited because he said the extradition treaty required the charge to match a charge in Australia.
"It is yet to be explained what the comparable offence would be in Australia," Senator Shoebridge said.
"That is a fundamental prerequisite for an Australian extradition."
A spokesperson from the Federal Attorney-General's Department said further decisions would be made by a NSW Magistrate.
"[The magistrate will] determine whether the legal requirements for eligibility for surrender are satisfied," the spokesman said
"This includes the dual criminality requirement.
"In accordance with the Extradition Act 1988(Cth), it is open to Mr Duggan to contest his eligibility for surrender to the United States."
Corrective Services NSW said for legal reasons they were not able to comment on the location of any inmates.
Warnings about training
Late last year, Defence Minister Richard Marles ordered his department to investigate if any former Australian defence members had trained members of the Chinese military and to also review laws governing retired military personnel.
The investigation was launched shortly after the UK revealed dozens of former RAF pilots had accepted lucrative contracts to become instructors in China.
At the time, Opposition leader Peter Dutton indicated his party would support any changes to laws that closed any loopholes.
The report was handed to Mr Marles last month, who would not confirm if the report found proof that Australian pilots have been approached by China.
However, he did confirm the government was looking to make changes to the current laws.
"I asked Defence to engage in that investigation to see what the situation was here," he told 2GB radio in February.
"There were a number of recommendations that the report made and most of them go to tightening up policies within Defence … one of the recommendations does recommend that we develop some additional legislation which the government will now pursue."
The head of Britain's Royal Air Force also recently confirmed he had worked with Australia to stop China from poaching retired pilots. | Australia Politics |
By Lee Haye-ah
SEOUL, May 23 (Yonhap) -- North Korea could launch its first military spy satellite "in the near future," National Security Adviser Cho Tae-yong said Tuesday, as speculation has grown over the timing of the launch.
Cho made the remark during an interview with Yonhap News TV, warning the North will be met with stronger sanctions if it goes ahead.
"North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un announced it would come by the end of April, but he isn't keeping his promise," Cho said, citing "various" possible problems.
"There's a chance of a launch in the near future. In such an event, there will be efforts on our part and it will result in deepening North Korea's diplomatic isolation in the international community," he said.
Kim visited a preparatory committee for the satellite launch last week and approved of its "future action plan," according to the North's Korean Central News Agency, signaling the launch could be imminent.
Cho said Seoul would respond by pressing the international community to strictly enforce sanctions on North Korea, while also imposing additional standalone sanctions together with like-minded nations.
"What's important is making clear that whether North Korea launches a reconnaissance satellite or carries out a nuclear test, it will no longer be able to boast its presence to the international community or gain any practical economic benefits," he said.
[email protected]
(END)
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Support for the far-right Alternative for Germany climbed to a record, widening its lead over all three parties in Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s ruling coalition.
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In the latest sign of voter frustration with the government, the AfD — as the party is widely known — increased to 22%, trailing only the conservative Christian Democrat-led bloc at 26%, according to a poll conducted for the Bild am Sonntag newspaper by INSA.
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Support for Scholz’s Social Democrats was at 18%. The junior coalition partners, the Greens and the liberal Free Democrats, were at 14% and 7%, respectively.
The AfD’s advances in recent months have been fueled by discontent over issues ranging from record immigration, persistently high inflation and costly climate-protection measures.
Coalition infighting, including a drawn-out feud over measures to shift household heating away from fossil fuels, has further irritated voters. The INSA poll said 70% were dissatisfied with the government and 60% with Scholz’s performance as chancellor.
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Read More: Far-Right Resurgence Limits Scholz’s Room for Action
Scholz has sought to respond by urging Germans to sign up to his vision for technological and environmental transformation and warned against the rise of “ill-tempered” political rivals he accused of exploiting the fears of ordinary citizens.
On Saturday, the Bild tabloid looked at the changes that might take place in Germany if the AfD was in power. The country’s most popular daily suggested prices would rise and travel could be restricted because of the party’s anti-European Union stance.
INSA surveyed 1,266 voters between July 17 and July 21. The poll has a tolerance of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points, according to the public-opinion researcher. | Europe Politics |
Why is it so often that problems seem to get worse just when they ought to be getting better?
Or in a French-African context, how come President Emmanuel Macron is surveying the tatters of French policy - coups in four Francophone states - just when he thought he had turned his back on all the wicked post-colonialism of the old days?
No-one disputes that there was indeed a long period - roughly corresponding to the Cold War - when France used a certain amount of skulduggery and military muscle to further its interests in La Françafrique.
But no-one can dismiss, either, the fact that for the last quarter-century the message from Paris has been that those days - officially at least - are over.
Gone the automatic request for French soldiers to back up a teetering autocrat; gone the millions in backhanders that helped finance French political parties.
Instead today's buzzwords are "democratisation", "empowerment", "co-operation", and "engagement with the young". According to an official at the Ãlysée Palace: "It's been a very long time since we had our men in presidential palaces."
Maybe it would be naive to pretend that all is above board, and that there aren't still nefarious pressures and sweeteners passing back and forth between Paris and francophone capitals.
But surely it is also a wild exaggeration to claim that French influence is anything like it used to be.
To take the case of Gabon - often seen as the emblem of corrupt post-colonialism - it is certainly true that deposed President Ali Bongo's father Omar Bongo was regarded condescendingly as "one of ours" by successive French presidents, and benefited accordingly, as did they.
But if French reach is still so great, how is it that Ali Bongo made moves to pull Gabon out of the Francosphere to the point of actually joining the Commonwealth last year?
The Bongos' amassment of wealth - and its secretion in Paris - was no doubt legendary. But was it not the action of French anti-corruption judges, unimpeded by politicians, that led to its exposure and to criminal proceedings against members of the Bongo family, arguably pushing Ali into the arms of the Anglos?
And if Paris still has pull over neighbouring Cameroon, how come its leader Paul Biya recently attended the Franco-Russian summit in St Petersburg, smiling alongside Vladimir Putin?
The fact is - according to journalist Amaury Coutansais, author of Macron's African Trap - that France is living through a "historical anachronism", in which it is attributed powers that simply do not exist any more.
"Africa has been globalising," he says. "These days African presidents have the whole world in their waiting-rooms: Turks, Russians, Israel, even allies of France like Germany and the United States."
"Oppositions in Africa imagine that France is still all-powerful. In reality, while France was doing all the dirty police work, its rivals were sweeping up the contracts."
So to return to the original question: if French influence is on the wane in Africa, how come it is now that we are seeing the fiercest backlash against it?
Surely it would have been more appropriate when former President Charles De Gaulle's Monsieur Afrique, Jacques Foccart, really was arranging coups d'état in the 1960s and beyond, and when bags of dirty money really were transiting to Le Bourget airport near Paris.
The answer comes in two parts.
First, there is some deep-rooted psychological reason why, in all sorts of areas, the perception of a problem's seriousness grows in proportion to its apparent amelioration. There's probably a law somewhere that describes the process.
When people are deeply buried in an injustice or discrimination, they find it hard to see the bigger picture. Small improvements are all that can be expected and are welcomed. Only when people begin to imagine a full emancipation, do they perceive the full extent of their subjection. And they get angrier.
That's one theory. France's colonial presence in the Sahel and Central Africa was so entrenched that it was bound to provoke an increased sense of outrage among today's more self-confident generations. As Coutansais says: "Everything passes - except the past."
The second explanation does not contradict the first, but acts as a complement.
This is that the French are not wrong in seeing outside hands at work.
In a speech to French ambassadors on Monday, President Macron described the "baroque alliance between self-proclaimed pan-Africans and neo-imperialists" which he said had provoked the recent "epidemic of putsches" in French-speaking Africa, referring to Gabon, Niger, Burkina Faso, Guinea and Mali.
In President Macron's eyes, the "neo-imperialists" are Russia and China, which he believes have dripped poison words into the over-eager minds of wannabe putschists, and hypocritically stirred up old arguments over sovereignty and colonial exploitation.
For him, France is in the Sahel not for the sake of overpowering its former colonies, but "because there is a terrorist threat, and sovereign states asked us to help".
To believe otherwise, he said on Monday, was to live in a "world gone mad".
Quite evidently, though, many people do prefer the conspiracy theory, which is why, just when things should be getting better - they are getting worse. | Africa politics |
- Summary
- LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
- 31 premature babies evacuated from Al Shifa hospital in joint U.N.-Palestinian Red Crescent operation
- Qatari prime minister says he has growing confidence that a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas will be reached, and that remaining challenges were 'very minor ...just practical and logistical'
- Israeli forces, trying to push into north Gaza's Jabalia refugee camp but facing heavy Hamas resistance, urge residents to evacuate to south Gaza 'to preserve your safety'
GAZA/JERUSALEM, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Hamas militants battled Israeli forces trying to push into Gaza's largest refugee camp on Sunday and Israeli air strikes to the south killed dozens of Palestinians, witnesses said, as a U.S. media report of a nascent hostage release deal was denied.
The Washington Post said on Sunday that U.S. mediators were close to a deal between Israel and Hamas to free dozens of women and children held hostage in Gaza in exchange for a five-day pause in their war that would help boost emergency aid shipments to Gaza civilians, citing people familiar with the matter.
The Post had reported on Saturday that a tentative deal had been reached, and this was denied by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. officials, with a White House spokesperson saying efforts were continuing to clinch a deal.
Hamas took about 240 hostages during its deadly cross-border rampage into Israeli communities on Oct. 7, which prompted Israel to lay siege to Gaza and invade the Palestinian territory to eradicate its ruling Islamist group.
Reuters reported on Nov. 15 that Qatari mediators had been seeking a deal between Israel and Hamas to exchange 50 hostages in return for a three-day ceasefire, citing an official briefed on the talks. At the time, the official said general outlines had been agreed but Israel was still negotiating details.
On Sunday, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al-Thani told a press conference in Doha that the main sticking points blocking a hostage release deal were now "very minor" - mainly practical and logistical issues.
The delicate hostage talks coincide with Israel preparing to expand its offensive against Hamas to densely populated Gaza's southern half after air strikes killed dozens of Palestinians, including civilians reportedly sheltering at two schools.
Israeli forces invaded late last month after a devastating aerial blitz in response to Hamas's shock Oct. 7 attack, and say they have wrested control of large areas of the north and northwest and east around Gaza City.
But guerrilla-style Hamas resistance remains fierce in pockets of the heavily urbanised north including parts of Gaza City and the sprawling Jabalia and Beach refugee camps, according to Hamas and local witnesses.
Witnesses reported heavy fighting overnight between Hamas gunmen and Israeli ground forces trying to advance into Jabalia, the largest of the enclave's camps with nearly 100,000 people.
Jabalia has come under repeated Israeli bombardment that has killed scores of civilians, Palestinian medics say, with Israel saying the strikes have killed many militants harbouring there.
After daybreak on Sunday, Israel's military called on residents of several Jabalia neighbourhoods to evacuate towards south Gaza "to preserve your safety", in Arabic messages on social media platform X.
It said it was pausing military action between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Sunday to smooth evacuations as Hamas "has lost control over northern Gaza and is trying to prevent you moving south".
Most of Jabalia's inhabitants rejected previous Israeli appeals to clear out to the south of the narrow coastal enclave.
The south has also been repeatedly bombarded by Israel, rendering Israeli promises of safety absurd, Palestinians say.
After several inconclusive wars since 2007, Israel vowed to destroy Hamas after its Oct. 7 attack in which around 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians, were killed, according to Israeli tallies, the deadliest day in the country's 75-year history.
Gaza's Health Ministry raised its death toll from the unrelenting Israeli bombardment to 12,300, including 5,000 children. Israel's blitz has reduced swathes of the north to rubble, while some two-thirds of Gaza's population of 2.3 million have been displaced to the south.
AIR STRIKES IN CENTRAL GAZA
In the centre of the narrow coastal enclave, Palestinian medics said 31 people were killed, including two local journalists, in Israeli air strikes targeting a number of houses in the Bureij and Nusseirat refugee camps late on Saturday night. Another air strike killed a woman and her child overnight in the main southern city of Khan Younis, they said.
In Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, dozens of Palestinians marched to a funeral for 15 residents killed in an Israeli strike on an apartment block on Saturday. “Our youth are dying, women and children are dying, where are the Arab presidents?" said Heydaya Asfour, a relative of some of the dead.
The Israeli army says Hamas uses residential and other civilian buildings as cover for command centres, weapons, rocket launchpads and a vast underground tunnel network. The Islamist movement denies using human shields to wage war.
Hamas's armed wing, the Al Qassam Brigades, said militants killed six soldiers at close range in the village of Juhr al-Dik just east of Gaza City after ambushing them with an anti-personnel missile and closing in with machine guns.
Seven Israeli soldiers were killed in the fighting on Saturday, the military said, without giving details.
As the conflict entered its seventh week, there was no sign of a let-up, despite urgent international appeals for "humanitarian pauses" to enable unrestricted, safe deliveries of aid to civilians lacking food, drinking water and medical care.
'DEATH ZONE' AT GAZA'S BIGGEST HOSPITAL
A team led by the World Health Organization (WHO) that visited Al Shifa, Gaza's biggest hospital, on Saturday described it as a "death zone", days after Israeli forces seized the premises to root out an alleged Hamas command centre underneath it.
The WHO team reported signs of gunfire and shelling and a mass grave at Al Shifa's entrance, and said it was making plans for the immediate evacuation of 291 remaining patients, including the war-wounded, and 25 staff.
On Sunday, 31 premature babies were evacuated from Al Shifa in a joint operation by the U.N. and the Palestinian Red Crescent and taken south in ambulances towards the Emirates Hospital in Rafah, the aid group said.
Hundreds of other patients, staff and displaced people who were sheltering in Al Shifa left on Saturday, with Palestinian health officials saying they were ejected inhumanely by Israeli troops and the military saying the departures were voluntary.
After air-dropping leaflets earlier in the week, Israel on Saturday again warned civilians in parts of southern Gaza to relocate as it girds for an offensive from the north.
But an advance into southern Gaza may prove more complicated and deadlier than the north, with Hamas militants dug into the Khan Younis region, a power base of Gaza political leader Yahya Sinwar, a senior Israeli source and two top ex-officials said.
Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi, James Mackenzie Henriette Chacar and Reuters bureaux; writing by Kim Coghill and Mark Heinrich; editing by Cynthia Osterman, William Mallard, Hugh Lawson and Andrew Heavens
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. | Middle East Politics |
North Korea Claims Satellite Win After Two Failures This Year
There has been no confirmation of a successful deployment from the U.S., Japan or South Korea.
(Bloomberg) -- North Korea claimed it successfully put a spy satellite into orbit after two attempts earlier this year ended in failure, as leader Kim Jong Un pledged to place more in the sky to keep an eye on US forces in the region.
Kim presided over the Tuesday launch, the official Korean Central News Agency reported, adding the country wants to fire off several additional spy satellites within a short period of time. There has been no confirmation of a successful deployment from the US, Japan or South Korea, which have all been closely watching the launch and are working with each other to evaluate the event.
Kim “congratulated all the cadres, scientists and technicians” who helped in the launch that “made a great contribution to enhancing the Republic’s war deterrent,” KCNA said, adding the deployment is within the legitimate rights of the country to strengthen its self-defense.
It released images of the launch Wednesday that showed its rocket blasting off under night skies. Kim can be seen watching the launch and then smiling profusely as he stood with what appeared to be technicians from his space agency.
The White House condemned the launch and is working with allies to assess the situation, National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement. “This space launch involved technologies that are directly related to the DPRK intercontinental ballistic missile program,” Watson said, referring to North Korea by the abbreviation of its formal name.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement the rocket North Korea claimed would carry a military reconnaissance satellite was launched Tuesday in a southerly direction. The rocket was fired off at about 10:43 p.m. from North Pyongan province, it said in a message to reporters.
While officials in Seoul believe a North Korean spy satellite would be rudimentary at best, it could help Pyongyang refine its targeting as it rolls out new missiles designed to deliver nuclear strikes in South Korea and Japan, which host the bulk of America’s military personnel in the region.
Leader Kim has made placing multiple spy satellites in orbit a priority and went to Russia in September to meet President Vladimir Putin, who pledged to assist Pyongyang with its space program ambitions.
South Korea’s National Security Council met after the launch and members said Seoul would take steps to wind down parts of a 2018 agreement with North Korea to ease tensions along their border, Yonhap News reported.
Read More: Kim’s Trip to Russia May Help Him Put Spy Satellites in Orbit
Japan issued a warning to people on its southern island of Okinawa to seek shelter, which was later lifted after the rocket appeared to have passed overhead. Top government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters there were no reports of damage and said the launch was in violation of United Nations resolutions.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida later said he “condemned the North Korean launch in the strongest terms.” He added Japan would work with the US and South Korea to deal with North Korea.
North Korea’s first attempt this year to put a spy satellite in orbit took place on May 31 and the rocket failed a few minutes into flight when the second stage engine did not ignite. South Korea then salvaged the rocket from international waters in the Yellow Sea, giving it a rare look at the technology North Korea has available for its rocket program.
Pyongyang tried and failed again to put a spy satellite into orbit in late August, saying this time the rocket had trouble at its third stage. Parts of the rocket crashed down about 600 kilometers (375 miles) east of the Philippines.
Earlier on Tuesday, Japan said it received notice of launch window from Wednesday to Dec. 1 that warned of possible debris falling from a rocket launch in the same general areas where the second rocket broke apart.
Prior to the latest launch, North Korea had tried seven times over the past 25 years to deploy a satellite. Five of the missions crashed into the sea and two put objects in space, albeit with questionable operating status.
The assistance from Putin could help North Korea turn the corner, offering Kim the chance to tap into a space program that’s more than half a century old and has a proven track record. Russian technology could eventually be used to increase the surveillance capabilities of North Korea’s satellites and provide more power to the country’s rockets — allowing them to carry larger payloads into space.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a visit to Seoul in November that North Korea is sending munitions to Russia for use in Putin’s assault on Ukraine. In return, Moscow is providing technology and support for Kim’s military programs, he said.
The US for months has accused Kim of sending artillery shells and rockets that can work with the Soviet-era weapons that the Kremlin has deployed on the front lines.
Pyongyang has ignored previous warnings to halt satellite launches, saying it’s entitled to a civilian space program under international law.
North Korea is barred by UN Security Council resolutions from conducting ballistic missile tests. The US and its partners have warned that technology derived from North Korea’s space program could be used to advance its ballistic missiles and warned any help Putin offers Kim would violate measures that Russia had voted to approve.
--With assistance from Shinhye Kang, Sangmi Cha, Max Zimmerman and Se Young Lee.
(Updates to add release of images and South Korea move on 2018 agreement.)
©2023 Bloomberg L.P. | Asia Politics |
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Seventy-six people were arrested for attending a birthday party for gay people in northern Nigeria, the country's paramilitary agency said on Monday, adding that the organiser had also planned to hold a same sex wedding, which is illegal.
There are the latest arrests targeting LGBTQ Nigerians after police in August raided a gay wedding in the southern city of Warri in Delta state, and arrested dozens of people. The accused are out on bail.
In Nigeria, like in most parts of Africa, homosexuality is generally viewed as unacceptable, and a 2014 anti-gay law took effect despite international condemnation.
Buhari Saad, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) spokesperson for the largely Muslim Gombe state, said after receiving a tip off, the agency raided a party on Saturday night that was being attended by "homosexuals and pimps".
He said 59 men had been arrested, including 21 who confessed to being homosexual, and 17 women.
The Gombe NSCDC said in a statement that the organiser of the birthday party had also planned to wed another man, who was still at large, before police raided the event.
The anti-gay law in Africa's most populous nation includes a prison term of up to 14 years for those convicted, and bans gay marriage, same-sex relationships, and membership of gay rights groups.
The case was expected to be heard in the Gombe state High Court on Tuesday, Saad said.
Reporting by Ahmed Kingimi; Writing by MacDonald Dzirutwe; Editing by Alison Williams
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. | Africa politics |
Kemal Kilicdaroglu, 74, is in the fight of his career.
He has mounted the strongest opposition challenge to Turkey's most powerful man, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, since he took power more than 20 years ago, but still fell short of his rival in the first round.
His chances are looking slim in the 28 May run-off vote, but Turkey's mild-mannered opposition leader has assured supporters they have victory in their grasp.
"The will for change in the society is higher than 50%," he insisted.
The former civil servant is the very antithesis of Turkey's grandstanding, powerful president.
His trademark gesture for the election was initially a heart-shape gesture with his hands. But ahead of the run-off vote he has adopted a more strident tone, banging his fists on the table and raising his voice.
Seeking to capture the nationalist vote, he has highlighted his pledge to send home 3.5 million Syrian refugees within two years and accused his rival of allowing 10 million refugees into Turkey.
Kemal Kilicdaroglu was perhaps not the most obvious candidate for six opposition parties to unite behind as their best chance of victory.
He has lost several elections since he took charge of the Republican People's Party (CHP) in 2010, when his predecessor was forced out because of an extra-marital affair.
And yet Kemal Kilicdaroglu is a highly experienced politician. He was elected in 2002, the same year Mr Erdogan's ruling AK Party came to power.
He has survived a string of violent attacks, earning the reputation of being one of Turkey's most-targeted politicians, and wore a bullet-proof vest at his final rallies ahead of Sunday's vote.
In his 13 years as leader, he has broadened his party's appeal and "embraced all the different colours in the country", as he puts it.
He posted on social media a series of videos from his modest kitchen, often addressing young voters on highly sensitive issues such as being a Kurd or a minority Alevi, as he is.
In a soft tone, he reached out to voters by saying that he would unite all of Turkey's different strands of society.
The CHP charts its origins back to Turkey's modern secular founder Kemal Ataturk.
It was long considered close to the military, which has overthrown the government four times since 1960, and was always seen as a hardline party on the issue of dividing church and state. After the military coup in 1980, for example, it supported the ban on headscarves at schools and public services.
Born in December 1948, Kemal Kilicdaroglu - pronounced Kilitch-daro-lu - was the fourth of seven children brought up by a housewife and civil servant in the eastern city of Tunceli. He comes from an Alevi family - a distinct Islamic sect, and religious minority in mostly-Sunni Turkey.
He was a star student at the many schools he attended as his family following his father's job around Turkey and later studied economics at Ankara University.
He spent years as a civil servant in Turkey's financial bodies and won a reputation for weeding out corruption as director of the overarching Social Security Institution.
After seven years in parliament, he was selected to run for one of Turkey's most powerful and prestigious roles, the mayor of Istanbul. Although he lost the race, he won praise for his campaign and became a very credible runner-up for the CHP with 37% of the vote.
Within a year of that success, the leader of the CHP resigned after a secret video tape emerged of an affair - and Mr Kilicdaroglu unexpectedly found himself as prime candidate for the job.
Initially he refused to run for the leadership, not wishing to take advantage of a scandal. But his stance softened and he won the race by a landslide.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan was by now at the peak of his power, becoming Turkey's most successful modern-era prime minister by winning almost half the vote for his Justice and Development or AK Party in 2011 elections.
The CHP came a distant second, but increased its vote by five percentage points. Its leader has since struggled to go beyond winning a quarter of the vote, engulfed in party politics.
More on Turkey's 2023 elections
But in his 13 years in charge he has led a quiet revolution within the party. He has tried to make peace with the Islamists through gestures like attending Iftar dinners to break the fast during Ramadan, and has erased the party's old militaristic codes.
"When I first met him, I thought that he was not a revolutionary leader but an evolutionary one," said former party colleague Melda Onur.
"He locks on to his target, sticks to it with incredible serenity, and by the end you're convinced. He is very decisive when he thinks that is the right thing to do."
That is why she believes it took him 13 years to reshape his party and secure its backing to run for the presidency.
True to his background, he has also maintained strict financial discipline. "He is very careful about not spending any extra for anything unnecessary," said close associate Okan Konuralp.
In time he introduced religious figures, Kurdish activists and women's rights activists to the party - to prove to Turkish society that the CHP has changed.
"The CHP has a very male dominant structure, he couldn't pull down that wall completely but he likes to work with women," said Ms Onur.
One party colleague told the BBC he never raised his voice.
"Sometimes things drive us crazy and we cannot help but scream. Even then, Kilicdaroglu keeps his calm," he said.
The moment anyone enters the room, he stands up and shakes hands, never talks to people sitting behind the desk, and never interrupts anyone, his colleague said.
This soft-spoken nature coupled with a passing physical resemblance to the former Indian leader have even given rise to his nickname Gandhi Kemal.
As has his peaceful response to physical attack.
He was punched twice by a visitor in parliament in 2014 while about to give a speech to his party's MPs. Despite suffering a bruised cheek and eye, he called on colleagues to keep calm: "The path to democracy is full of obstacles."
In 2016, his convoy was attacked by a missile by the Kurdish militant group the PKK and then the following year he escaped an attempted bombing by the militant Islamic State group.
He survived an attempted lynching in 2019 at a soldier's funeral. As he came under attack he was taken to a nearby house where a woman urged the crowd to burn it down.
When police ushered him to safety he said afterwards: "These attempts cannot stop us."
But it was after the failed 2016 coup that Kemal Kilicdaroglu's reputation spread beyond Turkey.
As President Erdogan cracked down on dissent, arresting and sacking thousands of Turks seen as linked to the coup plotters, the opposition leader launched a "March for Justice", walking 450km (280 miles) from Ankara to Istanbul.
Despite the success of his march, he chose not to challenge for the presidency the following year, waiting another five years to seize his chance.
It then took him months to convince other opposition parties to back his bid. The CHP has better speakers, and arguably higher-profile figures who won the race for mayor in Istanbul and Ankara.
But with his main rival at his weakest, party colleagues felt this was their leader's moment.
"I have never heard a word of hatred from his mouth. He could be angry with someone but keeps calm and then forgives that person easily," said Okan Konuralp. | Europe Politics |
Government authorities said that the arrests took place during a gathering by over 3,000 people in front of the national headquarters of Spain’s Socialist Party in Madrid. Two men were arrested for violent behavior against police, and one woman for disobedience, the representative of Spain’s national government in the Madrid region said.
The leader of the far-right Vox party, which holds the third-most seats in the national Parliament, was at the rally. Several protestors waved Spanish flags and pushed back against police in riot gear. There were other similar protests in other Spanish cities, but no additional arrests were reported.
Spain’s acting Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, the Socialists' leader, blasted the protests, saying they were being led by “reactionaries.”
“(I extend) all my warmth and support for the Socialist Party members who are suffering harassment by reactionaries at their local headquarters,” Sánchez wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
“To attack the headquarters of Spain’s Socialist Party is to attack democracy.”
That has angered many in Spain, including leading opposition parties on the right who accuse Sánchez of bending to lawbreakers.
Spain’s conservative Popular Party, the main opposition party, has called for its own protest against the amnesty negotiations for Sunday, in public squares in each provincial capital.
“I am not going to allow that my country has to ask forgiveness to those who attacked its institutions,” Popular Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo said.
There had been other protests in recent weeks, but they had remained peaceful.
Sánchez has until Nov. 27 to form a new government or the Parliament will be automatically dissolved and new elections called for January.
Despite losing steam in recent years, Catalonia's separatist movement retains strong support in the wealthy northeast region including control of the regional government. | Europe Politics |
When the Venice Biennale opens to the public next April, exhibitions at the 29 national pavilions are expected to blur cultural boundaries more than ever before. Curators say the 60th iteration of the world’s largest contemporary art event, entitled “Foreigners Everywhere”, will be a celebration of migration and non-belonging.
The Polish pavilion, however, will play to a different tune – one straight out of the playbook of the nationalist-populist Law and Justice party (PiS) that has ruled the country since 2015.
After the recent election, it is expected the PiS will be out of office by the time the Biennale opens. Its pavilion, then, comes across as a parting shot in the culture wars that have raged during its time in power. One critical curator has described it as the “end game of eight years of rightwing rule”.
Featuring more than 35 works by the artist Ignacy Czwartos, the exhibition will paint a picture of a Polish state victimised throughout the 20th century at the hands of its neighbours Germany and Russia. According to an outline of the show, one as-yet-unfinished painting, called Nord Stream 2, will show the former German chancellor Angela Merkel and Russia’s Vladimir Putin connected by a flaming St Andrew’s cross that forms a swastika.
A long wall facing the pavilion’s entrance will be hung with seven canvases depicting Poland’s “cursed soldiers” – anti-communist Polish resistance fighters from the later stages of the second world war whom the PiS has sought to rehabilitate from allegations of war crimes.
In a room dotted with devotional figures on pedestals, other paintings are designed to draw connections between the military arm of Hitler’s private army, the Waffen-SS, and the late Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, as well as between the Holocaust and the Smolensk air disaster of 2010 in which the Polish president and PiS co-founder Lech Kaczyński died.
The outline document casts the show as a unique opportunity to draw international attention to what the curators perceive as Poland’s uniquely tragic plight. “The Greeks invented tragedy”, it says, “the Poles rehearsed it.” Called “Polish Exercises in the Tragedy of the World: Between Germany and Russia”, Poland’s submission to the biennale was announced by the PiS government’s culture minister, Piotr Gliński, on 31 October.
Karolina Plinta, a deputy co-editor of the Polish art magazine Szum, said: “Czwartos’s paintings are an eclectic mix of everything that will please the conservative imagination. If his show goes ahead as planned, the Polish pavilion will amount to an anti-Russian but also an anti-European manifesto.”
In an unusual step, three members of the jury that selected the show filed a dissenting opinion, noting that Czwartos’s exhibition clashed heavily with the official theme of the biennale. In its protest note, the three female jury members said the pavilion presented Poland as a “homogeneous, unopen country focused only on itself and on speaking from the position of a victim” and that it “does not in any way reflect Poland’s contemporary art scene”.
Born in 1966, Czwartos was not considered a major player in the Polish art scene before he was embraced by PiS. A fervent supporter of the Polish top-flight football club Korona Kielce, the 57-year-old often paints self-portraits in which he is wearing shirts or scarves in their red and yellow colours.
Referencing baroque-era portraiture but also modernist artists such as Mark Rothko and Kazimir Malevich, his poster-like paintings are not overtly traditionalist in style.
Thematically, however, Czwartos’s paintings align strongly with the preoccupations of Poland’s rightwing government, mingling religious iconography with military commanders from the second world war and more recent events in Polish history.
A show at the Zachęta national art gallery in Warsaw this summer presented Czwartos’s “cursed soldiers” paintings, including several portraits of Zygmunt Szendzielarz, the commander of the Polish 5th Wilno Brigade of the Home Army that in 1944 oversaw a massacre of Lithuanian civilians that contemporary historians describe as a war crime.
A spokesperson for the Lithuanian foreign ministry said it would not comment on a piece of art before it was put on display. “Even if the piece of art is going to present disputed interpretation of historic facts or figures of our common history, the discussion about it should be going among historians and art critics first,” the spokesperson said.
The German foreign ministry also declined to comment on the reported content of the Polish pavilion.
At the last biennale, in 2022, Poland was represented
by Małgorzata Mirga-Tas, a member of Poland’s Bergitka Roma community. Shortly after Mirga-Tas’s nomination was announced, the government dismissed the director of the Zachęta gallery, which oversees the pavilion’s curation, and replaced her with the painter and trade union leader Janusz Janowski.
Ahead of the 2024 biennale, the rules of the selection process were changed, with proposals for the pavilion presented to a jury in a form that anonymised the name of the artist. The 15-member jury included several people from outside the art world, some of whom were reportedly unfamiliar with the fact that countries fund their own national pavilions at the event.
Whether PiS will still be in power by the time the Polish pavilion opens to the public is unclear. The party, led by Jarosław Kaczyński, won the most votes at national elections in mid-October and was this week given a first chance to form a coalition with a governing majority.
However, a broad coalition of opposition forces led by the former European Council president Donald Tusk have said they are ready and willing to form a government if PiS fails to do so, as is expected.
“To us the decision to select Ignacy Czwartos seems like the end game of eight years of rightwing rule”, said Joanna Warsza, a co-curator of Poland’s 2022 pavilion who, along with the Museum of Warsaw director Karolina Ziębińska-Lewandowska and the critic and curator Jagna Domżalska, was one of the three dissenting voices on this year’s jury.
She said: “What makes it even more tragic is that it is happening now when there is finally some optimism in Poland after the elections.”
By next spring, the Polish pavilion’s nation-centred presentation may well look like a glimpse of the Venice Biennale’s future, however. Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, a journalist closely affiliated with Italy’s right, has been nominated to take over from the festival’s outgoing president, Roberto Cicutto, and could be appointed by Italy’s chamber and senate on 14 November. | Europe Politics |
International Day For The Elimination Of Violence Against Women 2023: Date, Significance And History
Women's rights activists have observed November 25 as a day against gender-based violence since 1981.
Every year, International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is observed on November 25. Violence against women and girls remains one of the most prevalent and pervasive human rights violations in the world.
Globally, an estimated 736 million women — almost one in three — have been subjected to physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both, at least once in their life, according to the United Nations.
International Day For The Elimination Of Violence Against Women 2023: Theme
The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women will mark the launch of the 'UNiTE campaign' (Nov 25- Dec 10) -- an initiative of 16 days of activism concluding on the day that commemorates the International Human Rights Day (10 December).
This 2023 campaign Invest to Prevent Violence against Women & Girls will call on citizens to show how much they care about ending violence against women and girls and call on governments worldwide to share how they are investing in gender-based violence prevention.
International Day For The Elimination Of Violence Against Women 2023: History
Women's rights activists have observed November 25 as a day against gender-based violence since 1981. This date was selected to honour the Mirabal sisters, three political activists from the Dominican Republic who were brutally murdered in 1960 by order of the country’s ruler, Rafael Trujillo (1930-1961).
On December 20,1993, the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women through resolution 48/104, paving the path towards eradicating violence against women and girls worldwide.
Finally, on February 7, 2000, the General Assembly adopted resolution 54/134, officially designating November 25 as the International day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and in doing so, inviting governments, international organizations as well as NGOs to join together and organize activities designed to raise public awareness of the issue every year on that date.
International Day For The Elimination Of Violence Against Women 2023: Significance
Violence against women continues to be an obstacle to achieving equality, development, peace as well as to the fulfillment of women and girls’ human rights. All in all, the promise of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - to leave no one behind - cannot be fulfilled without putting an end to violence against women and girls.
UN Secretary-General's Message 2023
"Let’s build a world that refuses to tolerate violence against women anywhere, in any form, once and for all." - António Guterres
According To Data From UN Women:
More than five women or girls are killed every hour by someone in their own family.
Almost one in three women have been subjected to physical and/or sexual violence at least once in their life.
86% of women and girls live in countries without legal protections against gender-based violence. | Human Rights |
There remain “serious concerns” over the independence of the judiciary in Poland, the European Commission has noted in its annual report on the rule of law in EU member states. It found that there has been no progress in implementing six of the seven recommendations it made last year.
As well as long-running concerns relating to the judiciary, media, lobbying, corruption and the prosecutorial service, the European Commission notes new issues that have arisen this year, including a recently introduced law creating a body that can ban politicians from holding office.
#RuleOfLawReport has become a true driver of positive reform.
2023 report finds that EU Member States have followed-up on 65% of the recommendations made by @EU_Commission in 2022, but further action is needed.
— EU Justice (@EU_Justice) July 5, 2023
Warsaw and Brussels have been locked in a dispute over the rule of law for years, resulting in Poland being fined hundreds of millions of euros for failing to implement European Court of Justice (ECJ) rulings and seeing billions of euros in EU funds frozen due to concerns over the independence of the judiciary.
In its report for Poland, the European Commission says that recent rulings by the ECJ and European Court of Human Rights have “further confirmed existing concerns”.
These include “serious concerns related to the independence of the National Council for the Judiciary (KRS)”, the body responsible for nominating judges. A number of Polish and European courts have found it to have been rendered illegitimate by government reforms that brought it under greater political control.
Poland has informed the European Court of Human Rights that it will not comply with an order to provisionally reinstate judges opposed to the government’s judicial policies.
It is the first time that Poland has refused to comply with such an order https://t.co/iLVeI5KCqE
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) February 17, 2023
“There are also serious doubts as to the compliance of a number of Supreme Court judges with the requirement of a tribunal established by law,” adds the report. That court has been locked in a dispute between its “old” judges, nominated by the previous KRS, who refuse to sit alongside colleagues appointed after it was reformed.
Meanwhile, “a number of judges continued [this year] to be subject to disciplinary investigations and proceedings related to the content of their judicial decisions and forced transfers”, added the commission, which has repeatedly voiced concerns over the new disciplinary system introduced for judges.
Regarding the media landscape, the commission wrote that, “while legal safeguards for editorial independence are in place, there are claims of political
influence over the media in practice”.
State broadcaster TVP remains Poland's least trusted major news source, finds an annual study by @risj_oxford, which notes that the station provides "skewed, pro-government coverage".
The most trusted outlets are RMF FM, Polsat, Radio Zet and TVN https://t.co/nhxEaj9lS0
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) June 15, 2023
It noted particular concerns over “the independent governance and editorial independence of public service media”, with “no progress on…taking into account European standards”. Under the current government, public media have become a mouthpiece for the ruling party.
The report also referred to the recent law creating a new commission investigating Russian influence, which has the power to ban politicians from public office. The commission recently launched legal proceedings against Poland over the body, which many fear will be used against the opposition ahead of this year’s elections.
Shortly after signing the Russian influence commission into law, President Andrzej Duda, a government ally, proposed amendments that would reduce its powers. Those have been approved by the lower house of parliament, where the government has a majority, but are still being considered by the upper house.
The EU has opened legal action against Poland over its new Russian influence commission, which can ban individuals from public office.
This is an "absurd attack" and "interference in Poland's internal affairs", says a deputy leader of the ruling PiS party https://t.co/zsRYpSI1oK
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) June 8, 2023
A wide range of Polish and international expert bodies have found that the policies pursued by the ruling national-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party have severely undermined the rule of law in Poland. Polling shows that most of the Polish public agree.
Poland’s government, however, has consistently denied that its policies have threatened the rule of law. It argues that the reforms it has undertaken are designed to increase the accountability of judges and make the system more efficient, and accuses the EU of making politically motivated criticism of them.
“This year’s European Commission rule of law report, like every year, is biased, based solely on the opinions of the opposition in Poland,” tweeted deputy justice minister Sebastian Kaleta. “It is another attempt to destroy the image of Poland based on false allegations…[and] double standards.”
An opposition MP, Krzysztof Śmiszek of The Left (Lewica), told broadcaster TVN that, with elections approaching this autumn, the report will be used by the government to claim that “again, this evil EU is stigmatising and discriminating against Poles”.
Tegoroczny raport Komisji Europejskiej #RuleOfLaw jak co roku jest tendencyjny, oparty wyłącznie na opiniach opozycji w Polsce. Jest kolejną próbą niszczenia wizerunku Polski w oparciu o fałszywe zarzuty. KE w wielu miejscach dokonuje oceny działań państwa, które w ogóle nie…
— Sebastian Kaleta (@sjkaleta) July 5, 2023
Main image credit: CC-BY-4.0: © European Union 2021 – Source: EP
Alicja Ptak is senior editor at Notes from Poland and a multimedia journalist. She previously worked for Reuters. | Europe Politics |
By Donovan Harris | WASHINGTON – There is something powerful about embracing our shared humanity.
For leaders and activists in HIV care and prevention, that is the message they are working hard to spread in the fight against HIV-related stigma.
“I’m stunned that some of the same stigma that we experienced in the early days of the epidemic continues to persist and are so pervasive across society,” said José Zuniga, president/CEO of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (IAPAC).
Zuniga was open about his experiences as a Gay, Latino man, sharing that he is no stranger to the deep-rooted stigma millions of others in the LGBTQ+ community experience.
“I clearly understand the stigma that comes with people judging us based on our sexual orientation,” he said. “There’s a self-stigma, the self-labeling and the [fear] of feeling unworthy or being othered.”
Zuniga expressed that he is disheartened that HIV-related stigma extends to some healthcare settings, causing many people to delay essential, life-saving care. “It only takes one person within the healthcare system to stigmatize you before you hesitate to do what should be done to mitigate your risk, either becoming HIV positive or progressing to AIDS if you’re newly diagnosed with HIV,” he said.
According to UNAIDS, people living with HIV who perceive high levels of HIV-related stigma are 2.4 times more likely to delay enrollment in care until they are very ill.
However, there has been progress globally to reduce stigma and provide greater access to HIV care. In a recent UNAIDS report, researchers found there is a clear path to ending AIDS by 2030. Botswana, Eswatini, Rwanda, the United Republic of Tanzania and Zimbabwe have already achieved the “95-95-95” targets.
The goal is for 95% of all people living with HIV to know their HIV status, 95% of people diagnosed with HIV infection to receive antiretroviral treatment and 95% of people who are being treated are virally suppressed by 2025.
While we have seen notable strides over the years, Zuniga said more work must be done to reduce HIV-related stigma globally.
That is why he is proud of the work done to launch the inaugural Zero HIV Stigma Day on July 21, 2023. The day was chosen to honor Prudence Nobantu Mabele, the first South African woman to disclose her HIV status in 1992.
“There was no awareness day singularly focused on stigma,” Zuniga said. “There certainly is one [day] around discrimination, but discrimination is really an outcome of stigma.”
Gilead Sciences also stepped in to amplify the important work Zuniga and his team are doing to end stigma on Zero HIV Stigma Day and throughout the year.
Through a grant from Gilead, Zuniga said his organization was able to implement one of the first medical education programs for primary care providers around “Undetectable=Untransmittable” which means a person cannot pass HIV through sex when they have undetectable levels of HIV.
He also said the pharmaceutical company was an early supporter of the Fast-Track Cities Institute and has helped reduce HIV-related stigma by providing resources and education through their COMPASS Initiative®, a 10 year, more than $100 million commitment to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic across the U.S. South.
“This is serious work and not something that any entity takes lightly,” Zuniga said.
This year’s Zero HIV Stigma Day theme is “Human First” to emphasize the humanity of people living with and affected by HIV.
“Pushing this human first message to us is critical because of course, the H in HIV stands for human,” Zuniga said. “I think we can repair the very frayed level of connectivity between us because we share a common humanity.”
Gilead: More than Medicine is part of a paid year-long collaboration between Gilead Sciences and the Los Angeles Blade
The new mission to fight HIV devastation in rural America
Black, Latino, Native American, and other minority groups residing in rural regions have higher than average rates of HIV
RIDGELAND, MS – Twenty years ago, Mississippi-based Dr. June Gipson was contacted by researchers who were conducting a study of Black men living with HIV over the age of 45 in Mississippi. They wanted a list of subjects with whom to talk. It should have been an easy assignment.
It wasn’t. There weren’t enough people to talk to. Vast numbers of Black men living with HIV in the state had died.
Decades later, thanks to missions like Dr. Gipson’s, improved medicines, and more knowledgeable wellness, that is no longer the case. There is a growing population who are living and aging with HIV.
“Essentially what My Brother’s Keeper does is training: we teach others what we do, we teach others how to sustain. We teach others how to work within the environment to be successful, “ Dr. Gipson told me.
Today, people living with HIV routinely live into their 50s, 60s, and beyond, but they still have needs that extend beyond the HIV challenges themselves. Especially in rural areas, there is isolation, stigma and poor mental health environments. Dr. Gipson leads an organization to give them resources and a deeper sense of wellness than they have ever imagined.
Dr. Gipson is the President and CEO of My Brother’s Keeper in Ridgeland, Mississippi. My Brother’s Keeper has expanded its service range into the clinical arena with the establishment of Mississippi’s first LGBTI primary healthcare clinic, Open Arms Healthcare Center. With a background that spans criminal justice and education in addition to healthcare, Dr. Gipson is a formidable leader and evangelist in creating effective and available healthcare in rural and marginalized communities. Her organizations not only provide services to such communities, they teach other organizations how to do the same. With a new grant from Gilead’s Zeroing In™ program — which aims to support organizations working to increase the overall health and wellness of communities most impacted by the HIV epidemic — they have been tapped to provide technical assistance and capacity building to other organizations.
Dr. Gipson’s advice to other organizations following the My Brothers Keeper/Open Arms model? “Just do it. When someone goes into the healthcare arena as a community-based organization, there’s a level of fear but… you’re going to have to just do it. You’re not going to have all the answers in the beginning. You will learn things along the way, but you do have to get started,” she says.
My Brothers Keeper and the Open Arms Healthcare center work synergistically to provide services to the community with an emphasis on the particular needs of LGBTQ individuals. “We have a wonderful avenue to not just do the work, not just teach others how to do the work, but to combine these things into real life lessons. We are the epitome of what community-based programs can become.” Dr. Gipson is in a constant state of continuous improvement. She is embarking on research with organizations in London and Australia to perfect best practices to reach out in underserved communities.
She acknowledges that such communities, especially the one she has served in Mississippi, are difficult to reach because accurate healthcare education is actively discouraged. “I think that the fact that we lack so much education around reproductive health and sex ed puts us at a complete disadvantage. The system is still talking about abstinence, which is not effective. We’re still bringing up abstinence when we have some of the highest HIV rates and some of the highest STI rates.”
Gilead is determined to make a difference. “We go where the need is greatest,” is a phrase they use frequently.
In this case, that “where” is in rural areas in the United States. These communities face disproportionate challenges in accessing HIV and other healthcare services caused by a shortage of local doctors, poverty, and remote locations. The patient-to- primary care physician ratio in rural areas is only 39.8 physicians per 100,000 people, compared to 53.3 physicians per 100,000 in urban areas. Additionally, 59% of the decline in the number of US community hospitals between 2015 and 2019 were rural hospitals and 47% of rural hospitals have 25 or fewer staffed beds. Seven states have a disproportionately high number of HIV diagnoses in rural areas: Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma and South Carolina. In the U.S. South, 23% of new HIV cases happened in rural areas, and for late-stage diagnosis, the percentage for Black people was higher than in urban or metropolitan areas.
That was consistent with the fact that Black, Latino, Native American, and other minority groups residing in rural regions have higher than average rates of HIV.
In March, Gilead Sciences announced $3 million in grant funding to eight organizations through the Zeroing In grant program, including My Brother’s Keeper, to provide services to communities disproportionately impacted by HIV in rural areas in the United States. Darwin Thompson, Director of Public Affairs at Gilead Sciences stated at the announcement, “Our Zeroing In rural grants are helping organizations expand their testing programs, provide remote communities with access to necessary resources and fight ongoing stigma by promoting a culture of compassion and inclusion. We know it takes more than medicine to end the HIV epidemic for everyone everywhere. By supporting these organizations, we’re increasing their capacity to educate communities, change perceptions and provide critical access to healthcare where it’s needed most.”
Dr. Gipson and other leaders were selected for investment due to their strategic, community-driven approaches toward dismantling systemic barriers that prevent people in rural communities from accessing quality HIV testing and treatment.
“The funding from Gilead was a gamechanger. What Gilead gave us was the needed startup funds to be able to do this work. I remember opening my clinic. I remember, it was literally $8,000 that was separating me from opening. There were expenses for exam beds, cotton balls. Band-Aids – simple things that should not impede someone from starting a new business, but those were the pieces that held me back,” Dr. Gipson says of the Zeroing In project.
The project is designed to bring healthcare equity and stop HIV devastation in all venues. While HIV is prevalent in both urban and rural communities in the United States, resources are heavily concentrated in urban centers, and lack of public health infrastructure and heightened stigma in rural communities create barriers of access to necessary care.
As Dr. Gipson points out, Gilead and Zeroing In are dedicated to changing the game. My Brother’s Keeper and its sister grantees are literally keeping their fingers on the pulse of people living with HIV with dedication and determination.
Gilead is equally determined to see them succeed with wellness and health for all.
Gilead: More than Medicine is part of a paid year-long collaboration between Gilead Sciences and the Los Angeles Blade
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The Harvard Law Review Refused to Run This Piece About Genocide in Gaza
The piece was nearing publication when the journal decided against publishing it. You can read the article here.
On Saturday, the board of the Harvard Law Review voted not to publish “The Ongoing Nakba: Towards a Legal Framework for Palestine,” a piece by Rabea Eghbariah, a human rights attorney completing his doctoral studies at Harvard Law School. The vote followed what an editor at the law review described in an email to Eghbariah as “an unprecedented decision” by the leadership of the Harvard Law Review to prevent the piece’s publication.
Eghbariah told The Nation that the piece, which was intended for the HLR Blog, had been solicited by two of the journal’s online editors. It would have been the first piece written by a Palestinian scholar for the law review. The piece went through several rounds of edits, but before it was set to be published, the president stepped in. “The discussion did not involve any substantive or technical aspects of your piece,” online editor Tascha Shahriari-Parsa, wrote Eghbariah in an email shared with The Nation. “Rather, the discussion revolved around concerns about editors who might oppose or be offended by the piece, as well as concerns that the piece might provoke a reaction from members of the public who might in turn harass, dox, or otherwise attempt to intimidate our editors, staff, and HLR leadership.”
On Saturday, following several days of debate and a nearly six-hour meeting, the Harvard Law Review‘s full editorial body came together to vote on whether to publish the article. Sixty-three percent voted against publication. In an email to Egbariah, HLR President Apsara Iyer wrote, “While this decision may reflect several factors specific to individual editors, it was not based on your identity or viewpoint.”
In a statement that was shared with The Nation, a group of 25 HLR editors expressed their concerns about the decision. “At a time when the Law Review was facing a public intimidation and harassment campaign, the journal’s leadership intervened to stop publication,” they wrote. “The body of editors—none of whom are Palestinian—voted to sustain that decision. We are unaware of any other solicited piece that has been revoked by the Law Review in this way. “
When asked for comment, the leadership of the Harvard Law Review referred The Nation to a message posted on the journal’s website. “Like every academic journal, the Harvard Law Review has rigorous editorial processes governing how it solicits, evaluates, and determines when and whether to publish a piece…” the note began. “Last week, the full body met and deliberated over whether to publish a particular Blog piece that had been solicited by two editors. A substantial majority voted not to proceed with publication.”
Today, The Nation is sharing the piece that the Harvard Law Review refused to run.
Genocide is a crime. It is a legal framework. It is unfolding in Gaza. And yet, the inertia of legal academia, especially in the United States, has been chilling. Clearly, it is much easier to dissect the case law rather than navigate the reality of death. It is much easier to consider genocide in the past tense rather than contend with it in the present. Legal scholars tend to sharpen their pens after the smell of death has dissipated and moral clarity is no longer urgent.
Some may claim that the invocation of genocide, especially in Gaza, is fraught. But does one have to wait for a genocide to be successfully completed to name it? This logic contributes to the politics of denial. When it comes to Gaza, there is a sense of moral hypocrisy that undergirds Western epistemological approaches, one which mutes the ability to name the violence inflicted upon Palestinians. But naming injustice is crucial to claiming justice. If the international community takes its crimes seriously, then the discussion about the unfolding genocide in Gaza is not a matter of mere semantics.
The UN Genocide Convention defines the crime of genocide as certain acts “committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such.” These acts include “killing members of a protected group” or “causing serious bodily or mental harm” or “deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part.”
Numerous statements made by top Israeli politicians affirm their intentions. There is a forming consensus among leading scholars in the field of genocide studies that “these statements could easily be construed as indicating a genocidal intent,” as Omer Bartov, an authority in the field, writes. More importantly, genocide is the material reality of Palestinians in Gaza: an entrapped, displaced, starved, water-deprived population of 2.3 million facing massive bombardments and a carnage in one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Over 11,000 people have already been killed. That is one person out of every 200 people in Gaza. Tens of thousands are injured, and over 45% of homes in Gaza have been destroyed. The United Nations Secretary General said that Gaza is becoming a “graveyard for children,” but a cessation of the carnage—a ceasefire—remains elusive. Israel continues to blatantly violate international law: dropping white phosphorus from the sky, dispersing death in all directions, shedding blood, shelling neighborhoods, striking schools, hospitals, and universities, bombing churches and mosques, wiping out families, and ethnically cleansing an entire region in both callous and systemic manner. What do you call this?
The Center for Constitutional Rights issued a thorough, 44-page, factual and legal analysis, asserting that “there is a plausible and credible case that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian population in Gaza.” Raz Segal, a historian of the Holocaust and genocide studies, calls the situation in Gaza “a textbook case of Genocide unfolding in front of our eyes.” The inaugural chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno Ocampo, notes that “Just the blockade of Gaza — just that — could be genocide under Article 2(c) of the Genocide Convention, meaning they are creating conditions to destroy a group.” A group of over 800 academics and practitioners, including leading scholars in the fields of international law and genocide studies, warn of “a serious risk of genocide being committed in the Gaza Strip.” A group of seven UN Special Rapporteurs has alerted to the “risk of genocide against the Palestinian people” and reiterated that they “remain convinced that the Palestinian people are at grave risk of genocide.” Thirty-six UN experts now call the situation in Gaza “a genocide in the making.” How many other authorities should I cite? How many hyperlinks are enough?
And yet, leading law schools and legal scholars in the United States still fashion their silence as impartiality and their denial as nuance. Is genocide really the crime of all crimes if it is committed by Western allies against non-Western people?
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This is the most important question that Palestine continues to pose to the international legal order. Palestine brings to legal analysis an unmasking force: It unveils and reminds us of the ongoing colonial condition that underpins Western legal institutions. In Palestine, there are two categories: mournable civilians and savage human-animals. Palestine helps us rediscover that these categories remain racialized along colonial lines in the 21st century: the first is reserved for Israelis, the latter for Palestinians. As Isaac Herzog, Israel’s supposed liberal President, asserts: “It’s an entire nation out there that is responsible. This rhetoric about civilians not aware, not involved, it’s absolutely not true.”
Palestinians simply cannot be innocent. They are innately guilty; potential “terrorists” to be “neutralized” or, at best, “human shields” obliterated as “collateral damage”. There is no number of Palestinian bodies that can move Western governments and institutions to “unequivocally condemn” Israel, let alone act in the present tense. When contrasted with Jewish-Israeli life—the ultimate victims of European genocidal ideologies—Palestinians stand no chance at humanization. Palestinians are rendered the contemporary “savages” of the international legal order, and Palestine becomes the frontier where the West redraws its discourse of civility and strips its domination in the most material way. Palestine is where genocide can be performed as a fight of “the civilized world” against the “enemies of civilization itself.” Indeed, a fight between the “children of light” versus the “children of darkness.”
The genocidal war waged against the people of Gaza since Hamas’s excruciating October 7th attacks against Israelis—attacks which amount to war crimes—has been the deadliest manifestation of Israeli colonial policies against Palestinians in decades. Some have long ago analyzed Israeli policies in Palestine through the lens of genocide. While the term genocide may have its own limitations to describe the Palestinian past, the Palestinian present was clearly preceded by a “politicide”: the extermination of the Palestinian body politic in Palestine, namely, the systematic eradication of the Palestinian ability to maintain an organized political community as a group.
This process of erasure has spanned over a hundred years through a combination of massacres, ethnic cleansing, dispossession, and the fragmentation of the remaining Palestinians into distinctive legal tiers with diverging material interests. Despite the partial success of this politicide—and the continued prevention of a political body that represents all Palestinians—the Palestinian political identity has endured. Across the besieged Gaza Strip, the occupied West Bank, Jerusalem, Israel’s 1948 territories, refugee camps, and diasporic communities, Palestinian nationalism lives.
What do we call this condition? How do we name this collective existence under a system of forced fragmentation and cruel domination? The human rights community has largely adopted a combination of occupation and apartheid to understand the situation in Palestine. Apartheid is a crime. It is a legal framework. It is committed in Palestine. And even though there is a consensus among the human rights community that Israel is perpetrating apartheid, the refusal of Western governments to come to terms with this material reality of Palestinians is revealing.
Once again, Palestine brings a special uncovering force to the discourse. It reveals how otherwise credible institutions, such as Amnesty International or Human Rights Watch, are no longer to be trusted. It shows how facts become disputable in a Trumpist fashion by liberals such as President Biden. Palestine allows us to see the line that bifurcates the binaries (e.g. trusted/untrusted) as much as it underscores the collapse of dichotomies (e.g. democrat/republican or fact/claim). It is in this liminal space that Palestine exists and continues to defy the distinction itself. It is the exception that reveals the rule and the subtext that is, in fact, the text: Palestine is the most vivid manifestation of the colonial condition upheld in the 21st century.
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The Harvard Law Review Refused to Run This Piece About Genocide in Gaza The “Harvard Law Review” Refused to Run This Piece About Genocide in Gaza
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What do you call this ongoing colonial condition? Just as the Holocaust introduced the term “Genocide” into the global and legal consciousness, the South African experience brought “Apartheid” into the global and legal lexicon. It is due to the work and sacrifice of far too many lives that genocide and apartheid have globalized, transcending these historical calamities. These terms became legal frameworks, crimes enshrined in international law, with the hope that their recognition will prevent their repetition. But in the process of abstraction, globalization, and readaptation, something was lost. Is it the affinity between the particular experience and the universalized abstraction of the crime that makes Palestine resistant to existing definitions?
Scholars have increasingly turned to settler-colonialism as the lens through which we assess Palestine. Settler-colonialism is a structure of erasure where the settler displaces and replaces the native. And while settler-colonialism, genocide, and apartheid are clearly not mutually exclusive, their ability to capture the material reality of Palestinians remains elusive. South Africa is a particular case of settler-colonialism. So are Israel, the United States, Australia, Canada, Algeria, and more. The framework of settler colonialism is both useful and insufficient. It does not provide meaningful ways to understand the nuance between these different historical processes and does not necessitate a particular outcome. Some settler colonial cases have been incredibly normalized at the expense of a completed genocide. Others have led to radically different end solutions. Palestine both fulfills and defies the settler-colonial condition.
We must consider Palestine through the iterations of Palestinians. If the Holocaust is the paradigmatic case for the crime of genocide and South Africa for that of apartheid, then the crime against the Palestinian people must be called the Nakba.
The term Nakba, meaning “Catastrophe,” is often used to refer to the making of the State of Israel in Palestine, a process that entailed the ethnic cleansing of over 750,000 Palestinians from their homes and destroying 531 Palestinians villages between 1947 to 1949. But the Nakba has never ceased; it is a structure not an event. Put shortly, the Nakba is ongoing.
In its most abstract form, the Nakba is a structure that serves to erase the group dynamic: the attempt to incapacitate the Palestinians from exercising their political will as a group. It is the continuous collusion of states and systems to exclude the Palestinians from materializing their right to self-determination. In its most material form, the Nakba is each Palestinian killed or injured, each Palestinian imprisoned or otherwise subjugated, and each Palestinian dispossessed or exiled.
The Nakba is both the material reality and the epistemic framework to understand the crimes committed against the Palestinian people. And these crimes—encapsulated in the framework of Nakba—are the result of the political ideology of Zionism, an ideology that originated in late nineteenth century Europe in response to the notions of nationalism, colonialism, and antisemitism.
As Edward Said reminds us, Zionism must be assessed from the standpoint of its victims, not its beneficiaries. Zionism can be simultaneously understood as a national movement for some Jews and a colonial project for Palestinians. The making of Israel in Palestine took the form of consolidating Jewish national life at the expense of shattering a Palestinian one. For those displaced, misplaced, bombed, and dispossessed, Zionism is never a story of Jewish emancipation; it is a story of Palestinian subjugation.
What is distinctive about the Nakba is that it has extended through the turn of the 21st century and evolved into a sophisticated system of domination that has fragmented and reorganized Palestinians into different legal categories, with each category subject to a distinctive type of violence. Fragmentation thus became the legal technology underlying the ongoing Nakba. The Nakba has encompassed both apartheid and genocidal violence in a way that makes it fulfill these legal definitions at various points in time while still evading their particular historical frames.
Palestinians have named and theorized the Nakba even in the face of persecution, erasure, and denial. This work has to continue in the legal domain. Gaza has reminded us that the Nakba is now. There are recurring threats by Israeli politicians and other public figures to commit the crime of the Nakba, again. If Israeli politicians are admitting the Nakba in order to perpetuate it, the time has come for the world to also reckon with the Palestinian experience. The Nakba must globalize for it to end.
We must imagine that one day there will be a recognized crime of committing a Nakba, and a disapprobation of Zionism as an ideology based on racial elimination. The road to get there remains long and challenging, but we do not have the privilege to relinquish any legal tools available to name the crimes against the Palestinian people in the present and attempt to stop them. The denial of the genocide in Gaza is rooted in the denial of the Nakba. And both must end, now. | Middle East Politics |
U.S. Charges Indian National In Alleged Assassination Plot Of Sikh Separatist Leader
Nikhil Gupta, aka Nick, 52, was arrested and detained by Czech authorities on June 30y, DOJ said.
The U.S. Justice Department has charged an Indian national in connection with his alleged participation in a foiled plot to assassinate Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York City.
Nikhil Gupta, aka Nick, 52, was arrested and detained by Czech authorities on June 30. He is charged with murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, according to a statement from the DOJ.
Each count carries a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison.
The department has unsealed an indictment which said Gupta, along with an Indian government employee and others, directed a plot to assassinate Pannun, a U.S. citizen of Indian origin, in New York City.
This comes a week after the Financial Times reported that the U.S. thwarted a plot to assassinate Pannun and warned the Indian government it was concerned about its involvement in the planned killing.
India Forms Probe Panel
External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi on Wednesday said India constituted a high-level enquiry committee on Nov. 18 to look into all the relevant aspects of the matter.
Bagchi said the U.S. side shared some 'inputs' pertaining to nexus between organised criminals, gun runners and terrorists and that India takes such inputs seriously since they impinge on 'our national security interests as well' and that relevant departments were examining the issue.
In September, Canada alleged involvement of Indian government agents in the killing of a Sikh separatist leader, which sparked diplomatic tensions between the two nations.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canadian agencies have credible leads in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force, who was murdered in a Vancouver suburb. India dismissed the allegations as “absurd” and “motivated”. | India Politics |
Israel's Palestinian prisoner release a 'window of hope' in West Bank
By nightfall, the road in front of the Beitunia checkpoint had the feel of a restive festival, the sting of politics and tear gas mingling in the air.
Small campfires flickered in front of a handful of green Hamas flags; there were many more Palestinian ones.
The return of 39 Palestinians from Israeli prisons to their homes in the occupied West Bank was never just going to be a family affair.
Israel's jailing of large numbers of people on security grounds is widely seen by Palestinians as a tool of the occupation.
Charges range from murder and violent attacks on Israelis to stone-throwing. Many Palestinians say Israel is criminalising acts of resistance by an occupied people - the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) told the BBC all prisoners are detained "according to and under the provisions of the law".
A quarter of the population of the West Bank has spent time in an Israeli jail; it is a shared experience.
And more than 3,000 people have been arrested since the 7 October attacks - including almost 900 children - according to the Palestinian Prisoners' Club president, Abdallah Zughary. Many of these detainees have been placed in administrative detention without charge, he says.
"Most of them are civilians, not affiliated with any kind of political party or militant group," Mr Zughary told me.
"Since 7 October, there have been no visits by families or lawyers to prisoners. And six prisoners have died." He accuses Israel of using the justice system as a "revenge policy".
A spokesperson for the IPS told the BBC that over the past few weeks, "four national security prisoners died" in different circumstances and on different days. "We have no knowledge of the causes of death," they added.They refused to comment on the suggestion that families and lawyers had not been allowed to visit prisoners.
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There is little faith here in Israel's military courts, which are responsible for policing an occupied population, and which human rights groups have accused of handing down guilty verdicts to Palestinians 99% of the time.
The release of 39 women and teenagers is a tiny drop in the ocean of prisoners, but a massive symbol for Palestinians of their ability to - occasionally - force Israel's hand.
Mustafa Barghouti, a senior Palestinian politician, told me that prisoners were a key part of the deal agreed between Israel and Hamas, and a key part of why that deal was good for Palestinians.
It should also be taken as a sign, he said, that a permanent ceasefire was possible, despite Israel's insistence on resuming the war after the hostage deal has run its course.
"Israel has said many things before," Dr Barghouti told me. "They said they would kill Hamas. Now they are negotiating with them."
Israel has said its goals of eliminating Hamas and getting the hostages back are not in conflict, but some in its army worry that the deal could allow their enemy to regroup.
It has also strengthened the political standing of Hamas here in the West Bank - many of those gathered to wait for the returning prisoners at Beitunia checkpoint credited the group, though others stressed that this moment belonged to all Palestinians.
"We would like that this happened without the hostages taken by Hamas," human rights lawyer Mohammed Khatib said. "But Israel doesn't want [to do] this without paying the price. Without the Hamas hostages, Israel would not allow these people out."
But, he said, it was also a "window of hope" for both Palestinians and Israelis.
"The end [goal] is that they must accept us as people, they must accept our right to exist.
"We are humans: we have names, families, lives. I see all of this in the eye of a child released from prison today."
The return of prisoners here has been paved by a brutal attack, a devastating war and a hostage crisis.
"There's a joy in this release but it is incomplete joy," Abdallah Zughary told me, "because there's a big price Palestinians have paid over past 45 days."
Eman Barghouti, welcoming home her sister-in-law Hanan today, told me her family would not celebrate the release publicly, out of respect for Palestinians killed, injured and displaced by Israel's bombardment of Gaza.
She said all the families she knew were doing the same.
But the crowds swarming around the prisoners' bus as it crossed into Beitunia had no such reserve; a moment of happiness for prisoners' families is also a moment of victory for Palestinians across the West Bank.
Behind the darkened windows, some of the prisoners could be seen dancing - one wrapped in a Palestinian flag.
To Israel the prisoners it released today are a security threat.
To the Palestinians gathered to greet them, they are victims of Israel's occupation - and their release is symbolic of a wider goal. | Middle East Politics |
By Nick Alipour | EURACTIV.de Est. 4min 14-07-2023 (updated: 14-07-2023 ) Content-Type: News News Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. “We’re demanding a reset for Europe so that we can use the potential of nation-states and rebuild the bridge to the east,” Tino Chrupalla, co-leader of the AfD, told EURACTIV. [Shutterstock/1take1shot] EURACTIV is part of the Trust Project >>> Languages: DeutschPrint Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is set to make the controlled dissolution of the EU one of its key targets for the upcoming European elections, with its leader Tino Chrupalla calling Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán one of his main allies. In their EU election manifesto proposal, which is due to be ratified during the party conference on 29 July, the AfD calls for a “controlled dissolution” of the “overbearing EU”. “We’re demanding a reset for Europe so that we can use the potential of nation-states and rebuild the bridge to the east,” Chrupalla, co-leader of the AfD, told EURACTIV. The EU is an “economic area alone and should remain one,” he added. The European Union “hogs national competencies without being able to replace the nation-state” while being insufficiently democratic as the Commission lacks legitimacy, he argued. Chrupalla also cited EU sanctions against Russia as a prime example of the EU’s illegitimacy, saying they were “not in the interest of citizens” and led to rising inflation and recession. Instead, the AfD is proposing to replace the EU with “a new European economic and interest-based community, a league of European nations”. The ‘allies’ in Hungary, Austria The AfD’s proposal, which would effectively lead to Germany exiting the EU, has been a longstanding party position originally found to dissolve the monetary union. Already in the last Bundestag elections, the AfD campaigned for the complete dissolution of the EU. Since then, however, the positions of many of its far-right sister parties in the EU political group Identity and Democracy (ID) groups have softened considerably. Marine Le Pen’s far-right Rassemblement National party in France, for instance has since abandoned the idea to dissolve the EU and pushed for a fundamental reform of the bloc instead – something the AfD says is impossible. Similarly, Matteo Salvini’s far-right Lega party in Italy is currently looking to become more presentable while forging a broad alliance with the centre-right forces for the upcoming elections, slowly abandoning its eurosceptic ideas. However, Chrupalla is optimistic that the dissolution of the EU could take shape and is placing his bets on the right-wing parties in Austria and Hungary. “The prospects [for implementing the proposal] are good as the global trend is in our favour,” he said. The Austro-Hungarian Axis Both Austria and Hungary would be ideal partners and natural allies for the AfD. “The Central European cooperation with Hungary and Austria is of central importance for Germany,” said Chrupalla, adding that Orbán “is already showing how interest-based politics can be realised in Europe.” On the side of Austria, the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) is currently leading the polls despite its frequent allegations of corruption. Similarly, Orbán’s Fidesz is projected to gain almost half of the votes, with its closest contender lagging nearly 30% behind. The AfD itself also recently made a comeback as the party is currently polling second place at around 20%, even ahead of the Chancellor’s social democratic (SPD) party. Meanwhile, the FPÖ has already voiced their support for the AfD. “We view the development that the European Union has taken in recent years quite critically and with great concern,” Harald Vilimsky, delegation leader of the FPÖ in the European Parliament, told EURACTIV. “Of course European citizens should have the choice if they still agree with the [EU’s] development or if they would rather go in a direction closer to the basic ideas of integration, namely, peace, freedom and wealth,” he added. However, while Orban’s Fidesz is ideologically close to the AfD, it is not aligned to any group in the European Parliament since it left the centre-right EPP. Read more with EURACTIV MEPs demand EU search and rescue mission in the MediterraneanThe European Parliament has called for the restoration of a European Search and Rescue (SAR) mission in the Mediterranean Sea following a series of deadly shipwrecks in the region. Languages: DeutschPrint Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Topics Politics The Capitals | Europe Politics |
By Lee Haye-ah
SEOUL, April 10 (Yonhap) -- The leak of purported U.S. documents containing information gleaned from eavesdropping on allies like South Korea has put Seoul in an awkward situation as it came just about two weeks before President Yoon Suk Yeol goes on a state visit to Washington.
According to reports from The New York Times and The Washington Post, a set of leaked Pentagon documents shared on social media revealed that U.S. intelligence services eavesdropped on conversations at the South Korean presidential office in early March regarding whether to provide weapons support to Ukraine.
The NYT reported the documents as saying that Yoon's foreign affairs secretary told National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han the government "was mired in concerns that the U.S. would not be the end user if South Korea were to comply with a U.S. request for ammunition."
U.S. attempts to secretly listen to conversations of top South Korean officials, if confirmed, would represent foul play on a key Asian ally and a testament to how vulnerable the presidential office building is to spying attempts.
But mishandling the issue could raise tensions with the U.S. at a time when Yoon prepares to travel to Washington later this month for talks with U.S. President Joe Biden in what would be the first state visit by a South Korean president in 12 years.
Seoul also needs U.S. help in reining in an increasingly bellicose North Korea, including strengthening the U.S. "extended deterrence" protection of the country, and minimizing negative effects that U.S. acts on semiconductors and electric vehicles could have on South Korea's economy.
Yoon's office remains cautious.
"We haven't determined yet whether the reports are true, so we need to consult with the U.S.," a senior presidential official told Yonhap News Agency on Monday.
Another senior official said Washington will share the results of investigations opened by the U.S. Justice Department and the Pentagon into the leak, adding, "There is no question about our confidence in the U.S."
An official at the South Korean Embassy in Washington echoed the sentiment, saying, "The South Korea-U.S. alliance itself is firm."
Yoon was reportedly briefed on the matter on Sunday and ordered aides to look at the issue carefully.
The revelation that Washington wiretaps and eavesdrops on its allies came as little surprise as similar incidents have happened in the past.
In 2013, documents leaked from the U.S. National Security Agency showed the U.S. had bugged the South Korean Embassy in Washington and dozens of other diplomatic missions.
The South Korean government at the time demanded an explanation from the U.S. and reportedly received a response that Washington would review its intelligence operations.
Critics, however, accused the Yoon administration of exposing itself to eavesdropping by hastily relocating the presidential office without putting proper security measures in place.
Yoon relocated the presidential office from the former presidential complex of Cheong Wa Dae to what was then the defense ministry headquarters to help him connect better with the public.
In a radio interview on Monday, Rep. Kim Byung-joo of the main opposition Democratic Party claimed various wiretapping and eavesdropping devices could have been mixed in with other equipment during the relocation process.
"The bigger problem is that there is a U.S. military base right next to the presidential office," he said, referring to what remains of the former headquarters of the U.S. Forces Korea.
Kim also called for reconsidering the South Korea-U.S. summit slated for April 26, claiming some countries canceled state visits following similar incidents in the past.
Presidential officials acknowledged the need to reinforce security measures at the presidential office if necessary but ruled out any connection between the relocation and the alleged eavesdropping.
"The South Korea-U.S. relationship must not be damaged recklessly for the sake of political warfare," a presidential official said.
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(END)
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Yoon's summit with Biden to highlight S. Korea's 'pivotal' role in region: U.S. experts | Asia Politics |
CAIRO -- Four Greek rescue workers dispatched to Libya following devastating flooding in the eastern city of Derna were killed in a road collision Sunday, Libya's health minister said.
Some 11,300 people died when two dams collapsed during Mediterranean storm Daniel last week sending a wall of water gushing through the city, according to the Red Crescent aid group. A further 10,000 people are missing, and presumed dead.
Rescue workers from Greece, Turkey, Egypt and other countries have flocked to the decimated port city to offer help.
On Sunday, a bus carrying 19 Greek rescue workers collided with a vehicle carrying five Libyan nationals on the road between the cities of Benghazi and Derna, health minister Othman Abduljaleel said at a news conference. Three Libyans in the oncoming vehicle were also killed.
Seven of the surviving Greek rescue workers were in critical condition, the minister said.
In a parallel statement, the Greek Foreign Ministry acknowledged the crash but said only three of its nationals had died while two others were missing. The Associated Press was not immediately able to reconcile the conflicting reports.
The disaster has brought some rare unity to oil-rich Libya, which has been divided between rival governments in the country’s east and west that are backed by various militia forces and international patrons. Residents from the nearby cities of Benghazi and Tobruk have offered to put up the displaced, while volunteers have helped hunt for survivors buried beneath the rubble.
But the opposing governments have struggled to respond to the crisis. Their recovery efforts have been hampered by confusion, difficulty getting aid to the hardest-hit areas, and the destruction of Derna’s infrastructure, including several bridges.
More than 3,283 bodies were buried as of Sunday, Abduljaleel said, many in mass graves outside Derna, while others were transferred to nearby towns and cities.
On Saturday, Libya’s general prosecutor, al-Sediq al-Sour, opened an investigation into the collapse of the two dams, built in the 1970s, as well as the allocation of maintenance funds. Derna’s mayor, Abdel-Moneim al-Gaithi, was suspended pending an investigation into the disaster.
Authorities and aid groups have voiced concern about the spread of waterborne diseases and shifting of explosive ordnance from Libya’s recent conflicts.
Haider al-Saeih, head of Libya’s center for combating diseases, said in televised comments Saturday that at least 150 people had suffered from diarrhea after drinking contaminated water in Derna.
To prevent disease outbreak, Abduljaleel said his ministry had began “vaccinations against diseases that usually occur after disasters such as this one.” | Middle East Politics |
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NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Insurgents killed 17 soldiers and wounded nearly 24 in the first major attack in half a year against the army in Niger, where Western powers fear a coup by the elite presidential guard last month is weakening a rare ally against jihadi violence in West Africa’s Sahel region.
Niger was one of the last democratic countries in the region south of the Sahara and France and the U.S. have about 2,500 military personnel there who were training Niger’s forces. France also conducted joint operations with its former colony, but since the coup Paris and Washington have suspended military operations, giving the jihadis more breathing room.
A military detachment was attacked Tuesday afternoon as it moved between the villages of Boni and Torodi in the Tillaberi region, the Ministry of Defense said on state television Tuesday. The wounded were evacuated to the capital, Niamey.
It was the first major attack against Niger’s army in six months, a worrying sign of possible escalation, said Wassim Nasr, a journalist and senior research fellow at the Soufan Center, a think tank.
“What we are witnessing today is both jihadi warring factions, the Islamic State group and (al-Qaida affiliate Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin), marking their territory because of the security void caused by the coup. This definitely should be seen in the context of the ongoing war between the two groups,” he said.
Neighboring countries are threatening military action against the coup, whose supporters said Wednesday that they would register volunteers to fight and help with other needs so the junta has a list in case it needs to call on people.
One organizer, Amsarou Bako, claimed that the junta is not involved in finding volunteers to defend the coup, although it is aware of the initiative.
It’s not clear how real the possibility of regional conflict is.
READ MORE: In Niger, the U.S. seeks to hang on to its last, best counterterrorism outpost in West Africa
Many Bazoum supporters have been silenced or gone into hiding, and rallies to support the president are quickly shut down by police. Several ministers and politicians from deposed President Mohamed Bazoum ’s regime have been detained since the coup, with human-rights groups unable to access to access them.
The West African regional bloc, ECOWAS, says it has activated a “standby force” to restore order in Niger.
Bako, one of the founders, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that a recruitment drive will launch Saturday in Niamey as well as in cities where invasion forces might enter, such as near the borders with Nigeria and Benin, two countries that have said they would participate in an intervention.
Regional tensions are deepening as the standoff between Niger and ECOWAS shows no signs of defusing, despite signals from both sides that they are open to resolving the crisis peacefully. Last week the junta said it was open to dialogue with ECOWAS after rebuffing the bloc’s multiple efforts at talks, but shortly afterwards charged Bazoum with “high treason” and recalled its ambassador from neighboring Ivory Coast.
Analysts say the longer the coup drags on, the less likely an intervention will occur as the junta cements its grip on power, likely forcing the international community to accept the status quo.
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday there was still room for diplomacy to return the country to constitutional rule and said the U.S. supported ECOWAS’ dialogue efforts, including its contingency plans.
The new U.S. ambassador to Niger, Kathleen FitzGibbon, is expected to arrive in Niamey at the end of the week, according to a U.S. official. The United States hasn’t had an ambassador in the country for nearly two years. Some Sahel experts say this has left Washington with less access to key players and information.
While regional and western countries scramble for how to respond, many Nigeriens are convinced they’ll soon be invaded. The country of some 25 million people is one of the poorest in the world and residents are hoping the new regime will set the nation on a new path. In Niamey Wednesday, eager locals said they’d do what it took to defend the country.
“My children and I love these soldiers and I invite young people to join the army and develop our country and our villages,” said Amadou Hawa, a Niamey resident who lives in a shanty town on the side of the road.
The details of Niger’s volunteer force are still vague, but similar initiatives in neighboring countries have yielded mixed results. Volunteer fighters in Burkina Faso, recruited to help the army battle its jihadi insurgency, have been accused by rights groups and locals of committing atrocities against civilians.
Bako, one of the heads of the group organizing Nigerien volunteers, said Niger’s situation is different.
“The (volunteers in Burkina Faso) are fighting the Burkinabe who took weapons against their own brothers … The difference with us is our people will fight against an intrusion,” he said in English.
Associated Press reporters Dalatou Mamane in Niamey and Matthew Lee in Washington, D.C. contributed.
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Jul 27 | Africa politics |
NT Chief Minister Natasha Fyles defends ‘race-based’ stance, refusing to commit to alcohol bans in Alice Springs despite report
Sky News Australia’s Laura Jayes has grilled Natasha Fyles on whether her government will follow the recommendations of the urgent report into the Alice Springs crisis commissioned by the NT Chief Minister.
Natasha Fyles has come under fire from Sky News Australia's Laura Jayes asking the Northern Territory Chief Minister whether she’d commit to the alcohol bans recommended by the Dorelle Anderson report.
The report into alcohol and crime in Alice Springs was commissioned by Ms Fyles and Anthony Albanese and handed down to commonwealth and local governments on Wednesday, ahead of a meeting with the Prime Minister on Thursday afternoon.
Despite not being made public, it is understood the report has urged the government to step up its response and examine whether opt-out alcohol bans for Indigenous communities should be implemented after expiring in July 2022.
In a fiery exchange, Ms Fyles refused to confirm whether she would legislate indefinite alcohol bans in Central Australia as a result of the recommendations.
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“We have received the report, we will be discussing that report in full with the Prime Minister and we will be making that report public,” she told Sky News Australia on Thursday.
“There are recommendations plural, alcohol is part of this but there is a number of other factors that drive these issues.”
The NT Chief Minister also continued last week’s rhetoric of referring to the bans as “race based” as she defended her stance on the alcohol bans in Indigenous communities.
“What I’m telling you is we did something. We enacted legislation, that legislation passed the Northern Territory Parliament and it allows a community to remain dry while an alcohol management plan can be approved,” Ms Fyles said.
“We also had communities that said no, we don’t want a race based law to continue. We want to be able to manage alcohol.”
Jayes repeatedly asked Ms Fyles to admit that the NT government had got it wrong when it let the Stronger Futures legislation lapse, leading to an alcohol fuelled crime surge in the remote town.
The Stronger Futures legislation imposed blanket bans covering about 400 Aboriginal outstations and communities to curb alcohol-fuelled assaults and domestic violence.
However, Ms Fyles stayed firm that “no government has done more” in terms of alcohol policy while providing “safety to the community”.
The response prompted Laura to ask how the Northern Territory government intended to fix the crisis in the remote town, with Ms Fyles firing back at the “east coast” presenter.
“I think it’s really easy to sit on the east coast and not understand the complexity of these issues,” Ms Fyles said.
I'm travelling to Canberra with @chanseypaechMLA to meet with Prime Minister @AlboMP.— Natasha Fyles (@NatashaFylesMLA) February 1, 2023
Weâll work through the next steps for Alice Springs to reduce crime and antisocial behaviour â most specifically around reducing alcohol-related harm and family, domestic and sexual violence. pic.twitter.com/l37oLmhWOi
“Addressing the social challenges in the northern territory is our number one priority.
“What I acknowledge is right now in central Australia, it is more than just alcohol. Listening to the community .. we need to make sure that we see that investment and that we drive it into the programs that won’t just sugar coat this and make it go away for a couple months.
“We need to address these issues in the future and that’s what I aim to achieve.”
NT Police statistics show property offences in Alice Springs have skyrocketed by 60 per cent in the last 12 months, while assaults were up by 38 per cent and domestic violence increased by 48 per cent.
On Wednesday Ms Fyles urged the Albanese Government to provide “needs-based funding” to the underfunded Northern Territory if it was expected to solve the “multifactorial issue" in Alice Springs. | Australia Politics |
A HAMAS-sympathising radical has been stripped of his UK visa, The Sun can reveal.
The foreign national was living in Britain but has now had his right to remain removed after expressing support for the proscribed terror group.
He was caught glorifying the Gaza-based butchers as well as the banned Palestine Islamic Jihad group.
It is understood the man - who cannot be named - left the country while his case was considered by Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who has since revoked his visa.
He is the first to be stripped of his visa since Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick warned of the threat a fortnight ago.
Mr Jenrick told The Sun tonight: “There can be zero tolerance for visitors to the UK who abuse the privilege of a visa and endorse evil terrorist acts.
"To any individuals considering following suit in the coming days and weeks: be in no doubt that we will continue to revoke visas wherever required.
"We will not tolerate extremism on our streets."
Mr Jenrick wrote to police chiefs late last month warning that foreign nationals caught glorifying banned terror groups faced expulsion.
He said: “The opportunities that a UK visa affords an individual is a special privilege, not an automatic entitlement.
“Those that abuse that privilege by causing harm to the UK, our citizens or values forfeit the benefits conferred to them.”
Our revelation is the first case of someone having their visa revoked since the Cabinet Minister's intervention.
Most read in The Sun
Cops will be on high alert for any protesters expressing support for Hamas at a planned march this weekend.
Scotland Yard have made more than 100 arrests on pro-Palestine demos since the October 7 attack, including for supporting proscribed groups.
On Saturday 1,850 Met Officers will be on duty for the march - which clashes with Armistice Day - and 1,375 on Sunday. | United Kingdom Politics |
'Made more sense': Peter Dutton backs in US nuclear submarines over British option as the Albanese Government accuses him of making 'incredibly irresponsible' remarks
The government and opposition have traded barbs over the nuclear submarines Australia will acquire, with claims "incredibly irresponsible" remarks have been made.
The Albanese Government has accused Opposition Leader Peter Dutton of making "incredibly irresponsible" remarks amid a clash over nuclear submarines.
Australia is set to acquire nuclear submarines through the AUKUS partnership, with an announcement soon on the "optimal pathway" for how they will be operated.
However, speculation is rife the SSN(R), a planned next-generation British nuclear submarine, is emerging as Australia's favoured choice.
But Mr Dutton, who was defence minister when AUKUS was announced, said Australia should instead be acquiring the American Virginia-class submarines.
"The beauty in my mind with the American model of the Virginia-class was that it was a proven design," he told reporters on Wednesday at the Avalon Airshow.
"It gave us interoperability with the Americans, and there'll be more American subs in the Indo-Pacific then there will be British submarines, who will concentrate, quite rightly, particularly given the Russian threat to continental Europe.
"So, it made more sense to me, given the ability of the Americans to scale up very quickly, the desire from an industry perspective to be able to do that. It still allowed us to potentially build Blocks here in Australia as well.
"But I worry that if the government's taken a decision to go for a cheaper design, that it will delay the delivery of those submarines, and with the Virginia-class, I thought that we could bring them on this decade and I made that point on a number of occasions. I absolutely still believe it to be the case."
Mr Dutton said while he had "the greatest respect for the Brits", advice he was provided with made it clear they had issues with production capability.
"The advice to me at the time was very clear; that Rolls-Royce didn't have any production capability left, no headroom; Barrow-in-Furness is obviously landlocked, it didn't have the ability to scale up," he said.
Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy, who recently returned from the United Kingdom, swiftly slammed the comments and claimed Mr Dutton was undermining confidence in the program.
"I think those comments from Peter Dutton are incredibly irresponsible. This was a man who received classified briefings up until the 21 May on this program," Mr Conroy told reporters was also at the Avalon Airshow.
"He is either being mischievous or he's not privy to the latest information. I've just come back from Barrow in the United Kingdom, where I've got a full briefing on what the United Kingdom is doing.
"I stay in regular contact with the US Navy, and we'll make announcements very shortly about the optimal path forward on our nuclear propelled submarines.
"When we came into government, there was a serious risk of having a capability gap and now we are confident that we have a pathway to resolve that capability gap. That will be detailed when we make the announcement."
Mr Conroy added it was unhelpful for Mr Dutton to be making the remarks prior to the government issuing its announcement on the optimal pathway for the nuclear submarines.
"I just find it completely unhelpful in the public debate for him to be injecting this stuff when he knows that there are security reasons that mean that we can't detail information until we make the announcement," he said. | Australia Politics |
A baby aged just 22 days, her 12-year-old brother and their parents were among seven people killed by Russian shells in southern Ukraine on Sunday.
Bombs hit their family home in the village of Shyroka Balka in Kherson, Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said.
The dead also included another village resident and two men in neighbouring Stanislav.
"Terrorists must be stopped. They must be stopped by force," said Mr Klymenko. "They don't understand anything else."
The minister shared photographs of the aftermath of the attack on Shyroka Balka, showing black columns of smoke rising from buildings, and the digitally obscured bodies of some of the dead.
Thirteen others were injured in the shelling, he added.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky used his daily address to the nation to condemn the "brutal" attack in Shyrokа Balka
"Five people were killed," he said. "Among them was a baby girl, only 22 days old. Her brother, just 12 years old. The mother Olesia... only 39, also perished."
He added there had been 17 reports of Russian shelling in Kherson alone, and many more beyond.
"There is no day when Russian evil does not receive our entirely just response," he said.
"We will not leave any of Russia's crimes unanswered."
Kherson was one of four regions in Ukraine that Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed to have annexed last year.
Ukraine's military reclaimed the western part of the region in November. Russian troops have continued to shell the area from across the Dnipro river.
The shelling came a day after Moscow accused Kyiv of "terrorism" for what it said was an attempted missile strike on the Crimean Bridge linking the peninsula to Russia.
Ukraine has not confirmed the attack, although Mr Zelensky has previously said the bridge is used as a military supply route and is a legitimate target.
Crimea has been under Moscow's control since Russian forces annexed the peninsula in 2014 - a move condemned internationally.
In another development, Moscow said it had fired warning shots at a cargo ship in the southwestern Black Sea to halt it for an inspection as it made its way to the Ukrainian port of Izmail on the Danube river.
The Russian claim has not been independently verified. If confirmed, it would be the first time Russia has fired on merchant shipping beyond Ukraine since exiting a landmark UN-brokered grain deal last month.
Russia said that its Vasily Bykov patrol ship had fired automatic weapons toward the Palau-flagged Sukru Okan when it refused to halt, then boarded for an inspection.
Meanwhile, an aide to the exiled Ukrainian mayor of Mariupol reported that several Ukrainian civilians were killed as Russian soldiers fought among themselves on Sunday.
Two teenage girls, four young men and a woman were among the dead in the "shoot-out" in the village of Urzuf, Petro Andryshchenko said in a Telegram post.
He said the gun battle followed an argument between Chechen troops and personnel from the local commandant's office.
Mariupol, a major port on the Sea of Azov, was captured by Russia after months of fierce fighting last year. | Europe Politics |
- Summary
- Iranian-flagged supertanker carrying $300 mln worth of crude
- Vessels suspected of illegal oil transfer
- MT Arman suspected of manipulating its AIS
JAKARTA, July 11 (Reuters) - Indonesia's coast guard said on Tuesday it seized an Iranian-flagged supertanker suspected of involvement in the illegal transshipment of crude oil, and vowed to toughen maritime patrols.
The MT Arman 114 was carrying 272,569 metric tons of light crude oil, valued at 4.6 trillion rupiah ($304 million), when it was seized last week, the Indonesian authorities said.
The Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) was suspected of transferring oil to another vessel without a permit on Friday, the Southeast Asian nation's maritime security agency said.
The vessel was captured after being spotted in Indonesia's North Natuna Sea, carrying out a ship-to-ship oil transfer with the Cameroon-flagged MT S Tinos, the agency's chief, Aan Kurnia, said.
"MT Arman was spoofing their automatic identification system (AIS) to show its position was in the Red Sea but in reality it is here," Aan told reporters.
"So it seems like they already had a malicious intent," Aan said, adding that the vessel also dumped oil into the ocean, in violation of Indonesia's environmental law.
The vessels' operators could not be immediately reached for comment.
Along with the Arman, authorities detained its Egyptian captain, 28 crew and 3 passengers, who were the family of a security officer on board, the agency said.
After the two supertankers attempted to escape, authorities focused their pursuit on Arman, assisted by Malaysian authorities as the vessel sailed into their waters, Aan said.
The Tinos was supposed to have been scrapped in 2018, he added. It was built in 1999 while the Arman was built in 1997, according to shipping database Equasis.
A "shadow" fleet of tankers carrying oil from sanctioned Iran, Russia and Venezuela has been transferring cargoes in the Singapore Strait to avoid detection, a Reuters analysis showed this year.
The risk of oil spills and accidents is growing as hundreds of extra ships, some without insurance cover, have joined the opaque parallel trade over the past few years.
Aan vowed that Indonesia's coast guard, assisted by other authorities, would strengthen patrols in its waters. Indonesia is the world's largest archipelago, with about 17,000 islands.
"We have to be firm, tough," he said. "There has to be a deterrent effect so it will not happen again."
In 2021, Indonesia seized Iranian- and Panamanian-flagged vessels over similar accusations. The captains of the two vessels received two-year probation from an Indonesian court.
($1=15,155.0000 rupiah)
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. | Asia Politics |
Ukraine has intercepted a Russian hypersonic missile for the first time, it has been reported.
Local media reports suggested air-defence units operating the highly-advanced, US-provided Patriot missile system could have been responsible for the unprecedented feat.
Images purportedly showing the fragments of a downed Kh-47M2 Kinzhal missile, which Russia claims can fly at 10 times the speed of sound, were published by the Ukrainian Defence Express outlet.
The wreckage of the missile, known in Russia as the “dagger”, fell on an empty football stadium in Kyiv after a loud explosion was reported in the early hours of Thursday morning.
The bang coincided with a long-range Russian barrage using Iranian-made drones and less sophisticated missiles targeting the Ukrainian capital, according to local administrators, who did not confirm the use of a hypersonic missile.
Pictures of the remains appeared to show a hole in the top of the weapon’s pointed shell, reportedly created by a precision munition, while the rocket was still mid-air.
The Defence Express outlet claimed it had “obviously” been intercepted by a newly-acquired Patriot missile system.
A soldier from the Ukrainian air-defence team responsible for the interception confirmed the Kinzhal had been destroyed by the US-donated system, in a tweet that has since been deleted.
The unit reportedly detected, tracked and downed the missile in its final stages of flight, when it starts to slow down.
Officials from Ukraine’s Air Force refused to comment on the claims.
Before the apparent interception there were no known successful attempts in taking out the hypersonic weapon, which had been dubbed “unstoppable” by the Kremlin.
Russian forces first used the Kinzhal in combat in Ukraine on March 29 last year, when the missile was used to strike a fuel depot.
The missile, which is fired from specially adapted Mig-31 jet fighters, has a claimed range of up 1,900 miles.
According to Russian claims, the missile cannot be downed by any of the West’s most advanced air-defence systems
Until the delivery of Patriot systems to Ukraine, Kyiv’s armed forces said they had no way of intercepting the hypersonic rocket. | Europe Politics |
Russia will stick to agreed limits on nuclear missiles and keep informing the United States about changes in its deployments, a senior defense official said on Wednesday, despite the suspension of its last remaining arms control treaty with Washington.
Both chambers of Russia’s parliament voted quickly in favour of suspending Moscow’s participation in the New START treaty, rubber-stamping a decision that President Vladimir Putin announced on Tuesday when he accused the West of trying to inflict a “strategic defeat” on Russia in Ukraine.
But a top defence ministry official, Major-General Yevgeny Ilyin, told the lower house, or Duma, that Russia would continue to observe agreed restrictions on nuclear delivery systems — meaning missiles and strategic bomber planes.
The RIA news agency quoted Ilyin as saying Moscow would also continue to provide Washington with notifications on nuclear deployments in order “to prevent false alarms, which is important for maintaining strategic stability”.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov also sounded a reassuring note. “I do not believe that the decision to suspend the New START Treaty brings us closer to nuclear war,” he said, in comments cited by the Interfax news agency.
The assurances suggested that Putin’s move would have little immediate practical impact, even if it casts doubt on the long-term future of a treaty designed to reduce nuclear risk by providing a degree of transparency and predictability to both sides.
Putin has a long-track record of trying to wrongfoot and unsettle the West. Since Russian forces invaded Ukraine a year ago, he has repeatedly boasted about Russia’s nuclear arsenal and said he would be willing to use it if the country’s “territorial integrity” is threatened.
The 2010 New START treaty limits each country’s deployed nuclear warheads to 1,550 — a level Russia has also said it will continue to observe — and deployed missiles and heavy bombers to 700.
Security analysts say its potential collapse, or failure to replace it when it expires in 2026, could unleash a new arms race at a perilous moment when Putin is increasingly portraying the Ukraine war as a direct confrontation with the West.
Asked in what circumstances Russia would return to the deal, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “Everything will depend on the position of the West ... When there’s a willingness to take into account our concerns, then the situation will change.”
Interfax quoted Ryabkov as saying: “We will, of course, be closely monitoring the further actions of the United States and its allies, including with a view to taking further countermeasures, if necessary.”
The suspended treaty gives each side the right to inspect the others site sthough visits had been halted since 2020 because of Covid and the Ukraine war and obliges the parties to provide detailed notifications on the numbers, locations and technical characteristics of their strategic nuclear weapons.
Each has to tell the other, for example, when an intercontinental ballistic missile is about to be transported from a production facility. According to the U.S. State Department, the two sides have exchanged more than 25,000 notifications since the treaty came into force in 2011.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday that Russia’s announced suspension was “deeply unfortunate and irresponsible”. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said it made the world more dangerous, urging Putin to reconsider. | Europe Politics |
North Korea has said its latest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test demonstrated its "powerful physical nuclear deterrent" and its efforts to "turn its capacity of fatal nuclear counterattack on hostile forces".
The Hwasong-15 missile fired from Pyongyang's international airport on Saturday fell into the Sea of Japan around 125 miles (201km) west of northwestern Oshima Island, according to Tokyo's vice minister of defence Toshiro Ino.
North Korea said the launch was a reaction to South Korean and US military drills planned for next month.
The Hwasong-15 launch demonstrated the North's "powerful physical nuclear deterrent" and its efforts to "turn its capacity of fatal nuclear counterattack on the hostile forces" into an extremely strong one that cannot be countered, KCNA, North Korea's state news agency, said.
Leader Kim Jong Un's sister Kim Yo Jong also said on Sunday: "I warn that we will watch every movement of the enemy and take corresponding and very powerful and overwhelming counteraction against its every move hostile to us."
The US responded to the test by flying long-range supersonic bombers.
US B-1B bombers and other aircraft separately trained with South Korean and Japanese fighter jets over and near the Korean Peninsula.
But North Korea claims its weapons are needed to counter "hostile policies" by the US and its allies.
North Korea had vowed "unprecedentedly" strong action against "arch-criminal" states after South Korea announced a series of military drills with the US over the coming months.
Kim Jong Un attended a large-scale military parade on the streets of Pyongyang last week, as troops rolled out more than a dozen ICBMs. | Asia Politics |
After violent clashes between Eritrean migrants in Tel Aviv, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday he wants those involved to be deported immediately and has ordered a plan to remove all of the country’s African migrants.
Bloody protests by rival groups of Eritreans in Israel's capital left dozens of people injured Saturday. Eritreans, supporters and opponents of Eritrea’s government, faced off with construction lumber, pieces of metal and rocks, smashing shop windows and police cars.
Israeli police in riot gear shot tear gas, stun grenades and live rounds while officers on horseback tried to control the protesters.
The violence on Saturday returned to the fore the issue of migrants, which has long divided Israel. Its resurgence comes as Israel is torn over Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul plan, and supporters cite the migrant issue as a reason why the courts should be reined in, saying they have stood in the way of pushing the migrants out.
“We want harsh measures against the rioters, including the immediate deportation of those who took part,” Netanyahu said in a special ministerial meeting called to deal with the aftermath of the violence.
He also requested that the ministers present him with plans “for the removal of all the other illegal infiltrators,” and noted in his remarks that the Supreme Court struck down some measures meant to coerce the migrants to leave.
Under international law, Israel cannot forcibly send migrants back to a country where their life or liberty may be at risk.
Netanyahu said Sunday he didn’t think deporting supporters of the Eritrean government would be a problem.
About 25,000 African migrants live in Israel, mainly from Sudan and Eritrea, who say they fled conflict or repression. Israel recognizes very few as asylum seekers, seeing them overwhelmingly as economic migrants, and says it has no legal obligation to keep them.
The country has tried a variety of tactics to force them out, including sending some to a remote prison, holding part of their wages until after they agree to leave the country or offering cash payments to those who agree to move to another country, somewhere in Africa. Critics accuse the government of trying to coerce the migrants into leaving.
Migrants’ supporters say Israel, a country founded upon the ashes of the Holocaust and built up by Jewish refugees, should welcome those seeking asylum. Opponents claim migrants have brought crime to the low-income southern Tel Aviv neighborhoods where they have settled.
The clashes came as Eritrean government supporters marked the 30th anniversary of the current ruler’s rise to power, an event held near the Eritrean embassy in south Tel Aviv. Eritrea has one of the world’s worst human rights records and migrants in Israel and elsewhere say they fear death if they were to return.
Critics see Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul plan as a power grab meant to weaken the courts and limit judicial oversight on government decisions and legislation. Supporters say it is meant to restore power to elected legislators and rein in what they say is an interventionist and liberal-leaning justice system. | Middle East Politics |
Three women are victims of honor crimes in Ras al-Ain region
Enab Baladi – Hassan Ibrahim
Under the pretext of “Wiping off the shame” or “maintaining family honor,” three young women were killed in the border region of Ras al-Ain, northwest of al-Hasakah city, between 9 and 12 October.
Shahad and Zahra Shehada, two teenage sisters were killed on October 9 by their brother in the village of al-Madan, south of Ras al-Ain, as a result of pictures and video recordings being circulated in Telegram, the social media messaging service, and went viral among the local users.
Majed al-Rabie, a relative of the Shehada family, told Enab Baladi that the killing of the two girls was at the hands of their brother after posting (non-nude) photos and video recordings on a Telegram room called “Peace Spring Nightmare,” in which they were blackmailed.
The second incident occurred on the 11th of the same month, when Zainab Khalaf al-Hamada was killed by her two brothers, Mohammad and Anas, in her home in the village of al-Aziziyah, west of Ras al-Ain, as a result of their suspicion that she was entering into a relationship with a man outside of marriage.
Relatives of al-Hamada family told Enab Baladi that the killing came as a result of societal pressure on the two young men, Mohammad and Anas after the girl’s story was circulated. The two young men suspected her of being involved in an “illicit” relationship, so they proceeded to kill her even without verifying the accuracy of the information through forensic medicine, and it is not legitimate even if proven.
Family relatives stated that the civil police detained the two young men, awaiting their referral to justice.
Social media victims
A source in the forensic medicine office in Ras al-Ain told Enab Baladi that the region had not witnessed the occurrence of honor crimes over the past four years and stated that the office had only documented the past three cases.
The source recommended that people refer to official authorities, such as the Forensic Medicine Office, to ensure that evidence is verified and accurate information is provided, to avoid interfering with emotions and tribal mentality, and to allow justice to take its course.
Manar al-Marei, a women’s rights activist and director of the Al-Salam Association in Ras al-Ain, told Enab Baladi that the reasons for these crimes are usually unknown and that women often become victims of revenge by their relatives or inaccurate media promotion, as in the case of the killing of the two girls (Shahad and Zahra), because of blackmailing them and publishing their photos on Telegram.
Telegram channels and rooms with tens of thousands of followers are active in the regions of northwestern Syria. The rooms bear the names of cities, villages, towns, and military factions and have different affiliations, and are managed by unknown persons or entities. Some of them are also run by those close to the factions or the de facto rulers of the region, the Syrian Interim Government (SIG) or the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES).
Some channels specialize in publishing scandals and practices of opposition factions and go further to post pictures and news about sexual relations for women in the region under the pretext of pursuing and fighting corruption, and they threaten to publish more, causing chaos and confusion in the region.
Al-Marei pointed to the need to raise awareness of women’s rights and combat “honor crimes.” She expressed her concern about society’s complicity with this idea, noting that insinuating the presence of an attack on honor could be sufficient to prevent legal intervention in such crimes.
New legislation targeting “honor killings”
Mohammad Ali al-Hamza, head of the local council in Ras al-Ain, told Enab Baladi that the council directly contacted the Civil Police Command and the Public Prosecution immediately after the killing of three women under the pretext of “Wiping off the shame” or “maintaining family honor” to investigate these crimes.
Al-Hamza added that the council is currently working in cooperation with the Public Prosecution to develop legislation that prevents such crimes from occurring and stipulates strict penalties for their perpetrators, stressing the importance of applying the law to everyone without exception.
The director of Ras al-Ain Endowments, Eid al-Zaher, expressed his dissatisfaction with the honor killing of the three women, noting that these crimes are unacceptable in the Sharia law.
Al-Zaher told Enab Baladi that the Endowments Directorate is determined to direct its efforts towards educating society about the importance of adhering to the laws and the necessity of abandoning clan and tribal violence.
Islamic Sharia law rejects individual retaliation and requires that cases be returned to the competent judiciary to consider the charge through a fair trial based on Sharia evidence consistent with reason and logic.
Dr. Mohammad Habash, Syrian Islamic scholar and former member of the People’s Assembly, defines “honor crimes” as “crimes related to taking revenge on a woman or a man if they are suspected of immoral conduct. This is reprehensible and unacceptable, neither linguistically nor legally, and it is a new use,” stressing that the term was widely used “through journalistic discourse, not through the language of jurists.”
Habash mentioned in his study, “Honor Crimes between Sharia and the Law,” that Islam was strict in prohibiting adultery and considered it a moral and social crime, especially “when it involves marital infidelity, out of the strict Sharia’s concern for the stability of the family.”
The legal penalties prescribed for the crime of adultery are not an individual matter and can’t be applied by whoever wishes and when he wishes, according to Habash.
He added that this is the matter of the legitimate government, whose duty is to implement the law, and this can only be done after the nation has chosen to implement this ruling and agreed to it through its democratic institutions, and the punishment has many precise conditions that are necessary for the legitimate rule to be achieved.
The veteran scholar pointed out that these conditions are so “severe and stringent” that it is impossible to fulfill them, considering that committing murders in the name of “honor crimes” is an Islamically rejected logic according to Islamic jurisprudence and its principles.
How does Syrian law punish honor killings?
The Syrian Penal Code, which was issued by Legislative Decree No. 148 of 1949, continues to exempt the murderer from punishment if he commits murder under the pretext of an “honorable motive” by granting him an excuse that exempts him from this punishment.
In 2009, the first change occurred, so the killer with this motive was sentenced to a maximum of two years in prison. Human rights organizations criticized the change, including Human Rights Watch (HRW), and stated at the time that the Syrian government must treat all killers equally and not exclude from them those involved in “ honor killings.”
This continued until Decree No. 1 of 2011 was issued, which abolished the text of Article 548 of the Syrian Penal Code, which stipulated that “anyone who surprises his wife, one of his ascendants, descendants, or his sister in the flagrant crime of adultery shall benefit from the permissible excuse.” Or in immoral sexual relations with another person, then he kills or harms them or kills or harms one of them unintentionally. The perpetrator of murder or harm benefits from a mitigating excuse according to the law if he surprises his spouse, one of his ascendants or descendants, or his sister in a suspicious situation with another.”
The previously mentioned Article (548) was replaced by Article (15) of Decree No. “1” of 2011, which abolished the murderer’s benefit from the excuse that was exempt from punishment in the event that he committed the crime of murder for an honorable motive.
While the law did not clarify the “suspicious situation” that was a justification for granting the mitigating excuse in the old law and maintaining it would expose many women to the risk of being killed under the pretext of honorable motive, under the pretext of the “suspicious situation” in the event of the inability to prove adultery.
The text of the article states that “a mitigating excuse benefits anyone who surprises his wife, one of his ascendants, descendants, or sisters, in the crime of adultery, or indecent sexual relations with another person, and then proceeds to kill or harm them or to kill or harm one of them unintentionally, and the penalty shall be imprisonment from five to seven years for murder.”
There is no clear data available in Syria about murders usually committed by family members who consider that women have committed acts that are shameful to the family or harmful to its reputation, while the human rights organization Syrians for Truth and Justice (STJ) reported that murders under the pretext of “defending honor” have increased with the escalation of the conflict in Syria.
The organization said that the security chaos, the absence of the rule of law, the spread of weapons, and the spread of the “culture of violence against women” and its normalization are all reasons that have contributed, in one way or another, to the high rate of murders under the pretext of “defending honor” in various regions of Syria, regardless of who controls them.
The organization, in cooperation with the Musawah and SARA organizations, recorded at least 185 murders in various regions of Syria.
The victims were women and young girls, and these crimes were committed under the pretext of “defending (family) honor” during the period from the beginning of 2019 to the beginning of 2023.
Every year, October 29 is considered an International Day of solidarity with the victims of honor crimes. It was launched by the Syrian Women’s Observatory on October 29, 2009, after an incident that occurred in a Damascus court when the judge issued a lenient court ruling similar to acquittal against the brother of Zahra al-Azzou, a 16-year-old girl who was killed by her brother under the pretext of “Wiping off the shame.”
Enab Baladi’s correspondent in Ras al-Ain, Hussein Shaabo, contributed to this report.
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- Three women are victims of honor crimes in Ras al-Ain region | Middle East Politics |
South Korea says China has forcibly repatriated a "large number" of North Korean defectors.
This follows recent reports from human rights groups claiming that as many as 600 North Koreans have been sent back.
Seoul said on Friday that the reports appear to be true, but did not confirm the exact number who were repatriated.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the defectors, mostly women, could face imprisonment, sexual violence or even death once back in the North.
Sources in China have reported that hundreds were put on trucks and sent from their detention centres to North Korea on Monday night.
"The government's position is that under no circumstances should North Koreans living abroad be forcibly repatriated against their will. Forced repatriation against one's will is a violation of the international norm of non-refoulement," said Koo Byoung-sam, a spokesman for the South's Unification Ministry.
Non-refoulement means refugees and asylum seekers should not be made to return to countries where they could face persecution.
Mr Koo said South Korea has protested to China and reiterated its position. He declined to give further details.
UN special rapporteur on human rights in North Korea Elizabeth Salmon estimates that some 2,000 North Koreans are being held in China for crossing the border without permission.
China does not recognise North Korean defectors as refugees. It claims they are "economic migrants" and has a policy of sending them back, despite requests from foreign governments and human rights organisations to reconsider its stance
Asked about the reported repatriations, China's foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Thursday there was "no such thing as so-called 'North Korean defectors' in China". He said Beijing upholds a "responsible attitude" towards North Koreans who enter China illegally for economic reasons, according to Reuters.
Concerns about forced returns of North Korean defectors have grown since Pyongyang announced the reopening of its borders in August, said HRW. Since July 2021, it has confirmed the repatriation of almost 170 defectors in total.
HRW added that the latest returnees were at "grave risk" of being detained in forced labour camps. They also face the prospect of torture, enforced disappearance and execution.
The rights group urged governments around the world to "denounce China's latest returns and call for an end to future forced returns".
It also called on Beijing to either grant the North Korean defectors refugee status, or give them safe passage to South Korea or other countries. | Asia Politics |
Thirty-nine people, including 30 police officers, have been injured outside the Madrid headquarters of Spain’s ruling socialist party amid angry demonstrations against the party’s plans to offer an agreement deal to Catalan separatists to help it secure another term in government.
About 7,000 people gathered outside the offices of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ party (PSOE) on Calle de Ferraz on Tuesday night to protest against the proposed agreement. The demonstration, which was attended by members of the far-right Vox party and by fascist and neo-fascist groups, led to skirmishes between protesters and riot police, who responded with teargas and baton charges.
Video footage of the event showed some participants calling Spain’s acting prime minister, the PSOE leader Pedro Sánchez, a “son of bitch”, a “criminal” and a “dictator”, and referring to Spain’s acting interior minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska – who is gay – as a “faggot”.
According to Madrid’s emergency services, 39 people – most of them police officers – were injured, while the authorities said seven people had been arrested. The confrontations followed similarly violent scenes outside the PSOE headquarters on Monday night.
The controversial issue of the agreement has emerged in the aftermath of July’s inconclusive general election, in which the conservative People’s party (PP) narrowly beat the PSOE. The PP, however, has been unable to muster the necessary support to form a government, meaning that Sánchez and his allies in the leftwing Sumar alliance have the best chance of forming a government. But they can do so only with the backing of the two main Catalan pro-independence parties, the Catalan Republican Left (ERC) and Junts (Together).
Both Catalan parties have said their support for getting the PSOE back into office would be contingent on an amnesty for hundreds of people who participated in the failed push to secede from Spain in October 2017. While the ERC has already reached a deal to back Sánchez, negotiations with Junts are dragging on.
Sánchez, who has claimed an agreement will help promote coexistence, suggested the violence outside his party’s offices had been whipped up by the PP and Vox, both of which have fiercely criticised the proposal and accused Sánchez of using it as a cynical means to remain in power.
“We expect nothing from those who, by action or by omission, support the besieging of socialist premises,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Tuesday night. “Their silence speaks volumes. Social progress and coexistence are worth it. They won’t break the PSOE.”
Although the PP condemned the violence – and stressed that it had neither organised nor taken part in the protests – it said Spaniards were angry because Sánchez had “crossed a lot of red lines in order to carry on being prime minister”.
Vox’s leader, who had urged people to descend on Calle de Ferraz on Monday night, attempted to blame Sánchez and Grande-Marlaska for the violence, saying they had ordered the police to “charge at and gas peaceful protesters on Monday night”. Santiago Abascal also said his party would continue to support peaceful protests against “the coup-mongers … who are negotiating the conditions to eliminate coexistence in Spain”.
A poll in mid-September showed 70% of Spaniards opposed an amnesty, and about 200,000 people have taken part in three large, recent rallies against the measure organised by the PP and Vox. | Europe Politics |
New Yorker editor David Remnick told staffers that a Gaza-based Palestinian poet who contributed essays to the magazine has been “arrested.”
The Conde Nast-owned publication has lost contact with Mosab Abu Toha, according to Michael Luo, a New Yorker editor who announced Remnick’s note on his X social media page on Monday.
Luo’s post didn’t specify who the magazine believes arrested Abu Toha, only saying that he was taken into custody in central Gaza, according to the magazine.
Israel has staged a massive ground operation in Gaza, the Hamas-ruled Palestinian territory, in response to the Oct. 7 cross-border assault by Hamas terrorists, which left 1,200 people dead.
The Post has sought comment from The New Yorker and the Israeli government.
Luo posted several links to stories by Abu Toha, who has also authored several books.
In 2019, he spent a year at Harvard University as a librarian-in-residence.
A Palestinian freelancer working for NBC News was arrested in Israel on suspicion of inciting terror and identifying with a terrorist organization, according to local reports.
Earlier on Monday, it was reported that Mirvat al-Azzeh, who lives in East Jerusalem, was jailed by Israeli authorities Thursday for allegedly sharing four recent Facebook posts regarding Hamas’ sneak attack on Israel on Oct. 7.
It’s unclear what al-Azzeh, 45, wrote in those posts, though police described them at a hearing at the Jerusalem Magistrate Court as “inciting and glorying the horrible acts committed against civilians,” per the Jerusalem Post.
NBC, owned by Comcast, said Monday it has cut ties with the journalist.
“Before we recently retained Marwat Azza for services as a freelance producer, we were not aware of her personal social media activity that provided the basis for the Israeli investigation,” an NBC spokesperson told The Post, using an alternate spelling of her name.
Her arrest comes as other mainstream US outlets have sparked outrage over relying on journalists who have expressed antisemitic sentiments in the past.
The New York Times recently rehired a Hitler-praising filmmaker to cover the Israel-Hamas war.
Soliman Hijjy — who hailed the Nazi leader as recently as 2018 in a post on Facebook — boasted a byline at the Times nearly every day between Oct. 12 and Oct. 19, reporting from Gaza.
Additional reporting by Shannon Thaler | Middle East Politics |
Giorgia Meloni to be keynote speaker at Budapest Demographic Summit
August 29. 2023. – 09:46 AM
updated
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will be one of the keynote speakers at the upcoming Budapest Demographic Summit in mid-September, President Katalin Novák announced on her Facebook page. According to the announcement, Meloni had accepted her invitation to speak at the conference.
The event, officially known as the Budapest Demographic Summit, will be held for the fifth time between 14-16 September and is one of Hungary's biggest international conferences, Novák said in her post. The conference has been held every two years, with the first one organised in 2015.
Giorgia Meloni is one of Viktor Orbán's main allies in Europe. When she was elected Italy's prime minister, he congratulated her by saying it was "A more than deserved victory" and, when the new Italian government was inaugurated, the Hungarian Prime Minister tweeted that it was: "A great day for the European right." Despite this, there has so far been no visible cooperation between the leaders of the two countries, who have markedly different views on the war between Russia and Ukraine, which we discussed in a detailed analysis in the spring.
For more quick, accurate and impartial news from and about Hungary, subscribe to the Telex English newsletter! | Europe Politics |
600 Americans are estimated to be trapped in Gaza, including a Massachusetts family
LEILA FADEL, HOST:
In the first few days of the war between Israel and Hamas, Wafaa Abuzayda, an American and a mother, made a plea from the Gaza Strip on this program to the U.S. government.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)
WAFAA ABUZAYDA: Please, please save us. Please. I have a 1 1/2 year. I got him after six times of IVF. Please, save us. Please.
FADEL: Today, more than two weeks into this war, the Massachusetts resident is still trapped inside the besieged Palestinian enclave with her baby, Yousef Okal, and her husband, Abood Okal. They are among an estimated 1,700 people with European and U.S. citizenships trapped in the Gaza Strip, along with more than 2.3 million Palestinians who don't hold foreign passports, living under constant Israeli bombardment with no way to escape. They're running out of food and clean water. Over the last two weeks, they've updated us on their efforts to try to get out. Here's Abood Okal.
ABOOD OKAL: This marks the third day that we've attempted to cross based on instructions from the State Department, which has become extremely unacceptable right now. The way that American citizens are being treated in Gaza is just a shame on this government and on the State Department, with all its mighty power and influence.
FADEL: After this message, he waited two more hours. The crossing never opened. He tried again on another day that the State Department told him the border might open for American citizens. It never did. They're sleeping 10 minutes away so they can rush over. But even this far south away from the northern border with Israel, it's not safe. The border crossing itself has been hit at least four times. Last Thursday, Abuzayda sent us this.
ABUZAYDA: Two minutes ago, our neighbors have just got bombed. And Yousef was sleeping next to the window - literally next to the window - and the window broke. We're not safe here because we just heard the ground invasion, it's going to be any moment. And I don't know what to say. I don't know what to say.
FADEL: That constant buzzing you hear in the background, they say it's Israeli drones. And they say it's what they hear all day and night, along with the booms of the airstrikes. Okal says he fears the day will come that they get hit.
OKAL: All it takes is one missile, one airstrike to miss its target or be too close to where you are. And that has happened before.
FADEL: Since the Hamas attack that killed at least 1,400 Israelis, the majority civilians, at least 6,500 Palestinians have been killed in retaliatory Israeli airstrikes, according to the health ministry in Gaza. Upward of 2,700 of the dead are children. This is Okal updating us yesterday.
OKAL: We're trying to stay strong, but we cannot help but feel hopeless and abandoned, given it's been 18 days and yet no concrete help from the State Department to get us out of Gaza.
FADEL: They're sheltering in a single-family home with 40 other people, many American citizens, including a 2-month-old.
OKAL: My parents in their 70s are sleeping on the floor. We share mattresses or give mattresses to those that are older, and the rest of us just sleep on bare floor. Yet we feel fortunate every morning that we wake up and we have lived for another day. But it's becoming increasingly harder and harder to find hope.
FADEL: Abuzayda and Okal's baby, Yousef, isn't sleeping. They're trying to distract him from the wrath of the war. They've been rationing milk to keep him fed, but now...
OKAL: Unfortunately, yesterday, we ran out of milk for him. We opened the last box. And basically tonight, we would be completely out. It would be his first night ever in his entire life to go to sleep without having milk.
FADEL: To send us these latest messages, Okal stood in an open field. It is the only place he could find cell reception and even this act is a risk.
OKAL: The fear from my wife, as well as other family members that are staying with us, that they're afraid that I would be targeted while making one of these phone calls for being mistaken as a scout out for Hamas or whoever else. So even making a phone call is becoming extremely dangerous.
FADEL: When we couldn't get back through after these voice memos on Wednesday morning, we reached out to their lawyer, Sammy Nabulsi. He's Boston-based. He says they're eating tuna or fava beans from cans if they can find them. For a day, they drink salt water out of a well to stay hydrated.
The State Department recently said that Hamas is blocking the exit. Is that something that the facts on the ground bear out?
SAMMY NABULSI: No, not at all. We know it's untrue for two reasons, one is Abood sent me photographs, because he was standing there all day. He sent me photographs because I kept asking, why aren't you able to get through? What's going on? How is it that cars and vehicles are coming in and people aren't going out? The only thing standing between these citizens and safety in Egypt is just a physical gate. There are no militants. There's no army, there's no officers, no government official standing there with them. It's just people waiting to cross the gate. The only officials are Egyptian guards on the other side communicating to Abood and anyone else that asks that they still don't have any instruction to open the gate.
The second reason that it's not true is after this whole day of events, I reached out to the State Department and I asked them what happened. They didn't tell me that Hamas was there blocking people. They said that they were still working out a three-way agreement between Israel, Egypt and the de facto authorities. And then they continued to say, we are close to agreement with two, and we're working the third very hard. They didn't tell me who was who under that scenario, but what was clear is they still didn't have an agreement from any party involved.
FADEL: Are you, as their lawyer, surprised that more than two weeks into this war, they're still stuck, these residents of Massachusetts, U.S. citizens who were supposed to be there on a short vacation and who can't get out?
NABULSI: Going into this, my firm belief has been that a citizen is a citizen is a citizen. It does not matter which side of the wall that you are on. The United States should have been doing and had the responsibility to do everything it could to ensure the safety and security of every American citizen over there in Israel and in Gaza, and they didn't do that. They didn't do that for the people in Gaza. And since then, it has been abundantly clear that the United States has prioritized aid to a foreign government, the destruction of a foreign territory, and the killing of foreign civilians all over the safety and security of American citizens.
President Biden traveled to Israel, gave a speech, came back, gave a primetime speech the very next day asking for more aid, and not in any of those meetings or in any of those speeches did the issue of American citizens in Gaza come up. This family feels completely abandoned. I'm shocked that not only are they not home, but as of today, the United States still doesn't even have a departure option or a timeline for any of them to get out safely.
FADEL: Sammy Nabulsi, a lawyer who represents Wafaa Abuzayda, Abood Okal and their child, who are stuck and trapped in Gaza. Thank you so much for your time.
NABULSI: Thank you for telling their story.
(SOUNDBITE OF JAMES HEATHER'S "BALANCE")
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. | Middle East Politics |
One of Australia's most prominent Indigenous leaders, Noel Pearson, has accused Liberal leader Peter Dutton of rejecting the Voice to Parliament for his own political gain, after the federal party determined to go against its state colleagues and campaign against the Voice in a referendum.
Key points:
- Noel Pearson says on the eve of Passover, Peter Dutton has committed a "Judas betrayal" of the Voice
- The Indigenous leader says the Voice can succeed without the support of the Liberals
- The only remaining Liberal in government has confirmed he will not follow Mr Dutton to oppose the Voice
Mr Pearson, who sits on the government's referendum working group and was an architect of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, said he had a sleepless night after the Liberal Party's decision.
"I was troubled by dreams, and the spectre of the Dutton Liberal Party's Judas betrayal of our country," Mr Pearson said.
"They have had 11 years of power to work on a proper proposal for recognition, and the decision they have taken yesterday is a very poor outcome of 11 years of power.
Mr Pearson likened Mr Dutton to "an undertaker, preparing the grave to bury Uluru", referring to the statement made by a conference of Indigenous representatives in 2017 that first proposed a constitutional change to introduce a Voice to Parliament.
He said Mr Dutton's decision was more about "Liberal vs Labor" than what was good for Indigenous Australians.
But Mr Pearson remained firm that Australian people would rise to the occasion to support constitutional recognition and enshrine the First Nations advisory body into the constitution.
"It lies in their hands now," Mr Pearson said.
"There's something less than 70 Liberal votes in the federal parliament in the referendum ... and we're talking about 18 million votes of Australians, ordinary Australians, it's those votes that are going to determine the outcome of this referendum, not 70 miserable votes on the opposition benches."
Labor says Voice should not be about politicians
The federal Liberal Party on Wednesday went against its state branches, who are in support of the Voice, to side with the Nationals in opposing it.
Mr Dutton labelled the proposal the "Canberra Voice", saying it was the work of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, not of Indigenous people.
Senator Malarndirri McCarthy, the assistant minister for Indigenous Australians, said the government had work to do to bring more awareness on the Voice, but that its success did not depend on politicians.
"It certainly doesn't happen when the emphasis is always on Canberra and the politicians in Canberra ... this is not just about a Voice of the Prime Minister, as Peter Dutton has wanted to play here, this is about the First Nations people who gathered at Uluru after much dialogue across the country," Senator McCarthy said.
Mr Albanese said the Voice was not about him, and it was not about Mr Dutton.
"It's about whether we recognise Indigenous Australians in our Constitution and about whether we listen to them. That is what this is about," Mr Albanese said.
"This is about whether we as a country can be optimistic, can be enlarged, can come to terms with the fullness and richness of our history, can express our pride in sharing this continent with the oldest continuous culture on earth, or whether we shrink in on ourselves."
The request to enshrine a First Nations Voice in the constitution was the first request of Indigenous leaders in their 2017 petition to change the constitution, known as the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
sharing this continent with the oldest continuous culture on earth, or whether we shrink in on ourselves.
The Uluru Statement was the culmination of Referendum Council meetings with more than 1,200 Indigenous people, and a four-day First Nations convention held at Uluru.
The form of wording Mr Albanese has proposed was recommended by the government's First Nations referendum working group, which is comprised of senior representatives from across the country including Mr Pearson, as well as the former minister for Indigenous affairs Ken Wyatt.
Mr Albanese said on Wednesday that the Opposition Leader's comments diminished the "extraordinary" amount of work done by Indigenous people through the process to develop the Voice.
But he has admitted it is a blow to the campaign for the Voice that it will not enjoy bipartisan support.
Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff, who leads the only remaining Liberal government in the country, said he would not follow his Liberal colleagues in rejecting the Voice.
"I recognise and respect there are differing opinions (but) I will campaign vigorously for a Yes vote as I passionately believe it is an important opportunity for all Australians to move forward in unity and understanding," Mr Rockliff told the Australian.
Only eight of the 44 referendums held in Australia's history were carried, and no referendum has succeeded without bipartisan support. | Australia Politics |
SYDNEY, April 19 (Reuters) - Australia said on Wednesday it would introduce new standards targeting vehicle emissions to boost the uptake of electric cars, as it looks to catch up with other developed economies.
Just 3.8% of cars sold in Australia last year were electric, well behind other developed economies such as Britain and Europe, where electric cars made up 15% and 17% of sales, respectively.
The new national electric vehicle strategy will introduce a fuel efficiency standard that will outline how much carbon dioxide a car will produce when running, Energy Minister Chris Bowen said in a news conference.
"Fuel-efficient and electric vehicles are cleaner and cheaper to run - today's announcement is a win-win for motorists," Bowen said in a statement.
Details would be finalised in the coming months, he added.
Apart from Russia, Australia was the only developed country to either not have or be developing fuel efficiency standards, which encourage manufacturers to supply more electric and no-emission vehicles.
Transport is the third largest source of carbon emissions in Australia - one of the world's biggest emitters on a per capita basis. The initiative will help cut the country's emissions by at least 3 million tonnes of carbon by 2030, and over 10 million tonnes by 2035, Bowen said.
The Electric Vehicle Council (EVC) welcomed the move but said Australia must bring in strong standards or "remain the world’s dumping ground for dated, high-emission vehicles," chief executive Behyad Jafari said.
On average, new cars in Australia use 40% more fuel than the European Union and 20% more than the United States, with studies showing the introduction of a fuel efficiency standard could save motorists A$519 ($349) per year, Bowen said.
Greens party leader Adam Bandt said the government's strategy needs to accelerate and needs electric vehicle targets as well as the fuel efficiency standards.
CHARGING DEBATE
Demand for electric vehicles is growing in Australia, although supply has not kept up with demand in the absence of incentives for automakers.
Australia's centre-left Labor government last year flagged plans to introduce new regulations to increase sales of electric cars.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who won power last year on a promise of climate policy reforms, cut taxes for electric vehicles and raised Australia's 2030 target for cutting carbon emissions to a 43% reduction from 2005 levels.
The initiatives came after about a decade of inaction under the previous Liberal government, which set Australia behind all its peers.
Former Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in 2019 that policies to reduce vehicle emissions would "end the weekend", while other critics said it would be a death knell for popular utility vehicles, or utes, used by builders and farmers.
Bowen acknowledged more needs to be done on infrastructure to charge EV cars.
There are about 83,000 EVs on Australian roads and as at December 2022, there were just over 4,900 public chargers located at fewer than 2,400 sites.
"We're way behind the rest of the world again," Bowen said in a radio interview later in the day.
"We are fixing that. We've got a policy of putting in a fast charger once every 150 kilometres on the highway. I'll be saying more about that pretty soon," he said.
($1 = 1.4868 Australian dollars)
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. | Australia Politics |
Ukraine dam: Floods devastate tracts of rich farmland
- By Paul Adams
- BBC News Kyiv, Ukraine
The immediate humanitarian consequences, in flooded homes and displaced civilians, are dramatic enough.
But Ukrainian officials are now warning of serious long-term consequences for agriculture across one of the country's most fertile areas.
The agriculture ministry on Wednesday predicted that fields in southern Ukraine could "turn into deserts as early as next year", as vital irrigation systems, which depend on the vast Kakhovka reservoir, cease to function.
The reservoir is fast disappearing, sending an estimated 4.4 cubic miles of water roaring down the Dnipro River towards the Black Sea.
Before the war, the ministry says, 31 irrigation systems provided water for 584,000 hectares (more than 2,200 sq miles) of farmland.
"The dam was the only source of water for irrigation," First Deputy Minister Taras Vysotsky told me.
"The dam and the pumping station in it were needed for us to take this water and deliver it. This is now destroyed. If farmers are going to have water lines, it should be built again from the beginning."
The Kherson region is among Ukraine's most fertile and productive.
Apart from its famous watermelons, the rich farmland either side of the Dnipro River produces a host of different crops, from onions and tomatoes to sunflowers, soybeans and wheat. Dairy farms are also likely to be affected.
Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine, including Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, may see some of the worst impacts.
The flooding along the Russian-controlled southern shore of the Dnipro is significantly worse than on the Ukrainian-held northern side.
Further afield, Crimea - an arid peninsula which depends heavily on Dnipro water, may see its supplies dry up altogether.
A canal carrying water to Crimea exits the river at Nova Kakhovka, just above the dam. Once the reservoir is drained, it's unlikely any water will reach the canal.
Russian officials say the flow along the canal has already dropped significantly, and use this as evidence to bolster their claim that Ukraine, not Russia, was behind the dam's collapse.
Given Moscow's record of falsehoods around virtually every aspect of the war so far, such claims deserve to be treated with some scepticism.
How long will it take for this disaster to unfold?
Officials are still trying to assess the vast flow of water through the stricken dam. It's likely that in a few weeks a reservoir first created in 1956, after the dam and adjacent hydroelectric plant were completed, will be a river once more.
Estimating the cost of several years of relying on rainfall, without adequate irrigation, isn't easy. But Mr Vysotsky said it was likely to be between $1bn and $1.5bn (£800m-£1.2bn).
"It could take up to five years to repair [the dam]," he told me, "or rebuild it again from the start. So if we're losing $1.5bn for five years, we can calculate that the sector would lose around $7bn.
Even before the cost of the current losses is calculated, international markets have taken note. The flooding helped to trigger a sharp rise in global wheat prices.
But it's not just agriculture that's going to be affected by this manmade disaster.
Without the reservoir, this morning's statement from the agriculture ministry said: "Not only farmers and water users will suffer, but also the sources of drinking water supply in populated areas."
Officials are scrambling to figure out ways of getting potable water to towns and villages where the taps have run dry.
Another consequence of the flooding that residents along the swollen river are already starting to see - and smell - is pollution.
When the dam and hydroelectric plant collapsed, tons of engine oil and other chemicals were dumped into the gushing water.
"Although it will take weeks to understand the full impact… we can already see pollution in the area is very high," Sofia Sadogurska, climate and policy expert at the civil society organisation Ecoaction Ukraine, told the BBC.
"Both from the hydroelectric power station itself and from secondary pollutants in areas. Every city has its own sewage system."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called it "an environmental bomb of mass destruction". The country's prosecutor general's office said it was investigating a possible crime of "ecocide."
After more than a year of horrors inflicted by Russia's unprovoked invasion, Ukrainian officials have greeted this latest setback with a kind of grim resignation.
"The whole war is a disaster," Mr Vysotsky said. "Unfortunately we've had disasters since February 2022. In many places, from the smallest to the biggest possible."
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Polish politician ‘marries’ partner in symbolic wedding to call for marriage equality
Two politicians in Poland have called for equal marriage to be legalised in the country after “marrying” in a symbolic ceremony.
Robert Biedroń, the leader of the Spring party and a member of the European Parliament, ‘wed’ his partner, lawyer and politician Krzysztof Śmiszek, as part of a play touring Poland.
Both Biedroń, who served as the mayor of the Polish city of Słupsk from 2014-18, and Śmiszek have used the event to call for equal marriage in the country.
“I performed hundreds of weddings as the mayor of Słupsk, but this was the first time I stood on the other side,” Biedroń wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
“After 23 years in a relationship, it’s a beautiful feeling that needs to be shared. That’s why we should do everything so that two adults can experience a wedding whenever they want. Because love is love.”
Śmiszek added on Instagram that parliamentary elections will be held on 15 October, and that left-wing parties will be pushing for marriage equality.
“What a wedding,” he wrote. “There were nerves and emotions, but there was also anger that in 2023, in the middle of Europe, two people who love each other are not recognised by their country… that instead of respect and dignity, hundreds of thousands of people in Poland receive contempt.”
According to Notes from Poland, the ceremony was performed as part of a play, Spartacus: Love in the Time of Cholera.
The play reportedly explores life for LGBTQ+ people in Poland, which was ranked as one of the worst countries in Europe for the queer community this year.
Each performance ends with the wedding of a different LGBTQ+ couple, with an actress conducting the ceremony. Some couples take these symbolic weddings seriously, inviting loved ones and celebrating afterwards.
In recent years, Poland has come under fire for passing a number of anti-LGBTQ+ laws, as well as failing to implement equal rights laws, including same-sex marriage.
In January 2022, the lower house of the Polish parliament, the Sejm, passed education reforms effectively ending the LGBTQ+-inclusive curriculum. This was compounded by a further vote in February with aimed at “punishing” LGBTQ+ youth and allies.
Slow progress is being made, with several municipalities agreeing to scrap the “LGBTQ+ free” zones that were implemented in 2020. In November last year, despite not allowing same-sex marriage or civil unions, Poland did agree to recognise foreign same-sex unions.
Polish opposition leader Donald Tusk has promised that if his centrist party is voted in at the next election, he will introduce a number of measures to improve the lives of the country’s LGBTQ+ community.
During a meeting last month, former president of the European Council Tusk claimed his party has two bills prepared that would benefit the LGBTQ+ community. One aims to make it easier for trans people to self-identify, and the other would legally recognise same-sex civil partnerships.
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MyPinkNews members are invited to comment on articles to discuss the content we publish, or debate issues more generally. Please familiarise yourself with our community guidelines to ensure that our community remains a safe and inclusive space for all. | Europe Politics |
Gabon's new ruler General Brice Oligui Nguema, on Monday, September 11, appointed former opposition leaders and stalwarts of the ousted regime to both houses of parliament.
The general, proclaimed president for a transition period, led a bloodless coup against President Ali Bongo Ondimba on August 30. Moments before, Bongo, whose family ruled the West African state for 55 years, had been declared the winner of a presidential election that the army and opposition declared fraudulent.
Oligui has promised to return the country to civilian rule with elections after a transitional period without setting a date. He has set up a broad transitional government under new prime minister Raymond Ndong Sima, a Paris-educated economist who served as prime minister for Bongo from 2012 to 2014 before running against him in the 2016 and 2023 presidential campaigns.
The new Senate will be led by Paulette Missambo, one of Bongo's leading rivals at the election and head of the National Union party, said an Oligui decree read out on state television. Jean-Francois Ndongou, who held numerous ministerial posts under the Bongo family's decades in power, will be the speaker of the transitional National Assembly.
Four vice presidents – army officers, politicians who opposed and supported Bongo, and civil society figures – were named for each house. Oligui is also expected to appoint 70 members of the Assembly and 50 of the Senate.
The new government Ndong Sima presented on Saturday includes military figures and ex-ministers who served under ousted Bongo but none of the leading opposition figures. Oligui has also promised a new constitution to be adopted by referendum and a new electoral code. | Africa politics |
The U.S. said Monday that after Hamas' assault on Israel last month, it and several allied nations established an international task force aimed at countering the flow of money to the militant Palestinian group and supporting anti-terrorism efforts.
The take
Since 1,200 people were killed in the October 7 attack, the U.S., U.K. and allies have sought to cut off funding for Hamas, which has been designated a terrorist group by Washington and other governments.
Context
The task force will enhance sharing of financial intelligence on terrorist-financing-related matters and will discuss best practices and opportunities for additional actions and partnerships, the U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement.
It will also strengthen relations between the financial intelligence units (FIUs), public authorities and the private sector to address the threat, the statement said.
The task force is made up of financial intelligence units from Australia, Canada, Estonia, France, Germany, Israel, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Switzerland, the U.K. and the U.S., as well as other units.
Since the October 7 attack, Washington has imposed several rounds of sanctions on Hamas. It has targeted the group's investment portfolio and issued an alert to financial institutions on countering Hamas financing while senior officials have discussed the group's access to funds on trips abroad.
Key quote
"The October 7 terror attacks on Israel served as a grave reminder of a core mission of our FIUs: to detect, disrupt and prevent the financing of terrorism," the statement said. | Middle East Politics |
Rightwing extremist and anti-democratic attitudes are becoming increasingly widespread in Germany, according to a study examining the public’s political views.
Commissioned by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, which is closely affiliated with the Social Democratic party, the study showed that 8% of the population had a distinctly rightwing extremist view of the world, a rise of between 5% and 6% on previous studies, while the “centre middle” was becoming “ever more receptive to misanthropic positions”.
The findings also showed that an increase, to 6% of those questioned, advocated social Darwinist views, agreeing with the statement “there are worthy and unworthy lives”, up from 2% to 3% since 2014.
More people than in previous studies – 15.5% – considered themselves to be “right of centre”, while 55% saw themselves as “exactly in the centre”, compared with 60% or above in the previous decade.
Those desirous of a single-party and authoritarian led state (the word used in the study was führer), rose from between 2% and 4% in 2014 to 2021, to 6% now.
The 400-page study, carried out by researchers at the University of Bielefeld, questioned 2,000 people at the start of 2023, who represent a cross-section of the population.
An increasing number said they saw the need for Germany to put itself first in national matters, with 16% saying they would like the country to have a “stronger sense of national identity” led by politicians whose priority it should be to ensure Germany has its fair share of “power and prestige”.
Less than 60% said they had faith in democracy and institutions, with 20% – a rise of 4% – believing in the statement “our country increasingly resembles a dictatorship rather than a democracy”, while almost a third said the statement “the governing parties are deceiving the people” rang true, and a similar number said they believed that politicians and the media were “in bed together”.
More than a third believe that refugees came to Germany only in order to exploit its social welfare system, while 16.5% accused Jewish people of wanting to “take advantage” of the Nazi past – despite the fact that 6 million Jews were murdered by the Nazis. Other parts of the study showed further antisemitic positions, or at the very least ambivalence over the issue.
There were further indications of a rise in intolerance, denigration and prejudice, the authors said.
Seventeen per cent said they considered the “identity of trans people” to be “contemptible”, while 11% said women should “reflect once again on their roles as wives and mothers”.
The study was first published in 2006 and is carried out every two years. | Europe Politics |
PESHAWAR, Pakistan — A suicide bomber struck Monday inside a mosque within a police compound in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar, killing at least 28 people and wounding as many as 150 worshippers, most of them policemen, officials said.
The bombing drew nationwide condemnation from opposition political parties and government officials. Ghulam Ali, the provincial governor in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where Peshawar is the capital, said there were fears the death toll could rise even further.
Most of the casualties were police officers, as the targeted mosque is located within a sprawling compound that also serves as the city’s police headquarters. Police said between 300 to 350 worshippers were inside the mosque when the bomber detonated his explosives.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing, said Saddique Khan, a senior police official in Peshawar, but the Pakistani Taliban have been blamed in similar suicide attacks in the past.
The police compound is located in a high-security zone in Peshawar, along with several government buildings, and it was unclear how the bomber managed to penetrate so deep inside the zone unnoticed.
The impact of the explosion collapsed the roof of the mosque, which caved in and injured many, according to Zafar Khan, a local police officer.
A survivor, 38-year-old police officer Meena Gul, said he was inside the mosque when the bomb went off. He said he doesn’t know how he survived unhurt. He could hear cries and screams after the bomb exploded, Gul said.
Rescuers scrambled trying to remove mounds of debris from the mosque grounds and get to worshippers still trapped under the rubble, police said. At a nearby hospital, many of the wounded were listed in critical condition as the casualty toll rose.
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif in a statement condemned the bombing, and ordered authorities to ensure the best possible medical treatment for the victims. He also vowed “stern action” against those who were behind the attack.
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan also condemned the bombing, calling it a “terrorist suicide attack” in a Twitter post. “My prayers & condolences go to victims families,” said the ex-premier. “It is imperative we improve our intelligence gathering & properly equip our police forces to combat the growing threat of terrorism.”
Peshawar has been the scene of frequent militant attacks. The Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, are separate from but closely allied with the Afghan Taliban, who seized power in neighboring Afghanistan in August 2021 as U.S. and NATO troops were in the final stages of their pullout from the country after 20 years of war.
The TTP has waged an insurgency in Pakistan over the past 15 years, fighting for stricter enforcement of Islamic laws in the country, the release of their members who are in government custody and a reduction of the Pakistani military presence in the country’s former tribal regions.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant attacks since November, when the Pakistani Taliban ended their cease-fire with government forces.
The truce ended as Pakistan was still contending with last summer’s unprecedented flooding that killed 1,739 people, destroyed more than 2 million homes, and at one point submerged as much as one third of the country. The flood damages totaled more than $30 billion and authorities are now, months later, still struggling to arrange tents, shelter and food for the survivors.
Cash-strapped Pakistan is currently also facing one of the worst economic crises and is seeking a crucial installment of $1.1 billion from the International Monetary Fund — part of its $6 billion bailout package — to avoid default. Talks with the IMF on reviving the bailout have stalled in recent months.
Sharif’s government came to power last April after Imran Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote in Parliament. Khan has since campaigned for early elections, claiming his ouster was illegal and part of a plot backed by the United States. Washington and Sharif have dismissed Khan’s claims. | Asia Politics |
SEOUL, Sept 25 (Reuters) - North Korea on Monday slammed South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for criticising its cooperation with Moscow following leader Kim Jong Un's Russia visit, saying it is "natural" and "normal" for neighbours to keep close relations.
Yoon, speaking at the U.N. General Assembly last week, said that if Russia helped North Korea enhance its weapons programmes in return for assistance for its war in Ukraine, it would be "a direct provocation."
In a piece carried by KCNA news agency, the North denounced Yoon for "malignantly" slandering its friendly cooperation with Russia, and said Yoon was serving as a "loudspeaker" for the United States.
"It is quite natural and normal for neighbouring countries to keep close relations with each other, and there is no reason to call such practice to account," it said.
Kim returned home last week from a week-long trip to Russia in which he and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to boost military and economic cooperation.
U.S. and South Korean officials have expressed concern that Russia could be trying to acquire ammunition from the North to supplement its dwindling stocks for the war in Ukraine while Pyongyang seeks technological help for its nuclear and missile programmes.
Any activities assisting North Korea's weapons programmes are banned under U.N. Security Council resolutions.
"The foreign policy of the DPRK ... will not be tied to anything, and its friendly and cooperative relations with the close neighbours will continue to grow stronger," the commentary said. DPRK is the initials of the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Reporting by Soo-hyang Choi; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. | Asia Politics |
- Ukrainian commandos on jet skis conducted a mission to damage a Russian electronic warfare station in Crimea.
- Members of the group told The Times of London how they carried out their covert and daring mission.
- The group had also been tasked with flying a Ukrainian flag on the peninsula for the first time in a decade.
A unit of Ukrainian commandos traveled covertly across the Black Sea on jet skis in a daring raid on a Russian electronic warfare station in Crimea, a report says.
A group of about 20 soldiers from the Brotherhood Battalion carried out the mission on Ukraine's Independence Day, August 24, The Times of London reported.
Each jet ski carried two Ukrainian frogmen and traveled 125 miles across the sea to reach the peninsula.
"Our first target was an electronic warfare station so powerful not even a compass could work within 20 miles of the shore," Borghese, the battalion commander who coordinated the mission on the day, told The Times.
The electronic warfare station had thwarted drone strikes and tracked British Storm Shadow missiles.
Levan, the second in command of the elite special forces regiment the Timur group, told The Times that he spent two weeks practicing the journey on a jet ski before their mission.
While the unit approached the peninsula, five Ukrainian support ships fired at Russian positions as a diversion tactic, per The Times.
The original plan was to place explosives at the site before leaving, but the soldiers were spotted and had to resort to their backup plan, and instead struck it with anti-tank weapons and rocket-propelled grenades, Borghese told The Times.
The commandos need to be "battle swimmers" with a "belief in God"
The Timur group had also been tasked by Ukraine's spy chief Kyrylo Budanov, to raise a Ukrainian flag on the peninsula for the first time in nearly a decade, The Times reported.
At the time, Ukraine's intelligence agency GUR said that a successful mission had been carried out which involved destroying enemy equipment, and said that the "state flag flew again in the Ukrainian Crimea."
After the attack, Russian forces chased the Ukrainian soldiers using warplanes and Raptor patrol boats, prompting a rapid and dramatic evacuation.
"It was a battle for several hours of all these modern defense systems and aviation," Levan said.
The unit's name refers to a religious aspect of its mission. Its recruitment posters appeal for "battle swimmers" with a "belief in God," The Times said.
Targeting Crimea
Levan claims that his group's mission was the catalyst for the following attacks.
"I'm proud of my guys, the courage of our fighters and their incredible physical training. You can see that after we landed on the peninsula, a lot of interesting things started to happen there. I can tell you that this mission triggered all of this. It worked to make the enemy more vulnerable," said Levan.
"We now have the means to plan and execute even larger operations. There's a lot more to come." | Europe Politics |
An unknown assailant on Monday forcibly entered the residence of a local Congress leader in Punjab’s Moga district and fatally shot him. While cops not divulged who killed the leader, there are reports that Khalistani activists are behind the act.
A purported CCTV footage captured the attacker firing at Baljinder Singh Balli (45) before hastily making his escape. The tragic incident unfolded in Balli’s hometown of Dalla.
Hours after the fatal shooting, a Canada-based Khalistani terrorist, Arsh Dalla, claimed responsibility of the attack in a Facebook post.
Despite being rushed to a hospital, Balli ultimately succumbed to his injuries, according to law enforcement officials. Senior Superintendent of Police J Elanchezhian, along with other officers, promptly visited the scene, stating that the investigation was actively underway.
Balli held the position of party president for the Ajitwal block in Moga district.
Senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa and Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring unequivocally denounced the heinous act.
“In a harrowing incident, the Congress president from Ajitwal block of district Moga, Baljinder Singh Balli (45) was shot dead at his residence today. I condemn this incident in the strongest possible terms. My heart goes out to the family of the victim,” Bajwa wrote on social media site X.
In a harrowing incident, the Congress president from Ajitwal block of district Moga, Baljinder Singh Balli (45) was shot dead at his residence today. I condemn this incident in the strongest possible terms. My heart goes out to the family of the victim.Ever since @AAPPunjab… pic.twitter.com/Tu922DQfEF— Partap Singh Bajwa (@Partap_Sbajwa) September 18, 2023
“Ever since @AAPPunjab formed the government in Punjab, the law and order situation has collapsed completely. Gun crime in the state has been on the rise. CM @BhagwantMann, who also holds the home portfolio is directly responsible for the deteriorating law and order situation in the state. @AAPPunjab govt must swing to action and arrest the culprits. Otherwise, Punjab Congress will launch a struggle for the same," added Bajwa. | India Politics |
Russian cruise missiles destroyed farm storage buildings in the Odesa region early Friday, Ukrainian officials said, as the Kremlin’s forces expanded their targets following three days of bombardment of the region's Black Sea port infrastructure.
Other Russian missiles damaged what officials described only as an “important infrastructure facility” southwest of the port city of Odesa, in what appeared to be part of an ongoing effort to cripple Ukraine’s food exports.
Attacks in recent days have put Odesa in Russia’s crosshairs after Moscow abandoned a wartime deal that allowed Ukraine to send grain through the key Black Sea port.
In the attack on the storage site, two of the low-flying cruise missiles hit initially and started a blaze, and then another struck during firefighting efforts, regional Gov. Oleh Kiper said. The barrage injured two people, damaged equipment and destroyed 100 metric tons of peas and 20 metric tons of barley, Kiper said.
Russia targeted Ukrainian critical grain export infrastructure after vowing to retaliate for an attack that damaged a crucial bridge between Russia and the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula.
“The enemy is continuing terror, and it’s undoubtedly related to the grain deal,” said Natalia Humeniuk, a spokeswoman for the Ukrainian military’s Operational Command South.
Both Russia and Ukraine have announced that they will treat ships traveling to each other’s Black Sea ports as potential military targets.
The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said the recent strikes against port and grain infrastructure and threats of escalation at sea “are likely a part of a Kremlin effort to leverage Russia’s exit from the Black Sea Grain Initiative and exact extensive concessions from the West.”
In Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Western countries should address Russia’s demands in order to restore the Black Sea grain corridor.
“Russia has some expectations. If these are overcome, Russia is in favor of the active work of this grain corridor,” said Erdogan, who helped negotiate the deal. “We know that (Putin) has some expectations from Western countries. Western countries need to take action on this issue.”
He reiterated he would talk to Putin by phone and hoped to meet him in Turkey next month.
In comments reported by state-run news agency Anadolu and other media, Erdogan warned that end of the grain initiative would raise global food prices, increase famine and unleash new waves of migration.
The Russian Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said the navy conducted drills that simulated action to seal off a section of the Black Sea. In the maneuvers, a missile boat fired anti-ship cruise missiles at a mock target.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, meantime, repeated his claim that Ukraine’s much-anticipated counteroffensive is failing, although he offered no evidence.
Putin, whose authority was shaken last month by a short-lived rebellion from a Russian mercenary force, told a meeting of his Security Council that the Ukrainian military has suffered massive losses and the West is struggling to maintain supplies of weapons and ammunition.
Putin also spoke provocatively about Poland, alleging that Warsaw has formed a special military unit to ensure security in western Ukraine and has plans to meddle in Kyiv’s affairs.
In other developments, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the resignation of the country’s culture minister, suggesting the ministry’s spending was misguided during wartime.
“Paving stones, city decorations, and fountains can wait till after the victory,” he said.
The move follows recent scandals involving local authorities, such as the repair of a cobblestone road in central Kyiv and renovation of a fountain in a city in western Ukraine city.
Zelenskyy also fired the Ukrainian ambassador to the United Kingdom, Vadym Prystaiko, who was also ambassador to the International Maritime Organization. He gave no reason, but Prystaiko had publicly criticized the president on occasions. | Europe Politics |
A U.S. national crossed into said Tuesday.and was believed to be in the custody of the country's forces, the United Nations Command, which operates the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea,
"A U.S. National on a JSA orientation tour crossed, without authorization, the Military Demarcation Line into the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). We believe he is currently in DPRK custody and are working with our KPA counterparts to resolve this incident."
Local media said a foreign tourist who was visiting the Military Demarcation Line crossed over at 3:27 p.m. local time (7:27 a.m. Eastern).
A person who said they witnessed the event and was part of the same tour group told CBS News they had just visited one of the buildings at the site when "this man gives out a loud 'ha ha ha,' and just runs in between some buildings."
The witness said the event organizers and others on the tour didn't immediately react to the man's actions.
"I thought it was a bad joke at first, but when he didn't come back, I realized it wasn't a joke, and then everybody reacted and things got crazy."
The witness said there were no North Korean soldiers visible where the man ran, and that they were told there haven't been since the coronavirus pandemic, when the North attempted to completely seal its borders to the outside world.
They said after the man ran across the border, the tour group was rushed back to the Freedom House for everyone to give statements and then taken to their bus.
"I'm telling you this because it actually hit me quite hard," the witness said. "It was on the way back in the bus, and we got to one of the checkpoints.... Someone said we were 43 going in and 42 coming back."
The demilitarized zone that separates North and South Korea is one of the most heavily militarized borders in the world. The two Koreas remain technically at war, as fighting in the Korean War ended in 1953 with an armistice agreement, not a full peace treaty. The United States has maintained a large troop presence in South Korea ever since.
Tension between the isolated North Korean regime of Kim Jong Un and the U.S., along with America's key Asian allies South Korea and Japan, has soared over the last decade. After a false start at diplomacy under former President Donald Trump, the North has carried out a steady litany of missile and rocket tests — most of which are condemned by the West as violations of United Nations Security Council resolutions.
U.S. officials have made it clear they expect North Korea to carry out a new test of a nuclear weapon at any point, which would be a significant escalation of what the West considers Kim's provocations.
North Korea, on the other hand, regularly warns the U.S. against holding joint military exercises with South Korea, which it claims are rehearsals for an invasion.
The border incident on Tuesday came as the U.S. military confirmed the arrival in a South Korean port of the nuclear-armed submarine USS Kentucky. The visit was the first by a U.S. nuclear submarine to South Korea in four decades, and while it was announced in advance, North Korea was likely to claim it as another American provocation.
South Korea's Defense Minister Lee Jong-Sup said the sub's visit highlighted Washington's commitment to the "extended deterrence" of the threat posed by North Korea.
The nuclear-armed sub sitting in the port of Busan "shows the allies' overwhelming capability and posture against North Korea," Lee said.
About a week ago, Kim Jong Un's powerful sister and top adviser Kim Yo Jong warned the U.S. that any perceived reinforcement of the American commitment to defend South Korea would prompt the North to "go farther away from the negotiating table."
She said North Korea was ready "for resolutely countering any acts of violating its sovereignty and territorial integrity," and warned the U.S. to "stop its foolish act of provoking (the North) even by imperiling its security."
CBS News' Emmet Lyons and Tucker Reals contributed to this report.
for more features. | Asia Politics |
Armed settlers entered Burqa, a herding village east of the city of Ramallah, late Friday, shooting and killing 19-year-old Qusai Matan, Palestinian health officials said.
Israeli media reported that one of the arrested settlers, who remained unnamed, used to work as an aide for a lawmaker of the far-right Israeli “Jewish Power” party which is in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition of ultranationalist and ultraorthodox parties in the Israeli parliament.
It includes Itamar Ben-Gvir, a pro-settlement firebrand known for hardline positions against Palestinians.
The party couldn’t be reached for comment.
Police said they arrested two settlers after detaining five for questioning. The other settler who was arrested was hospitalized after sustaining injuries Friday night. Authorities did not elaborate on the charges.
The army said that Israeli settlers arrived in the area to herd sheep, leading to clashes between Israelis and Palestinians from the village. Both sides hurled rocks at each other, the army said, and Israelis fired at Palestinians, leaving Matai dead and four Palestinians and several Israelis injured by rocks.
he village was closed down and more Israeli troops were stationed in the area surrounding it.
Palestinian officials said the settlers also burned two cars in the village. They also called for the perpetrators to be punished.
Violence has spiraled in the northern West Bank with the rise of shooting attacks by Palestinian groups against Israelis and daily arrest raids by the Israeli military, and growing attacks by extremist Jewish settlers.
The surge in fighting is one of the worst between Israelis and Palestinians in nearly two decades. More than 150 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the start of 2023 in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, according to a tally by The Associated Press.
Israel says most killed have been militants, but stone-throwing youths protesting army raids and innocent bystanders have also been killed.
At least 26 people have been killed in Palestinian attacks against Israelis so far this year.
Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war, along with the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem. Palestinians seek those territories for their hoped-for independent state. | Middle East Politics |
Ukraine has ordered the mandatory evacuation of all civilians from 37 settlements in the north-east as Russia steps up its attacks there.
The authorities in the Kupiansk district of the Kharkiv region said they had to act because of "constant Russian shelling" in the area.
A woman was killed by shelling in the district on Thursday, Ukraine said.
Russia says its troops have gained some ground in the area. Ukraine says Russian attacks have been rebuffed.
The comments by the two warring sides have not been independently verified.
In a statement, the Kupiansk district authorities said residents of two towns and 35 villages were being evacuated.
"Do not neglect your safety and the safety of your loved ones!" the authorities said.
They said that civilians were being evacuated to "safe regions" of Ukraine.
A resident in Kivsharivka - one of the villages being evacuated - said she was preparing to leave with her children, while her husband wanted to stay to care for his elderly mother.
"It's hard to leave them behind," Anna Koresh, 36, told AFP news agency. "But since it's getting dangerous it's important to take the kids to a safe place," she added.
In its latest briefing, the Russian defence ministry said its assault units in the Kupiansk direction had "improved their position along the front line during offensive operations".
Ukraine's military said its forces "successfully repelled" Russian attacks.
But on Thursday evening a woman was killed and a man was injured when a Russian shell hit a house in the village of Podoly, Kupiansk district, Ukrainian officials said.
The evacuation order is not the first for Kupiansk residents.
In March, children and people "with limited mobility" were ordered to evacuate from Kupiansk city because of an increase in Russian shelling.
Kupiansk - an important transport and logistics regional hub - has witnessed fierce fighting since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022.
Russian troops seized the city in a matter of days - but Ukrainian forces took back control during a rapid counter-attack last September.
Those advances - and the liberation of Ukraine's southern city of Kherson - were the most significant front-line changes since Russia withdrew from areas around the capital Kyiv in April.
Also on Thursday, one person was killed in a Russian attack on a "civilian infrastructure" in Ukraine's southern Zaporizhzhia city, local officials said.
They said another nine people were injured. | Europe Politics |
MELBOURNE, Australia — Japan will spend more than double on defense over the next five years compared to the previous five amid a host of security challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, according to the country’s latest defense whitepaper.
The English version, released July 28, projects Japan will spend $309.75 billion on defense between fiscal 2024 and fiscal 2028, compared with $122.48 billion between fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2023.
This includes $35.62 billion for standoff defense capabilities that Japan only recently started to acquire; the country spent $1.4 million on that effort in the previous five years. These standoff defense efforts include the acquisition of air-launched standoff land-attack missiles such as the Joint Strike Missile for its F-35 fighter jets, a program to extend the range of its Type 12 ground-launched anti-ship missile, and the development of hypersonic weapons.
Japan’s forecast spending also includes $21.37 billion for integrated air and missile defense; the country spent $7.12 billion on that in the previous five years.
The document argues that Japan needs these capabilities “to counter opposing forces from a safe distance without being attacked.”
Projected spending on the integrated air and missile defense system mentioned in the document will likely primarily go toward two Aegis system equipped vessels that Japan plans to build in lieu of the scrapped Aegis Ashore missile defense system.
The ships, which are due to enter service in 2028 and 2029, will feature Lockheed Martin-made SPY-7 radars that Japan originally procured for its Aegis Ashore program. Local news agency Jiji Press previously reported that the vessels will each have 128 vertical launching system cells for missiles.
The whitepaper also said Japan is facing an “increasing diversity and complexity of airborne threats,” such as missiles flying at hypersonic speeds, low altitudes and on irregular trajectories.
Other areas expected to see a large investment boost over the next five years include sustainability and resiliency, as well as cross-domain capabilities. The former encompasses ammunition stockpiles, sustainment and maintenance costs, and improving the resiliency of defense facilities. Funding for that is to jump from $42.73 billion to $106.8 billion.
Spending on cross-domain capabilities is anticipated to increase from $21.4 billion to $56.9 billion as Japan continues investing in the integration of its self-defense forces.
The whitepaper also touched on what it calls “the most severe and complex security environment” since the end of World War II, and warned the country “needs to squarely face the grim reality and fundamentally reinforce its defense capabilities, with a focus on the capabilities of its opponents and new ways of warfare.”
Mike Yeo is the Asia correspondent for Defense News. | Asia Politics |
Negotiating G20 joint communique and language on Ukraine war a 'very difficult' challenge: Canadian sources
Leaders at the G20 have all agreed to a final communique after what Canadian government officials describe as months of “very difficult” negotiations.
Indian Prime Minister Narendar Modi announced the consensus during a G20 session on Saturday afternoon.
“On the back of the hard work of all the teams, we have received consensus on the G20 Leaders Summit Declaration,” Modi announced during the first day of the G20 summit in New Delhi.
Canadian government sources with knowledge of the negotiations — who were not authorized to speak publicly — described the negotiations as a challenge.
“We went into the negotiation knowing it would be difficult and we held as firm as we think we could,” one senior government source said.
At last year’s G20 in Bali, Indonesian President Joko Widodo clinched consensus at the last minute. On Ukraine, largely viewed as the most contentious issue, the Bali Leaders' Declaration states that "most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine and stressed it is causing immense human suffering and exacerbating existing fragilities in the global economy." The declaration also includes a caveat that "there were other views and different assessments of the situation and sanctions."
This year’s 37-page G20 New Delhi Leaders' Declaration includes language surrounding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that appears to take a softer stance than the Bali declaration. Many are calling it a step back since the joint declaration does not condemn Russia and instead calls for the cessation of military destruction or other attacks on relevant infrastructure.
"We call on all states to uphold the principles of international law including territorial integrity and sovereignty, international humanitarian law, and the multilateral system that safeguards peace and stability," the declaration reads.
The India Declaration goes on to say that the use or threat of nuclear weapons is “inadmissible.” However, the only specific reference to Russia is a call to fully and effectively implement the Black Sea initiative to allow for the unimpeded delivery of grain. Russia backed out of the wartime export deal in July after saying its demands on its own agricultural exports had not been met.
"We ... welcome all relevant and constructive initiatives that support a comprehensive, just, and durable peace in Ukraine,” the statement goes on to say.
Canada went in to the negotiations seeking language that was “as strong as possible” while also looking to garner a consensus. However, the negotiations were made more complex by the fact that Russia, and other nations aligned with Russia, have a seat at that table.
While the majority of the countries around the G20 table were expecting strong text around Ukraine, government officials say there are a “number of countries” who felt the G20 is not the place to have “this discussion.” The officials would not say which countries other than Russia\were pushing back against stronger language.
“There are some countries that recognize that we need to talk about it, but want to minimize that discussion,” a Canadian government source said. “Why? Because they don’t want dissension at the table.”
Asked whether the language was strong enough, senior government sources said there is always room for improvement.
“We would always wish it could be stronger,” the senior official said.
With files from The Canadian Press
IN DEPTH
A primer on the policy proposals Conservative grassroots want Poilievre to champion in next election
The Conservative party's upcoming convention in Quebec City is shaping up to become a hub for heated policy debates, as Conservative supporters will be discussing and voting on a series of proposals they'd like to see leader Pierre Poilievre champion in the next election. CTVNews.ca has read through each pitch, here's what you need to know.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife are separating after 18 years of marriage, and while they plan to co-parent their children, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau will no longer be considered the prime minister's spouse in any official capacity.
With a steady lead in the polls and a healthy war chest of political donations, the Conservative Party is rolling out a trio of new advertisements that are being viewed as aiming to redefine and soften Pierre Poilievre's image and messaging.
Trudeau's new House leader wants question period to become an hour Canadians watching can be proud of
If you've tuned in to question period and wondered if that is really how the elected member of Parliament representing you in Ottawa should be acting, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's new House leader is trying to change that.
In a major cabinet shuffle on Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promoted seven rookies to his front bench, dropped seven ministers, and reassigned the majority of cabinet roles. In a ceremony at Rideau Hall, Trudeau orchestrated one of, if not the most consequential reconfigurations to his cabinet since 2015.
Opinion
Probably no other leader, including Justin Trudeau, has landed in a party leadership with less real-world work experience than Pierre Poilievre, says Don Martin in a column for CTVNews.ca. But Poilievre's an able communicator, and this weekend's Conservative convention is a golden opportunity for him to sell himself as PM-in-waiting.
Ego and vanity are a potent combination in leadership politics, and in his exclusive column for CTVNews.ca, Don Martin writes this condition is infecting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's mindset as he seems deadly serious about seeking re-election in 2025.
opinion | Don Martin: I've never seen anything quite like the control-everything regime of Trudeau's government
Voters in four byelections delivered status quo results on Monday that show, if you squint hard enough, that the severely tainted Liberal brand has staying power while the Conservatives aren’t resurging enough to threaten as a majority-government-in-waiting, writes Don Martin in an exclusive column for CTVNews.ca.
Danielle Smith's win in the Alberta election hands her the most starkly divided province confronting any premier in Canada, writes commentator Don Martin.
Special rapporteur David Johnston didn't recommend public inquiry knowing it was a pathetically insufficient response for a foreign democratic assault of this magnitude, writes Don Martin in an exclusive column for CTVNews.ca.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
A Canadian visiting Morocco when a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the North African country on Friday describes scenes of terror and destruction during and in the aftermath of the quake.
A rare, powerful earthquake struck Morocco, sending people racing from their beds into the streets and toppling buildings in mountainous villages and ancient cities not built to withstand such force. More than 1,300 people were killed, and the toll was expected to rise as rescuers struggled Saturday to reach hard-hit remote areas.
Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer insists a Conservative government under Pierre Poilievre will commit to balancing the budget, eliminating the deficit, and helping bring down interest rates, but he won't say how long it will take to accomplish those goals.
Negotiating G20 joint communique and language on Ukraine war a 'very difficult' challenge: Canadian sources
Leaders at the G20 have all agreed to a final communique after what Canadian government officials describe as months of “very difficult” negotiations.
The Group of 20 top world economies added the African Union as a member at their annual summit Saturday, and host India was able to get the disparate group to sign off on a final statement, but only after softening language on the contentious issue of Russia's war in Ukraine.
Paqui brand 'One Chip Challenge' snacks have been recalled in Canada due to reported 'adverse reactions.'
Conservatives gathered in Quebec City are spending the final day of their convention voting on a series of changes to the party's policy handbook, including whether to adopt stances on issues around gender identity.
According to a new ranking by U.S. News, Canada has been ranked as the second-best country in the world in 2023, with Switzerland taking the top position.
For residents of Canada's East Coast, some of the latest images showing the potential path northward for a rapidly intensifying hurricane Lee are disturbing.
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A Canadian visiting Morocco when a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the North African country on Friday describes scenes of terror and destruction during and in the aftermath of the quake.
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Federal Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly has urged Canadians in Morocco to register with Global Affairs Canada after a deadly earthquake struck the country late Friday night.
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Atlantic Canadians will learn more about the track of hurricane Lee later this week, after it becomes clear where the powerful storm will begin its journey northwards.
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British Columbia Health Minister Adrian Dix says the province is experiencing unusually high demand for emergency medical services - even before the cold-and-flu season begins - and the situation may be a "new normal."
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CTV News has learned that the trial, which was scheduled to last 12 to 14 weeks, may only take half the allotted time.
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The founder of a group described as a national Christian organization says it's been successful in influencing the Saskatchewan Party government to adopt pronoun and sexual education policies that affect children at school.
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A rare, powerful earthquake struck Morocco, sending people racing from their beds into the streets and toppling buildings in mountainous villages and ancient cities not built to withstand such force. More than 1,300 people were killed, and the toll was expected to rise as rescuers struggled Saturday to reach hard-hit remote areas.
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A Canadian visiting Morocco when a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the North African country on Friday describes scenes of terror and destruction during and in the aftermath of the quake.
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The United Nations atomic watchdog warned of a potential threat to nuclear safety due to a spike in fighting near Europe's largest nuclear power plant in Ukraine as the forces of the war-torn country continued pressing their counteroffensive on Saturday.
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The Group of 20 top world economies added the African Union as a member at their annual summit Saturday, and host India was able to get the disparate group to sign off on a final statement, but only after softening language on the contentious issue of Russia's war in Ukraine.
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Most of West Maui will officially reopen to travellers Oct. 8 under a new wildfire emergency proclamation signed on Friday by Hawaii Gov. Josh Green.
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President Joe Biden and his allies on Saturday announced plans to build a rail and shipping corridor linking India with the Middle East and Europe, an ambitious project aimed at fostering economic growth and political cooperation.
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Conservatives gathered in Quebec City are spending the final day of their convention voting on a series of changes to the party's policy handbook, including whether to adopt stances on issues around gender identity.
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Negotiating G20 joint communique and language on Ukraine war a 'very difficult' challenge: Canadian sources
Leaders at the G20 have all agreed to a final communique after what Canadian government officials describe as months of “very difficult” negotiations.
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Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer insists a Conservative government under Pierre Poilievre will commit to balancing the budget, eliminating the deficit, and helping bring down interest rates, but he won't say how long it will take to accomplish those goals.
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Paqui brand 'One Chip Challenge' snacks have been recalled in Canada due to reported 'adverse reactions.'
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There's a correlation between recent financial stresses and an increase in Canadians thinking about suicide, a report says, but many cannot afford mental health resources in order to get support.
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The manufacturer of the One Chip Challenge is pulling the product from Canadian and U.S. shelves after a teen's death in Massachusetts.
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Britain is rejoining the European Union's $100 billion science-sharing program Horizon Europe, the two sides announced Thursday, more than two years after the country's membership became a casualty of Brexit.
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A team of archeologists have recently discovered what they call “the most important Paleolithic sanctuary” ever found on the Eastern Iberian Coast.
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SpaceX must take a series of steps before it can launch its mega rocket again after its debut ended in an explosion, federal regulators said Friday.
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Kamala Harris says hip-hop is 'the ultimate American art form' as she hosts a 50th anniversary party
Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday hosted a celebration of hip-hop's 50th anniversary with appearances by some of the music genre's pioneers and stars.
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A Toronto actress is calling Beyoncé her 'spiritual doula' after she started having contractions during the Renaissance concert in California on Monday.
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Actor and producer Devery Jacobs hopes this year's less star-studded Toronto International Film Festival will put the spotlight on smaller projects and create a hunger for more independent features.
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Stocks edged higher on Friday, but not by enough to keep Wall Street from closing out its first losing week in the last three.
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U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday urged the Group of 20 top economic powers, which are responsible for more than 80 per cent of the emissions that cause global warming, to use their weekend summit to send a strong message on climate change.
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Workers at Chevron’s liquified natural gas facilities in Australia have begun to walk off the job in a dispute that threatens as much as 7% of global supplies and could add to rising pressure on energy prices.
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Vandals have once again defaced a historic Indigenous site of pictographs in Ontario's Bon Echo Provincial Park.
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Soon after the class was over, a 'mass of police sirens' shattered the peace as officers raced toward the venue where the class was being held. They were responding to a call from a member of the public, worried there had been a mass killing at the studio in the small English coastal resort of Chapel St. Leonards.
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For more than 20 years, Victoria's Secret had bolstered its image built on a man's vision of sexiness with one big annual event: its fashion catwalk extravaganza, with supermodels like Naomi Campbell sashaying down the runway in Swarovski-crystal-covered wings, thongs and million-dollar fantasy bras.
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The new head of Hockey Canada called what she heard at its summit humbling and eye-opening.
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The status of Morocco's soccer game Saturday night as part of African Cup of Nations qualifying was uncertain after an earthquake struck the country, killing more than 800 people.
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Normally, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is content to keep the bat on his shoulder when he has a 3-0 count at the plate. But when he saw a fastball coming into the zone, he just couldn't resist.
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As U.S. officials take further steps to recall at least 25 million vehicles over airbag inflators that can explode and shoot shrapnel into drivers, their Canadian counterparts lack the authority to demand a similarly sweeping recall.
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Union to strike any Detroit automaker that hasn't reached deal as contracts end next week: UAW chief
The head of the United Auto Workers warned Wednesday that the union plans to go on strike against any Detroit automaker that hasn't reached a new agreement by the time contracts expire next week.
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As Canada ushers in the era of electric vehicles, here's what costs and factors you should consider before making the switch. | Global Organizations |
Medics working in the Gaza Strip are using a specific phrase to describe a particular kind of war victim.
"There's an acronym that's unique to the Gaza Strip, it's WCNSF - wounded child, no surviving family - and it's not used infrequently," Dr Tanya Haj-Hassan who works with Doctors Without Borders told BBC News.
The expression captures the horror of the situation for many Gazan children. Their lives change in a second - their parents, siblings and grandparents are killed, and nothing is the same ever again.
The war began after Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October killing 1,200 people and taking around 240 others hostage, and Israel launched its military campaign. More than 15,500 people have been killed in the conflict, including about 6,000 children, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.
Ahmed Shabat is one of those children who was described as a wounded child, with no surviving family, when he arrived injured and crying at the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza. The three-year-old survived an air strike on his home in Beit Hanoun, in mid-November. But his father, mother and older brother were killed.
Miraculously, at the time he had only minor injuries. Later it was revealed his younger brother Omar, aged two, had also survived the strike and they were reunited after an adult member of the wider family was located.
"After the bombing, we learned there was a child in the Indonesian hospital with no-one accompanying him, so we went there immediately," Ahmed's uncle Ibrahim Abu Amsha explained. "Ahmed was with a stranger. He said Ahmed had been blown into the air and was found injured about 20m (65ft) from the house."
Ahmed and Omar were now orphans, homeless, with no shelter to protect them from continuous shelling, so Ibrahim decided to look after them, along with his own family. He initially took them to Sheikh Radwan city but said they left after "Ahmed was hit by glass fragments" from an explosion.
They then went to Nuseirat camp to stay in a UN-affiliated school. But even in their new location, they were hit again, with devastating consequences for Ahmed.
"I ran out of the school's door and saw Ahmed in front of me on the ground, both legs gone. He was crawling towards me, opening his arms, seeking help." A family member, who was with Ahmed at the time of the blast, was killed.
Ibrahim, who is still displaced with his own family as well as his sister's children, says he dreams of being able to send Ahmed for treatment outside Gaza.
"He wanted to be many things," his uncle said sadly. "When we went out together to attend football matches, he said he wished to become a famous football player."
Crying for mum
Like Ahmed, Muna Alwan is also a war orphan and was described as WCNSF when she arrived at the Indonesian Hospital.
The two-year-old constantly cries "Mama", but her mum is dead.
Muna was pulled from under the rubble after an air strike hit a neighbour's house in the Jabal al-Rais area of northern Gaza. Muna's parents, brother and grandfather were killed. Muna's eye was badly injured and her jaw fractured.
Muna was transferred to another hospital where she was tracked down by her aunt Hanaa.
"We knew through the internet that Muna was at Nasser Hospital. We came, and we recognised her," Hanaa explains. But she says her niece is suffering terribly.
"She just wants to scream, always afraid, especially if someone approaches her," Hanaa adds.
Muna does have older sisters who are alive but they are in Gaza City.
"They are stuck and there is no way to bring them to the south," Hanaa says, adding: "I constantly ask myself, what will we do? How do we compensate for her mother?"
'I lost my leg and my family'
On a metal bed in the corner of a room at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, 11-year-old Dunya Abu Mehsen looks at what remains of her right leg wrapped in white bandages.
The girl, with long curly hair, sits at the edge of the bed, wearing a velvety red dress, silent most of the time, appearing deeply sad.
Dunya survived an air strike with her brother, Yusuf, and her younger sister that hit when they were all sleeping at their home in the al-Amal neighbourhood in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza.
But her parents, brother and sister were killed. She also lost her right leg.
"When I saw my dad, I was scared because he was covered in blood and stones. People were standing around us, and my sister was screaming," Dunya recounts. "I looked at myself and I didn't have a leg. I felt pain and my only thought was: 'How did I lose my leg?'"
"Dunya doesn't recall how and when she arrived at the hospital, but she remembers being there alone, and the medical staff repeatedly asking her questions in an attempt to identify her family," explains her aunt Fadwa Abu Mehsen.
"She told me: 'I heard the nurse say, 'may God have mercy on them'. I knew she meant my mum and dad.'"
Her aunt, sitting beside her in the hospital room with the wheelchair that has become the only means for the little girl to go outside and breathe fresh air, says: "She used to be playful, strong and very active before her injury."
Dunya says: "Today, I lost my leg and my family but I still have dreams. I want to get a prosthetic leg, travel, become a doctor, and for this war to end and our children to live in peace.'"
Determining the precise number of orphaned children in the Gaza Strip is challenging given the "intensity of hostilities and rapidly evolving situation on the ground", according to Ricardo Pires, the communication manager at the UN children's fund Unicef.
Mr Pires adds that the organisation attempted to reach hospitals and health staff in Gaza to identify and register children, but "these efforts are proceeding very slowly due to the extremely challenging conditions".
He explained not only was it "almost impossible" to identify safe, temporary care arrangements due to "chaotic and overcrowded" shelters and hospitals, but "the normal system to identify document, trace and reunite children with relatives is barely functional". | Middle East Politics |
Keir Starmer committed on Sunday to upholding the two-child benefit cap in a move that has triggered cross-factional consternation in Labour ranks.
The Labour leader said on Sunday that he was “not changing [the] policy”, which prevents parents from claiming child tax credit or universal credit for any third or subsequent child born after April 2017.
One wonders whether Starmer anticipated the backlash, as Labour MPs and senior party figures from across the UK take aim at the controversial approach.
The Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, a figure who is an increasingly integral part of Starmer’s operation in the wake of the SNP’s problems north of the border, has openly distanced himself from the Labour’s Westminster leadership. He labelled the two-child benefits cap “heinous”, declaring he will lobby Sir Keir Starmer to scrap it.
Other critics include senior MPs Meg Hillier and Stephen Timms, chairs of the public accounts committee and work and pensions committee respectively. “As time goes on, the case for the two-child limit will be increasingly hard to make”, Timms told the i newspaper.
These unlikely rebels join MPs Rosie Duffield, Lloyd Russell-Moyle, Stella Creasy and Clive Efford as well as four of Labour’s directly elected mayors — including Sadiq Khan — in speaking out against the move.
Then there is the reaction from the labour movement’s extra-parliamentary institutional elements. Labour party funder Unison, for example, called the two-child benefit cap “cruel”, and the Fabian Society, an affiliate typically sympathetic to Sir Keir, criticised it as “nasty dog-whistle” politics.
What is more, ahead of today’s showdown shadow cabinet meeting, the Times reported that at least one member of Sir Keir’s top team has threatened to quit the frontbench. A party official told the paper: “It’s a worry… The danger will not have passed until we are through a shadow cabinet meeting.”
Stepping back, and there are a number of reasons why the Labour leadership moved on Sunday to outline its commitment to the cap. First, and most obviously, the policy is thought to be broadly popular with voters. A YouGov poll from last week found 60 per cent of Britons want to keep the limit in place, as do a plurality of Labour voters by 47 per cent to 35 per cent.
But secondly, and more profoundly, the party wants to double down on its messaging on fiscal restraint, signalling once more that Labour is the party of sound finances. It marks a consistent strategy pursued under Starmer’s leadership in a bid to assume the mantle of economic credibility in the wake of Liz Truss’ “mini-budget” implosion last year. Accepting the framing that Truss-like fiscal loosening makes markets quiver, Starmer signals that Labour is ready and willing to steal the mantle of economic responsibility from the Conservatives.
In the wake of September’s Trussonomics-induced market tailspin, the party has become more consummate in emphasising its “fiscal rules” — the most overbearing of which commits the party to have debt falling as a share of national income within a first term in government. Sir Keir’s updated position on the two-child benefit cap might hence be considered a bid to show the party is taking its self-imposed fiscal shackles seriously, pre-empting Conservative attacks on profligacy.
Economic stability must come first, as Starmer wrote in an article for the Observer last week: “That will mean making tough choices, and having iron-clad fiscal rules”.
Matching Rishi Sunak’s rhetoric on “difficult decisions”, therefore, Starmer views book-balancing more and more as a political virtue. The two-child benefit cap position is merely another means by which Labour can signal its affinity to a ruthless fiscal regime.
Moreover, Starmer’s messaging on a rigid fiscal framework is so all-consuming that it takes only one slip-up, one nonconformist breach to undermine all the party’s work post-Truss. As one party insider told the Guardian in the wake of the two-child benefit cap row: “You can’t on one hand say that you want fiscal responsibility and on the other say there’s all these things you want to do but not how you’ll pay for them”.
Just as Labour committed clear rearguard action to water down the party’s £28 billion climate commitment, the leadership clearly thinks there are areas where Labour is still exposed to attack on accusations of profligacy. It has decided to act.
But there remain questions over whether the messaging over the two-child benefit cap has been right — or too forthright, more specifically. Indeed, when Sir Keir pledged on Sunday that he would “not change” the policy in government, there was clearly room for the Labour leader to be more equivocal.
He conspicuously did not suggest that the policy was “not a priority” or that “having assessed the state of Britain’s finances, Labour needs to readjust its proposals now and revisit the policy when public finances improve”. Instead, Starmer washed his hands of plans to abolish the cap with ruthless intent. The unequivocal nature of the U-turn surely explains some of the political furore that has flowed from it.
But Keir Starmer has honed his pitch as Labour leader by deliberately antagonising aspects of his parliamentary party. It is informed by the strategical assumption that, the more Labour’s left wing kicks and screams, the faster Labour’s prior flirtation with fiscal profligacy is exorcised from the electorate’s mind.
And, if the polls are anything to go by, then this has been a remarkably successful electoral gambit.
One wonders therefore, whether Starmer’s messaging is creeping deliberately rightward, targeting the party’s right-of-Corbyn “soft left” elements.
There is also a cumulative quality to Starmer’s strategy on fiscal restraint. The jettisoning of the commitment to abolish tuition fees, the watering down of the party’s £28 billion green energy stance and now the decision to maintain the two-child benefit cap — it all adds up. At each gap in the news cycle, Starmer picks a new policy to sacrifice on the alter of fiscal stolidity. This ruthless pursuit of fiscal prudence begins to build an image of what a Sir Keir-led government would look like. Ultimately, the Labour leadership hopes it is one swing voters can fall behind.
So in neutralising Conservative attacks on “tax and spend”, the Labour leadership performs its fiscal virtues with escalating severity. Starmer’s policy trajectory suggests there will be more economic contortions to come, with the Labour leadership cleaving as close to Conservative spending plans as possible.
Another point is that Westminster is currently abuzz with rumours of a forthcoming shadow cabinet reshuffle. With Starmer set to rejig his top team, therefore, the two-child benefit cap row could be used as a litmus test on an MP’s fidelity to the ruling regime. Ultimately, those concerned shadow cabinet ministers could be rewarded for their activism with a demotion as the Labour leadership rallies the right and singles out his “soft left”.
In the end, whether Starmer predicted the scale of the backlash over his commitment to the two-child benefit cap is not the question — because party insiders will now likely use the row as an opportunity to let Starmer’s top team form itself in his fiscally prudent image.
In time, we could potentially expect Labour’s rhetoric on the position to soften, with the party’s updated approach reconfigured on lines of policy “priorities” and the constraints applied by Conservative profligacy. (This was, after all, how Starmer and shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves successfully landed the party’s climbdown on its climate commitments).
But as the party reemphasises its progressive credentials and the structures containing its activist instincts — imposed by the Conservatives’ own emptying of Treasury coffers — the basic principle informing Starmer’s policy strategy has not altered. Labour’s platform, in Starmer’s view, must entirely conform to his vision of rigid, ruthless fiscal restraint. | United Kingdom Politics |
The Times reported over the weekend that the government could overrule recommendations on public pay rises from the independent pay review bodies amid concerns higher wages could fuel rampant inflation.
The reports, which followed news that the Bank of England had raised interest rates to 5 per cent in a shock move designed to tame inflation, means millions of workers will have recommended pay rises of 6 per cent blocked by ministers. Yesterday, the PM doubled down, expressing concern that unaffordable public sector pay hikes could trigger a “wage-price spiral” and telling striking workers to “recognise the economic context we are in”.
This development is significant on a number of levels.
Firstly, while these pay review body recommendations — which cover around 45% of public sector staff — are not legally binding on the government, they are typically accepted. Their remit is proscribed by government, their chair picked by the PM and they take evidence from a range of sources, including from employers on issues relating to pay and retention.
Moreover, the government has in the past leaned on the work of pay review bodies to counter union demands. Back in December, ministers argued it was not for them to decide how much public servants should be paid, instead choosing to defer responsibility to the independent pay review bodies.
But now the argument is flipped on its head as the government seizes its responsibility to manage any trade-off between wages and inflation. And the issues this updated stance could cause Labour, one imagines, will have featured highly in the government’s thinking.
Indeed, it is no secret that the nature of the government’s new approach places political pressure on Sir Keir Starmer’s party.
Since the PM took over in October, Labour has sought to match Sunak’s seriousness on inflation. It begs the question: will Starmer accept the government’s view that the recommendations of the pay review bodies are inflationary?
In its initial response to the government’s pay review posturing, Labour conspicuously did not make a wholehearted defence of the independent body process. Wes Streeting, Labour’s shadow health secretary, instead insisted that the Labour party want pay review bodies “back up and running with the full confidence of everyone involved”.
Likewise, shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves refused to rule out blocking public sector pay rises, saying Labour would negotiate a “fair and affordable” deal with workers. The shadow chancellor cited her iron oaths — Labour’s new fiscal rules — as a reason why a Reeves-led Treasury could block pay increases in line with recommendations.
It has been clear for some time now how significantly the fiscal rules feature in Labour’s economic pitch as they continue to condition the party’s policy platform. Indeed, Reeves previously cited her economic oaths during Labour’s tricky climbdown over its £28 billion green capital investment initiative. Asked earlier this month about the updated position on the so-called green prosperity plan, Reeves said: “I always said that our fiscal rules would be non-negotiable because they are the rock of stability upon which everything else is built”.
But Reeves’ fiscal rules are far from being so compellingly iron-clad to render the green prosperity plan in its former guise — or a 6 per cent pay rise for public servants — impossible on Labour’s terms. Fiscal Rule three, for example, that “Labour will have a target to reduce the debt as a share of our economy”, is really a rule to have a rule sometime in the future. In truth, any policy can be pitched or ditched based on a loose interpretation of the Labour’s economic oath-swearing.
Still, it has been a prominent feature of Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership that Labour now pronounces on issues that might otherwise be viewed as politically difficult for the party. By focussing on the economy, migration or law and order at prime minister’s questions in recent months, Sir Keir has intended to dispel any doubt that his party is serious on issues typically reserved for Conservative thought leadership. Given that Starmer wants to match and, even, outflank Rishi Sunak’s party on topics where a progressive party might reasonably be viewed as vulnerable, the party’s coy stance pay review bodies may be predictable.
Indeed, on pay review bodies, Labour is arguably doubly-exposed to Conservative attack. First, there is the charge of fiscal irresponsibility — that pay rises could lead to a wage-price spiral, fuel inflation and necessitate tax rises down the line. But more than this is that totemic criticism that Labour struggles to stand up to unions; it is an attack line which featured centrally in Conservative rhetoric during the passage of minimum service legislation through the commons earlier this year.
So with the Conservatives under pressure on the PM’s pledges, No 10 has identified an issue which could cause trouble in Labour ranks and allow Sunak to double down on some key attack lines. And perhaps we are already seeing some Labour freelancing on the issue. In her interview with Sky News yesterday, Emily Thornberry was withering over the government’s position on pay review bodies. “I mean, seriously — do they really have a policy at all?”, she exclaimed.
The shadow attorney general added: it was “only a few months ago that they said they couldn’t possibly pay out any more than the pay review bodies say, and today they seem to be saying they’re going to override the pay review bodies”.
Highlighting government inconsistency on political issues is of course exactly what you would expect an opposition party to do, but Thornberry’s line here was noticeably harder than that taken by Reeves or Streeting over the weekend.
In time, Labour may split more clearly on the issue — with Starmer finding himself at odds with the soft left elements of his shadow cabinet, potentially even deputy leader and friend of the unions Angela Rayner, on public sector pay. Those to Starmer’s left might be willing to make the principled progressive argument, insisting that public sector pay should be set at levels needed to attract and motivate the required staff and that an upsurge in inflation does not change that logic.
They may argue, moreover, that public sector pay may not actually drive inflation, given that public services like healthcare and education are free at the point of use. Increased producer costs on wages will therefore not inform the prices consumers pay directly. The caveat, of course — which figures like Reeves and Streeting may stress — is that an increase in public expenditure and borrowing to fund public sector pay increases could sprkr further inflationary pressure.
Amid his overarching aim to own the mantle of fiscal irresponsibility post-Corbyn and post-Truss, Starmer’s hands may be further tied here by the comments from Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey. After hiking interest rates to 5%, Bailey last identified “unsustainable” worker demands as a factor fuelling inflation — hence raising the spectre of a wage-price spiral. Would Starmer be willingly complicit?
But economic theory aside, it is ultimately the political signals on public sector pay which are the primary consideration for Labour here. Indeed, with inflation set to be far lower by the next general election — even if Labour is forced to pronounce in government on the recommendations of pay review bodies, the picture may have changed drastically. What is said posturing in opposition on public sector pay, therefore, may have little implication for the policy programme of any Labour government.
What is undoubtedly true, however, is that Starmer has taken enthusiastically to exorcising Labour’s reputation as a party of profligate fiscal policy. Be it on tax rises, on the party’s green investment plan or on nationalisation — Starmerism seeks at every turn to neutralise Conservative attacks on Labour’s recent history of supposed economic irresponsibility.
Labour’s positioning on pay review bodies will hence be conditioned by this overriding strategical objective. In the end, any opportunity Reeves gets to tout her “fiscal rules”, any chance Starmer stumbles upon to underline his seriousness and upset his left flank — trust they will do so. | United Kingdom Politics |
The Albanese government has reauthorised offshore immigration detention on Nauru and sought to overturn a court decision that forced it to release about 100 people from onshore detention despite character concerns.
The Nauru authorisation passed parliament on Tuesday with Coalition support despite accusations that Labor had mishandled national security, while the independent senator David Pocock labelled it a “massive fuck-up”.
The issue exposed crossbench concerns about Labor’s failure to dismantle immigration detention and abolish temporary protection visas (TPVs).
On Tuesday the refugee and writer Behrouz Boochani visited the parliament, calling on Labor to support a Greens push to bring people from offshore detention back to Australia and accusing the Liberal leader, Peter Dutton, of dehumanising asylum seekers.
In December the Australian government lost a case in which the full federal court ruled that aggregate sentences should not trigger automatic visa cancellation under the character provisions of the Migration Act.
Guardian Australia revealed that the decision resulted in about 100 people being released from onshore immigration detention.
On Tuesday afternoon the government introduced a bill in the upper house restoring its previous interpretation that sentences for multiple offences that are aggregated to a term of imprisonment of 12 months or more should trigger mandatory visa cancellation.
The government has already briefed the opposition. The shadow immigration minister, Dan Tehan, got support in shadow cabinet to back the change but has told Guardian Australia the Coalition will also seek to move amendments “to strengthen the character test by providing additional grounds to consider visa cancellation”.
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“The Coalition supports a strong approach to ensuring that visa holders that are in Australia uphold the laws of this country and pass a character test to remain here,” he said.
The leader of the house, Tony Burke, began the day by moving to suspend standing orders to pass an instrument redesignating the Republic of Nauru as a regional processing country.
The previous instrument expired on 1 October. Burke said it was a “time-sensitive” matter that needed to be resolved on Tuesday.
“There are real-life consequences if we’re not able to deal with these issues today,” Burke said in a short speech lumping the Nauru instrument in with an unrelated debate about superannuation transparency.
The instrument in effect designates a country as somewhere asylum seekers who arrived in Australia after July 2013 must be taken while their claims are assessed. It is unclear what legal impact the five-month lacuna since the previous instrument expired will have.
The manager of opposition business, Paul Fletcher, agreed that this was a matter of urgency, accusing the government in the house of “absolutely and totally [having] dropped the ball on a matter of national security”.
When the House returned to the question in the afternoon, the home affairs minister, Clare O’Neil, said the fresh authorisation was required to be “strong on borders without being weak on humanity”.
O’Neil said offshore detention “breaks the business model of people smugglers who seek to market an outcome among world’s most vulnerable people” and “saves the lives of thousands”.
The shadow home affairs minister, Karen Andrews, said it was “unusual and extraordinary” the government needed fresh authorisation, adding that it was “deeply concerning” the earlier instrument had been allowed to lapse.
The Greens and independents including Monique Ryan, Kylea Tink and Zoe Daniel called on the government to dismantle offshore detention.
In both House and Senate, the Albanese government and Coalition combined to pass the authorisation, with support in the Senate from One Nation, the Jacqui Lambie Network and the United Australia party.
Earlier, at Boochani’s address to the Parliamentary Friends of Refugees, Pocock told Ryan that the Nauru issue constituted a “massive fuck-up” on the part of the government, a comment overheard by Guardian Australia.
The Greens opposed both offshore processing and the character test changes.
On the latter, McKim said the government should “stop using immigration detention and deportation as secondary punishment”, accusing Labor of “following in the footsteps of Peter Dutton and his hardline approach to immigration”.
The Albanese government has been reassuring the crossbench for months that it will implement its election policy to allow 19,000 refugees to stay permanently in Australia, granting them rights to social security and reunion with family members. The abolition of TPVs is expected in early 2023.
Earlier, Daniel told the Parliamentary Friends of Refugees meeting that Labor’s implementation of its migration policies had been “bitsy and slow” and the lack of timeframe to end TPVs was “unsatisfactory”. “It’s time,” Daniel said to the government.
Boochani said it was “surreal” to be in the Australian parliament after years of observing the government and parliament fail to come up with a “real solution” for refugees and asylum seekers in detention, which he labelled a “tragedy” that continues under the new government.
“Now that I am here, it shows how we challenge this system … We’ve shaken this country by sharing our stories.”
Boochani singled out Dutton, a former minister for immigration and home affairs, for saying he would never set foot in Australia.
“I’d like to say – he’ll never ever become the prime minister of Australia. This man and his party have created a tragedy to [dehumanise] us.”
In addition to the disallowance motions, the Greens’ immigration spokesperson, Nick McKim, also has a private senator’s bill to reinstate evacuations from offshore detention.
McKim told the parliamentary friends group that Australia was inflicting “psychological torture” on refugees and asylum seekers it put in Papua New Guinea and Nauru.
Boochani urged Labor to be “brave … do the right thing – support this bill and transfer people to Australia”.
Pocock told Guardian Australia “the last thing” he wants to see “is a return to failed border policies of the past that cost hundreds of lives”.
“However, at the same time it also makes no sense to be paying $420m of taxpayer money over three years to detain a small group of people.
“We can do better as a country and clearly need a more humane and more efficient way of dealing with refugees in our region.” | Australia Politics |
Successive economic shocks since the global financial crisis have seen the UK’s debt as a share of GDP rise from around a third of the economy in 2007 to just shy of 100pc today.
A growing debt mountain means interest payments are also getting larger.
In March 2022, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecast that debt interest payments would hit £47bn in 2026-27.
That number rose to £89bn in official forecasts as inflation soared and the Bank of England was left behind the curve on interest rates.
It is now likely to hit £108bn when the tax and spending watchdog delivers its latest forecasts next month.
The ratcheting higher of the debt burden is being cranked by inflation and interest rates.
Almost a quarter of UK government debt is “index-linked,” meaning it’s tied to inflation. The protracted battle to contain price rises is keeping payments on these bonds high.
Meanwhile, high interest rates mean the Government must pay rates that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago on newly issued gilts. The Bank of England has taken borrowing costs from 0.1pc to 5.25pc in just under two years.
Jeremy Hunt faces “difficult decisions” in the Autumn Statement as a result. The Chancellor said last week: “We are likely to see an increase in debt interest payments of between £20bn and £30bn and that’s a huge challenge.”
However, the rising debt burden is only one half of the equation, according to a new analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). A failure to get the economy growing since the financial crisis means the Government is fighting with one hand tied behind its back. Paul Johnson, the IFS’s director, has called it a “horrible fiscal bind”.
“The price of our high levels of indebtedness, failure to stimulate growth, and high borrowing costs is likely to be a protracted period of high taxes and tight spending.”
The IFS’s latest “green book” – an analysis of the economy akin to the OBR’s “blue book” – shows that Hunt and Sunak have been boxed into a corner where there are no good choices.
With huge debts built up over successive economic shocks and a flatlining economy, the pair have little choice but to cut spending or raise the tax burden to meet debt payments, the IFS argues.
The think tank says: “More economic growth on a sustained basis would help, but this is not something that policymakers or politicians can simply will into existence, and even the best-designed policies would take time to bear fruit.”
For the first time in a generation, interest rates have major implications for public finances.
In a world where interest rates average 2pc in 2026-27, instead of staying above 4pc as financial markets are betting on, debt interest spending would be £12bn lower than the OBR forecast in March at £76bn.
However, the IFS believes higher for longer interest rates means debt servicing costs will settle at the highest sustained level since the mid 1980s. This will be around £30bn above the levels that successive chancellors have become used to.
“That’s £30bn each year that can’t be put to better use. In addition, the growth outlook is poor. Debt as a fraction of national income is set to rise to, and then settle not far below 100pc of GDP.”
The OBR is likely to downgrade its economic growth forecasts next month. In March, it predicted the economy would grow by 1.8pc in 2024.
Its looming downgrade is unlikely to be as severe as the International Monetary Fund’s gloomy prediction of just 0.6pc expansion next year. However, whatever the exact figure, lower growth and higher unemployment has implications for tax revenues.
With a stagnant economy and rising debt costs, Hunt is squeezing more money out of taxpayers to make up the difference. The main mechanism is a stealth raid, relying on a phenomenon known as “fiscal drag” to pull more and more people into higher tax bands.
Rishi Sunak originally announced a four-year freeze on income tax thresholds at £12,570 for basic rate taxpayers and just over £50,000 for the higher rate when he was Chancellor.
This was originally estimated to raise £8bn a year by the end of the parliament.
Hunt extended the policy to a six-year freeze on both income tax and national insurance thresholds.
It is bringing in much more money to the Exchequer than initially anticipated.
Soaring inflation has turbocharged revenues, particularly among the higher paid as employers are forced to give staff bigger pay rises to keep them in a tight jobs market.
The stealth raid is now expected to raise an extra £52bn a year in tax revenues by 2027-28.
This rise is “huge,” the IFS says. It adds: “To give a comparison, the biggest single tax-raising measure in recent history was the June 2010 Budget decision to increase the main rate of VAT from 17.5pc to 20pc, which is estimated to raise £21bn in 2027–28. Or, to put it another way, other ways to raise roughly £52bn of revenue include increasing both the basic and higher rate of income tax by 6p, or increasing the main rate of VAT from 20pc to 26pc.”
The IFS says the policy will lead to 6.5m more income taxpayers and 4.5m more higher and additional rate taxpayers by 2027 than there were in 2020. One in six British adults will be paying higher rate tax by the end of the decade.
The near-term fiscal picture looks brighter as a result, with IFS partner Citi predicting Hunt will borrow £20bn less than previously thought this year to plug the gap between tax revenues and public spending.
The IFS also says that healthier tax revenues mean the UK is on course for the biggest surplus excluding debt interest spending “in a generation”.
“It might feel like there should be room to spend money on tax cuts or spending increases,” the think tank says. “Taxes are heading to their highest ever level.”
However, continued borrowing and higher debt interest payments mean any headroom is likely to be simply eaten up.
Things will only get worse in future unless the economy starts growing faster, the IFS says.
Higher spending on health and state pensions in particular will put further pressure on the public finances.
“The NHS workforce plan alone – to which the Conservative government and the Labour opposition have signed up – will raise spending by 2pc of national income by the mid 2030s. Cutting defence spending is no longer on the cards. We live in a demonstrably risky political and economic environment which could require a big spike in borrowing at any moment.”
The IFS argues Hunt and Sunak therefore have little choice but to be conservative with public finances and chip away at public debt – while also praying that the Bank of England does their bit to lower debt costs.
Benjamin Nabarro, chief UK economist at Citi, which helped IFS prepare its forecasts: “The lesson of the 1970s was to hold rates tight until you can see the ‘whites in the eyes’ of disinflation. In a highly financialised, debt-driven economy, that may turn out to be only half the story.”
In other words, fighting inflation may only be the prelude to a wider battle to get public borrowing back under control. | United Kingdom Politics |
US Military Evacuates Diplomats From Sudan As Conflict Rages
US diplomats have departed Sudan’s airspace, days after fighting erupted in the north African nation.
(Bloomberg) -- The US military evacuated American diplomats from Sudan, a week after embassy staff became stuck in the capital Khartoum as violence raged between rival military factions.
The mission, ordered by President Joe Biden, saw special operations forces positioned 800 miles (1,288 kilometers) away in Djibouti bring the Americans out on MH-47 Chinook helicopters. Fewer than 100 people were evacuated, officials said late Saturday, and there were no plans to retrieve other US citizens in Sudan.
“I am proud of the extraordinary commitment of our Embassy staff, who performed their duties with courage and professionalism,” Biden said. “I am grateful for the unmatched skill of our service members who successfully brought them to safety.”
The operation appeared to go smoothly though one helicopter had an issue while trying to refuel on the return trip, one US official told reporters on a call after the evacuation. The US had communicated with Sudan’s combatants to ensure there was no interference and also to convey international opprobrium over the conflict.
US diplomats, like those from many other nations, had become stuck in Khartoum in the midst of violence that erupted about a week ago. While diplomats earlier Saturday downplayed suggestions that departures were imminent, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, the head of Sudan’s armed forces, said he had agreed to help foreigners leave after several leaders called him.
Foreigners Stuck in Sudan Fight to Be Evacuated, Army Says
The operation to evacuate diplomats didn’t include US citizens living independently in Sudan, and officials sought to damp any hopes that the administration was prepared to mount a rescue operation for them. They said Americans in the country would be alerted of independent efforts to leave Sudan by land.
“We don’t anticipate those security conditions are going to change in the near term,” Bass told reporters. He said US citizens had been advised against travel to Sudan for a long time but the administration would help people the best it could.
Several other countries were seeking to evacuate their diplomats too. A statement from Turkey’s foreign ministry said the country plans to evacuate its citizens as well as other nationals in a land operation Sunday.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the embassy would remain closed for now. He said the “temporary” action was the result of “serious and growing security risks created by the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces.”
The US embassy in Sudan said earlier that despite the start of a three-day cease-fire, there was ongoing fighting — as well as reports of assaults, home invasions and looting. It advised US citizens to remain indoors and shelter in place and avoid traveling to the embassy.
At least 413 people have died in the fighting in Sudan and almost 3,551 have been wounded, according to the World Health Organization, and many people have run short of food, water and other essentials. While the violence has subsided since a cease-fire was agreed to on Friday, sporadic sounds of gunfire and explosions could still be heard in Khartoum.
(Updates with details of evacuation operation throughout)
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2023 Bloomberg L.P. | Africa politics |
Niger's military rulers have demanded that the head of the United Nations' diplomatic mission in the country leave within 72 hours.
In a statement dated October 10, Niger's foreign ministry accuses the UN of using "obstacles", to stop the west African nation from fully participating in last month's UN General Assembly.
Madam Louise Aubin has been in post since January 2021.
During the 78th session of the UN General Assembly held in September, a representative of Niger who was initially set to take the floor did not.
According to a diplomatic source cited by the AFP, the organization had received two competing requests to address the assembly: one from the military rulers and one from the toppled government.
At the time, the military leaders criticised "perfidious actions" of the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, accusing him of obstructing their participation in the body's General Assembly.
In response, Stéphane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the UN chief said that "in the event of competing credentials from a member state, the UN chief refers the matter to the body's Credentials Committee, for deliberation." Adding the Secretary-General "does not deicide" on such a matter.
The 9-member committee reports to the Assembly on the credentials of representatives.
The body has for instance has postponed several times its decisions on Burma and Afghanistan. The two countries are still represented at the UN by the ambassadors of the former governments. | Africa politics |
N. Korean Paper Warns Against 'Poisoned Candy' Amid Food Shortage
North Korea's state newspaper Rodong Sinmun warned citizens on Wednesday that consuming external food aid was akin to eating "poisoned candy," as the nation grapples with food shortages due to natural disasters, international sanctions, and cuts in trade with China during lockdowns.
Facts
North Korea's state newspaper Rodong Sinmun warned citizens on Wednesday that consuming external food aid was akin to eating "poisoned candy," as the nation grapples with food shortages due to natural disasters, international sanctions, and cuts in trade with China during lockdowns.
The editorial also urged economic self-reliance, advising North Koreans against receiving aid from what it deems "imperialists" using it as a "trap to plunder and subjugate" its recipients and interfere with internal politics.
This comes as South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported, also on Wednesday, that some 700 detainees at three North Korean prisons had died from famine and other diseases over the past two years, while Seoul estimated in December that the North's crop production fell by 3.8% last year compared to 2021.
Kim Jong-un's government has reportedly acknowledged the worsening food situation by calling for a rare "urgent" meeting of the ruling Workers Party on agriculture this month, and asking the World Food Program for help.
There has been growing concern that the situation on the ground could further worsen, leading to a famine comparable to the 1990s "Arduous March," which is estimated to have claimed up to a million lives.
Amid the food crisis, Pyongyang has continued missile tests, having launched two ballistic missiles off its east coast on Monday, which followed an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch into the sea off the coast of Japan two days prior.
Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by The Hill. North Korea has joined the nuclear weapons club, and there's little chance of turning back. Rather than living in denial, the West should focus now on ensuring the nuclear program is carried out safely and responsibly, and prioritizing human rights issues. Though nuclear war is frightening, nations such as India and Pakistan were able to build ICBMs while simultaneously joining the international community. It's time for Pyongyang to be invited to the table on the condition that it stops starving its people.
Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by CNN. The West, particularly the US-South Korea military alliance, has a right to maintain its strict sanctions against and focus on the North's erratic ICBM tests. Though the Kim regime may see this as a threat and subsequently double down on its missile launches, that is no reason for the South or its allies to back down militarily. The North enjoys its stranglehold on its people, which is why it continues to oppress them and fend off Western intervention through nuclear threats. | Asia Politics |
January 11, 2023 07:23 AM RUSSIA NOT LETTING UP: Amid fierce fighting and heavy shelling, Russia is claiming to have “conquered” the largely flattened salt mine town of Soledar in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, which, if true, would mark its first battlefield success in months and improve its chances of encircling the nearby city of Bakhmut, the latest symbol of Ukraine's tenacious resistance. Ukraine denies Russia’s claim of control of Soledar, and at the Pentagon, spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said the United States is “keeping a close eye” on the battle. “We definitely continue to see very intense fighting near Bakhmut and in the vicinity of Soledar. You know, as you've seen, it's been a lot of back and forth, particularly around the Soledar area,” said Ryder at yesterday’s briefing. “Russia has been very clear that it intends to continue to try to take and hold Ukrainian territory, as evidenced by their invasion. So we have no reason to believe that they're going to let up on the throttle when it comes to operations.” KREMLIN SAYS 'NATO AND THE US ARE INDIRECTLY INVOLVED' IN UKRAINE WAR HEAVY CASUALTIES, AMMUNITION SHORTAGE: Social media posts in the past week have shown battlefields in the Donbas littered with Russian corpses and Russian soldiers complaining of a lack of equipment and ammunition. By one estimate, there has been a 75% drop-off in artillery fire in some areas as Russian forces struggle to get resupplied and are increasingly relying on 40-year-old artillery shells, which often fail to detonate. “It's the HIMARS, the high mobility rocket systems. So, we're striking deep. We're going 90 kilometers into their lines, hitting every single supply depot,” Dan Rice, an American adviser to the Ukrainian military, told CNN last night. “So, they cannot put supply close to the front lines.” “They're having to beg, borrow, and steal from the axis of evil, North Korea and Iran, to try to get 122 mm and 152 mm Russian-made shells,” he said. “They're going to run out at some point. They're running out of cruise missiles. They're running out of a lot of things.” Rice said Russia is paying a heavy price, with fatal casualties in the Donbas going from 100 to 200 a day to as high as 600 to 800, and even more wounded. “It's a meat grinder, and it's foolish for Russian communities to go after targets like this, with this much casualties. They don't care about their dead.” Rice credited the high kill rate to Ukraine’s use of cluster munitions supplied by Turkey, reported by Foreign Policy, and Russia’s use of conscripts to send human waves against Ukrainian defenders. “Getting into the war, they used armor out front, followed by infantry. Our Javelins were killing their armor, so they put the infantry out front,” said Rice. “Now the infantry soldiers are being mowed down by the U.S.-designed, artillery-fired cluster bombs. “Turkey’s providing this artillery shell. I think that's a great thing. I think all NATO countries should follow suit.” PATRIOT TRAINING WILL TAKE MONTHS: The big announcement yesterday from the Pentagon is that 90 to 100 Ukrainian soldiers will get a crash course on operating and maintaining the sophisticated Patriot missile system at the Army’s premier training facility at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, beginning next week. The training, which typically takes a year, will be crammed into a few months, so the Patriot batteries supplied by the U.S. and Germany can be deployed by spring. “We're not winging it in terms of the training. This will be an established curriculum to train these soldiers,“ said Ryder. “It will consist of training in the classrooms, it will consist of training on the Patriot systems, and then of course in a simulation lab, as well, before they actually deploy the capability on the battlefield.” US TO START TRAINING UKRAINIANS ON PATRIOT MISSILE SYSTEM IN OKLAHOMA NEXT WEEK TANKS, FIGHTER JETS TO BE DISCUSSED NEXT WEEK: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley head to Germany next week for another meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base. Among the topics to be discussed with the 50 countries in the group is Ukraine’s desire for main battle tanks and modern fighter jets to take its counteroffensive to the next level. “We continue to have a very robust dialogue with the Ukrainians when it comes to their security assistance needs. They have an air force, and they've been employing that air force to great effect,” said Ryder. “So when it comes to the kinds of capabilities that we provide them, we'll continue to have that conversation with them, with our international allies and our partners, and we'll take a variety of considerations into account.” In a Mitchell Institute webinar, recently retired top NATO commander Gen. Tod Wolters said he favors providing Ukraine with fighter jets eventually. “When it’s time, we have to be prepared to make those contributions with combat aircraft. And it is … my belief, based off capabilities that exist in the environment, that we’re still challenged, from a timing perspective, to make this move.” CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Good Wednesday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre) and edited by Stacey Dec. Email here with tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. Sign up or read current and back issues at DailyonDefense.com. If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email and we’ll add you to our list. And be sure to follow us on Twitter: @dailyondefense. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP OR READ BACK ISSUES OF DAILY ON DEFENSE Subscribe today to the Washington Examiner magazine and get Washington Briefing: politics and policy stories that will keep you up to date with what's going on in Washington. SUBSCRIBE NOW: Just $1.00 an issue! HAPPENING TODAY: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken host their Japanese counterparts for the 2023 U.S.-Japan Security Consultative Committee meeting at the State Department. The so-called 2+2 meeting comes ahead of Friday’s summit meeting between President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and after Japan’s adoption of a historic new security strategy, which calls for Japan to increase defense spending from 1% to 2% of GDP over five years and boost its defense budget by 25% to $51 billion, which would give Japan a formidable offensive military capability it has not had since World War II. Under the plan, Japan will convert two ships into small aircraft carriers and outfit them with F-35s purchased from the U.S., as well as acquire U.S. Tomahawk cruise missiles with the range to strike China. “We support Japan's decision to acquire new capabilities that strengthen regional deterrence, including counterstrike capabilities,” said Austin after the new strategy was announced on Dec. 16. “We also endorse Japan's decision to increase substantially its defense spending and reach 2% of GDP in 2027.” “Our shared security requires new forms of cooperation, and we applaud Prime Minister Kishida for taking action to address the range of national security challenges the Indo-Pacific faces — particularly from the People’s Republic of China,” said Reps. Mike Rogers (R-AL) and Adam Smith (D-WA), the leaders of the House Armed Services Committee, in a statement last month. At 5 p.m., Austin and Blinken will take part in a joint news conference with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada. Livestream at https://www.state.gov and https://www.defense.gov JAPAN TO RAMP UP DEFENSE CAPABILITIES OVER NEXT FIVE YEARS AS THREATS GATHER HAPPENING TOMORROW: Hamada will visit the Pentagon for a bilateral meeting with Austin. “The secretary and the department leadership look forward to these important discussions, and we'll of course have more information to share after all of these meetings,” said Ryder. AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN: Republicans keep insisting that the defense budget is not going to take a $75 billion hit because of a closed-door promise by new House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to cap overall spending next year to last year’s levels. “We haven't talked about reducing defense spending. We've talked about bringing accountability to government,” said Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) yesterday. “A government has needed accountability for a long time. And we've seen none of that over the last two years.” While Democrats are warning a “secret addendum” to the House rules approved this week would mandate a $130 billion cut to all discretionary spending, including a $70 billion cut to the Pentagon, Republicans say that’s nonsense. “There's no addendum,” said House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN), who Monday on Fox and Friends blasted the Democrats for accusing Republicans of seeking to defund the military. “I'm here to tell you guys, Republicans will not impact defense spending. Aside from the efficiencies and waste, it's the domestic spending that we're going to go after." On CNN, Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD) who chairs the centrist-leaning Main Street Caucus, said the so-called secret addendum was really simply a pledge by McCarthy to make a good faith effort to advance the priorities of his members. “This is nothing new. And Nancy Pelosi, two years ago, had a very narrow majority. Obviously, to get the votes she needed, she was willing to have conversations with her members. … That's what Kevin McCarthy has done,” Johnson said. “Remember, nothing outside of the rules package binds anybody. Kevin McCarthy doesn't have my vote. McCarthy doesn't have anybody else’s vote card. This addendum is just really him trying to tell members that he'll try to do what he can to build unity.” HOUSE GOP DIVIDED OVER POSSIBLE CUTS TO DEFENSE BUDGET END OF AN ERROR? For two years now, Republicans have complained bitterly about the effects a strict COVID-19 vaccination mandate has had on the military, leading to the expulsion of thousands of troops who refused the vaccine, at a time when all the services are in a recruiting crisis. Yesterday, forced by a provision of the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act passed last month, the Pentagon rescinded the 2019 mandate with an order from Austin. “No individuals currently serving in the Armed Forces shall be separated solely on the basis of their refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccination if they sought an accommodation on religious, administrative, or medical grounds,” Austin’s memo stated while encouraging all personnel to get vaccinated. “The Military Departments will update the records of such individuals to remove any adverse actions solely associated with denials of such requests, including letters of reprimand.” But the order provided no apology or reinstatement of the thousands of troops members administratively discharged for “failure to obey a lawful order.” “The Department is precluded by law from awarding any characterization less than a general (under honorable conditions) discharge,” the memo stated, but it noted former service members may petition for a correction to their personnel records, including the characterization of their discharge. PENTAGON RESCINDS COVID-19 VACCINATION MANDATE NEW IRAN STRATEGY: With the Biden administration now conceding its two-year effort to revive the Joint Comprehensive of Action, better known as the Iran nuclear deal, has failed, the question is, what next? Into the void steps the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, whose Iran research team members put their heads together and produced a massive document, “Strategy for a New Comprehensive U.S. Policy on Iran,” which the nonpartisan research institute plans to brief to Congress. Edited by FDD CEO Mark Dubowitz and senior fellow Orde Kittrie, the strategy document outlines 231 “specific and actionable recommendations” that various U.S. government departments can employ to confront the nuclear threat from Iran and stop the regime’s regional aggression and assistance to Russia while supporting the Iranian people. The broad categories of recommendations include strategies to threaten to halt Iran’s nuclear program, militarily if necessary, minimize Russian and Chinese support for Iran, as well as Iranian support for Russia, support the Iranian protesters, and decrease the regime’s financial and material capacity to advance its nuclear program, oppress its people, and support terrorism. BIDEN SAYS IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL IS ‘DEAD’ TURNER REQUESTS FORMAL REVIEW: Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH), the top Republican of the House Intelligence Committee has fired off a letter to Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines requesting an immediate review and damage assessment following reports that then Vice President Joe Biden removed, and then retained, highly classified information at an undisclosed and unsecure nongovernment office in Washington, D.C., for a period of at least six years. “It has been reported that a portion of the materials at issue were marked ‘sensitive compartmented information,’ indicating the highest classification and most sensitive intelligence information in our government,” wrote Turner. “This discovery of classified information would put President Biden in potential violation of laws protecting national security, including the Espionage Act and Presidential Records Act. Those entrusted with access to classified information have a duty and an obligation to protect it. This issue demands a full and thorough review.” TOP INTEL REPUBLICAN DEMANDS DAMAGE ASSESSMENT OVER BIDEN CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS DISCOVERY ROGERS TAKES HELM AT HASC: As expected with the new Republican majority Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL) has taken over as chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), the former chairman, becomes ranking member. “I am deeply honored to be the first Congressman from the state of Alabama to serve as Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee,” tweeted Rogers. “Our nation faces unprecedented threats, and I am ready to work to ensure our armed forces remain the greatest force in the world.” Rogers received some unwelcome notoriety last week when he was caught on a C-SPAN camera in an angry confrontation with Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) after the 14th failed ballot for McCarthy. “@RepMattGaetz and I have a long and productive working relationship, that I am sure will continue. I regret that I briefly lost my temper on the House Floor Friday evening and appreciate Matt’s kind understanding,” Rogers said in a tweet. Gaetz also tweeted that all is forgiven for Rogers’s “animated moment.” “@RepMikeRogersAL and I have a six-year productive, working relationship. We're going to work together wonderfully going forward,” he said. NEW HOUSE ARMED SERVICES GOP CHAIRMAN PLEDGES TO FIGHT ‘MISGUIDED’ DOD POLICIES INDUSTRY WATCH: Allied Market Research has published a new forecast predicting growth in the global digital battlefield industry from $38 billion in 2021 to $156.8 billion by 2031. “Increase in adoption of 5G network for high-speed data collection, rapid developments in robotics technologies, big data analytics and artificial intelligence, and strong budget for military and defense drive the growth of the global digital battlefield market,” the company said in a news release. “[A] rise in need for digital battlefield devices in defense and introduction of new generation missile & air defense systems are likely to create potential opportunities for growth of the global market in the coming years.” CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER The Rundown Washington Examiner: US to start training Ukrainians on Patriot missile system in Oklahoma next week Washington Examiner: Kremlin says 'NATO and the US are indirectly involved' in Ukraine war Washington Examiner: House GOP divided over possible cuts to defense budget Washington Examiner: Top Intel Republican demands damage assessment over Biden classified documents discovery Washington Examiner: John Lausch: The Trump-era US attorney handling the Biden classified docs saga Washington Examiner: Biden classified document controversy: What we know and how the president's case differs from Trump's Washington Examiner: New House Armed Services GOP chairman pledges to fight ‘misguided’ DOD policies Washington Examiner: House votes to create select committees on China and 'weaponization' of DOJ Washington Examiner: House Republican files articles of impeachment against DHS Secretary Mayorkas Washington Examiner: Brazil riot sparks competition to befriend Lula, 'a grand prize in international politics' Washington Examiner: Pentagon rescinds COVID-19 vaccination mandate Washington Examiner: Mexican president thanks Biden for not building '1 meter' of border wall Washington Examiner: Opinion: Why space should be declared critical infrastructure Washington Post: U.S., Japan To Announce Move Aimed At Deterring Beijing Reuters: U.S. To Increase Number Of Anti-Ship Missiles In Japan – Sources Yonhap: S. Korea, U.S. To Hold 'Table-Top' Exercise Against N. Korea's Possible Nuke Use: Ministry New York Times: Prompted By Russian Aggression, The E.U. And NATO Vow New Cooperation. New York Times: Once The War Ends, How Will Ukraine Protect Itself? Air & Space Forces Magazine: Wolters: Ukraine Needs Fighters, But There’s Still No Consensus Yet to Provide Them 19fortyfive.com: Putin Might Be Facing an Ammunition Crisis in Ukraine Air & Space Forces Magazine: Russian Missiles Used Against Ukraine ‘Absolutely Filled’ With US Tech Defense News: Russia’s Upgraded Tu-160 Bomber to Undergo Government Testing Air & Space Forces Magazine: F-35 Flies for the First Time with Tech Refresh 3, Paving the Way for Block 4 Breaking Defense: Virgin’s Space Launch Failure Costs US, UK Militaries 4 Satellites USNI News: CNO Gilday to Shipbuilders: ‘Pick Up the Pace’ Breaking Defense: HASC Members Push Back At Sen. Reed AUKUS Criticisms: ‘Far From A Zero-Sum Game’ USNI News: SWO Boss Sets Goal For 75 Mission-Capable Surface Warships Ready To Deploy Defense One: As a Groundbreaking Unmanned Task Force Hits Stride, Navy Mulls the Next One Defense News: Building a Better Bomber: How the Stealthy B-21 Subverted Bureaucracy Marine Corps Times: To Recruit Gen Z, The Top Marine Makes An Appeal To Older Generations Military.com: Applications to Air Force Academy Bounce Back After Plummeting During Pandemic Colorado Springs Gazette: Air Force Academy Cadet, Football Player Collapses, Dies on Way to Class 19fortyfive.com: Putin Might Be Facing an Ammunition Crisis in Ukraine 19fortyfive.com: B-21 Raider Stealth Bomber: Could Cost Be a Problem? 19fortyfive.com: he F-15EX Eagle II Might Be the World's Deadliest Fighter Washington Post: Opinion: Don’t Cut Aid To Ukraine, Mr. Speaker The Cipher Brief: The Danger of Losing Focus on Ukraine The Cipher Brief: The Pentagon’s Cyber Personnel Issues Need More Attention Calendar WEDNESDAY | JANUARY 11 7:30 a.m. 2799 Richmond Hwy., Arlington, Virginia — Surface Navy Association annual National Symposium with the theme "Sharpening Our Competitive Edge," with Coast Guard Commandant Linda Fagan; Vice Chief of Naval Operations Lisa Franchetti; Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT) and Rep. Robert Wittman (R-VA) delivering remarks on the "View from Capitol Hill” and Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro giving keynote address at 11 a.m. https://www.navysnaevents.org/national-symposium 8 a.m. — Atlantic Council virtual discussion: “The Case for Ukraine Retaking Crimea," with retired Army Gen. Wes Clark, former NATO supreme allied commander Europe; Leonid Gozman, Russian opposition politician and commentator; Debra Cagan, energy fellow at the Transatlantic Leadership Network; former Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Zagorodnyuk, fellow at the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center; and former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst, senior director of the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/the-case-for-retaking-crimea 9:30 a.m. — Stimson Center event: “Voices from Japan: Japan’s Security Policy Transformation,” with Itsunori Onodera, the 12th, 17th, and 18th minister of defense of Japan https://www.stimson.org/event/voices-from-japan 9:45 a.m. — Intelligence and National Security Alliance virtual discussion on "ONI's assessments of foreign naval capabilities and its application of naval intelligence to global geopolitical challenges," with Rear Adm. Michael Studeman, commander, Office of Naval Intelligence, and Suzanne Wilson Heckenberg, INSA president https://www.insaonline.org/detail-pages/event 4 p.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW — Brookings Institution Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology conversation: “Reflections on U.S. defense policy from Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA),” with Michael O’Hanlon, Philip H. Knight chair in defense and strategy, senior fellow and director, Strobe Talbott Center; and Melanie Sisson, fellow, Strobe Talbott Center https://www.brookings.edu/events/reflections 5 p.m. 2201 C St. NW — Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, and Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada joint media availability following a meeting of the U.S.-Japan Security Consultative Committee http://www.state.gov THURSDAY | JANUARY 12 7:30 a.m. 2799 Richmond Hwy., Arlington, Virginia — Surface Navy Association annual National Symposium, with the theme "Sharpening Our Competitive Edge," with Joint Chiefs of Staff Vice Chairman Christopher Grady delivering remarks at 7 p.m. https://www.navysnaevents.org/national-symposium 8 a.m. 7920 Jones Branch Dr., McLean, Virginia — Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association Northern Virginia Chapter 2023 NOVA Army IT Day forum, with Army Undersecretary Gabriel Camarillo; Lt. Gen. John Morrison, deputy chief of staff of the Army for command, control, communications, cyber operations, and networks; Dovarius Peoples, chief information officer of the Army Corps of Engineers; Kenneth McNeill, chief information officer for command, control, communications, and computers/cyber, J-6, of the Army National Guard Bureau; Lt. Gen. Maria Gervais, deputy commanding general and chief of staff of the Army Training and Doctrine Command; Margaret Boatner, deputy assistant Army secretary for strategy and acquisition reform; Kimberly Buehler, director of the Army Office of Small Business Programs; Megan Dake, deputy assistant Army secretary for procurement; William Nelson, deputy assistant Army secretary for research and technology; and Maj. Gen. Christopher Eubank, commanding general of the Army Network Enterprise Technology Command https://afceanova.swoogo.com/ArmyITDay2023 6 p.m. — Economic Club of Washington, D.C., virtual discussion with U.K. Ambassador to the United States Karen Pierce https://www.economicclub.org/events/he-dame-karen-pierce FRIDAY | JANUARY 13 TBA — President Joe Biden hosts Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for meetings at the White House https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room 12 p.m. 37th and O Sts. NW — Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service discussion: on "Displacement and Disabilities in Ukraine What's Happened to Children with Disabilities in the Conflict?" with Eric Rosenthal, founder and executive director of Disability Rights International; Elizabeth Ferris, director of ISIM; and Quill Kukla, director of Georgetown's Disability Studies Program https://www.georgetown.edu/event/displacement-and-disabilities QUOTE OF THE DAY “There will be no Third World War. It is not a trilogy: Ukraine will stop the Russian aggression on our land.”/quote> Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in a prerecorded video message to Golden Globes awards ceremony, introduced by actor Sean Penn Tuesday night | Europe Politics |
A missile strike that killed at least 15 people in a Ukrainian market was blamed on Russia. There's now growing evidence it was fired by Ukraine.
- A missile that hit Kostyantynivka in September was likely Ukrainian, an NYT analysis said.
- Kyiv had blamed the attack, which killed at least 15 people, on Russia.
A missile that struck a busy market in Kostyantynivka, east Ukraine, was likely misfired by Ukraine and not the result of a Russian attack, a New York Times analysis found.
The missile struck the town, which is close to where Russian and Ukrainian forces are battling in Bakhmut, on September 6, killing at least 15 and injuring around 30 people.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shortly afterward blamed the attack on Russia, and the UN and Ukraine's Western allies condemned the strike.
"This Russian evil must be defeated as soon as possible," Zelenskyy said, according to RFERL. He described the missile strike as a deliberate attack on a "peaceful city."
But a new analysis of missile fragments, satellite imagery, witness accounts, and social media posts suggests the incident was likely caused by a misfired air defense missile, the Times said.
Analysts told the Times that problems with a missile's guidance systems, or a fault with its tail fin, can cause one to accidentally go off course.
According to the Times, several pieces of evidence point to the Kostyantynivka strike being a tragic Ukrainian error.
- Video footage and data from the impact site indicate it came from territory to the northwest of Kostyantynivka controlled by Ukraine.
- Two Times reporters were in the village of Druzhkivka, 10 miles northwest of Kostiantynivka, and said that shortly after 2 p.m. on September 6 Ukraine launched two surface-to-air missiles. Several eyewitnesses backed the claim. A missile struck Kostiantynivka at 2.04 p.m.
- Analysis of shrapnel damage at the impact site is consistent with the missile being a 9M38 launched by a Buk surface-to-air launch system of the kind used by Ukraine and Russia. It is not consistent with Kyiv's claim it was caused by a Russian S-300 missile.
It would not be the first time Ukrainian air defense missiles have misfired. A November 2022 strike on a village in Poland, a NATO member, which was initially believed to have been caused by Russia was later found to have likely been the result of a misfiring Ukrainian air defense missile, Reuters reported.
The Ukrainian defense ministry did not immediately return a request for comment from Insider. It told the Times the incident in Kostiantynivka is being investigated by Ukrainian security services. | Europe Politics |
China‘s People’s Liberation Army is developing high-technology weapons designed to disrupt brain functions and influence government leaders or entire populations, according to a report by three open-source intelligence analysts.
The weapons can be used to directly attack or control brains using microwave or other directed energy weapons in handheld guns or larger weapons firing electromagnetic beams, adding that the danger of China‘s brain warfare weapons prior to or during a conflict is no longer theoretical.
“Unknown to many, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its People’s Liberation Army (PLA) have established themselves as world leaders in the development of neurostrike weapons,” according to the 12-page report, “Enumerating, Targeting and Collapsing the Chinese Communist Party’s Neurostrike Program.” A copy of the study was obtained by The Washington Times.
The U.S. Commerce Department in December 2021 imposed sanctions on China‘s Academy of Military Medical Sciences and 11 related entities the department said were using “biotechnology processes to support Chinese military end-uses and end-users, to include purported brain-control weaponry.”
Few public studies or discussion, however, have been held regarding the new advanced military capability.
Neurostrike is a military term defined as the engineered targeting of the brains of military personnel or civilians using non-kinetic technology. The goal is to impair thinking, reduce situational awareness, inflict long-term neurological damage and cloud normal cognitive functions.
The study was written by Ryan Clarke, a senior fellow at the East Asian Institute of the National University of Singapore; Xiaoxu Sean Lin, a former Army microbiologist now with Feitan College; and L.J. Eads, a former Air Force intelligence officer and current specialist in artificial intelligence for the U.S. intelligence community. The three authors write that China‘s leadership “views neurostrike and psychological warfare as a core component of its asymmetric warfare strategy against the United States and its allies in the Indo-Pacific.”
According to the report, neurostrike capabilities are part of the military standard military capabilities and should not be viewed as an unconventional weapon limited to use in extreme circumstances.
Likely areas of use for the weapons included Taiwan, the South China Sea, East China Sea and the disputed Sino-Indian border.
The threat is not limited to the use of microwave weapons: “[China‘s] new landscape of neurostrike development includes using massively distributed human-computer interfaces to control entire populations as well as a range of weapons designed to cause cognitive damage,” the report said.
Research is focused on using brain warfare weapons in the near term, and possibly during a Chinese military assault on Taiwan — a target for future Chinese military operations that U.S. military leaders have said could be carried out in the next four years.
“Any breakthrough in this research would provide unprecedented tools for the CCP to forcibly establish a new world order, which has been [Chinese President] Xi Jinping’s lifelong goal,” the report said.
Militarily, brain warfare can be used in what the Pentagon has called China‘s “anti-access, area-denial” military strategy for the Indo-Pacific.
“Imagine (at least partially) immunized PLA troops being inserted into a geography where a specific weaponized bacterial strain has been released prior to their entry to prepare the ground and eliminate points of resistance,” the report states. “Any remaining sources of resistance on the ground are then dealt with through [Chinese] neurostrike weaponry that instill intense fear and/or other forms of cognitive incoherence resulting in inaction.”
That scenario would allow the PLA to establish absolute control over a nation like Taiwan, while at the same time blunting any American strategic options to intervene and send troops in to support Taiwan. The PLA could thus negate U.S. conventional military superiority with few near-term remedies for the United States, the report said.
“This scenario is based on known existing CCP research programs and what the clear strategic aims of those programs are,” the report said.
The report said placing China‘s Academy of Military Medical Science the Commerce Department’s blacklist of companies barred from access to U.S. goods was the result of its leading role in developing brain warfare capabilities. A special branch of the Chinese military known as the Strategic Support Force (SSF) is likely the main unit charged with conducting brain warfare.
The ‘three warfares’ strategy
The SSF is the leader in what the PLA calls a “three warfares” strategy of using non-kinetic weapons in war. The three warfares were disclosed in 2014 by China‘s National Defense University and call for employing psychological warfare, media warfare and legal warfare.
Little is known about the SSF but available information indicates the force would be used to shape information environments on the ground and provide the PLA with better battlefield information than its adversaries.
“With additional neurostrike capabilities that can either damage, disorient or even control perceived adversary cognition at the population level, the PLA SSF would represent an exponential escalation in [China‘s] aggression in the Indo- Pacific,” the report said.
“Three warfares” operations are underway against Taiwan, Hong Kong, the South China Sea and along the Indian-Chinese border, and the authors warn that the risk of the new brain warfare capabilities being used is increasing.
The SSF “now operates as a type of superstructure on top of a growing and increasingly active platform of Chinese military assets (land, sea, air, cyber, and space) across multiple theaters in the Indo-Pacific while simultaneously serving as the primary deployment platform for new neurostrike weaponry,” the report said.
To counter brain warfare capabilities, the report urges the U.S. military to first expose the threat of neurostrike weapons and call for international talks and policy remedies, such as ethics reviews for neuroscience and cognitive science studies. Proactively, the United State should sabotage critical supply chains of specific institutions or companies engaged in brain warfare research.
Cyber capabilities also should be used to target and disrupt Chinese neurostrike programs. Sanctions against all Chinese civilian and military programs linked to brain warfare also should be increased.
The objective of all counter-brain warfare efforts should be to dissuade China‘s leadership from deploying the new technology, the report said.
“Like all of the CCP’s asymmetric warfare programs, neurostrike depends entirely on presenting a massively decentralized and fragmented network structure,” the report said. “This renders it nearly impossible to map using traditional investigative or intelligence approaches.”
China currently does not have the defense-industrial base needed to produce the technologies for a neurostrike program that can match Beijing’s military ambitions, the report said, presenting a window of opportunity for the U.S. and its allies.
“This fundamental gap presents a massive vulnerability for decapitating strikes against the neurostrike program provided that these gaps can be surfaced, and precision-targeted,” the report said.
U.S. and allied nations must locate key weaknesses in the networks involved in the brain warfare program. Covert military action can “make involvement in this weapons program a high-risk venture where technical failure and negative international attention are the most likely outcomes,” the report said.
• Bill Gertz can be reached at [email protected].
Copyright © 2023 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.
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Hundreds of people took part in a march in Buenos Aires on Monday in support of Israel following the deadly terror attacks carried out by the Islamist group Hamas in the Middle East.
Led by country's leading Jewish organisations, the march in Almagro was a chance for porteños to show solidarity with Israel.
Meanwhile, left-wing groups held a counter-rally in the centre of Buenos Aires in support of Palestine and to demand of an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
The pro-Israel rally took place on a symbolic corner of the capital's Almagro neighbourhood, where the Estado de Israel and Estado de Palestina streets intersect. The national anthems of both Israel and Argentina were played during the event, while demonstrators waved Israeli flags.
A stage was set up at the site and speeches were delivered by the presidents of DAIA, Víctor Garelik; AMIA, Amos Linetzky, and the Argentine Zionist Organisation, Sergio Pikholtz.
A number of opposition politicians were also in attendance, including a number of leaders from the PRO party, including Buenos Aires City Mayor Horacio Rodríguez Larreta; the candidate to succeed him, Jorge Macri; national deputies Diego Santilli and Waldo Wolff and former human rights secretary Claudio Avruj. US ambassador to Argentina Marc Stanley was also present.
"The only solution is for the Gaza Strip, which originally belonged to the Jewish people, to be vacated," Rafael Yablonosky, a 60-year-old doctor, said as he rallied.
"I came to support all the people who are going to fight for their country, for their people and for their family," said Ronit Natapoff, a 26-year-old from Israel who recently moved to the capital.
Argentina, with some 300,000 members, has the largest Jewish community in Latin America.
The Jewish community has suffered two serious attacks in Argentina, both in Buenos Aires. In 1992 the Israeli headquarters were bombed, killing 29 people and in 1994 an attack against the AMIA Jewish community centre, the worst in Argentina's history, which left another 85 dead.
According to Argentina's Foreign Ministry, at least seven Argentine citizens have been killed, with another 15 people reported missing.
Argentina's Defence Ministry has established an emergency operation to repatriate more than 600 Argentines to the country as soon as possible. Departures can be requested at the country's consulate in Tel Aviv.
– TIMES/AFP/NA | Latin America Politics |
The Liberal party has “turned its back” on Indigenous people and ignored the majority of its constituents by deciding to oppose the voice to parliament, key yes campaigners say.
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, pledged Wednesday to actively campaign against the voice, with the Liberals deciding to advocate for symbolic constitutional recognition of Indigenous people. At a Liberal caucus meeting on Wednesday, frontbenchers were directed to oppose the proposal for the voice, although backbenchers are free to campaign as they wish.
“We have been clear we don’t support his [Anthony Albanese’s] Canberra voice,” Dutton said. “It is divisive and won’t deliver the outcomes to people on the ground.”
The decision has prompted anger and disappointment from Indigenous campaigners, who say symbolic constitutional recognition is a long-rejected proposal dismissed in the lead up to the Uluru statement from the heart, which called for recognition through a voice to parliament.
“After 12 years, seven processes and 10 reports, the Liberal party have made a decision to campaign for a no vote,” said Pat Anderson, one of the architects of the Uluru statement.
“This ignores the majority of First Nations peoples at the grassroots across the country, ignores the months of work done by three referendum working groups to ensure the wording is sound, and ignores the majority view of their own constituents.”
The Liberal MP Bridget Archer said she would actively campaign for a yes vote, telling Triple J’s Hack she did not want to be attached “in any way” to a no vote.
Liberal senator Andrew Bragg, another voice supporter, cast doubt on his party’s reasons for opposing it and said he still had an open mind.
Instead of a constitutionally enshrined voice, Dutton proposed symbolic constitutional recognition of Indigenous people, and a legislated model that would focus on local and regional voices rather than a national voice.
“I have spent literally months, like many Australians, trying to understand what it is the prime minister is proposing,” Dutton said.
“We cannot get the basic detail out of them. We think it is deliberate.”
Anderson, co-chair of the Uluru statement from the heart, said current government approaches were “failing our people”, adding that a legislated body would not be as powerful as a constitutionally-enshrined one.
“[The Liberals’] decision is a vote for business as usual. It is a vote for the domination of Canberra politicians and Canberra bureaucrats in the lives of grassroots communities,” she said.
“Legislative bodies have come and gone. Only constitutional enshrinement will guarantee First Nations peoples will have an enduring say and ultimately improve First Nations lives.”
The Indigenous Australians minister, Linda Burney, stressed that the Uluru statement had been created “with the input of over a thousand First Nations people across the country”. She believed the referendum would pass, and noted that the leaders of every state and territory had backed the voice.
“Mr Dutton is tying himself in knots. Apparently, he’s for a voice, but against it, and his backbenchers won’t be bound by this position. That’s about as clear as mud,” she said.
“The voice will make sure that voices in remote and regional communities are heard. It is simply misleading for Mr Dutton to suggest anything otherwise.”
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, called it a “cheap shot” for Dutton to refer to the body as the “Canberra voice” and rubbished suggestions of splitting the referendum question in two – one on recognition and one on the voice.
Thomas Mayo, a member of the government’s referendum working group, said he was disappointed but not surprised by Dutton’s decision. He accused the opposition of “fear-mongering and dishonesty”.
“It’s misleading to say that you support constitutional recognition, while ignoring those that are to be to be recognised, and the way that they seek to be recognised,” he said.
“These are empty words coming from the opposition leader. His government absolutely failed Indigenous people throughout the last 10 years.”
Fellow working group member, Marcus Stewart, said the Liberals’ decision amounted to “silencing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people”.
“All I’ve heard from Peter Dutton is disingenuous delusions that deliberately and disproportionately affect Aboriginal people,” he said.
Dean Parkin, director of the Yes Campaign Alliance, said the Liberal party had “turned its back” on Indigenous people.
“Constitutional recognition through a voice to parliament is an invitation from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to the nation. It has come after decades of discussion and consultation,” he said.
“While today’s decision was made by a number of politicians in Canberra, the referendum is a decision for the Australian people. Indigenous people have put their faith in the people of Australia, because they will get it right.” | Australia Politics |
Australians have turned out to protest against the country’s national holiday, branding the day as "Invasion Day" as they demand recognition of harm against the Indigenous population. "Let us all recognize the unique privilege that we have to share this continent with the world's oldest continuous culture," Australian Prime Minster Anthony Albanese said of the holiday at a flag-raising ceremony to mark the 235th anniversary. Australia Day marks the day that a British fleet first landed on the continent and proclaimed sovereignty over the land. In Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, a large crowd gathered to proclaim the day "Invasion Day" instead – the day when the British took the land from the Aboriginal peoples. Protesters carried Aboriginal flags, and an Indigenous smoking ceremony took place. IRAQI PROTESTERS RALLY NEAR COUNTRY'S CENTRAL BANK REGARDING THE RECENT DEVALUATION OF THE DINARAnother protest in South Australia’s Adelaide drew around 2,000 attendees, according to the Australian Broadcasting Company. While Albanese raised a flag for Australia in the nation’s capital of Canberra, Deniliquin Aboriginal leader Laura Hand-Ross of the Wamba Wamba and Mutthi Mutthi peoples lowered the people’s flag to half-mast to recognize that "for many Aboriginal people across the country, January 26 is a day of mourning," The Guardian reported. People participate in the 'Invasion Day' rally in Melbourne, January 26, 2023. AAP (Image/Diego Fedele via Reuters)"I would hazard a guess that in five years’ time, I probably will start calling it Survival Day," she said, adding that she has always referred to the holiday as "Invasion Day." "But for me, it symbolizes significant changes for all of our people across Australia and particularly in New South Wales, of the absolute annihilation of almost all of our people."An annual poll found that nearly one-third of Australians believe that the day should be officially rebranded as "Invasion Day." CRITICS CALL OUT BIDEN ADMINISTRATION FOR NOT WALKING AWAY FROM IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL DESPITE RECENT RHETORICIn an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, executive director of the Center for Independent Studies in Australia Tom Switzer urged his fellow countrymen to "annoy the woke left" and "celebrate Australia Day." Switzer acknowledged that "only a lunatic would be proud" of the various land thefts and indigenous exploitations that occurred under the British Empire, but he also highlighted the "great common achievements" of the British past, which he saw under threat from Australians who teach the youth to "feel shame about their nation’s British heritage." Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attends the APEC Leader's Dialogue with APEC Business Advisory Council during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, Friday, Nov. 18, 2022, in Bangkok, Thailand. (Sakchai Lalit/Pool via Reuters)"The defeat of Germany and Japan in 1945 come to mind, but so does the export of the rule of law and parliamentary systems to nations around the world," Switzer wrote. "Never mind that if the British hadn’t colonized Australia, another nation would have done so: the French or Dutch perhaps, or even the Japanese," he continued. "Never mind, too, that Australia has in the ensuing 235 years established itself as one of the world’s leading nations, embracing humane values such as the rule of law, liberty and democracy."TURKEY SAYS SWEDISH DECISION NOT TO PROBE KURD PROTEST ‘ABSURD’"National and state governments have striven to include and support indigenous people and to ensure they are equal under the law in every respect," he noted. "No one would pretend that the past treatment of indigenous people was acceptable by today’s standards. But those days are gone, and history can’t be undone."Despite the significant unhappiness with the current holiday, Albanese said that there is no plan for change, though he noted that it was a "difficult day" for the Indigenous peoples. People participate in the 'Invasion Day' rally in Melbourne, January 26, 2023. (AAP Image/Diego Fedele via Reuters)Albanese’s Labor Party has also planned a referendum that will recognize Indigenous people in the nation’s constitution and establish a group called the Voice to consult on any decisions that might affect Aboriginal lives. "It is a great country," Albanese said of the referendum. "Australia will be even better when we recognize our First Nations people in our constitution."Some companies have tried to acknowledge the discontentment, with telecom company Telstra Corp LTD offering its employees the day off. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP"For many First Nations peoples, Australia Day ... marks a turning point that saw lives lost, culture devalued, and connections between people and places destroyed," Telstra chief executive officer Vicki Brady wrote on LinkedIn.Reuters contributed to this report. Peter Aitken is a Fox News Digital reporter with a focus on national and global news. | Australia Politics |
As the UK government begins evacuating British citizens from Sudan, many have made their own way out to safety.
Hotels across Djibouti have become places of refuge for those fleeing devastation and bloodshed in the Sudanese capital Khartoum.
Hundreds of people have been evacuated and brought here by international rescue missions. A sleepy port city turned global military base and now a gateway for those scrambling to long-term safety.
In just one building in the centre of town are dozens of Irish citizens and their immediate family members - the last place I was expecting to see a friend from Khartoum, NHS doctor Iman Abugarja.
Like others in the lobby, her eyes were round with disbelief and red from tears. When we embraced, her head shook from side to side. "No, no, no," her head signalled. A rejection of the horrifying reality.
Dr Iman Abugarja is a British citizen and was able to leave Khartoum by sheer perseverance.
Her son is an Irish national and received a note from the embassy that an evacuation mission was under way.
When she arrived with him and her 17-year-old daughter at the embassy where the European Union effort was being organised - an extremely hard-hit area in Khartoum - an injured man was being taken into safety on a mattress.
She offered her help as a doctor and was ushered in by the security guard. Once she was in the building, the head of the mission welcomed her on board the flight in a gesture of generosity.
"They took me in to meet the consul and I said: 'I'm British - I am not EU.' He said: 'No, you're still in the European Union', which I thought was very, very kind," says Dr Abugarja with a watery smile.
"But I couldn't go out again to say goodbye to my mother or my sister," she added.
Dr Abugarja had to face an unthinkable decision: to stay with her elderly, sick parents or get her children to safety.
The agony of the choice hangs between her brows and the corners of her mouth.
She is riddled with worry and guilt as another US-brokered ceasefire fails to end the violence in her hometown where her closest family remain.
"My 96-year-old grandmother is also with my parents there," she says. "These are the people we have left behind - the most vulnerable - and it is just heartbreaking."
Her 17-year-old daughter is also feeling the cost of her own survival.
"Honesty, I feel really really guilty. Leaving my grandparents there is really hard," says Sarah, holding her mother's hand. She was planning to go to medical school in Khartoum next year.
"Sarah was saying last night that she feels bad because it almost seems as if it was too easy for us. People are still trapped, exposed to missiles and bombs," says Dr Abugarja.
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She has plans to head back to Khartoum to retrieve her parents if plans to evacuate her family fail.
She says her elderly father would rather die in his home than live his life abroad as a refugee.
Dr Abugarja adds: "When they do get out we need to ensure they can live in a dignified manner. That they have shelter, food and drink and their medical needs are taken care of - and that is very, very difficult." | United Kingdom Politics |
At least one person has been killed and 19 more injured in fresh Russian missile strikes on the Ukrainian port city of Odesa, officials have said.
Regional Governor Oleh Kiper said 14 people were hospitalised in the blasts, including four children.
The historical Transfiguration Cathedral was badly damaged by the strikes, the city council said.
Moscow has been launching near constant attacks on Odesa since it withdrew from a landmark grain deal on Monday.
"Odesa: another night attack of the monsters," Mr Kiper wrote on Telegram. He added that six residential buildings - including several apartment buildings - were destroyed by the strikes.
Odesa's military administration said that the Transfiguration Cathedral of the Moscow-linked Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) was severely damaged.
The building is Odesa's largest Orthodox church and was consecrated in 1809. It was demolished by the Soviet Union in 1939, before being re-built in 2003.
In a video posted to social media by the city council, Mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov could be seen walking through rubble inside the church.
Andriy Palchuk, the archdeacon of the Cathedral, said he was the first person to arrive at the scene.
"The destruction is enormous; half of the cathedral was left without a roof, and the central piles and foundation were destroyed," he said.
"All the windows and stucco moulding were blown out. There was a fragmentary fire, the part where icons and candles are sold in the church caught fire. It was all on fire, burning."
The UN's cultural agency, Unesco, has repeatedly urged Russia to cease attacks on Odesa. The city's historic centre was designated an endangered World Heritage by the organisation earlier this year, despite Russian opposition.
But in an update posted to Facebook, Ukraine's southern command said Russia had targeted the Odesa region with at least five different types of missiles.
The head of Ukraine's presidential office, Andriy Yermak, repeated calls for more missiles and defence systems after the latest attack on Odesa.
"This is the undisguised terror of a peaceful city," Mr Yermak wrote on Telegram. "The enemy must be deprived of the opportunity to attack civilians and infrastructure."
Moscow has notably stepped up attacks on the port city since it withdrew from the UN backed grain deal on Monday and Ukraine has accused it of targeting grain supplies and infrastructure vital to the deal.
A strike earlier this week destroyed some 60,000 tonnes of grain, officials said.
Odesa is Ukraine's biggest port, and millions of tonnes of grain have been shipped from its docks under the terms of the deal.
The deal - brokered by Turkey and the UN - between Russia and Ukraine was struck in July 2022, allowing cargo ships to sail along a corridor in the Black Sea. | Europe Politics |
The government has announced the construction of sections of HS2 will be delayed by two years to save money.
The high-speed railway was initially set to link London and the West Midlands with a further phase extending to cities in the North.
However, Transport Secretary Mark Harper said on Thursday: "We have seen significant inflationary pressure and increased project costs, and so we will rephase construction by two years, with an aim to deliver high-speed services to Crewe and the North West as soon as possible after accounting for the delay in construction."
The delay will affect the northwest section of HS2, from Birmingham to Crewe, and then from Crewe to Manchester.
The first part was due for extension between 2030 and 2034 to help boost transport in the north of England, but the window has now shifted to 2032 to 2036 while services will not extend to Manchester until the 2040s.
In a written ministerial statement, Mr Harper said the government is "prioritising HS2's initial services" between Old Oak Common in west London and Birmingham Curzon Street.
On delivering services to central London, he also hinted at delays, saying: "We will address affordability pressures to ensure the overall spending profile is manageable.
"We will therefore take the time to ensure we have an affordable and deliverable station design, delivering Euston alongside high-speed infrastructure to Manchester."
This means it could be more than a decade before high-speed services stop at Euston, with passengers expected instead travel for half an hour on the Elizabeth Line.
Mr Harper also announced a series of setbacks affecting key road projects under cost-saving measures that threaten to deliver a blow to "levelling up" plans.
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A planned extension to Leeds was already shelved in November 2021.
Labour said the latest delay meant the North was again having to "pay the price" for government failures.
Louise Haigh, the shadow transport secretary, said: "Tens of thousands of jobs, and billions in economic growth are dependent on this project.
"The North is yet again being asked to pay the price for staggering Conservative failure.
"Conservative chaos and chronic indecision is holding back jobs, growth and costing the taxpayer.
"This is the biggest project in Europe and delays pile costs up in the long run - ministers now need to come clean on precisely how much their indecision will cost taxpayers and the North."
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Raising a point of order in the Commons, Labour MP Sarah Owen also attacked Mr Harper for "avoiding scrutiny".
She said the cabinet minister "should have had the decency to come to this House and explain to members why they are doing this" instead of publishing a written statement "at nearly 5 o'clock on Thursday afternoon".
Commons speaker Lindsay Hoyle also criticised the way the delay was communicated, with his spokesperson saying: "The Speaker has consistently told the government that major policy announcements should be made to the House first so that members have the chance to ask questions on behalf of their constituents, rather than hearing about them via the media."
Delivery of the high-speed railway has been a core pledge of the Conservative government but it has been plagued by delays and ever-increasing costs - from estimates of about £33 billion in 2010 to £55.7bn for the whole project in 2015.
By 2019, the estimated cost had soared to at least £71bn, excluding the final eastern leg from the West Midlands to the East Midlands.
Ministers are understood to be delaying construction of the northern section in the hope they can spread the cost over a longer period of time so it was more affordable annually.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is set to announce his spring budget next week and will have Rishi Sunak's target in mind - to get government debt to fall as a percentage of GDP within five years.
However, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said the delay would hit confidence in the rail industry and could ultimately lead to higher overall costs for HS2.
John Foster, the CBI's policy unit programme director, said the news "will ultimately reduce investor and contractor confidence in the rail sector".
"To mitigate further loss of confidence, it is critical that government tackles the inflationary pressures which are biting hard across the infrastructure sector," he said.
"Delays to projects may create short-term savings, but they can ultimately lead to higher overall costs and slow down the UK's transition to a better, faster and greener transport network."
Leader of Birmingham City Council, Ian Ward, said the delay is "another betrayal of the Midlands and the North, making a mockery of the government's empty promises to level up the UK economy".
But Conservative MP and former chief secretary to the Treasury Simon Clarke said delaying construction "would be a sensible decision".
"Having observed HS2's progress as chief secretary, I have serious doubts as to value for money and cost control," he said.
Greg Smith, the Conservative MP for Buckingham, called for the government to "accept the whole thing was a colossal mistake and scrap it, all of it".
Just last week, rail minister Huw Merriman told the Commons the government is "absolutely committed" to delivering HS2 but admitted "cost pressures" must be examined.
HS2 Ltd chief executive Mark Thurston said the project had suffered a "significant" impact from increased costs in building materials, fuel and energy due to high inflation.
HS2 is Britain's biggest infrastructure project and has had support from governments of all stripes since it was first mooted more than a decade ago.
But last month, the government reportedly planned to make drastic changes that would almost halve the number of high-speed trains per hour and services would travel slower to save money.
The Department for Transport (DfT) said at the time it "does not comment on speculation" and said the government "remain committed to delivering the project".
In January, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said he did not see "any conceivable circumstance" in which the original plan would not be followed after reports the high-speed line could stop before reaching central London.
There were claims the last leg of HS2 into Euston could be scrapped and replaced with a new hub at Old Oak Common in the suburbs of northwest London, where it is set to stop before travelling into Euston.
The government did not deny the reports or that a two to five-year delay to the entire project - currently due to be completed between 2029 and 2033 - was being considered due to record high inflation impacting costs. | United Kingdom Politics |
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MÁLAGA, Spain — The leader of Israel’s center-left Labor Party says something has gone “very wrong” with the political left around the world, with supposed progressives now aligning themselves with Islamist militants who oppose the rights of women and LGBTQ+ people.
Over a month after Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people and captured some 240, Israeli officials revised their death toll downwards as Israel wages a retaliatory war against Hamas in Gaza, which has now killed more than 11,000 Palestinians — according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Mass protests have been held in cities across the EU and U.S. calling for an immediate cease-fire, with many using the slogan “from the river to the sea,” regarded by many Jews and Israelis as a call for the annihilation of the state of Israel but by Palestinians and their supporters as a non-violent rallying cry against the occupation.
At the protests and on university campuses, some protestors describing themselves as left-wing have expressed support for Hamas — proscribed as a terror organization by the U.S., EU and U.K. Tensions in the left-wing camp have already boiled over in France and Britain. The far-left France Unbowed party led by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, for example, avoids describing Hamas as terrorists and was the only major political party not to attend a rally against rising antisemitism last weekend. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer, the U.K. Labour Party leader, has been pummelled by the left of his party for refusing to call for a cease-fire.
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“I think something very bad is happening on the left,” Labor leader Merav Michaeli told POLITICO in an interview. “It became very, very clear in this attack that people who consider themselves to be democratic, progressive, are supporting a totalitarian terror regime that oppresses women [and] the LGBTQ+ community,” she said on the fringes of an international meeting of Socialist and social democrat parties in Spain.
Some politicians on the far left have primarily blamed Israel for the the latest cycle of violence.
“The more you go to the left, the more there’s a big mix-up. Something went very wrong on the way,” Michaeli told POLITICO, adding that Israel has some “very strong allies” on the center-left.
“I fail to see how shouting jihad and calling for a mass murder of Jews is pro-Palestinian,” she added. “It’s important for me to emphasize to them that when you do not very strongly go against Hamas, and what it does in Gaza including to its own people, you are complicit.”
Israel has imposed a total siege on Gaza, allowing only a trickle of humanitarian aid into the densely-inhabited territory and obliging hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to move south to escape daily bombardments.
Michaeli, a transport minister in the previous Israeli government, is a long-time critic of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, who is leading a far-right coalition and formed a war cabinet with centrist Benny Gantz after October 7. Michaeli called during the interview for Netanyahu to “go now.”
But she also sought to focus attention on the trauma suffered by Israeli society in the wake of the October 7 attacks.
“When I’m speaking to people outside of Israel, then they need to understand that even the biggest peace activists and even the biggest believers in the two state solutions are now under a horrible attack,” she said.
Labor and its antecedent political movements dominated Israeli politics for some 30 years after the birth of the nation in 1948, with members including such prominent politicians as Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres and Ehud Barak. But as Israel shifted to the right, Labor was sidelined as a political force, with now only four members – including Michaeli herself — in the 120-seat Knesset.
“The way to rebuild Israel is to take it back,” she said, before correcting herself: “It’s not even back, it’s to put it on the Zionist democratic, liberal path.” Michaeli explained that this means pushing for a two-state solution as outlined under the Oslo accords that Rabin, her predecessor as Labor Party leader, negotiated in the 1990s.
Cease-fire divisions
At the meeting in Spain, calls by some national parties from countries such as France, Ireland and Belgium for a cease-fire in Gaza divided delegates and did not make it into the final agreed text. The left more broadly has been rocked by divisions over how to respond to the war in Gaza.
Michaeli, whose party is a mere observer to the Party of European Socialists, could not directly negotiate the final text that was agreed upon in Málaga.
But she said: “[Calling for a] cease-fire now is giving permission to Hamas to continue rearming itself, continue stealing food, water, medicine and fuel from its own people and yes, rebasing itself.” She suggested that calls for a cease-fire were being influenced by “PR” for Hamas.
She put the blame for thousands of civilian deaths in Gaza on Hamas, rather than on the Israeli army, whose actions she defended.
“They are dying because Hamas is using them as human shields, because they have based everything from equipment to missiles to their headquarters in the midst of the most civilian functions there are,” Michaeli said.
She criticized what she perceived as a lack of support among EU politicians to push for the release of some 240 hostages kidnapped by Hamas. “I would have loved to hear more about that than just a mention, at least as much as they’re talking about the humanitarian needs in Gaza,” she said. | Middle East Politics |
More than a quarter of UK homeowners on a fixed-rate mortgage are heading for sharp increase in monthly payments before the next election, in a financial timebomb that will rock the Conservatives just as voters prepare to choose the next government.
With the Bank of England expected to increase its key interest rate next week for the 13th time, figures shared with the Guardian by UK Finance, the banking industry trade body, show more than 2.4m fixed-rate homeowner deals will expire between now and the end of 2024.
The prospect of millions of households facing a dramatic rise in borrowing costs comes after a week of renewed turbulence in financial markets as City traders bet the Bank rate would reach close to 6% before Christmas.
In convulsions last seen during the chaos of the ill-fated Liz Truss premiership, Britain’s biggest lenders, including Nationwide, NatWest and HSBC, have scrambled to pull hundreds of cheaper deals in recent days, and raised the cost of new home loans to the highest level since the 2008 financial crisis.
“The moron premium is back,” said David Blanchflower, a former member of the Bank’s rate-setting monetary policy committee. “It seems to me the government and the Bank are in very deep trouble. The reason is because inflation is higher in the UK, and the markets don’t believe they are getting it down. They’re completely and utterly lost.”
“Obviously homeowners are going to get completely whacked. This is going to kill the mortgage market off, hit homeowners like crazy, and they’ll blame the government.”
Sounding the alarm over the worsening mortgage crunch, economists at the Resolution Foundation thinktank warned total annual home loan payments were on course to rise by £15.8bn by 2026 – delivering a £2,900 blow for the average household remortgaging next year.
Up to 60% of this mortgage timebomb was yet to hit consumers because millions of households were still on fixed-rate deals struck before the Bank of England started raising interest rates from a record low of 0.1% in December 2021.
Almost all of the financial blow will land before the next election, which must be held by 28 January 2025, with households expected to face as much as £15bn in additional payments in time for Christmas next year.
“This will deliver a rolling living standards hit to millions of households in the run-in to the next general election,” the thinktank said, warning that the average two-year fixed mortgage was now expected to hit 6.25% later this year, and would fall back to only about 4.5% in 2027.
According to the figures from UK Finance, about 800,000 fixed mortgages will expire before the end of this year, with a further 1.6m coming to an end in 2024. The figures do not include variable rate and tracker mortgages, which will already have risen sharply, or buy-to-let mortgages.
In total, up to 4.4 million homeowners are expected to exit fixed deals between the start of the Bank’s rate-hiking cycle and the end of 2024.
Less than a third of UK households own their home with a mortgage, with the majority buying a fixed-rate deal. However, renters are also being squeezed, as landlords pass on higher costs by pushing up rents at some of the fastest rates on record.
With the government under growing pressure over the cost of living crisis, politicians called for urgent action to support the poorest households dealing with the surge in borrowing costs.
Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, has called for a £3bn emergency mortgage protection fund to support those at risk of losing their homes because they cannot keep up with payments.
“If we don’t give that sort of help to those people, you’d see a spiral down and it will hit the whole economy,” he told the BBC. “My worry is that we’re going to see lots of other families losing their homes, and we could be in a spiral of repossessions.”
Industry figures show mortgage repossessions soared by 50% in the first quarter compared with the final three months of 2022, though they remain substantially lower than in previous years.
This week Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, insisted the Bank of England must see through its policy of raising interest rates to bring down inflation, despite the pressure on households. The Treasury is understood to be wary that any intervention could undermine Threadneedle Street’s efforts to tackle inflation.
Labour is, however, seeking to capitalise by directly linking the turmoil in mortgage markets to the government’s handling of the economy. “Every day now, the Tory mortgage penalty is hitting more and more households across Britain,” said Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor.
“Our country has huge potential. We could be focused on building jobs and industries of the future – but instead, the Tories crashed our economy and left working people paying the price and our economy badly weakened.”
Observers warned the weight of pressure on the government to act could become too difficult to ignore as the Conservatives, trailing in the polls, prepare to enter a tough election battle.
“If we were a bit further away from the election cycle, it’d be easier for the government to stay the course and let monetary policy do its work. Which is what the Treasury wants,” said Alfie Stirling, the chief economist at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation poverty charity.
“But I think No 10 will look at what’s shaping up to become a tough election, and I think it’ll be increasingly difficult for the government not to do something.”
A UK Finance spokesperson said: “Around 800,000 mortgage customers are scheduled to come off their fixed-rate deals later this year, and will likely face higher monthly payments.
“If you’re struggling with your finances, you should speak to your lender as early as possible – don’t put it off. Lenders have a range of tailored options available and will work with you to find the best one for your individual circumstances.” | United Kingdom Politics |
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NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s popular but polarizing prime minister, Narendra Modi, has a fondness for abbreviations that create buzz around his government schemes and dress down his rivals. Last week, Modi’s political opponents did exactly that.
They announced a new alliance — called INDIA — to unseat Modi and defeat his ruling party’s electoral juggernaut.
The acronym, which stands for Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, comprises India’s previously fractured opposition parties that are aiming to keep the Modi government’s increasingly powerful sway at bay. At stake, the alliance says, is the future of India’s multiparty democracy and secular foundations that critics say have seen assaults from Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bhartiya Janata Party.
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The opposition alliance is playing on its acronym, saying it will be Modi versus the country in 2024 polls.
Modi will seek reelection to a third consecutive term in a national vote next year at a time when India’s global diplomatic reach is rising. However, his rule at home has coincided with a struggling economy, rising unemployment, attacks by Hindu nationalists against the country’s minorities, particularly Muslims, and a shrinking space for dissent and free media.
The 26-party alliance is likely to attack Modi’s BJP on exactly these issues — plus a host of other domestic problems, including a deadly ethnic conflict in the northeastern state of Manipur.
But analysts say its effort to oust Modi will be a Herculean task. He is by far India’s most popular leader, and his party directly controls 10 of the 28 states, is in coalition in four other states and has more than 55 percent of Parliament’s lower house seats.
“The opposition must pitch this alliance as an alliance for the ordinary people and not just a front against Modi and his party. They must offer a realistic policy narrative and vision for the country that will resonate with the voters,” said political scientist Suhas Palshikar.
The INDIA alliance, led by the Indian National Congress party that once dominated the country’s politics, includes powerful regional parties that are direct rivals to each other in some states. The parties are also beset with ideological differences and personality clashes, and seem undecided on whether to cede space to other groups in regions where they hold sway.
What binds them together on a national front are their concerns that Modi’s BJP has tightened its grip across India’s democratic institutions and the Parliament, where it has passed crucial bills, including on controversial farm laws.
They also complain they have been the targets of raids and investigations by federal agencies controlled by the Modi government. Over a dozen of these instances have lead to defections of opposition leaders to the BJP, which is sometimes followed by dropped charges or pressure otherwise being eased. The BJP denies its involvement in the cases.
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The Congress party has been particularly hit. Its former president, Rahul Gandhi, who lost the last two elections to Modi, was disqualified in March from Parliament. Gandhi risks losing his eligibility to run in elections for the next eight years if a court doesn’t overturn his conviction in a defamation case that critics say is politically motivated.
“The main aim is to stand together to safeguard democracy and the constitution,” Mallikarjun Kharge, president of the Congress party, said last week at the end of a two-day conclave of the alliance.
Modi’s party has dismissed the alliance as a grouping of “self-serving, corrupt, dynastic parties.” On the same day the INDIA grouping was announced, BJP held a convention of its own National Democratic Alliance, along with 37 other parties. Two of the NDA’s leading allies are breakaway factions from regional parties that are with the INDIA alliance.
“Modi’s party is known to not share power. That it has shown a more conciliatory side toward allies ahead of elections means it’s worried and would like the support of as many allies as possible,” said Gilles Verniers, a senior fellow at the New Delhi-based Centre for Policy Research think tank. “But it won’t be an alliance of equals. Modi’s party will still campaign using Modi as a brand. He alone will be on the posters.”
During his nine years in power, Modi has consolidated his party’s reach in north and central India. His party has, however, faced tough challenges in state polls, particularly in the south, where regional parties hold influence.
In recent polls, Congress toppled local BJP governments in state elections in southern Karnataka and northern Himachal Pradesh, denting the ruling party’s image of invincibility. Gandhi’s 136-day march on foot across the length of the country also appears to have shot India’s grand old party back into political prominence.
The election battle is between “Narendra Modi and INDIA, his ideology and INDIA. India always wins all fights,” Gandhi said July 18 at the opposition gathering.
Verniers said the alliance’s name rattled Modi’s party, “but the opposition parties will have to set aside their differences and make some compromises.”
“They have to decide how they will take on the BJP electorally. Their best bet is to file one candidate against the BJP across most of the parliamentary seats in India,” he said.
India has a history of coalition governments, and opposition parties successfully banded together to defeat then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1977 elections held after she imposed emergency rule in 1975. However, past efforts by the opposition to unite against the Modi government have failed because of infighting among the parties and ideological differences.
Recent moves by oppositions elsewhere in the world haven’t been as successful as INDIA hopes to be. Fragmented oppositions in Turkey and Hungary also failed to oust their populist leaders.
But India has Westminster-style parliamentary system, and a large opposition bloc has a significant chance to emerge victorious by winning more seats, even if its vote share is less than that of the ruling party. In 2019 general elections, Modi’s BJP-led alliance only won 37 percent of the votes cast, but was still rewarded with over 303 of 543 seats.
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Palshikar, the political scientist, said if the opposition alliance was to succeed it must transform the movement of unity into a “political force that can offer an alternative to the voters.”
“Mere critique of Modi won’t work,” he said.
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