World http://www.theweek.in/news/world.rss en Wed Feb 21 13:16:18 IST 2024 video-shows-hardeep-singh-nijjar-being-fatally-shot-outside-canada-gurudwara <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/09/video-shows-hardeep-singh-nijjar-being-fatally-shot-outside-canada-gurudwara.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/week/news/world/images/2024/3/9/Hardeep%20Singh%20Nijjar%20killing%20video.jpg" /> <p>A video purportedly showing the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar has surfaced, reported Canadian media.</p> <p>Nijjar, designated a terrorist by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2020, was shot dead outside a Gurudwara in Surrey, British Columbia on June 18, 2023.</p> <p>The video, accessed by Canada-based The Fifth Estate, reportedly shows a well-coordinated attack and it has been independently verified by multiple sources, according to CBC.&nbsp;</p> <p>In the video, Nijjar can be seen leaving the parking lot of the gurudwara in a grey Dodge Ram pickup truck. When he reaches the exit, a white sedan blocks his truck. Two men rush towards him and fatally shoot him before leaving in a silver Toyota Camry, reported the outlet.</p> <p>No arrests have been made yet in the killing and the Canadian authorities are yet to identify any of the suspects.</p> <p>Following the killing, the diplomatic relations between New Delhi and Ottawa worsened after Canadian Prime Minister accused the Indian government of orchestrating the assassination. India has repeatedly denied any involvement in the incident.</p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/09/video-shows-hardeep-singh-nijjar-being-fatally-shot-outside-canada-gurudwara.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/09/video-shows-hardeep-singh-nijjar-being-fatally-shot-outside-canada-gurudwara.html Sat Mar 09 11:22:40 IST 2024 gaza-5-killed-as-parachute-airdropping-aid-package-falls-on-people-after-failing-to-open <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/09/gaza-5-killed-as-parachute-airdropping-aid-package-falls-on-people-after-failing-to-open.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/week/news/world/images/2024/3/9/Gaza%20airdrop%20accident%20AFP%20Instagram%20Ismail%20gh2.jpg" /> <p>At least five people were killed in Gaza after a parachute airdropping aid package failed to open and fell on them on Friday, said reports.</p> <p>According to a witness, the aid box &quot;fell like a rocket&quot; on the roof of a house near the al-Shati refugee camp on Gaza coast.&nbsp;</p> <p>The US and Jordan, which are among countries carrying out airdrops in Gaza, said their airtcraft tasked with airdropping aid boxes were not involved in the fatalities. </p> <p>Egypt, France, Belgium and the Netherlands have also been dropping aids into Gaza but THE WEEK cannot independently verify which country's aircraft was involved in the tragedy.</p> <p>A video that went viral on social media on Friday showed a C-17 cargo plane dropping aid boxes over al-Shati. Most of the packages fall as intended except for one as the parachute fails to open and lands in an uncontrolled manner, reported BBC.</p> <p>The tragedy occurred as aid boxes started being airdropped amid worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.</p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/09/gaza-5-killed-as-parachute-airdropping-aid-package-falls-on-people-after-failing-to-open.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/09/gaza-5-killed-as-parachute-airdropping-aid-package-falls-on-people-after-failing-to-open.html Sat Mar 09 10:32:11 IST 2024 maritime-aid-corridor-to-gaza-from-cyprus-to-open-by-weekend-says-eu-president <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/08/maritime-aid-corridor-to-gaza-from-cyprus-to-open-by-weekend-says-eu-president.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/week/news/world/images/2024/3/8/EU-gaza-aid-reuters.jpg" /> <p>A day after President Joe Biden announced plans for building a maritime aid corridor in Gaza, the European Commission on Friday said that a corridor would start operating between Cyprus and Gaza this weekend.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Amid intensifying attacks and fear of famine looming over Gazans, the United Nations had urged the world powers to unite to supply more aid and save millions of people living under vulnerable conditions.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>European Commission’s chief Ursula von der Leyen said a pilot test run of food aid collected by a charity group and supported by the United Arab Emirates could be leaving Cyprus as early as Friday.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&quot;We are launching this Cyprus maritime corridor together, the European Union, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States,&quot; she said after visiting facilities in Larnaca, Cyprus.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&quot;We are now very close to opening this corridor, hopefully, this Saturday-Sunday and I'm very glad to see an initial pilot will be launched today,” she added.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Meanwhile, the maritime corridor was welcomed by Israel’s foreign ministry. Israel urged other countries to join it. It also added that the aid would be delivered only after security checks were carried out &quot;by Israeli standards&quot;.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>On Thursday, Biden said the US military would construct a “temporary pier” to transport supplies from ships at sea to the shore on Gaza’s Mediterranean coast. However, the officials had said that the setting up of such a facility would take a few weeks.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&quot;Humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip,&quot; said Biden.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>A joint statement from the European Commission, Cyprus, the US, UK and UAE said operating a sea corridor would be &quot;complex&quot;. &quot;Protecting civilian lives is a key element of international humanitarian law that must be respected,&quot; the statement said.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Cyprus is the closest EU member state to Gaza, around 370 km away. Leyen said that the EU member states, the UAE, the US and the other partners are working together on the project.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&quot;As the EU member at the heart of the region, Cyprus bears a moral duty to do its utmost ... leveraging its role and excellent relations with all countries in the region,&quot; said President Nikos Christodoulides.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The UN has warned that at least 5,76,000 people in Gaza are on the brink of famine.&nbsp;</p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/08/maritime-aid-corridor-to-gaza-from-cyprus-to-open-by-weekend-says-eu-president.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/08/maritime-aid-corridor-to-gaza-from-cyprus-to-open-by-weekend-says-eu-president.html Fri Mar 08 22:15:08 IST 2024 asif-ali-zardari-set-to-be-pakistans-president-for-a-second-time <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/08/asif-ali-zardari-set-to-be-pakistans-president-for-a-second-time.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/news/world/images/2022/7/28/asifalizardarif.jpg" /> <p>Pakistan's former president Asif Ali Zardari is set to be elected as the 14th president of the country in the election to be held on Saturday.</p> <p>The new president would replace the incumbent Dr Arif Alvi, whose five-year term ended last year. However, he has continued since the new electoral college was not yet formed.</p> <p>Zardari, a businessman-turned-politician is the husband of slain Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto. The 68-year-old co-chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is supported by the coalition government led by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) which has the necessary numbers.</p> <p>This is part of a quid pro quo deal after the February 8 polls delivered a fractured mandate: PPP supported PML-N's candidate for prime minister's post and also got to form the government in the Punjab provincial assembly while Zardari got the support of PML-N and his party got to rule the Sindh province.</p> <p>Zardari, who served as the president from 2008 to 2013, will also be the first civilian to be elected for the second time as president.</p> <p>He is challenged by Mahmood Khan Achakzai, who is the head of his Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) and is contesting from the platform of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), which came to prominence after independent candidates backed by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) joined it.</p> <p>The ruling coalition is confident that Zardari will be elected as president for the second time as the parties have a majority in the Senate, National Assembly, Punjab Assembly, Sindh Assembly and Balochistan Assembly. The opposition enjoys a majority only in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa assembly.</p> <p>PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has assured that his father Asif Ali Zardari will take care of Punjab's lawmakers as he does of him.</p> <p>Speaking to the members of the PML-N-dominated Punjab Assembly, Bilawal said that he was there to ask the parliamentarians to vote for his father in the March 9 presidential election.</p> <p>Asif Zardari will take care of you as he takes care of me, the former foreign minister said while heaping praise on the seasoned politician, who will serve the president's post for the second time if he wins.</p> <p>According to the Constitution, the president is indirectly elected by an electoral college comprising federal and provincial lawmakers. The parliament buildings and buildings of the provincial assemblies have been designated as polling stations to let the lawmakers vote.</p> <p>According to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the polling would be held from 10 am to 4 pm in the Parliament House and the four provincial assemblies.</p> <p>The PML-N-led ruling coalition has calculated that its candidate Asif Ali Zardari would get more than 400 electoral votes.</p> <p>As many as 325 members of the National Assembly, 91 senators, 354 members of the Punjab Assembly, 157 members of the Sindh Assembly, 117 members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly and 65 members of the Balochistan Assembly are eligible to cast their vote.</p> <p>Pakistan's first president was Iskandar Mirza, who took office on March 23, 1956, after the first Constitution was adopted and the country became a republic. Before that, the country was led by the governor generals who ruled under the amended India Act of 1935.</p> <p>Meanwhile, his predecessor Dr Arif Alvi on Friday was presented a farewell guard of honour as he made way for the new president.</p> <p>He was elected in September 2018 for five years and his term had already expired but he, as per law, continued working as a caretaker as his successor could not be elected due to the absence of the National Assembly and provincial assemblies, which were dissolved in August 2023, much ahead of the February 8 general elections.</p> <p>Meanwhile, with less than 24 hours to go for the presidential elections, Achakzai, the candidate backed by Khan and PTI on Friday demanded the postponement of elections on the plea that the electoral college was incomplete.</p> <p>Achakzai in a letter to the ECP highlighted that there were some reserved seats in the national and provincial assemblies that were vacant as no one was elected to them.</p> <p>If the presidential election is conducted as per the schedule that would be a denial of their votes, which otherwise is against the fundamental rights, law and the Constitution, he stated.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/08/asif-ali-zardari-set-to-be-pakistans-president-for-a-second-time.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/08/asif-ali-zardari-set-to-be-pakistans-president-for-a-second-time.html Fri Mar 08 22:46:40 IST 2024 designated-survivor-americas-chosen-one-in-case-of-an-unforeseen-tragedy <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/08/designated-survivor-americas-chosen-one-in-case-of-an-unforeseen-tragedy.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/week/news/world/images/2024/3/8/Biden.jpg" /> <p>Ever heard of the Netflix series 'Designated Survivor'? The political thriller, starring Kiefer Sutherland, traces the life of a lowly cabinet minister Thomas Kirkman who is forced to rise to the occasion as the 'designated survivor' when a mysterious attack kills the president and wipes out everybody in the line of succession.</p> <p>While the plot may seem too far-fetched, this practice of the US President designating a &quot;survivor&quot; to stay away from the Capitol in case disaster strikes isn't new. Going by the Senate Historical Office, the practice of one Cabinet official skipping large in-person events dates back to the early 1960s as a Cold War-era policy to keep the government from being dismantled completely. However, the practice of announcing who that person would be only began in the 1980s.<br> </p> <p>This year, the 'designated survivor' was Education Secretary Miguel Cardona.<br> </p> <p>But how is a&nbsp;'designated survivor' picked? Anyone at least 35 years of age and a natural-born US citizen can be the designated survivor. The designated survivor is usually chosen at random and is given some training ahead of time, although what exactly happens is classified.&nbsp;<br> </p> <p>Despite that, a few of the previously designated survivors have opened up about their experience.&nbsp;<br> </p> <p>Dan Glickman, who served as Secretary of Agriculture in the Clinton administration, wrote in Politico in 2017 that he was &quot;taken to a location outside of Washington (my daughter's apartment in New York), where I was accompanied by key military staff and Secret Service, including a military officer carrying what I presumed to be the nuclear football—a black, leather-encased aluminium briefcase that would be used to authenticate the person ordering a nuclear strike&quot;.<br> </p> <p>He terms the experience a &quot;terrible responsibility&quot;. &quot;It felt like an awesome responsibility to put on one man's shoulders, even if it was exceedingly unlikely the president—or in this case, the secretary of agriculture—would ever have to use it,&quot; Glickman wrote. &quot;I sometimes wonder if I would have had the courage to give the order.&quot;<br> </p> <p>Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who was selected for the job by then-president George W. Bush in 2007, thought it was a &quot;sobering thought&quot;.<br> </p> <p>Gonzales, in a media interview, said how he was approached by former White House chief of staff Joshua Bolten about a week before Bush’s 2007 address. He was presented with two options in terms of what he could do the evening of the address. &quot;The option I chose was to put me in an aeroplane during the State of the Union,&quot; Gonzales said. &quot;I just felt perhaps it would be kind of cool to fly around as the president gave the State of the Union.&quot;&nbsp;<br> </p> <p>He was then taken to Joint Base Andrews where individuals from every major department and agency met him. They all carried big binders of protocols and procedures needed to advise him in the event he became president.<br> </p> <p>&quot;It was at that point in time where I suddenly realised, ‘Oh, my gosh, if something happened back at the Capitol, then conceivably, I would become president of the United States,'&quot; Gonzalez said. &quot;It is a sobering thought, quite frankly.&quot;&nbsp;<br> </p> <p>Bill Daley, the designated survivor in 1998, shared an interesting moment in his stint. Daley, who was the chosen one during Bill Clinton's speech in 1998, told West Wing Playbook that he enjoyed an early dinner with his brother before going to a friend’s house to watch President Clinton's speech.&nbsp;<br> </p> <p>The moment Clinton arrived back at the White House, Daley was in for a rude shock. All the Secret Service agents who were glued to Daley all day quickly dispersed, leaving him without a way home. &quot;I was like, 'How about a ride?&quot; Daley recalled. &quot;There wasn’t Uber then, so one of my friends gave me a ride back home.&quot;<br> </p> <p>While the then Labour Secretary Marty Walsh was the designated survivor in 2023, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo was given the task in 2022.<br> </p> <p>That said, the experience of being the 'designated survivor' is nothing like what is shown in the Netflix series. According to former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson — one of the few government officials selected for the role twice — gave up on watching the show altogether after one episode.<br> </p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/08/designated-survivor-americas-chosen-one-in-case-of-an-unforeseen-tragedy.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/08/designated-survivor-americas-chosen-one-in-case-of-an-unforeseen-tragedy.html Sat Mar 09 09:06:26 IST 2024 us-army-intelligence-analyst-charged-with-selling-classified-documents-to-china <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/08/us-army-intelligence-analyst-charged-with-selling-classified-documents-to-china.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/week/news/world/images/2024/3/8/US-analyst-charged-with-espionage-x.jpg" /> <p>A US analyst has been apprehended and accused of conspiracy and the unauthorized sale of classified information to China, sparking concerns over espionage. Sgt. Korbein Schultz was arrested at Fort Campbell in Kentucky on Thursday after investigations conducted by the FBI and US Army counterintelligence.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>According to reports, he was paid $42,000 in exchange for dozens of sensitive security records.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The criminal conspiracy began in June 2022, according to the officials.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Along with conspiracy and disclosing national defence information, Schultz is also charged with exporting technical data related to defence articles without a license, conspiracy to export defence articles without a license, and bribery of a public official.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&quot;The conduct alleged in today's indictment represents a grave betrayal of the oath sworn to defend our country,&quot; Larissa Knapp of the FBI's National Security Branch was quoted by BBC.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&quot;Instead of safeguarding national defence information, the defendant conspired with a foreign national to sell it, potentially endangering our national security, she added.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>According to the officials, the classified documents were provided to a contact in Hong Kong.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The documents included China's military preparedness, the US's future military advancements, US plans regarding Taiwan and so on.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Schultz's duties included training members of his unit on how to properly handle, store and disseminate classified and sensitive government information.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>According to the indictment, Schultz held a &quot;top secret security clearance&quot; providing him access to most sensitive secrets. Also, Schultz told Conspirator A that he wanted to turn their relationship into a long-term partnership.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Earlier this week, a retired US Army colonel in Nebraska was arrested for sending alleged classified information to a person through a foreign dating website.&nbsp;</p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/08/us-army-intelligence-analyst-charged-with-selling-classified-documents-to-china.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/08/us-army-intelligence-analyst-charged-with-selling-classified-documents-to-china.html Fri Mar 08 18:50:58 IST 2024 us-to-revitalise-ties-with-nations-like-india-takeaways-from-bidens-final-state-of-the-union <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/08/us-to-revitalise-ties-with-nations-like-india-takeaways-from-bidens-final-state-of-the-union.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/week/news/world/images/2024/3/8/Biden.jpg" /> <p>US President Joe Biden delivered the final State of the Union of his first term on Thursday, which saw him fiercely take on former President and Republican front-runner Donald Trump, criticise Israel and vow to stand up to China and its unfair economic practise.</p> <p>The fiery speech that came during the pivotal election year set the stage for Biden's campaign launch and rematch with Trump later this year.&nbsp;</p> <p>The President, in a 68-minute speech that sought to allay fears and concerns over his physical and mental health, went after Trump for the January 6 insurrection, criticising his recent comments about Russia and NATO, though he never mentioned him by name.&nbsp;<br> </p> <p>&quot;Now my predecessor, a former Republican president, tells Putin, quote, ‘Do whatever you want,&quot; Biden said. &quot;I think it’s outrageous, it’s dangerous and it’s unacceptable.&quot;<br> </p> <p>&quot;My predecessor and some of you here seek to bury the truth about Jan. 6,&quot; said Biden, as he mentioned that &quot;democracy is threatened like no time since the Civil War.&quot;<br> </p> <p>He also homed in on abortion rights, stating those bragging about overturning Roe v. Wade had no clue about the power of women in America. &quot;If Americans send me a Congress that supports the right to choose I promise you: I will restore Roe v. Wade as the law of the land again.&quot; “He’s the reason it was overturned and brags about it,&quot; Biden said of Trump, who appointed the conservative majority to the high court that overturned Roe. The Supreme Court struck down Roe vs Wade in 2022 and three of the six conservative judges on the nine-member court were appointed by Trump.&nbsp;<br> </p> <p>Biden also had a message for Russian President Vladimir Putin, when he said he &quot;would not walk away&quot; from supporting. Biden has been pushing Congress to provide additional funding to Ukraine for its war with Russia.<br> </p> <p>About Israel's invasion of Gaza, Biden said the humanitarian crisis in Gaza was &quot;intolerable&quot; and said Israel has a responsibility to protect Palestinian civilians. He also used the opportunity to announce plans for the U.S. military to help establish a temporary pier on the coast of Gaza, to boost the flow of aid into the besieged territory.<br> </p> <p>He also called on the Israelis to do more to alleviate the suffering even as they try to eliminate Hamas. &quot;To Israel, I say this humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip,&quot; Biden said.<br> </p> <p>Biden also highlighted the post-Covid economic recovery and laid out the administration’s plans to revamp the tax code, expand housing supply and reduce the federal budget deficit.&nbsp;<br> </p> <p>He also mentioned India in his speech, stating that the US will revitalise partnerships with nations like India amidst China's rise.<br> </p> <p>Stating that the US wants competition with China, but not conflict, Biden said the US was in a stronger position to win the competition for the 21st Century against Beijing. &quot;We are standing up against China's unfair economic practice, standing up for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait but revitalising our partnership with allies and the Pacific, India. Australia, Japan, South and Korea,&quot; he said.<br> </p> <p>&quot;For years, all I've heard from my Republican friends and so many others is that China's on the rise and America is falling behind. They've got it backwards. America is rising,&quot; he said.<br> </p> <p>&quot;Since I've come to office, our GDP is up. And our trade deficit with China is down to the lowest point in over a decade,&quot; he said&nbsp; &quot;I've made sure that the most advanced American technologies can't be used in China's weapons.&nbsp; Frankly, for all his tough talk on China, it never occurred to my predecessor to do that,&quot; Biden said.<br> </p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/08/us-to-revitalise-ties-with-nations-like-india-takeaways-from-bidens-final-state-of-the-union.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/08/us-to-revitalise-ties-with-nations-like-india-takeaways-from-bidens-final-state-of-the-union.html Fri Mar 08 22:46:59 IST 2024 sweden-officially-joins-nato-after-completing-its-accession-process <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/07/sweden-officially-joins-nato-after-completing-its-accession-process.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/news/world/images/2024/2/27/Sweden.jpg" /> <p>Sweden on Thursday formally joined NATO as the 32nd member of the transatlantic military alliance, ending decades of post-World War II neutrality as concerns about Russian aggression in Europe have spiked following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.</p> <p>Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Secretary of State Antony Blinken presided at a ceremony in which Sweden's instrument of accession to the alliance was officially deposited at the State Department.</p> <p>Later Thursday. Kristersson will visit the White House and then be a guest of honor at President Joe Biden's State of the Union address to Congress.</p> <p>The White House said that having Sweden as a NATO ally will make the United States and our allies even safer.</p> <p>&quot;NATO is the most powerful defensive alliance in the history of the world, and it is as critical today to ensuring the security of our citizens as it was 75 years ago when our alliance was founded out of the wreckage of World War II, it said in a statement.</p> <p>Sweden, along with Finland, which joined NATO last year, both abandoned long-standing military neutrality that was a hallmark of the Nordic states' Cold War foreign policy after Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022.</p> <p>Biden, in his speech to Congress, is expected to cite Sweden's accession to NATO as evidence that Russian President Vladimir Putin's intent to divide and weaken the alliance has failed as a direct result of the Ukraine invasion. And, the Democratic president is expected to use Sweden's decision to join to step up calls for reluctant Republicans to approved stalled military assistance to Ukraine as the war enters its third year.</p> <p>Sweden's membership had been held up due to objections by NATO members Turkey and Hungary. Turkey expressed concern that Sweden was harboring and not taking enough action against Kurdish groups that it regards as terrorists, and Hungary's populist President Viktor Orban has shown pro-Russian sentiment and not shared the alliance's determination to support Ukraine.</p> <p>After months of delay, Turkey ratified Sweden's admission earlier this year, and Hungary did so this week.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/07/sweden-officially-joins-nato-after-completing-its-accession-process.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/07/sweden-officially-joins-nato-after-completing-its-accession-process.html Thu Mar 07 22:23:54 IST 2024 six-dead-including-four-children-in-ottawa-mass-shooting-one-suspect-arrested <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/07/six-dead-including-four-children-in-ottawa-mass-shooting-one-suspect-arrested.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/week/news/world/images/2024/3/7/Ottawa-mass-shooting-reuters.jpg" /> <p>In a tragic incident, Canadian police has found four children and two adults dead at a house in Ottawa. An emergency call led the police to the house on Wednesday. According to officials, a suspect has been arrested.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Ottawa police chief Eric Stubbs described the incident as a &quot;mass shooting&quot;.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Police also added that a male suspect had been arrested.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&quot;This is a tragic and complex investigation,&quot; the force said in a statement early on Thursday.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>At least one person had been taken to the hospital with serious injuries, said the officials.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The force said in a statement that it is a &quot;tragic and complex investigation.&quot;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Chief Stubbs called the incident a &quot;real tragedy&quot; that would continue to have a &quot;significant&quot; impact on the whole city.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&quot;Obviously, it's a horrific scene,&quot; he said during an early morning interview with CTV News.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The police is trying to find the relationship between the suspect and the victims.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>However, police is yet to confirm the identity of the deceased.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Police said investigative teams remain at the site and asked anyone with information to contact the homicide unit.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Taking to X, Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe called the news distressing for all of the city's residents.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>“I was devastated to learn of the multiple homicide in Barrhaven, one of the most shocking incidents of violence in our city's history,” said Sutcliffe in a post on X.&nbsp;</p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/07/six-dead-including-four-children-in-ottawa-mass-shooting-one-suspect-arrested.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/07/six-dead-including-four-children-in-ottawa-mass-shooting-one-suspect-arrested.html Thu Mar 07 21:53:20 IST 2024 hopes-dim-for-truce-ahead-of-ramadan-as-gaza-negotiations-to-continue-next-week <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/07/hopes-dim-for-truce-ahead-of-ramadan-as-gaza-negotiations-to-continue-next-week.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/week/news/world/images/2024/3/7/Israel-Gaza-ramadan-deal-reuters.jpg" /> <p>Negotiations over a cease-fire in Gaza and the release of more Israeli hostages will resume next week, Hamas said Thursday, after a delegation of the Palestinian militant group left Cairo.</p> <p>The announcement dimmed hopes that mediators could broker a truce before the start of Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which is expected to begin at sundown on Sunday. Egyptian officials had earlier said the negotiations reached an impasse over Hamas' demand for a phased process culminating in an end to the war.</p> <p>After nearly five months of war, much of Gaza is in ruins, and international pressure is growing for Israel and Hamas to reach a deal that would halt the fighting and release the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas.</p> <p>The United States, Egypt and Qatar have been trying to broker an agreement that would stop the fighting for six weeks, and include the release of 40 hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.</p> <p>The Egyptian officials said that Hamas has accepted the proposal as a first stage, but wants commitments that it will eventually lead to a more permanent cease-fire. Israel has publicly ruled out that demand, saying it intends to resume the offensive after any cease-fire with the goal of destroying Hamas.</p> <p>Israel's near-total blockade of Gaza and the ongoing fighting have made it nearly impossible to deliver supplies in most of Gaza, aid groups say. Many of the estimated 3,00,000 people still living in northern Gaza have been reduced to eating animal fodder to survive.</p> <p>Israel launched its offensive after Hamas-led militants stormed across the border on October 7, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250. Over 100 hostages were released in November in exchange for 240 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.</p> <p>The number of Palestinians killed has climbed above 30,700, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. It does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its figures, but says women and children make up around two-thirds of the total casualties. It says over 72,000 people have been wounded.</p> <p>Currently:</p> <p>Houthi missile attack kills two crew members in Yemen rebels' first fatal assault on shipping.</p> <p>The hostage crisis poses a dilemma for Israel and offers a path to victory for Hamas.</p> <p>Few Americans want US more involved in current wars in Ukraine and Gaza, AP-NORC poll finds.</p> <p>A Mideast Starbucks franchisee is firing 2,000 workers after being targeted in an Israel-Hamas war boycott.</p> <p>Indiana lawmakers in standoff on antisemitism bill as critics of Israel seek changes.</p> <p>Here's the latest:</p> <p>EGYPTIANS OFFICIALS SAY CEASE-FIRE TALKS ARE STUCK</p> <p>Cairo: Egyptian officials say negotiations over a cease-fire in Gaza have reached an impasse over Hamas' demand for a phased process culminating in an end to the war.</p> <p>The US, Egypt and Qatar have been trying for weeks to broker an agreement on a six-week cease-fire and the release of 40 hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.</p> <p>The officials said Thursday that Hamas has agreed on the main terms of such an agreement as a first stage, but wants commitments that it will lead to an eventual, more permanent cease-fire.</p> <p>Hamas has said it will not release all of the remaining hostages without a full Israeli withdrawal from the territory. Palestinian militants are believed to be holding around 100 hostages, and the remains of 30 others, captured during Hamas' October 7 attack into Israel that triggered the war.</p> <p>Hamas is also demanding the release of a large number of prisoners, including top militants serving life sentences, in exchange for the remaining hostages.</p> <p>Israel has publicly ruled out those demands, saying it intends to resume the offensive after any cease-fire with the goal of destroying Hamas.</p> <p>The Egyptian officials say Israel wants to confine the negotiations to the more limited agreement. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the negotiations with media.</p> <p>Both officials said mediators are still pressing the two parties to soften their positions.</p> <p>The mediators had hoped to reach a deal before the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which is expected to begin Sunday. The month of dawn-to-dusk fasting often sees Israeli-Palestinian tensions rise over access to a major holy site in Jerusalem.</p> <p>NORWAY WARNS AGAINST BUSINESS WITH ISRAELI SETTLEMENTS</p> <p>Copenhagen: Denmark Norway's government on Thursday urged Norwegian companies to avoid trade and business activities that contribute to maintaining illegal Israeli settlements. Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said that for years, Norway has been clear that the settlement policy in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is in violation of international law, including humanitarian law and human rights.</p> <p>Norwegian businesses should be aware that, through economic or financial activity in the Israeli settlements in violation of international law, they risk contributing to violations of international humanitarian law or human rights, Barth Eide said.</p> <p>He said that last year was also the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank since the UN began recording. I repeat that the injustice to which the Palestinians are subjected must stop, he said.</p> <p>CHINA CALLS FOR PALESTINIAN STATE TO JOIN UN</p> <p>Beijing: China's foreign minister is demanding that other members of the UN Security Council stop blocking Palestine from becoming a member of the United Nations.</p> <p>Wang Yi reiterated China's call for a major international conference to draw up a roadmap and timetable for a two-state solution.</p> <p>We support Palestine becoming a full member of the United Nations and call on individual members of the Security Council not to set obstacles for this any more, he said Thursday at a news conference during the annual meeting of China's legislature.</p> <p>Zhang Jun, China's UN ambassador, said in January that his country supports UN membership for Palestine as a first step toward the creation of a Palestinian state. The Security Council needs to send a clear and unequivocal signal, reaffirming the urgency of the two-state solution as the sole feasible way out, he was quoted as saying by China's official state media.</p> <p>China, one of the five permanent members of the Security Council, backed Palestine becoming a UN member in a joint statement issued last June during a state visit to China by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.</p> <p>AT LEAST 15 KILLED BY THREE ISRAELI AIRSTRIKES IN CENTRAL GAZA</p> <p>Deir al-Balah: Gaza Strip At least 15 people were killed by three Israeli airstrikes that hit buildings in central Gaza.</p> <p>The bodies were taken to Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, where an Associated Press journalist counted the bodies as they arrived. People were reported to be still trapped under the rubble.</p> <p>Two strikes hit buildings in Deir al-Balah and a third in the Nuseirat refugee camp.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/07/hopes-dim-for-truce-ahead-of-ramadan-as-gaza-negotiations-to-continue-next-week.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/07/hopes-dim-for-truce-ahead-of-ramadan-as-gaza-negotiations-to-continue-next-week.html Thu Mar 07 20:44:28 IST 2024 argentinas-economic-armageddon-mileis-scorched-earth-war-on-inflation <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/07/argentinas-economic-armageddon-mileis-scorched-earth-war-on-inflation.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/news/world/images/2023/11/27/javier-milei-reuters.jpg" /> <p>The gates of economic hell have opened wide in Argentina, with annual inflation engulfing the nation at an apocalyptic 254.2% as of January 2024. This staggering figure represents the culmination of decades of fiscal mismanagement and monetary debauchery that have ravaged the South American country.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Amidst this smouldering financial wasteland, a new gunslinger has ridden into town— President Javier Milei, a self-professed anarcho-capitalist gunning to be the inflation undertaker.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Armed with a libertarian ideology and a shock-and-awe economic doctrine, Milei has declared total war against the scourge of runaway prices. But his scorched-earth campaign risks leaving a trail of devastation that could haunt Argentina for years to come.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Milei's meteoric rise to power in November 2023 was fueled by a tidal wave of public frustration over the country's chronic inflation crises. His radical free-market platform and uncompromising rhetoric resonated with millions of Argentines desperate for respite from the economic carnage.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><b>ALSO READ:<a title="Latin America gets a new far-right leader as Milei rides the wave of rage to Argentina's presidency" href="https://www.theweek.in/news/world/2023/11/20/latin-america-gets-a-new-far-right-leader-as-milei-rides-the-wave-of-rage-to-argentinas-presidency.html" target="_blank">&nbsp;Latin America gets a new far-right leader as Milei rides the wave of rage to Argentina's presidency</a></b></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Upon taking office in December, the controversial economist wasted no time in detonating a financial shock wave aimed at the heart of the inflation monster. In a gutsy opening salvo, Milei devalued the Argentine peso by over 50%, instantly shattering a decade of stringent currency controls. This body blow was swiftly followed by the explosive elimination of price caps and generous subsidies for vital sectors like transport and energy.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The fiscal shrapnel from these policies embedded itself deep in the economic fabric of the nation, with public transportation fares projected to skyrocket by up to 360% and businesses bracing for their energy bills to quadruple.</p> <p>The collateral damage has been severe, threatening to plunge millions more Argentines into the depths of poverty. Yet, like a battle-hardened general surveying the smouldering ruins, Milei remains unfazed and steadfastly convinced that this path of creative destruction is Argentina's only salvation.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><b>ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a title="The Gaucho economist's quixotic quest" href="https://www.theweek.in/news/world/2023/11/27/the-gaucho-economists-quixotic-quest.html" target="_blank">The Gaucho economist's quixotic quest</a></b></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&quot;We are still in a first phase here,&quot; affirms renowned Argentine economist Amilcar Collante, a professor at La Plata National University, acknowledging the government's reliance on recession-induced demand suppression as its primary inflation-cooling strategy.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&quot;It is not sustainable. At some point, the government will need to launch a stabilization plan that allows us to lower inflation while also growing the economy,&quot; he said.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Indeed, the International Monetary Fund projects Argentina's GDP to contract by a staggering 2.8% in 2024, a brutal economic sacrifice on the altar of disinflation. This deflationary tailspin risks trading one catastrophe for another, as a prolonged recession could cripple entire industries and obliterate the livelihoods of countless Argentines.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>But Milei's inflation exorcism was never going to be a delicate affair. His unapologetic remarks demonising the state as &quot;the enemy, a criminal association&quot; and branding communism as &quot;a sickness of the soul&quot; lay bare his conviction that only the most extreme measures can break Argentina's cycles of profligacy.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&quot;Philosophically, I am an anarcho-capitalist, and therefore, I feel a profound contempt for the State. I believe that the State is the enemy, I believe that the State is a criminal association,&quot; the president declared in a recent interview, his words dripping with libertarian venom.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><b>Wooing the world's powerful</b></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>At the World Economic Forum in Davos last month, Milei's bombastic rhetoric and uncompromising policies reverberated across the global stage, and an unlikely chorus of supporters emerged from the rarefied halls of economic power.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The libertarian firebrand's first foreign trip since assuming office saw him drawing hearty applause as he excoriated the &quot;neo-Marxists, radical feminists and climate activists,&quot; whom he accused of co-opting global capitalism's staunchest defenders.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&quot;Whether they proclaim to be openly communists, fascists, Nazis, socialists...globalists, there are no major differences. They all say the state should steer all aspects of the lives of individuals,&quot; Milei told the elite attendees at Davos. Corporate titans fanned to interviews, seemingly enchanted by the economist's provocations.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>It was not just Milei's full-throated embrace of free-market fundamentalism that bewitched the Davos elite. For an assembly of power brokers long accused of preferencing austerity over the greater good, there was an undeniable allure in a democratically elected leader who had campaigned openly on a platform of slashing subsidies and state interventions.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Milei's arrival on the scene offered something few giants of capitalism had dared dream of— an uncompromising free market ideologue, fortified with academic credentials, finally holding the reins of power in crisis-stricken Argentina. This recalled Wall Street's infatuation with Donald Trump and the promise of deregulation. Only this time, their romance seemed anchored in more than mere hope— Milei, chainsaw in hand, appeared devastatingly committed to dismantling the edifice of the Argentine state.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><b>The path to liberation</b></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&quot;The only way to enter the system was to dynamite it,&quot; Milei proclaims, undeterred by the political maelstrom brewing around his shock therapy policies.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><b>ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a title="Argentina's maverick President Javier Milei launches radical economic reforms in crisis-hit nation" href="https://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/03/argentina-maverick-president-javier-milei-radical-economic-reforms.html" target="_blank">Argentina's maverick President Javier Milei launches radical economic reforms in crisis-hit nation</a></b></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>And a tempest is indeed gathering on the horizon. Milei's attempts to ram through a package of tax hikes and spending cuts —central to his goal of swinging the fiscal balance from a 2.9% deficit in 2023 to a 2% surplus this year— were unceremoniously rejected by Congress.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>His La Libertad Avanza coalition holds a paltry 15% of seats, forcing the president to wield the executive axe on discretionary spending like subsidies and provincial transfers.</p> <p>This has ignited a firestorm of outrage from powerful governors and legislators, threatening to derail Milei's already tenuous economic roadmap. &quot;Any further indication that the government will have to give up its fiscal target will mean the economic plan starts to lose its anchor,&quot; warns Collante.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Yet the greatest threat to the president's disinflation crusade may lie in the treacherous realm of foreign exchange markets. While the government pegs the official peso rate at 820 per US dollar, a yawning parallel black market sees the currency trading at a 40% discount around 1,150 to the greenback.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>This chasm actively disincentivises exporters from repatriating their US dollar earnings, starving the central bank's reserves at a time when it desperately needs an infusion of hard currency. Unless this gap is bridged, Milei's stated ambition of unifying exchange rates and abolishing currency controls by mid-2024 will remain an economist's fever dream.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&quot;A sharp one-day devaluation, like the 54% one Milei's government ordered in December, would be the worst option because it would open a new rebound of price indexing,&quot; cautions Fabio Rodríguez of consultancy M&amp;R Asociados. Instead, the economy minister Luis Caputo is opting for a gradual &quot;crawling peg&quot; devaluation of around 2% per month.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>This high-stakes exchange rate juggernaut carries seismic implications not just for inflation but for the very survival of Milei's presidency. A botched unification could ignite a fresh wave of depreciation and hyperinflation, bringing the republic to its knees. Conversely, a miscalculation in pace could choke off critical export earnings, draining the few remaining drops of foreign reserves from Argentina's veins.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>In this economic conflagration, confidence has become as precious a commodity as US dollars themselves. Even a whiff of backsliding on fiscal austerity or exchange rate correction could detonate a self-reinforcing spiral of currency collapse and runaway prices.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&quot;But if (the government) can keep up what it has promised for the next five months despite the lack of support in Congress, then by mid-2024 it will be in a much better position to win support (at home and abroad) for a long-term program,&quot; ventures Collante.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>For Milei and his band of libertarian gunslingers, this five-month window represents the climactic showdown in their battle against the inflation demon. Failure is not an option; the fate of 45 million Argentines rests on their ability to hold the line until the economic arsonists can declare victory and begin the long process of reconstruction.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Yet the scars of this scorched-earth campaign will likely endure for decades, a smouldering reminder of the prohibitive costs of economic recklessness. Generations of Argentines have been sacrificed on the twin altars of populism and interventionism— first by the left-wing Peronists, and now by the free-market extremists.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>As the thunder of Milei's inflation exorcism echoes across the pampas, one wonders whether this nation has been condemned to an endless cycle of booms, busts, and destructive ideological over-corrections. The volatility of Argentina's history offers few valuable precedents for the trial by fire that the country now faces.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>In the end, Milei's legacy may hinge on a single, existential question: Can his merciless economic Shock and Awe cleanse the system and give birth to a revitalised, stable, and globally integrated Argentina?&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Or will his administration's radical remedies merely compound the litany of crises, consigning the nation to smoulder in the ruins of another failed economic experiment?</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Time will furnish the verdict, but one thing is certain— the world watches with rapt attention as this South American economic Armageddon unfolds. Milei has rolled the dice on a financial gamble of epic proportions, one that could eternally exorcise Argentina's inflation demons, or condemn it to become a veritable Chernobyl of collapsed economies.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The battle is joined.</p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/07/argentinas-economic-armageddon-mileis-scorched-earth-war-on-inflation.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/07/argentinas-economic-armageddon-mileis-scorched-earth-war-on-inflation.html Thu Mar 07 17:44:15 IST 2024 haiti-who-is-jimmy-cherizier-aka-barbecue-gang-leader-threatening-civil-war <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/07/haiti-who-is-jimmy-cherizier-aka-barbecue-gang-leader-threatening-civil-war.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/week/news/world/images/2024/3/7/Jimmy-cherizier-haiti-reuters.jpg" /> <p>Demanding the resignation of Haiti's Prime Minister, Ariel Henry, gang leader Jimmy Cherizier said that the Caribbean country will witness civil war if he doesn't step down.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>“Either Haiti becomes a paradise or a hell for all of us,” declared Chérizier.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>“If Ariel Henry doesn’t resign, if the international community continues to support him, we’ll be heading straight for a civil war that will lead to genocide,” added Chérizier.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>In its latest attacks, police stations were targetted and set on fire in the capital. The gang leaders have shuttered the country's main international airport and freed over 4,000 inmates from prison in recent days.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>On Wednesday, Henry remained in Puerto Rico, where he landed the day before after he was barred from landing in neighbouring Dominican Republic.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><b>Who is Jimmy Cherizier?</b></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Jimmy Cherizier, also known as Barbecue and born in 1976, leads the Revolutionary Forces of the G9 Family and Allies. This federation comprises more than a dozen Haitian gangs centred in Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti.</p> <p>Born in Delmas, Cherizier was a police officer with the Haitian National Police.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>While being a police officer, he was alleged to have been involved in perpetrating the 2018 La Saline massacre, which claimed over 70 lives and burned down over 400 homes. Not just that, he was also accused of being involved in the 2017 Grand Ravine massacre, which killed at least 9 people. Later in 2018, he was fired by the Haitian National Police.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>He then became the leader of the Revolutionary Forces of the G9 Family and Allies. Initially, the group was composed of nine gangs later it expanded.&nbsp;</p> <p>The formation of the G9 was formally announced by Cherizier in 2020. He calls himself, the leader of the &quot;armed revolution&quot;.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The gangs have a stronghold in many regions including Delmas, Ouest, Village de Dieu, Martissant, Bel Air, Cite Soleil, and Fort Dimanche.</p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/07/haiti-who-is-jimmy-cherizier-aka-barbecue-gang-leader-threatening-civil-war.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/07/haiti-who-is-jimmy-cherizier-aka-barbecue-gang-leader-threatening-civil-war.html Thu Mar 07 18:01:10 IST 2024 rust-armourer-convicted-of-involuntary-manslaughter-in-alec-baldwin-shooting <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/07/rust-armourer-convicted-of-involuntary-manslaughter-in-alec-baldwin-shooting.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/week/news/world/images/2024/3/7/Rust-shooting-conviction-ap.jpg" /> <p>A jury convicted a movie weapons supervisor of involuntary manslaughter Wednesday in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer by actor Alec Baldwin during a rehearsal on the set of the Western movie Rust.</p> <p>The verdict against movie armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed assigned new blame in the October 2021 shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins after an assistant director last year pleaded no contest to negligent handling of a firearm.</p> <p>Gutierrez-Reed also had faced a second charge of tampering with evidence, stemming from accusations that she handed a small bag of possible narcotics to another crew member after the shooting to avoid detection. She was found not guilty on that count.</p> <p>Immediately after the verdict was read in court, the judge ordered the 26-year-old armorer placed into the custody of deputies. Lead attorney Jason Bowles said afterward that Gutierrez-Reed will appeal the conviction, which carries a penalty of up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine.</p> <p>Santa Fe-based state district court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer did not immediately set a sentencing date.</p> <p>Baldwin, the lead actor and a co-producer on Rust, was indicted by a grand jury in January on a charge of involuntary manslaughter. He was pointing a gun at Hutchins on a movie set outside Santa Fe, New Mexico, when the gun went off, killing the cinematographer and wounding director Joel Souza.</p> <p>The trial was a preamble to Baldwin's trial scheduled in July. He has pleaded not guilty.</p> <p>Messages seeking comment about Wednesday's verdict from Baldwin's spokeswoman and a lawyer were not immediately returned.</p> <p>Prosecutors said at trial that Gutierrez-Reed unknowingly brought live ammunition onto the movie set, and it remained there for at least 12 days before the fatal shooting, giving the armorer plenty of time to remove it.</p> <p>In closing arguments, prosecutor Kari Morrissey described constant, never-ending safety failures on the set of Rust and Gutierrez-Reed's astonishing lack of diligence with gun safety.</p> <p>We end exactly where we began in the pursuit of justice for Halyna Hutchins, Morrissey told jurors. Hannah Gutierrez failed to maintain firearms safety, making a fatal accident willful and foreseeable.</p> <p>Prosecutors also contended that the armorer repeatedly skipped or skimped on standard gun-safety protocols that might have detected the live rounds.</p> <p>This was a game of Russian roulette every time an actor had a gun with dummies, Morrissey said.</p> <p>An attorney for Hutchins' parents and sister issued a statement expressing their satisfaction with Wednesday's verdict.</p> <p>Today was the first trial and conviction in the criminal justice process, said the statement from Gloria Allred on behalf of parents Olga Solovey and Anatolli Androsovych and Hutchins' sister, Svetlana Zemko. We look forward to the justice system continuing to make sure that everyone else who is responsible for Halyna's death is required to face the legal consequences.</p> <p>Inside the courtroom Wednesday, Gutierrez-Reed's mother reacted with dismay at the conviction, bursting into tears and cursing the proceedings as her daughter was led away.</p> <p>Defense attorneys told jurors that the problems on the set extended far beyond Gutierrez-Reed's control, including the mishandling of weapons by Baldwin, citing sanctions and findings by state workplace safety investigators.</p> <p>The defense also cast doubt on accusations that Gutierrez-Reed brought live rounds to the set and said an Albuquerque-based ammunition supplier was never fully investigated.</p> <p>Juror Alberto Sanchez said Gutierrez-Reed could have paused work on the set to address safety issues. Jurors concluded she brought live ammunition on set, whether she knew it or not, Sanchez said outside of court after jurors were dismissed.</p> <p>Pretty much it was just that (she) never did the safety checks, said Sanchez, whose work nearby in Los Alamos has involved safety decisions. Never checked the rounds, to pull them out to shake them. I mean, if she'd have done that this wouldn't have happened.</p> <p>Bowles, the defense attorney, had told jurors that no one in the cast and crew thought there were live rounds on set and Gutierrez-Reed could not have foreseen that Baldwin would go off-script when he pointed the revolver at Hutchins. Investigators found no video recordings of the shooting.</p> <p>It was not in the script for Mr. Baldwin to point the weapon, Bowles said. She didn't know that Mr. Baldwin was going to do what he did.</p> <p>To drive the point home, Bowles played a video outtake from another day in which Baldwin fired a revolver loaded with blanks including a shot after a director calls cut.</p> <p>On the day of the shooting, Bowles said, Gutierrez-Reed alone was segregated in a police car away from others, becoming a convenient scapegoat.</p> <p>You had a production company on a shoestring budget, an A-list actor that was really running the show, Bowles said. At the end, they had somebody they could all blame.</p> <p>Dozens of witnesses had testified during the 10-day trial, from FBI experts in firearms and crime-scene forensics to a camera dolly operator who described the fatal gunshot and watching Hutchins go flush and lose feeling in her legs before death.</p> <p>The prosecution painstakingly assembled photographic evidence it said traced the arrival and spread of live rounds on set and argued that Gutierrez-Reed repeatedly missed opportunities to ensure safety and treated basic gun protocols as optional.</p> <p>The defense had cast doubt on the relevance of photographs of ammunition, noting FBI testimony that live rounds can't be fully distinguished from dummy ones on sight.</p> <p>Prosecutors said six live rounds found on set bear mostly identical characteristics and don't match live rounds seized from the movie's supplier in Albuquerque. Defense attorneys said the cluttered supply office was not searched until a month after the shooting, undermining the significance of physical evidence.&nbsp;</p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/07/rust-armourer-convicted-of-involuntary-manslaughter-in-alec-baldwin-shooting.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/07/rust-armourer-convicted-of-involuntary-manslaughter-in-alec-baldwin-shooting.html Thu Mar 07 18:18:23 IST 2024 after-capturing-avdiivka-russian-troops-advancing-further-west-we-know-whats-coming <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/07/after-capturing-avdiivka-russian-troops-advancing-further-west-we-know-whats-coming.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/week/news/world/images/2024/3/7/Ukraine.jpg" /> <p>After capturing the strategic city of Avdiivka, Russian troops are fast advancing further west, targetting the cities of Pokrovsk, Kostyantynivka and Kramatorsk. The residents of these Eastern cities are now fleeing their homes fearing a fast-approaching front line and occupation.</p> <p>Though Ukraine claims its forces are &quot;holding on&quot;, it is facing Russian troops in five areas along the 1,100km (700 miles) front line, according to BBC.<br> </p> <p>In the industrial city of Kostiantynivka, which lies 30 km west of Bakmut,&nbsp; buildings and railway stations bear the brunt of Russian missiles. &quot;We know what's coming. We're tired all day [and suffer] moods and panic attacks. It's constantly depressing, and we're scared,&quot; Mariya, a resident of Kostiantynivka, told BBC.&nbsp;<br> </p> <p>Anton Pron from the White Angels police evacuation squad, who helps evacuate people away from front-line towns, told the British broadcaster that there is constant shelling and artillery. &quot;The enemy's aviation is working all the time. The Russians drop bombs on residential houses,&quot; he said. Families with children must evacuate from front-line settlements.<br> </p> <p>Many have lost hope. Alla, who's waiting for her train to Kyiv, told BBC: &quot;A year ago, we thought we'd get help from the West and that our counter-offensive would work, but not anymore,&quot; she says. &quot;People used to believe, but not now.&quot;&nbsp;<br> </p> <p>However, Ukrainian military spokesperson Dmytro Lykhoviy told&nbsp;national television on Wednesday that Russian forces were now unable to gain new ground near Avdiivka. He reiterated that Russian troops were instead focusing on an area to the south, near the village of Novomykhailivka.&nbsp;</p> <p>Maksym Zhorin, a Ukrainian commander in the area, too claimed that Russian forces were having difficulty making headway since the capture of Avdiivka and a number of neighbouring villages. Their latest target, he said, was the village of Orlivka. &quot;They are constantly attempting to advance and make progress wherever possible,&quot; Zhorin wrote on Telegram. &quot;Despite significant losses, they persist in launching assaults, both day and night.&quot;&nbsp;<br> </p> <p>Meanwhile, a top Ukrainian military commander said the Ukrainian military will stabilise the battlefield situation shortly and aims to form units for counter-offensive actions later this year.</p> <p>&quot;We will stabilise the situation shortly,&quot; Oleksandr Pavliuk, appointed as ground force commander during the recent top military reshuffle, said in televised comments, &quot;and do everything possible to prepare the troops for more active actions, and to seize the initiative.&quot; He added the current work was aimed at withdrawing military units that lost their potential and restoring them to later form a force for counter-offensive actions this year.</p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/07/after-capturing-avdiivka-russian-troops-advancing-further-west-we-know-whats-coming.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/07/after-capturing-avdiivka-russian-troops-advancing-further-west-we-know-whats-coming.html Thu Mar 07 14:42:21 IST 2024 indian-american-nikki-haley-suspends-her-presidential-campaign-against-donald-trump <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/06/indian-american-nikki-haley-suspends-her-presidential-campaign-against-donald-trump.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/week/news/world/images/2024/3/6/Nikki%20Haley%20speaks%20during%20a%20news%20conference%20-%20AP.jpg" /> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Indian-American politician Nikki Haley suspended her presidential campaign on Wednesday after being &quot;trounced&quot; in 15 states across the US on Super Tuesday, paving the way for a rematch between her rival Donald Trump and incumbent US President Joe Biden in the November elections.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>After Super Tuesday's election results, former US president Trump, 77, had established a commanding lead in the delegate count over his only Republican opponent, 52-year-old Haley, who denied him a full sweep by winning Vermont.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&quot;The time has now come to suspend my campaign,&quot; she said on Wednesday in South Carolina.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&quot;I said I wanted Americans to have their voices heard. I have done that. I have no regrets,&quot; she added. &quot;Although I will no longer be a candidate, I will not stop using my voice for the things I believe in.&quot;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>As Nikki Haley suspended her campaign Wednesday morning, Trump posted on social media that the former South Carolina governor got &quot;trounced&quot; on Super Tuesday and invited her supporters to join his political movement.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&quot;Nikki Haley got trounced last night, in record-setting fashion, despite the fact that Democrats, for reasons unknown, are allowed to vote in Vermont, and various other Republican Primaries. Much of her money came from Radical Left Democrats, as did many of her voters, almost 50%, according to the polls,&quot; Trump posted.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Haley congratulated her rival and former boss Trump during her announcement ending her presidential campaign but stopped short of endorsing him.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&quot;In all likelihood, Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee when our party convention meets in July. I congratulate him and wish him well. I wish anyone well who would be America's president. Our country is too precious to let our differences divide us,&quot; Haley said.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Haley, a former US ambassador to the UN under the Trump administration added, &quot;It is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes of those in our party and beyond it who did not support him. And I hope he does that.&quot;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>More than a third of all the Republican delegates were at stake on Super Tuesday, the biggest haul of any date on the 2024 primary calendar.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Haley, a former South Carolina governor and UN ambassador, has not made a final decision as to whether or not she would endorse her ex-boss Trump.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>People who are close to Haley have different opinions. Some believe that it would be good for her to back Trump because she would be viewed as a team player. Others ardently oppose her endorsing him.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>During her campaign, Haley scripted history by becoming the first woman ever to win a Republican presidential primary. She is also the first Indian-American to have won either the Democratic or the Republican primaries. The three other previous Indian American presidential aspirants Bobby Jindal in 2016, Kamala Harris in 2020 and Vivek Ramaswamy in 2024 had failed to win even one primary.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Haley, whose parents moved to the United States in the 1960s, was born Nimarata Nikki Randhawa. She has long used her middle name Nikki and adopted the surname Haley after her marriage in 1996.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>During the campaign, Trump repeatedly referred to Haley as Nimbra in a rant on his Truth Social account, adding her to the list of foes he has targeted with racist attacks.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Haley's father, Ajit Singh Randhawa, is a professor of biology who got his PhD at the University of British Columbia and later moved to Bamberg, a segregated town where Haley was born, to teach at nearby Voorhees College a historically Black university.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Haley recently told Fox News that although she faced racism as a Brown girl that grew up in a small rural town in South Carolina, she became the first female minority governor in history, who became a UN ambassador and who is now running for president.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Meanwhile, President Biden on Wednesday made a clear appeal to Haley's supporters in the aftermath of her exit from the race, praising her courage in standing up to Trump.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Donald Trump made it clear he doesn't want Nikki Haley's supporters. I want to be clear: There is a place for them in my campaign, Biden said in a statement moments after Haley suspended her campaign.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Biden praised Haley for her role in her party: It takes a lot of courage to run for President that's especially true in today's Republican Party, where so few dare to speak the truth about Donald Trump.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&quot;Nikki Haley was willing to speak the truth about Trump: about the chaos that always follows him, about his inability to see right from wrong, about his cowering before Vladimir Putin, Biden added.&nbsp;</p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/06/indian-american-nikki-haley-suspends-her-presidential-campaign-against-donald-trump.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/06/indian-american-nikki-haley-suspends-her-presidential-campaign-against-donald-trump.html Wed Mar 06 22:07:42 IST 2024 haiti-gang-violence-postcard-a-humanitarian-diary-from-port-au-prince-dr-unni-krishnan-global-humanitarian-director-plan-international <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/06/haiti-gang-violence-postcard-a-humanitarian-diary-from-port-au-prince-dr-unni-krishnan-global-humanitarian-director-plan-international.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/week/news/world/images/2024/3/6/haiti%20gangs%20violence-ap.jpg" /> <p>Gonaïves, Haiti: March 2024.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>“I want to become a doctor.” In the relative comfort of a Child Friendly Space in this conflict zone in Haiti, Sylvie*,13, shared her dream.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>A two-hour bumpy SUV ride from the western city of Gonaïves takes you to Gros Morne, once a picture-postcard place, impoverished now. Cutting down trees for income and to fight hunger has changed landscapes.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The children told us that armed gangs have shut down their schools. None are allowed to go to school. These young tender minds can take only so much. Missing education limits future prospects.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Gonaïves is one of the flashpoints of the escalating gang violence that has engulfed this Caribbean Island nation. A group of Plan International colleagues and I visited Gonaïves&nbsp;last week, thanks to a biweekly UN helicopter service, the only safe transportation.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The escalating violence in the capital Port Au Prince in the past few days forced people to shut down shops, markets, and schools. Gangs burned down police stations and fired at aircraft. International flights were cancelled. We could not return as planned.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&quot;Going to school, to the hospital, or to the market, cultivating one's field or getting clean water has become an ordeal for millions of Haitians. Stepping outside one's home means risking death from bullets, being kidnapped by armed gangs, or suffering unimaginable violence such as collective rapes,&quot; said Ulrika Richardson, UN Humanitarian Coordinator. The UN estimates that there are about 300 gangs active across Haiti.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>January 2024 was the most violent month in the past two years. Zion Expo, a Haitian artists’ group expressed their anguish over the brutal violence and killing of children in an illustration of a child on his knees with an assault rifle pointed at him in close range. The illustration is an artist’s impression of a photograph taken by Ralph Tedy Erol, a Haitian photojournalist.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>A Plan International Haiti study to be released ahead of International Women’s Day gives a narrative about the impact of gang violence. Separation of children from their families and poverty makes them vulnerable to sexual and gender violence.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><b>SHIFTING HUMANITARIAN LANDSCAPE:</b></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Sylvie and her friends remind humanitarian agencies about their first task – to stand in solidarity and call the attention of the world.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Sylvie gave us a message to relay to the world, “Get schools to function and stop the violence”. This resonates with Haiti’s Humanitarian Response Plan for 2024, launched by the UN and the nation’s government in February last week in Port Au Prince. The plan calls for protection, particularly for women and girls who have suffered or are at risk of gender-based violence. An ambitious, yet under-funded UN plan aims to assist 3.6 million people who need urgent and life-saving humanitarian assistance.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>A new map of the UN’s World Food Programme shows that gang violence has decimated Artibonite, the nation’s food basket. Local farmers have abandoned over 3,000 hectares of land in 2023 and moved to less fertile, safer areas. Away from the headlines, Haiti ranks among the countries most affected by hunger, with disasters, climate change and the pandemic’s economic impacts. Armed violence makes the country even more risk-prone.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Children make up almost 55 per cent of the people displaced. Children should be school-bound, carrying a backpack or playing football. They told us armed gangs have recruited some of their friends. Some carry guns and now fighting someone’s else crimes. Imagine children in New York, London, or Sydney in such a context.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><b>LIFE GOES ON:</b></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Visits to Haiti leave you with mixed feelings. Amidst storms, earthquakes, and violence, you meet some of the most resilient children here.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>I have always admired the local volunteers. With bare hands and unflinching grit, they pull out fellow Haitians from rubbles and mudslides much before international aid arrives on the scene.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Most of my earlier visits here have been to support Haitian humanitarian workers, timed either after catastrophic storms or while Haitians are getting ready to embrace the next big one.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>I remember meeting a grandmother in Gonaïves following a hurricane in 2004. While talking to me, she held a packet firmly in her arms, as if she feared someone would snatch it from her.&nbsp; It contained schoolbooks. Each storm takes the books away and she can’t afford to keep buying books for her grandchildren. She rents them, two days a week.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Storms are the rule here. Haiti is forever recovering from one or preparing to embrace the next. The storms are turbocharged by climate change, making them often more ferocious or frequent. Haiti’s breathing space is fast decreasing.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>At the child-friendly spaces, children play, sing, and engage in theatre, art, recreational and educational activities.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Half the households of Haiti’s over 11 million people are trapped in absolute poverty and live on less than a dollar a day. Shortages are the norm, and food prices soar every time there is a shock.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>It is a tough terrain and access to villages is difficult. While flying in the comfort of an aged and rusted UN chopper, the co-pilot gave some simple instructions before lifting off—(1) no need to switch off the cell phone while flying and feel free to talk, if you can beat the noise of the chopper, (2) put the ear plugs on, it will be noisy; (3) fasten seat belts and lock all of the four clips, it will be bumpy and (4) stay calm.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>“Welcome to Haiti!”</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><i>*Name changed.</i></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><b><i>Dr Unni Krishnan is the Global Humanitarian Director, Plan International.</i></b></p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/06/haiti-gang-violence-postcard-a-humanitarian-diary-from-port-au-prince-dr-unni-krishnan-global-humanitarian-director-plan-international.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/06/haiti-gang-violence-postcard-a-humanitarian-diary-from-port-au-prince-dr-unni-krishnan-global-humanitarian-director-plan-international.html Wed Mar 06 18:43:46 IST 2024 hsu-ming-chun-taiwan-labour-minister-apologises-for-racist-remarks-on-indian-migrant-workers <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/06/hsu-ming-chun-taiwan-labour-minister-apologises-for-racist-remarks-on-indian-migrant-workers.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/week/news/world/images/2024/3/6/Hsu%20Ming%20Chun%20Taiwan.jpg" /> <p>Taiwan Labour Minister Hsu Ming-chun has issued an apology after sparking outrage over alleged 'racist' remarks regarding the recruitment of Indian migrant workers.</p> <p>Ming-chun, in an interview, said the ministry would initially focus on recruiting workers from northeastern India because 'their skin colour and dietary habits are closer to ours&quot;.</p> <p>She went on to say that &quot;individuals in this region, mostly Christians, are skilled in manufacturing, construction, and farming, as per Ministry of Foreign Affairs assessments&quot;, reported Central New Agency Taiwan.</p> <p>The minister later apologised for her comments, pointing out that Taiwan's labour laws aim for equality and does not discriminate anyone, including foreign nationals.</p> <p>The Labour Ministry also apologised for the minister's &quot;inaccurate&quot; choice of words while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs apologised saying the narratives surrounding the planned recruitment of Indian workers are &quot;not entirely appropriate&quot;.</p> <p>&quot;Taiwan also fully respects India's diverse and rich culture and cherishes the friendship between the peoples of Taiwan and India. It will spare no effort in advancing cultural exchanges and mutual understanding between the two countries, with the aim of further elevating cooperation and partnership between Taiwan and India,&quot; added the statement.</p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/06/hsu-ming-chun-taiwan-labour-minister-apologises-for-racist-remarks-on-indian-migrant-workers.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/06/hsu-ming-chun-taiwan-labour-minister-apologises-for-racist-remarks-on-indian-migrant-workers.html Wed Mar 06 15:41:07 IST 2024 icc-seeks-arrest-of-2-russian-officers-ukraines-drones-sink-another-warship-says-kyiv <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/05/icc-seeks-arrest-of-2-russian-officers-ukraines-drones-sink-another-warship-says-kyiv.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/week/news/world/images/2024/3/5/Russia-Ukraine-war-ap.jpg" /> <p>Amid the Russia-Ukraine war, the international criminal court in The Hague issued arrest warrants against two Russian officials on Tuesday accusing them of a missile campaign against Ukrainian energy infrastructure.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The arrest warrants were issued for Lt Gen Sergei Ivanovich Kobylash of the Russian armed forces, and Adm Viktor Kinolayevich Sokolov of the Russian navy. They were accused of committing the crime between October 2022 and March 2023. Kobylash was the commander of the Long-Range Aviation of the Aerospace Force. Sokolov was the commander of the Black Sea Fleet at the time of the alleged crimes.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>“There are reasonable grounds to believe that the two suspects bear responsibility for missile strikes carried out by the forces under their command against the Ukrainian electric infrastructure from at least 10 October 2022 until at least 9 March 2023,&quot; said the court in a statement.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The court also added that during the time frame, there was an alleged campaign of strikes against electric power plants and sub-stations, it added.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>However, Russia does not recognise the jurisdiction of the ICC.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>This is not the first time the ICC has issued arrest warrants against Russian authorities. In March last year, the ICC issued warrants for the arrest of President Vladimir Putin and Children's Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova on war crimes charges related to the abduction of Ukrainian children. The Kremlin had rejected the allegations.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Meanwhile, Ukraine on Tuesday claimed that it had launched a successful drone attack on a Russian warship. The intelligence agency said on Telegram that its special unit Group 12 attacked the Russian Black Sea Fleet patrol ship Sergey Kotov near the Kerch Strait.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&quot;As a result of a strike by Magura V5 maritime drones, the Russian ship Project 22160 Sergey Kotov sustained damage to the stern, starboard and port sides,&quot; it said.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The ship was worth about $65 million, it added.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said that the Russian Black Sea Fleet is a symbol of occupation and it cannot be in the Ukrainian Crimea.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The strike had led to traffic disruptions on the bridge linking the Crimean peninsula to the Russian mainland. Highway traffic was also suspended for several hours.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Last month, the Ukrainian military said it had destroyed a Russian landing warship near Crimea in an operation with naval drones that breached the vessel's port side and caused it to sink.</p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/05/icc-seeks-arrest-of-2-russian-officers-ukraines-drones-sink-another-warship-says-kyiv.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/05/icc-seeks-arrest-of-2-russian-officers-ukraines-drones-sink-another-warship-says-kyiv.html Tue Mar 05 21:35:57 IST 2024 pak-pm-shehbaz-sharif-seeks-immediate-talks-with-imf-amid-economic-crisis <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/05/pak-pm-shehbaz-sharif-seeks-immediate-talks-with-imf-amid-economic-crisis.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/news/world/images/2022/9/16/shehbaz_sharif.jpg" /> <p>Pakistan's new Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered &quot;immediate&quot; talks with the IMF for an extended fund facility for his cash-strapped country, saying that improving the state of the economy would be the top priority of his government which has received the &quot;mandate&quot;.</p> <p>In January, Pakistan received over USD 700 million second tranche from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) under the existing USD 3 billion Stand-by Arrangement (SBA) agreed towards June last year when Pakistan was slowly drifting towards default.</p> <p>Pakistan has not completed the last USD 6.5 billion IMF bailout package, and therefore, the first task of the new government will be to sit with the Washington-based global lender to get the last loan tranche of USD 1.2 billion.</p> <p>The official handle of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) president on Monday posted in Urdu on X that a few hours after the swearing-in of Prime Minister Sharif, a meeting was held regarding &quot;the restoration of the country's economy&quot;. He was briefed by the finance secretary on the occasion.</p> <p>The prime minister directed to &quot;immediately proceed&quot; with the talks with the IMF regarding the Extended Fund Facility, it said.</p> <p>Sharif directed to prepare an action plan on an emergency basis to restore the economic situation.</p> <p>&quot;We have got the mandate to improve the economy of the country and that is the top priority of our government. Our government will work hard to promote investment in the country and provide facilities to the business community,&quot; he said.</p> <p>Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) came second in the February 8 elections. However, his party, along with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) formed a coalition government with the help of several other parties to deny jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to return to power even though independents backed by him won the maximum number of seats in Parliament.</p> <p>As part of his administration's efforts to bring back the country's economy on track, Sharif said loss-making government-owned enterprises will be privatised so that these organisations do not become a burden on the country's economy.</p> <p>&quot;Government size will be reduced and institutions that are no longer needed should either be merged or closed down,&quot; he said.</p> <p>Sharif directed also decided to set up a committee to formulate a clear strategy for reducing the perks of members of government boards.</p> <p>He also ordered the relevant authorities to prepare an action plan for the transition of power and gas sectors to smart metering to &quot;help reduce line losses&quot;.</p> <p>All banks and financial institutions should develop strategies for the promotion of small and medium enterprises to help the youth of the country to stand on their own feet, the prime minister said.</p> <p>He assured to further strengthen the Special Investment Facilitation Council, saying it is a very important step towards economic stability. The prime minister also ordered tax refunds of Rs 65 billion.</p> <p>&quot;Taxpayers who are working to increase domestic exports and value addition in the country's economy are the crown of our heads, we pay tribute to them,&quot; Sharif said.</p> <p>Noting that automation is inevitable to bring transparency in the Federal Board of Revenue, the prime minister said work on automation of FBR and other institutions should be started immediately.</p> <p>Sharif was sworn in on Monday as Pakistan's 24th Prime Minister, taking over the reins of the cash-strapped country for a second time since 2022, amidst staggering economic and security challenges.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/05/pak-pm-shehbaz-sharif-seeks-immediate-talks-with-imf-amid-economic-crisis.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/05/pak-pm-shehbaz-sharif-seeks-immediate-talks-with-imf-amid-economic-crisis.html Tue Mar 05 17:07:42 IST 2024 super-tuesday-a-wake-up-call-for-joe-biden-but-a-giant-stride-for-donald-trump <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/05/super-tuesday-a-wake-up-call-for-joe-biden-but-a-giant-stride-for-donald-trump.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/opinion/columns/shashi-tharoor/images/2023/5/26/74-donald-trump-joe-biden-new.jpg" /> <p>The date March 5 marks a significant day in the US presidential primary race as the Republican party holds nominating contests in 15 states while the Democrats will hold the primaries in 15 states and one territory.&nbsp;</p> <p>The 16 states that will vote on Super Tuesday are Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Virginia.&nbsp;However, Alaska will only vote on Republican candidates and Iowa will only vote on Democratic candidates. One territory, American Samoa, will cast ballots in the Democratic race as well.</p> <p>A decades-old tradition, Super Tuesday is considered notable because it has most states voting simultaneously, including delegate-rich Texas and California, thereby bringing former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden closer to clinching their respective nominations. But, Super Tuesday is more significant for Trump than it is for Biden. There are 865 Republican delegates up for grabs out of the total 2,429 on Super Tuesday while 1,420 delegates are in play for Democrats.<br> </p> <p>However, the battle is muted this time. No surprises are expected from both sides, with the only question that remains is whether Nikki Haley will opt out of the race.&nbsp;<br> </p> <p>For President Joe Biden, the race is mostly symbolic. With no considerable competition, Biden is poised to sweep the Democratic primaries for a second term. However, the President faces challenges in the form of the political left which has urged voters to withhold their support to protest against the US policy on Israel's Gaza invasion. The&nbsp; number of &quot;uncommitted&quot; voters went up to 13% of voters in the Michigan primary, much to the shock of Democrats.&nbsp;<br> </p> <p>&quot;Coming off the momentum generated in Michigan, we need to continue lifting up our voices and sending a clear message to President Biden — we need a cease-fire now,&quot; Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of Our Revolution, said in a press release on Monday. &quot;If we do not change course, he will be putting our Democracy at risk.&quot;<br> </p> <p>For Trump, Super Tuesday will bring him closer to the nomination.&nbsp; Though Trump cannot yet claim the &quot;presumptive nominee&quot; title, a good show can put him on the track to surpass the total number of delegates needed to guarantee the GOP nomination when four additional states vote a week later, on March 11.&nbsp;<br> </p> <p>Trump will need to win 1,215 of 2,429 delegates and currently has 244 delegates.&nbsp;<br> </p> <p>Though Nikki Haley says she wants to stay in the race until the Republican National Convention in July, she just has 43 delegates and the gap will widen after Super Tuesday.&nbsp;<br> </p> <p>Jaime Dominguez, an associate professor of political science at Northwestern University, told VOA that despite the long odds against her, Haley is still able to have a significant impact on the Republican race. “It looks like she's going to continue to stay in the race, and that's going to be interesting, because I see her as kind of a thorn in [Trump’s] side,” Dominguez told VOA. “Even though she's not going to be competitive anymore — she's not going to be able to sway the delegates — she is going to be important in terms of the messaging that the campaign puts out around particular issues.”<br> </p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/05/super-tuesday-a-wake-up-call-for-joe-biden-but-a-giant-stride-for-donald-trump.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/05/super-tuesday-a-wake-up-call-for-joe-biden-but-a-giant-stride-for-donald-trump.html Tue Mar 05 13:17:37 IST 2024 china-russia-planning-nuke-plant-on-moon <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/06/china-russia-planning-nuke-plant-on-moon.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/news/world/images/2023/10/18/putin_xi.jpg" /> <p>With the ongoing wars in Ukraine and in Gaza sharpening the geo-political divide between the US-led West and the China-Russia axis, the recent close collaborations being planned by the latter bloc in cutting-edge military technology make for interesting reading.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>On Tuesday, the head of Roscosmos, Russia’s space agency, Yuri Borisov announced that Russia and China were collaborating on a plan to set up a nuclear power plant on the Moon in 2033-2035.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>“Today, we are seriously considering a project, somewhere at the turn of 2033-2035, for the delivery and installation of a power plant on the lunar surface with our Chinese colleagues,” Borisov said during a world youth festival in Moscow.</p> <p>He added that it would be done “automatically, using robotic means”.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>In March 2021, Russia and China had inked an intergovernmental MoU to set up an International Lunar Research Station, a road map for which was presented on June 16, 2021.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Interestingly, a top-level Russian delegation recently visiting Beijing has discussed cooperation and collaboration in detail on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems in the area of military application of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, a development reported by both the Russian and Chinese state-owned media.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The Russian foreign ministry said in its communique on Friday after the Russia-China inter-agency consultations: “The sides had an extensive exchange of assessments of the situation in this area. The sides discussed doctrinal guidelines and initiatives of Russia and China, related to application of AI technologies for military purposes. Special attention was paid to the coordination of actions within the Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (GGE on LAWS).”</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The foreign ministry statement also reaffirmed the similarity of the Russian and Chinese approaches to military application of artificial intelligence. The domain of aerospace and artificial intelligence, among other niche technology areas, are the new battlegrounds where the US-led West and the China-Russia axis continue to confront each other. Besides extensive collaboration in conventional military research and development, the other areas of cooperation include the cyber domain and critical materials.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The emergence of China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin as national leaders in their respective countries is commonly understood to be a strong signal that the unipolar world was changing to a multipolar one with the emergence of the China-Russia bloc.</p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/06/china-russia-planning-nuke-plant-on-moon.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/06/china-russia-planning-nuke-plant-on-moon.html Wed Mar 06 13:12:11 IST 2024 haiti-gangs-try-to-seize-control-of-main-airport-in-newest-attack-on-key-govt-sites <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/05/haiti-gangs-try-to-seize-control-of-main-airport-in-newest-attack-on-key-govt-sites.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/week/news/world/images/2024/3/5/Haiti-violence-airport-control-reuters.jpg" /> <p>Heavily armed gangs tried to seize control of Haiti's main international airport on Monday, exchanging gunfire with police and soldiers in the latest attack on key government sites in an explosion of violence that includes a mass escape from the country's two biggest prisons.</p> <p>The Toussaint Louverture International Airport was closed when the attack occurred, with no planes operating and no passengers on site.</p> <p>Associated Press journalists saw an armoured truck on the tarmac shooting at gangs to try and prevent them from entering airport grounds as scores of employees and other workers fled from whizzing bullets.</p> <p>It wasn't immediately clear as of late Monday whether the attack, which was the biggest one in Haiti's history involving the airport, was successful.</p> <p>Last week, the airport was struck briefly by bullets amid ongoing gang attacks, but gangs did not enter the airport nor seize control of it.</p> <p>The attack occurred just hours after authorities in Haiti ordered a nighttime curfew following violence in which armed gang members overran the two biggest prisons and freed thousands of inmates over the weekend.</p> <p>The secretary-general is deeply concerned by the rapidly deteriorating security situation in Port-au-Prince, where armed gangs have intensified their attacks on critical infrastructure over the weekend, said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.</p> <p>A 72-hour state of emergency began Sunday night. The government said it would try to track down the escaped inmates, including from a penitentiary were the vast majority were in pre-trial detention, with some accused of slayings, kidnappings and other crimes.</p> <p>The police were ordered to use all legal means at their disposal to enforce the curfew and apprehend all offenders, said a statement from Finance Minister Patrick Boivert, the acting prime minister.</p> <p>Gangs already were estimated to control up to 80 per cent of Port-au-Prince, the capital. They are increasingly coordinating their actions and choosing once unthinkable targets like the Central Bank.</p> <p>Prime Minister Ariel Henry travelled to Kenya last week to try to salvage support for a United Nations-backed security force to help stabilise Haiti in its conflict with the increasingly powerful crime groups.</p> <p>Dujarric said the secretary-general stressed the need for urgent action, especially in providing financial support for the mission, to address the pressing security requirements of the Haitian people and prevent the country from plunging further into chaos.</p> <p>Haiti's National Police has roughly 9,000 officers to provide security for more than 11 million people, according to the UN. They are routinely overwhelmed and outgunned.</p> <p>The deadly weekend marked a new low in Haiti's downward spiral of violence. At least nine people had been killed since Thursday four of them police officers as gangs stepped up coordinated attacks on state institutions in Port-au-Prince, including the international airport and national soccer stadium.</p> <p>But the attack on the National Penitentiary late Saturday shocked Haitians. All but 98 of the 3,798 inmates being held at the penitentiary escaped, according to the Office of Citizen Protection. Meanwhile, at the Croix-des-Bouquets prison, 1,033 escaped, including 298 convicts.</p> <p>The office said late Monday that it was seriously concerned about the safety of judges, prosecutors, victims, attorneys and others following the mass escape.</p> <p>It added that it deplored and condemned the policy of nonchalance demonstrated by government officials amid the attacks.</p> <p>Following the raid at the penitentiary, three bodies with gunshot wounds lay at the prison entrance Sunday.</p> <p>In another neighbourhood, the bloodied corpses of two men with their hands tied behind the backs lay face down as residents walked past roadblocks set up with burning tires.</p> <p>Among the few dozen people who chose to stay in prison are 18 former Colombian soldiers accused of working as mercenaries in the July 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Mose.</p> <p>Please, please help us, one of the men, Francisco Uribe, said in a message widely shared on social media. &quot;They are massacring people indiscriminately inside the cells.</p> <p>Colombia's foreign ministry has called on Haiti to provide special protection for the men.</p> <p>A second Port-au-Prince prison containing around 1,400 inmates also was overrun.</p> <p>Gunfire was reported in several neighbourhoods in the capital. Internet service for many residents was down on Sunday as Haiti's top mobile network said a fibre optic cable connection was slashed during the rampage.</p> <p>After gangs opened fire at Haiti's international airport last week, the US Embassy said it was halting all official travel to the country. On Sunday night, it urged all American citizens to depart as soon as possible.</p> <p>The Biden administration, which has refused to commit troops to any multinational force for Haiti while offering money and logistical support, said it was monitoring the rapidly deteriorating security situation with grave concern.</p> <p>The surge in attacks follows violent protests that turned deadlier in recent days as the prime minister went to Kenya seeking to move ahead on the proposed UN-backed security mission to be led by that East African country.</p> <p>Henry took over as prime minister following Moise's assassination and has postponed plans to hold parliamentary and presidential elections, which haven't happened in almost a decade.</p> <p>Jimmy Chrizier, a former elite police officer known as Barbecue who now runs a gang federation, has claimed responsibility for the surge in attacks. He said the goal is to capture Haiti's police chief and government ministers and prevent Henry's return.</p> <p>The prime minister has shrugged off calls for him to resign and didn't comment when asked if he felt it was safe to come home.</p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/05/haiti-gangs-try-to-seize-control-of-main-airport-in-newest-attack-on-key-govt-sites.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/05/haiti-gangs-try-to-seize-control-of-main-airport-in-newest-attack-on-key-govt-sites.html Tue Mar 05 21:52:03 IST 2024 leaked-german-military-recording-with-new-spy-vs-spy-game-has-cold-war-begun-again <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/05/leaked-german-military-recording-with-new-spy-vs-spy-game-has-cold-war-begun-again.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/week/news/world/images/2024/3/5/Ingo-Gerhartz.jpg" /> <p>The leak of a 38-minute-long audio tape of a conversation of a ‘very sensitive’ nature between Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz, the commander of Luftwaffe, the German Air Force, with three of his subordinates, on Russian state-owned media outlet RT, has the strategic community sit up and take notice.</p> <p>While many reports say that the CIA had prior knowledge of Russia's plan to launch special operations in Ukraine and which it had reportedly warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about, the fact remains that the espionage system—a strong vestige of the Cold War era—is intact and as active as ever if not less.</p> <p>Among the leaked content of Gen Gerhartz’s chat was a debate on a possible delivery of the German Taurus missile to Ukraine.</p> <p>With its 500-km range, Ukraine can conduct deep strikes with the stealth-capable Taurus (an abbreviated form for ‘Target Adaptive Unitary and Dispenser Robotic Ubiquity System) including the Kerch Bridge, which connects Crimea to Ukraine, and which was mentioned in the leaked audio.</p> <p>Delivering the Taurus would therefore escalate the ongoing war to dangerous levels.</p> <p>While the UK and France also supply the Storm Shadows or the Scalp missiles to Ukraine, the range is considerably less.</p> <p>The very fact that Russia chose to release the leak in a Russian propaganda platform rather than to other media outlets underlines that Moscow is stepping up its espionage game.</p> <p>The earlier Cold War (1947-1991), in the aftermath of the Second World War, saw the world being divided into two camps—one led by the East or the Soviet Block and the other being the Western block led by the US. It is commonly agreed that the Cold War era ended in 1991 with the world moving to the unipolar phase from a bipolar phase.</p> <p>Broadly, the main fulcrums of the Cold War were an active effort on the part of the two blocs to spread their spheres of influence, an arms race that included nuclear stockpiling and a very active espionage system. The Cold War is also described as the lack of an open war between the two warring superpowers but one that is waged using proxies.</p> <p>All these conditions are prevalent in the current context except for the fact that Russia is actively fighting in Ukraine.</p> <p>It is noteworthy that the leak happened after French President Emmanuel Macron courted controversy by suggesting that soldiers may be sent to Ukraine.</p> <p>While France is the military powerhouse in Europe, Germany is the biggest economy.</p> <p>On Ukraine, the Germans have been somewhat reluctant to be as proactive as the British or the French in supporting Ukraine with war material.</p> <p>Just before the Ukraine war began in February 2022, the German Navy chief Vice-Admiral Kay-Achim Schönbach created quite a stir at an event organised in New Delhi by the Manohar Parikkar Institute of Defence and Strategic Analysis (MPIDSA), when he said of Germany’s Indo-pacific strategy: “Does Russia really wants small and tiny strip of Ukraine soil, integrate the country. No, this is nonsense. Putin is probably putting pressure because he knows he can do it, and he splits EU opinion. What he really wants is respect. And my God, giving someone respect is low cost, even no cost. It is easy to give him the respect he really demands—and probably also deserves.”</p> <p>While Admiral Schönbach had soon to put in his papers, it was not before underscoring the lack of unity in the western ranks.</p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/05/leaked-german-military-recording-with-new-spy-vs-spy-game-has-cold-war-begun-again.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/05/leaked-german-military-recording-with-new-spy-vs-spy-game-has-cold-war-begun-again.html Tue Mar 05 19:49:35 IST 2024 super-tuesday-biden-trump-sweep-primaries-as-stage-set-for-historic-rematch <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/06/super-tuesday-biden-trump-sweep-primaries-as-stage-set-for-historic-rematch.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/week/news/world/images/2024/3/6/Biden-Trump-(2).jpg" /> <p>Both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump continued their winning streak through the primaries on Super Tuesday with Republican front-runner Trump winning 11 of the 15 states by around IST 8 am on Wednesday.&nbsp;</p> <p>The 16 states that went to vote on Super Tuesday are Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Virginia. While Alaska voted on Republican candidates, Iowa will only vote on Democratic candidates. One territory, American Samoa, cast ballots in the Democratic race as well.&nbsp;<br> </p> <p>Biden, with little or no challengers, notched victories in Oklahoma, Massachusetts, Maine, Arkansas, Alabama, Texas, Colorado, Virginia, North Carolina and Vermont. However, in an interesting turn of events, he&nbsp; lost the American Samoa primary to little-known candidate Jason Palmer, a Maryland-based entrepreneur.&nbsp; He was also on the ballot today in Colorado and Vermont.&nbsp;<br> </p> <p>The President reacted to his win, stating that the way he has dealt with the African American community has been shameful. Biden has a huge support base among Black voters, who helped anchor his 2020 coalition.<br> </p> <p>&quot;Are we going to keep moving forward or will we allow Donald Trump to drag us backwards into the chaos, division, and darkness that defined his term in office?&quot; he said in a statement.&nbsp;<br> </p> <p>&quot;My message to the country is this: Every generation of Americans will face a moment when it has to defend democracy. Stand up for our personal freedom. Stand up for the right to vote and our civil rights. To every Democrat, Republican, and independent who believes in a free and fair America: This is our moment. This is our fight. Together, we will win,&quot; he said.<br> </p> <p>Trump managed to win 393 delegates by Wednesday morning though he wouldn't be able to amass enough delegates to secure the nomination tonight. So far, he has 715 delegates, with 1,215 needed for the Republican nomination.<br> </p> <p>Trump also won the Republican presidential primary in Colorado, where he was taken off the ballot before Supreme Court reinstated him. Colorado has 37 GOP delegates. He is also projected to win Texas, the second-largest delegate haul of 161 in the GOP primary.<br> </p> <p>The former President reacted to his victories, calling it a big one. &quot;They call it Super Tuesday for a reason. This is a big one,&quot; the former president says. He claims the pundits have told him there's &quot;never been anything so conclusive&quot; and he plans to inspire a turnaround of the country.<br> </p> <p>As for his competition Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor won her first state on Tuesday — and her second primary overall — narrowly beating Donald Trump in Vermont.&nbsp;<br> </p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/06/super-tuesday-biden-trump-sweep-primaries-as-stage-set-for-historic-rematch.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/06/super-tuesday-biden-trump-sweep-primaries-as-stage-set-for-historic-rematch.html Wed Mar 06 09:22:14 IST 2024 colorado-verdict-has-the-us-supreme-court-become-a-trump-stooge <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/05/colorado-verdict-has-the-us-supreme-court-become-a-trump-stooge.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/news/world/images/2024/1/9/Donald-Trump-us-capitol-riots-ap.jpg" /> <p>&nbsp;Reading between the lines of a unanimous decision to keep former US President Donald Trump in the Colorado ballot, there are signs that the decisions the US Supreme Court is making are political rather than legal. There are also indications of resentment between the conservative and liberal justices, who see the key decisions on a series of Trump issues as Roberts Court surrendering its independence to the Trump political force.</p> <p>Lingering disputes emerged in a separate concurring opinion by the three liberal members of the Court—Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson—regarding the extent to which the majority interpreted that only Congress could enforce Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to disqualify candidates seeking federal office. They voiced their dissent in a separate concurring opinion, expressing concerns over the implications of the decision.</p> <p>&quot;Today, the majority goes beyond the necessities of this case to limit how Section 3 can bar an oath-breaking insurrectionist from becoming President,&quot; they wrote, noting how far their conservative colleagues went to help Trump beyond the decision itself. &quot;Although we agree that Colorado cannot enforce Section 3, we protest the majority’s effort to use this case to define the limits of federal enforcement of that provision.&quot;</p> <p>&quot;Yet the majority goes further...They decide novel constitutional questions to insulate this Court and petitioner from future controversy,&quot; they wrote. &quot;The majority announces that a disqualification for insurrection can occur only when Congress enacts a particular kind of legislation pursuant to Section 5 of the Fourteenth Amendment,&quot; the liberal justices continued.</p> <p>&quot;In doing so, the majority shuts the door on other potential means of federal enforcement. We cannot join an opinion that decides momentous and difficult issues unnecessarily, and we, therefore, concur only in the judgment,&quot; they said, adding, “By resolving these and other questions, the majority attempts to insulate all alleged insurrectionists from future challenges to their holding federal office.”</p> <p>In overturning the Colorado court ruling that disqualified Trump from appearing on the state's 2024 presidential primary ballot, the highest court in the country ruled that the Constitution's 14th Amendment does not grant states the authority to bar candidates for federal office who engage in insurrection against the United States.</p> <p>The crux of the issue centered on Section 3 of the 14th Amendment—enacted in the wake of the Civil War—which prohibits those who took an oath to uphold the Constitution from holding office if they &quot;have engaged in insurrection or rebellion.&quot; Based on Trump's extensively documented attempts to overturn the legitimate 2020 election results and his incitement of the January 6 attack on the Capitol, the Colorado Supreme Court disqualified him as a presidential candidate under this provision.</p> <p>However, the Supreme Court unanimously concluded that Section 3 does not empower states to enforce this disqualification against candidates for federal positions like the presidency. The unsigned per curiam opinion declared that only the federal government, and not states, can potentially invoke the Constitution's Insurrection Disqualification Clause.</p> <p>The court went too far, admitted Trump-appointed Justice Amy Coney Barrett who wrote: &quot;The Court has settled a politically charged issue in the volatile season of a Presidential election. Particularly in this circumstance, writings on the Court should turn the national temperature down, not up,” she said as she played up the unanimity of the Court and set to drown the comments of the liberal justices.</p> <p>Translation: Hush the specter of no confidence that there was no political consideration even in this 9-0 decision.</p> <p>But even looking back to the previous decision on granting a revision of the case on presidential immunity, political considerations taint the Court’s action. Beyond all of the legal arguments or interests of the Court, its initial failure to grant an expedited ruling on the case, as requested by the Special Counsel Jack Smith, gave Trump an initial gift of delaying final resolution so he could continue his presidential run with these issues undecided.</p> <p>Any argument that the Court is only asserting its own power is mooted by the simple fact that in granting certiorari, they set a long and slow process that begins hearings on April 22.</p> <p>A quick review of cases of presidential importance ruled by the Court shows just how lenient they are with Trump and what a generous deference the conservatives and Trump-appointed justices are giving him. Back when a rouge Richard Nixon took the country into a Constitutional crisis as Trump is doing almost every day now, they heard and ruled on the secret White House tapes in a quick 16 days. When a Bush v. Gore decision was needed, the Court did this in a record three days.</p> <p>In this case, after having denied Smith’s request “of imperative public importance&quot; for an expedited review by sending the case to the lower court first and then deciding to review the clear and forceful decision against Trump in that court, they were set to hear arguments a full 53 days later. Almost two months of delay in just preparing to hear the case, never mind actually ruling on it. This is a massive political gift to Trump, and the appearance of repaying him for appointing them is sure to be debated in the history books.</p> <p>What is more, the real decision of the US Supreme Court that has been flying under the radar is that the American people do not deserve to know the legality of the crimes of which Trump has been accused before deciding if he should be their president again. It undermines the principles of fairness, justice, equality before the law, and the integrity of democratic institutions.</p> <p>The Roberts Court has completely abandoned its obligation to be the arbiter of the law and has become one more tool of the Trump political machine, helping him become a major force, unstoppable by any court.</p> <p>The question remains whether, if elected, which seems likely by the day, Trump could indeed pardon himself. With the highest Court acting as a submissive accomplice in the former president’s scheme to delay court action to avoid accountability, there is little hope they can be the ones who rule that the Constitution does not permit a president to abuse the pardon power in a self-serving manner, with flagrant disregard for accountability and betrayal of public trust.</p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/05/colorado-verdict-has-the-us-supreme-court-become-a-trump-stooge.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/05/colorado-verdict-has-the-us-supreme-court-become-a-trump-stooge.html Tue Mar 05 19:49:40 IST 2024 indian-military-will-not-reside-in-maldives-in-any-form-of-clothing-after-may-10-asserts-prez-muizzu <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/05/indian-military-will-not-reside-in-maldives-in-any-form-of-clothing-after-may-10-asserts-prez-muizzu.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/news/india/images/2024/1/7/modi%20Mohamed%20Muizzu.jpeg" /> <p>Stepping up his anti-India rhetoric, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu has affirmed that no Indian military personnel, not even those in civilian clothing, would be present inside his country after May 10, a media report said on Tuesday.<br> </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Muizzu's statement comes less than a week after an Indian civilian team reached the Maldives to take charge of one of the three aviation platforms in the island nation, well ahead of the March 10 deadline agreed by the two nations for the withdrawal of Indian military personnel.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Addressing the Baa atoll Eydhafushi residential community during his tour across the atoll, the President stated that due to his government's success in expelling Indian troops from the country, people who spread false rumours, are attempting to twist the situation, a news portal Edition.mv reported.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>“That these people [Indian military] are not departing, that they are returning after changing their uniforms into civilian clothing. We must not indulge such thoughts that instil doubts in our hearts and spread lies,” the portal quoted Muizzu, widely regarded as a pro-China leader, as saying.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>“There will be no Indian troops in the country come May 10. Not in uniform and not in civilian clothing. The Indian military will not be residing in this country in any form of clothing. I state this with confidence,” he said, on a day when his country signed an agreement with China to receive free military aid.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Earlier last month, after a high-level meeting in Delhi on February 2 between the two sides, the Maldivian foreign ministry said India would replace its military personnel operating the three aviation platforms in the Maldives by May 10 and the first phase of the process would be completed by March 10.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Muizzu rode to power last year on an anti-India stance and within hours of taking oath demanded India to remove its personnel from the strategically located archipelago in the Indian Ocean. In his maiden address to Parliament on February 5, he made similar remarks.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>There are 88 military personnel manning the three Indian platforms that have been providing humanitarian and medical evacuation services to the people of the Maldives for the last few years using two helicopters and a Dornier aircraft.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>India had agreed to remove their troops from Maldives under the condition that a number of their civilians equivalent to the military presence are brought to operate the aircraft.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The Maldives' proximity to India, barely 70 nautical miles from the island of Minicoy in Lakshadweep and 300 nautical miles from the mainland's western coast, and its location at the hub of commercial sea lanes running through the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) gives it significant strategic importance.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/05/indian-military-will-not-reside-in-maldives-in-any-form-of-clothing-after-may-10-asserts-prez-muizzu.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/05/indian-military-will-not-reside-in-maldives-in-any-form-of-clothing-after-may-10-asserts-prez-muizzu.html Tue Mar 05 19:49:47 IST 2024 kerala-man-killed-2-injured-in-israel-anti-tank-missile-attack <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/05/kerala-man-killed-2-injured-in-israel-anti-tank-missile-attack.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/week/news/world/images/2024/3/5/Israel.jpg" /> <p>An Indian national was killed and two others injured in an anti-tank missile attack in Israel's northern border community of Margaliot. The deceased has been identified as Patnibin Maxwell from Kollam in Kerala.</p> <p>The missile, fired allegedly by Hezbollah from Lebanon, landed in the orchard near the northern border. Three others were injured, according to PTI. They too hail from Kerala.<br> </p> <p>However, a report by The Times of Israel mentioned that a &quot;foreign national was killed&quot; and seven other injured but failed to identify the victim.<br> </p> <p>According to Zaki Heller, spokesperson for rescue services Magen David Adom (MDA), the missile hit a plantation in Margaliot, a moshav (collective agricultural community), in the Galilee region in the north of Israel around 11 am on Monday. Heller told PTI that the remains of Maxwell were identified in Ziv Hospital.<br> </p> <p>Sources identified the injured men as Bush Joseph George and Paul Melvin. &quot;George was taken to the Beilinson hospital in Petah Tikva after suffering injuries on face and body. He underwent an operation, is recovering well, and has been kept under observation. He could speak with his family in India,&quot; an official source told PTI.&nbsp;<br> </p> <p>Melvin suffered minor injuries and is hospitalized at Ziv Hospital in the northern Israeli city of Safed. He is from the Idukki district of Kerala.<br> </p> <p>The MDA added that seven foreign workers were injured in the attack, two of them seriously, and were taken to Beilinson, Rambam, and Ziv hospitals in their ambulances and Israeli Air Force helicopters.<br> </p> <p>Hezbollah faction in Lebanon has been launching rockets, missiles, and drones at northern Israel daily since October 8 in support of Hamas amid the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. The IDF responded to Monday's attack by shelling the launch site with artillery.&nbsp;<br> </p> <p>The IDF also said it struck a Hezbollah compound where members of the group were gathered in the southern Lebanon town of Chihine, and another site belonging to Hezbollah in Ayta ash-Shab.<br> </p> <p>&nbsp;The skirmishes between Israel and Hezbollah have resulted in the death of seven civilians and 10 IDF soldiers on the Israeli side.<br> </p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/05/kerala-man-killed-2-injured-in-israel-anti-tank-missile-attack.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/05/kerala-man-killed-2-injured-in-israel-anti-tank-missile-attack.html Tue Mar 05 19:50:06 IST 2024 us-democrat-plan-crashes-says-trump-after-supreme-court-restores-his-ballot-eligibility <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/04/us-democrat-plan-crashes-says-trump-after-supreme-court-restores-his-ballot-eligibility.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/week/news/world/images/2024/3/4/Donald-trump-ballot-eligibility-ap.jpg" /> <p>After the Supreme Court ruling on the Colorado ballot disqualification case, former United States President Donald Trump said that it was a &quot;BIG WIN FOR AMERICA!!!&quot;.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>While posting on Truth Social, Trump said the Democrat plan to erase his name crashed and burned.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&quot;The unhinged Democrat plan to ERASE MY NAME crashed &amp; burned, but our fight to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN is far from over,&quot; the email read.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The court ruled that the power resides with Congress to invoke a post-Civil War constitutional provision to keep presidential candidates from appearing on ballots.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The 14th Amendment Section 3 bars from office any &quot;officer of the United States&quot; who took an oath &quot;to support the Constitution of the United States&quot; and then &quot;engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof,&quot; stated the ruling.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>With the recent court ruling, Trump's presidential campaign continues unobstructed as the decision applies to ballots in all states. Colorado, Illinois, Maine and other states will now have to put his name on the ballots.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Based on the 14th Amendment, Trump was barred from the ballot in Maine and Illinois. But it was put on hold pending the Supreme Court's ruling in the Colorado case.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Trump's eligibility had been challenged in court by a group of six voters in Colorado - four Republicans and two independents - who portrayed him as a threat to democracy and sought to hold him accountable for the US Capitol attacks in 2021.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Trump is the frontrunner for the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic President Joe Biden in the upcoming US elections.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>On January 6, 2021, Trump’s supporters barged into the Capitol attacking the police and breaking the barricades. Trump gave an incendiary speech to supporters beforehand, repeating his false claims of widespread voting fraud and telling them to go to the Capitol and &quot;fight like hell,” reported&nbsp;<i>Reuters</i>.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>In ruling against Trump, Colorado's top court cited the &quot;general atmosphere of political violence that President Trump created&quot; and that he aided &quot;the insurrectionists' common unlawful purpose of preventing the peaceful transfer of power in this country.&quot;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The Supreme Court heard arguments on February 8. Trump's lawyer argued that he is not subject to the disqualification language because a president is not an &quot;officer of the United States,&quot; that the provision cannot be enforced by courts absent congressional legislation, and that what occurred was shameful, criminal and violent but not an insurrection.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>(With agencies' input)</p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/04/us-democrat-plan-crashes-says-trump-after-supreme-court-restores-his-ballot-eligibility.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/04/us-democrat-plan-crashes-says-trump-after-supreme-court-restores-his-ballot-eligibility.html Mon Mar 04 22:11:04 IST 2024 nepal-pm-prachanda-terminates-alliance-with-nepali-congress-reshuffles-cabinet <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/04/nepal-pm-prachanda-terminates-alliance-with-nepali-congress-reshuffles-cabinet.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/news/world/images/2023/3/16/nepal%20pm%20visit.reu.jpg" /> <p>Nepal's Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' on Monday reshuffled the Cabinet after terminating a nearly 15-month partnership with the Nepali Congress due to major differences between their top leadership, in a dramatic development in the politically fragile Himalayan nation.</p> <p>Prachanda, a former guerilla leader, forged a new alliance with the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) - the second-biggest party - led by former premier KP Sharma Oli following which three ministers took the oath of office and secrecy on Monday.</p> <p>Padam Giri from the CPN-UML, Hit Bahadur Tamang from CPN (Maoist Center) and Dol Prasad Aryal from Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) took the oath of office and secrecy during the oath-taking ceremony held at the President's Office, Sheetal Niwas. However, the newly appointed ministers have not been assigned portfolios.</p> <p>Prime Minister Prachanda has kept 25 ministerial portfolios including those of Home, Defence, Foreign Affairs and Finance with himself.</p> <p>The new political equation formed by keeping the largest party and the strongest democratic force - Nepali Congress - out of power and bringing together the two largest communist forces may not be in the interest of India, according to senior journalist and political analyst Dhruva Hari Adhikary.</p> <p>The collective strength of 142 of CPN-UML, Maoist, RSP and JSP is more than the minimum required no of 138 seats in the 275-member House.</p> <p>The alliance between the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) led by Prachanda and the Sher Bahadur Deuba-led Nepali Congress was terminated as the growing differences between the two top leaders reached a climax, a CPN-Maoist Centre party leader said.</p> <p>&quot;As (the) Nepali Congress did not cooperate with the Prime Minister, we are forced to look for (a) new alliance, Ganesh Shah, Secretary of the CPN-Maoist, told PTI.</p> <p>Prachanda became the prime minister for the third term with the support of the Nepali Congress on December 25, 2022. His party is the only third-largest group in the House of Representatives.</p> <p>After breaking the alliance with the Nepali Congress --the largest party in the House of Representatives-- Prachanda joined hands with Oli, who was regarded as Prachanda's top critic.</p> <p>Last year, the CPN-UML withdrew its support to the Prachanda-led government following a rift over backing the main opposition party's candidate for the presidential poll.</p> <p>The rift between the Maoist Centre and Nepali Congress grew after differences grew between Nepali Congress leader and Finance Minister Mahat and Prachanda over the issue of budget allocation to certain projects.</p> <p>The rift grew as Nepali Congress President Deuba wanted the party's senior leader and newly elected lawmaker Krishna Sitaula to be made the Chairman of the National Assembly against Prachanda's plan to appoint his party's fellow to the key post.</p> <p>The frequent changes in coalition government lead to political instability, which is not in favour of the neighbouring countries, Adhikary said.</p> <p>Nepal has witnessed 13 governments in the last 16 years.</p> <p>As Prachanda's alliance with the Nepali Congress did not last for more than a year, we cannot be sure that this coalition will last for a longer period, he told PTI.</p> <p>Earlier Monday, Prachanda held a meeting with CPN-UML chairman Oli at the PM's residence Baluwatar. During the meeting, the two top leaders decided to form a new alliance and a new government under the leadership of Maoist chairman Prachanda.</p> <p>&quot;The two leaders discussed the formation of a new government, a future course of action and possible leftist alliance among others,&quot; according to sources close to Baluwatar.</p> <p>Soon after the meeting, leaders of three political parties, including Prime Minister Prachanda, CPN-UML chairman Oli and Rastriya Swatantra Party's (RSP) Ravi Lamichhane met at Baluwatar and discussed the modality of the new alliance and the formation of the new government.</p> <p>Nepali Congress emerged as the largest party in the House of Representatives during the November 2022 general election, securing 89 seats out of a total of 275.</p> <p>The CPN-UML secured 78 seats, followed by the Maoist Centre, which got 32 seats.</p> <p>The RSP, Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Janata Samajwadi Party and CPN-Unified Socialist won 20, 14, 12 and 10 seats respectively. A party must win the support of at least 138 members of the House of Representatives to form the government.</p> <p>Meanwhile, the Nepali Congress Central Work Execution Committee will meet on Tuesday to discuss contemporary political issues.</p> <p>CPN-UML, the second largest party in Parliament, will be a major alliance for the Prachanda-led new government.</p> <p>In the 2017 election, Prachanda and Oli merged their parties and secured the majority. Oli became the prime minister, but their partnership ended halfway following differences between them.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>-PTI</p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/04/nepal-pm-prachanda-terminates-alliance-with-nepali-congress-reshuffles-cabinet.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/04/nepal-pm-prachanda-terminates-alliance-with-nepali-congress-reshuffles-cabinet.html Mon Mar 04 22:30:03 IST 2024 russia-ukraine-war-german-military-leak-sparks-kremlin-accusation-of-west-involvement <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/04/russia-ukraine-war-german-military-leak-sparks-kremlin-accusation-of-west-involvement.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/week/news/world/images/2024/3/4/German-ambassador-summoned-military-leak-reuters.jpg" /> <p>Moscow summoned Germany's ambassador to Russia's foreign ministry on Monday after the leak of the tape on supporting Ukraine amid the ongoing war. Russia demanded an explanation from Germany over the leaked audio clip.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Russia's state-funded TV channel RT posted the audio on Friday on social media.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Germany’s defence minister, Boris Pistorius, has accused Russia of waging “an information war” against Germany, by intercepting and then leaking sensitive discussions that took place among the high-level officers.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Russia has accused Germany of planning war against it. Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said, &quot;Germany is planning a war with Russia”.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>While Pistorius said it was &quot;completely absurd&quot;.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The conversations highlight the direct involvement of the collective West in the conflict in Ukraine, said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Germany is among the NATO countries that have provided arms to Ukraine including tanks. Germany is the second-biggest supplier of military aid to Ukraine after the US.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><b>What's in the leaked audio clip</b></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The 38-minute recording of the leaked call reveals German officials discussing weapons for Ukraine and a potential strike by Kyiv on the Crimea bridge.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The weapon discussions include the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Kyiv. Kyiv has been requesting the possible supply of weapons from NATO nations to sustain the ongoing battle. They have been asking Germany to deliver Taurus cruise missiles, which can reach targets up to 500km away.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Also, discussions on the use of long-range missiles provided by France and Britain, and training of Ukrainian soldiers were involved.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Four officials-- including the head of Germany's Air Force, Ingo Gerhartz can be heard discussing deployment scenarios for the Taurus, reported German news agency DPA.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The leak was considered &quot;serious&quot; by Germany and said it was &quot;now being clarified very carefully, very intensively and very quickly&quot;.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>With Ukraine dealing with a weapons shortage and financial crisis, it was facing severe setbacks. Germany was reluctant to supply the weapons as well.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Pistorius on Sunday described the audio as part of Russia's information war against the West to create discord within Germany.</p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/04/russia-ukraine-war-german-military-leak-sparks-kremlin-accusation-of-west-involvement.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/04/russia-ukraine-war-german-military-leak-sparks-kremlin-accusation-of-west-involvement.html Mon Mar 04 18:49:48 IST 2024 france-moves-closer-to-enshrining-abortion-as-constitutional-right <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/04/france-moves-closer-to-enshrining-abortion-as-constitutional-right.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/week/news/world/images/2024/3/4/France-abortion-rights-reuters.jpg" /> <p>France inches closer to making abortion a constitutional right, as lawmakers gather for a joint session of parliament at the Palace of Versailles to vote on Monday.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>President Emmanuel Macron pledged this measure in response to a legal setback for abortion rights in the United States.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Macron's government wants to amend Article 34 of the constitution to specify that the law determines the conditions by which the freedom of women to have recourse to an abortion, is guaranteed.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The proposal to amend the constitution was approved by the lower house of the parliament in January. The Senate adopted the bill on Wednesday, clearing a key hurdle for legislation promised by Macron's government, intended to make a woman's right to have an abortion irreversible.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The measure must be approved by a three-fifths majority in the joint session.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Meanwhile, none of France's major political parties represented in parliament has questioned the right to abortion.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The government argued in its introduction to the bill that the right to abortion is threatened in the United States, where the Supreme Court in 2022 overturned a 50-year-old ruling that used to guarantee it.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>We increased the level of protection for this fundamental right, said Anne-Ccile Mailfert of the Women's Foundation. She added: It's a guarantee for women today and in the future to have the right to abort in France.</p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/04/france-moves-closer-to-enshrining-abortion-as-constitutional-right.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/04/france-moves-closer-to-enshrining-abortion-as-constitutional-right.html Mon Mar 04 21:06:51 IST 2024 supreme-court-restores-trump-to-ballot-rejecting-state-attempts-to-ban-him-over-capitol-attack <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/04/supreme-court-restores-trump-to-ballot-rejecting-state-attempts-to-ban-him-over-capitol-attack.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/news/world/images/2024/1/20/Donald-trump-new-hampshire-ap.jpg" /> <p>The Supreme Court on Monday restored Donald Trump to 2024 presidential primary ballots, rejecting state attempts to hold the Republican former president accountable for the Capitol riot.</p> <p>The justices ruled a day before the Super Tuesday primaries that states cannot invoke a post-Civil War constitutional provision to keep presidential candidates from appearing on ballots. That power resides with Congress, the court wrote in an unsigned opinion.</p> <p>The outcome ends efforts in Colorado, Illinois, Maine and elsewhere to kick Trump, the front-runner for his party's nomination, off the ballot because of his attempts to undo his loss in the 2020 election to Democrat Joe Biden, culminating in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.</p> <p>Trump's case was the first at the Supreme Court dealing with a provision of the 14th Amendment that was adopted after the Civil War to prevent former officeholders who engaged in insurrection from holding office again.</p> <p>Colorado's Supreme Court, in a first-of-its-kind ruling, had decided that the provision, Section 3, could be applied to Trump, who that court found incited the Capitol attack. No court before had applied Section 3 to a presidential candidate.</p> <p>Some election observers have warned that a ruling requiring congressional action to implement Section 3 could leave the door open to a renewed fight over trying to use the provision to disqualify Trump in the event he wins the election. In one scenario, a Democratic-controlled Congress could try to reject certifying Trump's election on Jan. 6, 2025, under the clause.</p> <p>The issue then could return to the court, possibly in the midst of a full-blown constitutional crisis.</p> <p>Both sides had requested fast work by the court, which heard arguments less than a month ago, on Feb. 8. The justices seemed poised then to rule in Trump's favor.</p> <p>Trump had been kicked off the ballots in Colorado, Maine and Illinois, but all three rulings were on hold awaiting the Supreme Court's decision.</p> <p>The case is the court's most direct involvement in a presidential election since Bush v. Gore, a decision delivered a quarter-century ago that effectively handed the 2000 election to Republican George W. Bush. And it's just one of several cases involving Trump directly or that could affect his chances of becoming president again, including a case scheduled for arguments in late April about whether he can be criminally prosecuted on election interference charges, including his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. The timing of the high court's intervention has raised questions about whether Trump will be tried before the November election.</p> <p>The arguments in February were the first time the high court had heard a case involving Section 3. The two-sentence provision, intended to keep some Confederates from holding office again, says that those who violate oaths to support the Constitution are barred from various positions including congressional offices or serving as presidential electors. But it does not specifically mention the presidency.</p> <p>Conservative and liberal justices questioned the case against Trump. Their main concern was whether Congress must act before states can invoke the 14th Amendment. There also were questions about whether the president is covered by the provision.</p> <p>The lawyers for Republican and independent voters who sued to remove Trump's name from the Colorado ballot had argued that there is ample evidence that the events of Jan. 6 constituted an insurrection and that it was incited by Trump, who had exhorted a crowd of his supporters at a rally outside the White House to fight like hell. They said it would be absurd to apply Section 3 to everything but the presidency or that Trump is somehow exempt. And the provision needs no enabling legislation, they argued.</p> <p>Trump's lawyers mounted several arguments for why the amendment can't be used to keep him off the ballot. They contended the Jan. 6 riot wasn't an insurrection and, even if it was, Trump did not go to the Capitol or join the rioters. The wording of the amendment also excludes the presidency and candidates running for president, they said. Even if all those arguments failed, they said, Congress must pass legislation to reinvigorate Section 3.</p> <p>The case was decided by a court that includes three justices appointed by Trump when he was president. They have considered many Trump-related cases in recent years, declining to embrace his bogus claims of fraud in the 2020 election and refusing to shield tax records from Congress and prosecutors in New York.</p> <p>The 5-4 decision in Bush v. Gore case more than 23 years ago was the last time the court was so deeply involved in presidential politics. Justice Clarence Thomas is the only member of the court who was on the bench then. Thomas has ignored calls by some Democratic lawmakers to step aside from the Trump case because his wife, Ginni, supported Trump's effort to overturn the 2020 election results and attended the rally that preceded the storming of the Capitol by Trump supporters.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/04/supreme-court-restores-trump-to-ballot-rejecting-state-attempts-to-ban-him-over-capitol-attack.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/04/supreme-court-restores-trump-to-ballot-rejecting-state-attempts-to-ban-him-over-capitol-attack.html Mon Mar 04 21:56:17 IST 2024 gaza-war-families-of-hostages-mark-150-days-of-captivity-16-year-old-killed-in-israeli-raids <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/04/gaza-war-families-of-hostages-mark-150-days-of-captivity-16-year-old-killed-in-israeli-raids.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/week/news/world/images/2024/3/4/Israeli-soldier-raid-reuters.jpg" /> <p>In Israel's latest raid in Ramallah, a 16-year-old has been reportedly shot dead and killed by the forces. The incident happened when the forces raided the al-Amari camp in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The Palestinian Authority Ministry of Health said Mustafa Aby Shalbak got injuries in his neck and chest. Though the kid was rushed to the hospital, he was declared dead.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>As many as 15 Palestinians were detained by Israeli troops overnight, reported Palestinian news agency Wafa. Detentions were also reported from places including Bethlehem, Tubas and East Jerusalem. Over 7,000 Palestinians have been detained so far by the military in the series of raids conducted by the troops.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><b>Families of hostages hold silent march</b></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Marking the 150 days of captivity, the families of hostages and other supporters held a silent march at Knesset.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Around 130 hostages are believed to be still held in Hamas' captivity. Including the three mistakenly killed by the IDF, the bodies of 11 hostages have been recovered by the authorities so far.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Meanwhile, the IDF has confirmed 31 deaths in Hamas captivity based on the intelligence reports.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>As many as 30,534 Palestinians have been killed and 71,920 have been injured in Israeli attacks so far, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>IDF on Monday claimed to have apprehended suspected Hamas members who were attempting to flee &quot;under the protection of the civilian population&quot;.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&quot;On Saturday, Islamic Jihad terrorists fired rockets toward kibbutz Be’eri and kibbutz Hatzerim. In under 30 minutes since the launch, IDF troops identified the terrorist cell and directed an aircraft that struck and eliminated the terrorists,&quot; said IDF.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>While briefing on the military activities, IDF said its troops killed 15 terrorists using sniper, tank, and aerial fire over the past day.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>“IDF troops led the evacuation of the civilian population, and apprehended approximately 80 wanted individuals suspected of involvement in terrorist activity, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists who attempted to flee under the protection of the civilian population,” it said.&nbsp;</p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/04/gaza-war-families-of-hostages-mark-150-days-of-captivity-16-year-old-killed-in-israeli-raids.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/04/gaza-war-families-of-hostages-mark-150-days-of-captivity-16-year-old-killed-in-israeli-raids.html Mon Mar 04 17:36:25 IST 2024 china-wants-to-deepen-all-weather-strategic-ties-with-pak-upgrade-cpec-during-sharifs-tenure <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/04/china-wants-to-deepen-all-weather-strategic-ties-with-pak-upgrade-cpec-during-sharifs-tenure.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/week/news/world/images/2024/3/4/Shehbaz-sharif-pak-china-relations-reuters.jpg" /> <p>As Shehbaz Sharif took the oath as the Prime Minister of Pakistan for a second time on Monday, China said it hopes to deepen its &quot;all-weather&quot; strategic ties and upgrade the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects.</p> <p>China warmly congratulates Shehbaz Sharif on being elected as Pakistan's Prime Minister, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a media briefing here.</p> <p>On Sunday, President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang sent congratulatory messages to Sharif soon after his election.</p> <p>China highly appreciates Prime Minister Sharif's positive statements on China-Pakistan relations and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Mao said.</p> <p>We stand ready to work with Pakistan to carry forward our traditional friendship, advance exchanges and cooperation across the board, upgrade the CPEC, and deepen China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership, she said.</p> <p>In his victory speech yesterday, Shehbaz Sharif vowed to further promote the CPEC projects with China.</p> <p>The CPEC, a global infrastructure and investment initiative by Beijing, was launched in 2013. It connects Gwadar Port in Pakistan's Balochistan with China's Xinjiang province.</p> <p>There is a sense of relief among the official circles here that Pakistan, a key ally of China, which has been going through grave economic and political crises for the last several years, has an elected government that Beijing could deal with.</p> <p>China had an uneasy relationship with former prime minister Imran Khan's government, which was blamed for the slow pace of the CPEC.</p> <p>Both Shehbaz and his brother, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, are familiar political figures for the ruling Chinese Communist Party as both of them along with the Pakistan military strengthened the all-weather alliance during their tenures. They are also firm backers of the strategic CPEC project.</p> <p>China has been providing forex loans and rollover of its debt periodically to bail out Pakistan which is facing a severe economic crisis.</p> <p>Recent reports from Islamabad said China has agreed to roll over a USD 2 billion loan due to be paid in March.</p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/04/china-wants-to-deepen-all-weather-strategic-ties-with-pak-upgrade-cpec-during-sharifs-tenure.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/04/china-wants-to-deepen-all-weather-strategic-ties-with-pak-upgrade-cpec-during-sharifs-tenure.html Mon Mar 04 19:20:42 IST 2024 israeli-delegation-pulls-out-of-cairo-talks-after-hamas-refuses-to-provide-hostage-list <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/04/israeli-delegation-pulls-out-of-cairo-talks-after-hamas-refuses-to-provide-hostage-list.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/news/world/images/2024/2/23/Israel-Netanyahu-Gaza-plan-reuters.jpg" /> <p>Israel is reportedly pulling out of ceasefire talks in Cairo after Palestinian militant group Hamas refused to provide the list of hostages who are alive. The refusal of Hamas to confirm the ratio of Palestinian prisoners to be released from Israeli prisons in exchange for the hostages has also irked Israel that it decided not to send a delegation to Egypt for talks.&nbsp;</p> <p>Though the Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo for talks, there was no sign of the Israeli delegation, according to Ynet, the website of Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth. The talks were considered the final hurdle before a ceasefire agreement could be reached. Last week, US President Joe Biden had said that a ceasefire deal could be in place by Ramadan.<br> </p> <p>Sources told CNN that the decision not to send an Israeli delegation was made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in coordination with Mossad director David Barnea. The source added that Barnea received a message that Hamas had not responded to the conditions.&nbsp;<br> </p> <p>Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last week that he would want to know the names in advance. &quot;I demand to know in advance the names of all the hostages who will be included in the outline. I have yet to receive an answer to the two questions and it is too early to say, in spite of our willingness, if we will achieve an outline for an additional release in the coming days.&quot;<br> </p> <p>Israel could also stay away unless Hamas presented the full list of hostages, a deal which the militant group refuses to agree. &quot;The path to a ceasefire right now literally at this hour is straightforward. And there's a deal on the table. There's a framework deal. Israel had agreed to the framework and it was now up to Hamas to respond,&quot; a U.S. official was quoted by Reuters<br> </p> <p>Meanwhile, US Vice President Kamala Harris has called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza for at least the next six weeks. The Vice-President also urged the Netanyahu government to &quot;do more&quot; to increase the flow of aid in the war-ravaged enclave.<br> </p> <p>Harris made the ceasefire call on Sunday during a speech in Selma, Alabama, to commemorate the 59th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, the annual remembrance of the landmark civil rights movement.<br> </p> <p>&quot;The threat Hamas poses to the people of Israel must be eliminated, and given the immense scale of suffering in Gaza, there must be an immediate ceasefire for at least the next six weeks, which is what is currently on the table,&quot; Harris said.<br> </p> <p>&quot;This will get the hostages out and get a significant amount of aid. This would allow us to build something more enduring to ensure Israel is more secure and to respect the right of the Palestinian people to dignity, freedom, and self-determination,&quot; the Indian-American leader said.<br> </p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/04/israeli-delegation-pulls-out-of-cairo-talks-after-hamas-refuses-to-provide-hostage-list.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/04/israeli-delegation-pulls-out-of-cairo-talks-after-hamas-refuses-to-provide-hostage-list.html Mon Mar 04 22:31:57 IST 2024 haiti-declares-curfew-as-it-tries-to-restore-order-after-weekend-jailbreak-gang-violence <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/04/haiti-declares-curfew-as-it-tries-to-restore-order-after-weekend-jailbreak-gang-violence.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/week/news/world/images/2024/3/4/Haiti-curfew-reuters.jpg" /> <p>Haiti's government declared a state of emergency and nighttime curfew late Sunday in a bid to regain control of the streets after an explosion of violence over the weekend saw armed gang members storm the country's two biggest prisons.</p> <p>The 72-hour state of emergency went into immediate effect as the government said it would set out to find the killers, kidnappers and other violent criminals that it reported escaped from the prison.</p> <p>The police were ordered to use all legal means at their disposal to enforce the curfew and apprehend all offenders, said a statement from Finance Minister Patrick Boivert, who is serving as acting prime minister.</p> <p>Prime Minister Ariel Henry travelled abroad last week to try to salvage support for a bringing in a United Nations-backed security force to stabilise the country in its conflict with increasingly powerful crime groups.</p> <p>The decree capped a deadly weekend that marked a new low in Haiti's downward spiral of violence. At least nine people had been killed since Thursday four of them police officers as gangs stepped up coordinated attacks on state institutions in Port-au-Prince. Targets included police stations, the country's international airport, even the national soccer stadium.</p> <p>But the siege on Saturday night of the National Penitentiary came as a shock even to Haitians accustomed to living under the constant threat of violence. Almost all of the estimated 4,000 inmates fled during the jailbreak, leaving the normally overcrowded facility eerily empty Sunday with no guards in sight and plastic sandals, clothing and furniture strewn across the concrete patio. Three bodies with gunshot wounds lay at the prison entrance.</p> <p>In another neighbourhood, the bloodied corpses of two men with their hands tied behind the backs lay face down as residents walked past roadblocks set up with burning tires.</p> <p>Among the few dozen that chose to stay in the prison are 18 former Colombian soldiers accused of working as mercenaries in the July 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Mose. Amid the clashes Saturday night, several of the Colombians shared a video pleading for their lives.</p> <p>Please, please help us, one of the men, Francisco Uribe, said in the message widely shared on social media. &quot;They are massacring people indiscriminately inside the cells.</p> <p>On Sunday, Uribe told journalists who walked breezily into the normally highly guarded facility, I didn't flee because I'm innocent.&quot;</p> <p>Colombia's foreign ministry called on Haiti to provide special protection for the men.</p> <p>In the absence of official information, inmates' family members rushed to the prison to check on loved ones.</p> <p>I don't know whether my son is alive or not, said Alexandre Jean as she roamed around the cells looking for any sign of him. I don't know what to do.</p> <p>The violence Saturday night appeared to be widespread, with several neighbourhoods reporting gunfire.</p> <p>A second Port-au-Prince prison containing around 1,400 inmates was also overrun. Gang gunmen also occupied and vandalised the nation's top soccer stadium, taking one employee hostage for hours, Haiti's soccer federation said in a statement.</p> <p>Internet service for many residents was down as Haiti's top mobile network said a fibre optic cable connection was slashed during the rampage.</p> <p>In the space of less than two weeks, several state institutions have been attacked by the gangs, which are increasingly coordinating their actions and choosing once unthinkable targets like the Central Bank. As part of coordinated attacks by gangs, four police officers were killed Thursday.</p> <p>After gangs opened fire at Haiti's international airport last week, the US Embassy said it was halting all official travel to the country and on Sunday night urged all American citizens to depart as soon as possible. The embassy said it would also cancel until Thursday all consular appointments.</p> <p>The Biden administration, which has steadfastly refused to commit troops to any multinational force while offering instead money and logistical support, said it was monitoring the rapidly deteriorating security situation with grave concern.</p> <p>A National Security Council official said violence serves only to delay a democratic transition while destroying the lives of thousands. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, reiterated US support for elections, inclusive governance and the restoration of democracy.</p> <p>The epicentre of the latest violence Saturday night was Haiti's National Penitentiary, which was holding several gang leaders. Amid the exchange of gunfire, police appealed for assistance.</p> <p>They need help, a union representing police said in a message on social media bearing an SOS emoji repeated eight times. Let's mobilize the army and the police to prevent the bandits from breaking into the prison.</p> <p>The clashes follow violent protests that turned deadlier in recent days as the prime minister went to Kenya seeking to move ahead on a proposed UN-backed security mission in Haiti to be led by that East African country.</p> <p>Henry took over as prime minister following Moise's assassination and has repeatedly postponed plans to hold parliamentary and presidential elections, which haven't happened in almost a decade.</p> <p>Haiti's National Police has roughly 9,000 officers to provide security for more than 11 million people, according to the UN. They are routinely overwhelmed and outgunned by gangs, which are estimated to control up to 80 per cent of Port-au-Prince.</p> <p>Jimmy Chrizier, a former elite police officer known as Barbecue who now runs a gang federation, has claimed responsibility for the surge in attacks. He said the goal was to capture Haiti's police chief and government ministers and prevent Henry's return.</p> <p>The prime minister, a neurosurgeon, has shrugged off calls for his resignation and didn't comment when asked if he felt it was safe to come home.&nbsp;</p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/04/haiti-declares-curfew-as-it-tries-to-restore-order-after-weekend-jailbreak-gang-violence.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/04/haiti-declares-curfew-as-it-tries-to-restore-order-after-weekend-jailbreak-gang-violence.html Mon Mar 04 16:39:50 IST 2024 nikki-haley-beats-donald-trump-in-washington-dc-for-first-primary-victory <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/04/nikki-haley-beats-donald-trump-in-washington-dc-for-first-primary-victory.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/week/news/world/images/2024/3/4/Nikki.jpg" /> <p>Indian-American presidential candidate Nikki Haley has won her first Republican nominating contest by defeating rival Donald Trump in Washington DC, injecting new life into her campaign ahead of the crucial Super Tuesday contest.</p> <p>Haley, 51, received 1,274 votes (62.9 per cent) against 676 votes (33.2 per cent) received by her main rival and former President Trump.<br> </p> <p>Haley will receive all 19 Republican delegates who were up for grabs in Washington DC, giving her 43 delegates nationwide - well behind Trump's 247.<br> </p> <p>The contest took place over the weekend in a downtown hotel just steps away from the heart of DC's lobbying hub.<br> </p> <p>With this, Haley has created history by becoming the first woman ever to win a Republican presidential primary. She is also the first Indian-American to have won either the Democratic or the Republican primaries. The three other previous Indian American presidential aspirants&nbsp; Bobby Jindal in 2016, Kamala Harris in 2020 and Vivek Ramaswamy in 2024&nbsp; had failed to win even one primary.<br> </p> <p>Haley, the former US envoy to the UN, lost in South Carolina, her home state. But she is the first woman to win a Republican primary in US history.<br> </p> <p>The former South Carolina governor's victory came after she was crushed by Trump in caucuses in Missouri and Idaho and at a Republican convention in Michigan on Saturday.<br> </p> <p>It's not surprising that Republicans closest to Washington dysfunction are rejecting Donald Trump and all his chaos, Haley's campaign national spokesperson Olivia Perez-Cubas said.<br> </p> <p>However, the Trump campaign said the results showed that Haley is being&nbsp; crowned Queen of the Swamp.<br> </p> <p>Tonight's results in Washington DC reaffirm the object of President Trump's campaign&nbsp; he will drain the swamp and put America first, said Karoline Leavitt, Trump Campaign's Press Secretary.<br> </p> <p>While Nikki has been soundly rejected throughout the rest of America, she was just crowned Queen of the Swamp by the lobbyists and DC insiders who want to protect the failed status quo. The swamp has claimed their queen, she said.&nbsp;<br> </p> <p>Trump will fight for every American who is being let down by these very DC insiders and devastated by Joe Biden's failures,&quot; Leavitt said.<br> </p> <p>Trump, 77, is likely to face 81-year-old incumbent US President Joe Biden, a Democrat, in the November 5 election.<br> </p> <p>Trump has dominated every other early nominating contest and is poised to rack up more delegates on Super Tuesday on March 5.&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 0.8125rem;">Haley has for weeks pledged to stay in the race through Super Tuesday when 15 states and American Samoa will hold nominating contests.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></p> <p>Super Tuesday is an important new phase of presidential primaries when the early contests are over and voters from multiple states cast ballots in primaries timed to occur on the same date.<br> </p> <p>Primaries on Tuesday may offer the final opportunity for Haley's quixotic and lacklustre effort to challenge Trump for the Republican presidential nomination.<br> </p> <p>Haley's victory, though a first, did not come as a major surprise. Many in Washington believed the District represented her best, and perhaps only, chance to win a primary.<br> </p> <p>Trump's hold on the capital's Republicans, which counts roughly 22,000 registered voters, has never quite reflected his dominance across the country. Trump won the primary in 2020, running uncontested, but finished third in the 2016 cycle, CNN reported.&nbsp;<br> </p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/04/nikki-haley-beats-donald-trump-in-washington-dc-for-first-primary-victory.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/04/nikki-haley-beats-donald-trump-in-washington-dc-for-first-primary-victory.html Mon Mar 04 10:20:54 IST 2024 no-t-shirts-or-tight-fitting-clothes-check-dress-code-for-uaes-first-hindu-stone-temple <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/03/no-t-shirts-or-tight-fitting-clothes-check-dress-code-for-uaes-first-hindu-stone-temple.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/magazine/theweek/cover/images/2024/2/16/20-Hindu-monks-and-UAE-nationals.jpg" /> <p>The UAE's first Hindu stone temple, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 14, was opened to the general public on Friday.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The temple, built by the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), would be open from 9 am to 8 pm on all days except Monday when it would be closed for visitors.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The temple authorities have put out detailed guidelines for visitors, including what type of clothing is preferred and what is banned, rules for photography etc.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>As per the dress code, devotees should wear clothes that cover the area of the body between the neck, the elbow, and the ankles. Caps, T-shirts, clothing articles with offensive designs, and translucent or tight-fitting clothing are not allowed.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Devotees should also avoid clothing articles and accessories that make distracting noises or reflections.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>“Visitors whose attire does not follow these guidelines or is deemed inappropriate by our staff may be denied entry,” the authorities said.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>As per the guidelines, photography and filming on mobile devices at the BAPS Mandir are allowed for personal and non-commercial use only.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>“Photography with cameras for private, commercial or journalistic purposes is only allowed with prior permission,” they said.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The grand temple was built on a 27-acre site in Abu Mureikhah, near Al Rahba, off the Dubai-Abu Dhabi Sheikh Zayed Highway, at a cost of around Rs 700 crore.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The land for the temple was donated by the UAE government.</p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/03/no-t-shirts-or-tight-fitting-clothes-check-dress-code-for-uaes-first-hindu-stone-temple.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/03/no-t-shirts-or-tight-fitting-clothes-check-dress-code-for-uaes-first-hindu-stone-temple.html Sun Mar 03 22:42:08 IST 2024 haiti-unrest-why-are-gangs-storming-prisons-paving-way-for-mass-escapes <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/03/haiti-unrest-why-are-gangs-storming-prisons-paving-way-for-mass-escapes.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/week/news/world/images/2024/3/3/Haiti-gang-violence-reuters.jpg" /> <p>After days of gunfire in the capital, Port-au-Prince, Haiti's armed groups were now eyeing its largest and main prison holding high-profile prisoners. Reportedly, hundreds of prisoners have escaped from Haiti's National Penitentiary in Port-au-Prince after the gangs stormed the prison.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Haiti's police forces pleaded for help on Saturday after major gang fights broke out in the city.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&quot;We are done. No one will be spared in the capital because there will be 3,000 extra bandits now effective,&quot; one of Haiti's police union said in a statement.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>According to Gazette Haiti newspaper, a &quot;significant&quot; number of inmates fled from the prison. Police officers assigned to the prison had vacated the premises on Saturday, according to reports by local media AyiboPost.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>According to rights group RNDDH, the penitentiary, built to hold 700 prisoners, held 3,687 as of February last year.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Reportedly, it was after the attempt to take control of the capital’s main container port, causing traffic disruptions that the prison attack took place.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><b>Why Haiti is witnessing severe gang violence</b></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The Caribbean country, Haiti, has been witnessing unrest in recent years. However, the violence and attacks surged after Prime Minister Ariel Henry came into power. Henry came to power after the assassination of the nation's last president, Jovenel Moise, in 2021.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The armed groups want to topple Henry. Though Henry had pledged to step down by early February, citing the re-establishment of security to ensure free and fair elections, he reversed his decision.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Panic gripped Port-au-Prince after gang leader Jimmy Cherizier called on the criminal groups to unite and overthrow Henry. Heavy gunfire occurred in the region causing many causalities. Cherizier, a former police officer, also heads an alliance of gangs that faces sanctions from the UN and the US.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>To avoid collateral damage, Cherizier asked the parents to keep their children from going to school.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The fights had intensified only on Thursday last week targeting police stations, airports and prisons.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>“We ask the Haitian National Police and the military to take responsibility and arrest Ariel Henry. Once again, the population is not our enemy; the armed groups are not your enemy. You arrest Ariel Henry for the country’s liberation,” Cherizier said on Friday.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Caribbean leaders said Wednesday that PM Henry had agreed to hold general elections no later than August 31, 2025. This in turn had angered the gangs.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The recent fighting, which broke out Thursday, came as Henry was visiting Kenya to finalise details with Kenyan President William Ruto for the expected deployment of a multinational security support mission to Haiti.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The US Embassy in Haiti issued a security alert on Friday, warning of gunshots and disruptions to traffic near the domestic and international terminals, as well as surrounding areas including a hotel and the Central Directorate of the Judicial Police.&nbsp;</p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/03/haiti-unrest-why-are-gangs-storming-prisons-paving-way-for-mass-escapes.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/03/haiti-unrest-why-are-gangs-storming-prisons-paving-way-for-mass-escapes.html Sun Mar 03 22:22:50 IST 2024 israels-wartime-cabinet-is-shaken-by-dispute-between-netanyahu-his-top-political-rival <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/03/israels-wartime-cabinet-is-shaken-by-dispute-between-netanyahu-his-top-political-rival.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/week/news/world/images/2024/3/3/Netanyahu-benny-gantz-reuters.jpg" /> <p>A top Israeli Cabinet minister headed to Washington on Sunday for talks with US officials, sparking a rebuke from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to an Israeli official, in a sign of widening cracks in Israel's wartime government nearly five months into its war with Hamas.</p> <p>The trip by Benny Gantz, a centrist political rival who joined Netanyahu's hard-line government early in the war following Hamas' October 7 attack on southern Israel, comes amid deep disagreements between Netanyahu and President Joe Biden over how to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza and create a post-war vision for the enclave.</p> <p>Talks aimed at brokering a Gaza cease-fire were underway in Egypt. International mediators hope to broker a deal that would pause the fighting and free some of the remaining hostages before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins around March 10.</p> <p>The US was prompted to airdrop aid into Gaza on Saturday after dozens of Palestinians rushing to grab food from an Israel-organised convoy were killed last week. The airdrops circumvent an aid delivery system that has been hobbled by Israeli restrictions, logistical issues in Gaza and the fighting inside the tiny enclave. Aid officials say airdrops are far less effective than aid sent via trucks.</p> <p>US priorities in the region have increasingly been hampered by Netanyahu's hard-line Cabinet, where ultranationalists dominate. Gantz's more moderate party at times acts as a counterweight to Netanyahu's far-right allies.</p> <p>An official from Netanyahu's Likud party said Gantz's visit was without authorisation from the Israeli leader. The official said Netanyahu had a tough talk with Gantz about the trip and told him the country has just one prime minister.</p> <p>An Israeli official said Gantz had informed Netanyahu of his intention to travel to the US and to coordinate messaging with him. The official said the visit is meant to strengthen ties with Washington, bolster support for Israel's ground campaign and push for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza.</p> <p>Gantz is set to meet with US Vice President Kamala Harris and national security adviser Jake Sullivan, according to his National Unity party.</p> <p>Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorised to discuss the dispute with the media.</p> <p>Netanyahu has tanked in popularity since the war broke out, according to most opinion polls, with many Israelis holding him responsible for Hamas' cross-border raid that left 1,200 people, mostly civilians, dead and roughly 250 people, including women, children and older adults, abducted and taken into Gaza, according to Israeli authorities.</p> <p>The subsequent fighting has killed at least 30,410 Palestinians, around two-thirds of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and fighters. Around 80 per cent of the population of 2.3 million have fled their homes, and UN agencies say hundreds of thousands are on the brink of famine.</p> <p>Critics say Netanyahu's decision-making has been tainted by political considerations, a charge he denies. The criticism is particularly focused on plans for postwar Gaza. Netanyahu has released a proposal that would see Israel maintain open-ended security control over the territory with local Palestinians running civilian affairs.</p> <p>The US wants to see progress on the creation of a Palestinian state, envisioning a revamped Palestinian leadership running Gaza with an eye toward eventual statehood.</p> <p>That vision is opposed by Netanyahu and the hard-liners in his government. Another top Cabinet official from Gantz's party has questioned the handling of the war and the strategy for freeing the hostages.</p> <p>Netanyahu's government, Israel's most conservative and religious ever, has also been rattled by a court-ordered deadline for a new bill to broaden military enlistment of ultra-Orthodox Jews, many of whom are exempted to pursue religious studies. Hundreds of Israeli soldiers have been killed since October 7, and the military is looking to fill its ranks.</p> <p>Gantz, who polls show would earn enough support to become prime minister if a vote were held today, has remained vague about his view of Palestinian statehood.</p> <p>A visit to the US, if met with progress on the hostage front, could further boost Gantz's support. Israel has essentially endorsed a framework of a proposed Gaza cease-fire and hostage release deal, and it is now up to Hamas to agree to it, a senior US official said Saturday. He spoke on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House to brief reporters.</p> <p>Israelis, deeply traumatised by Hamas' attack, have broadly backed the war effort as an act of self-defence, even as global opposition to the fighting has increased.</p> <p>But a growing number are expressing their dismay with Netanyahu. Some 10,000 people protested late Saturday to call for early elections, according to Israeli media. Such protests have grown in recent weeks, but remain much smaller than last year's demonstrations against the government's judicial overhaul plan.</p> <p>If the political rifts grow and Gantz quits the government, the floodgates will open to broader protests by a public that was already unhappy with the government when Hamas struck, said Reuven Hazan, a professor of political science at Jerusalem's Hebrew University.</p> <p>There is a lot of anger, he said, listing grievances that were building well before Oct. 7. The moment you have that anger and a coalition that is disconnected from the people, there will be fireworks.</p> <p>Fighting raged on in Gaza, with Israeli strikes late Saturday killing more than 30 people, including women and children, according to local health officials.</p> <p>At least 14 were killed in a strike on a home in the southernmost city of Rafah on the Egyptian border, according to Dr. Marwan al-Hams, director of the hospital where the bodies were taken. He said the dead, including six children and four women, were from the same family. Relatives said another nine people were under the rubble.</p> <p>Israeli airstrikes also hit two homes in the Jabaliya refugee camp, a dense, residential area in northern Gaza, killing 17 people, according to the Civil Defence.&nbsp;</p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/03/israels-wartime-cabinet-is-shaken-by-dispute-between-netanyahu-his-top-political-rival.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/03/israels-wartime-cabinet-is-shaken-by-dispute-between-netanyahu-his-top-political-rival.html Sun Mar 03 21:07:06 IST 2024 red-sea-attacks-yemens-houthis-vow-to-sink-more-uk-ships-after-rubymar <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/03/red-sea-attacks-yemens-houthis-vow-to-sink-more-uk-ships-after-rubymar.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/week/news/world/images/2024/3/3/Rubymar-sunk-houthis-reuters.jpg" /> <p>After UK-owned cargo vessel <a title="Rubymar: First vessel to sink in Red Sea by Yemen's Houthi attack" href="https://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/02/rubymar-first-vessel-to-sink-in-red-sea-by-yemens-houthi-attack.html" target="_blank">Rubymar</a> sank in the Red Sea, Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis vowed to continue attacking British vessels in the Gulf of Aden.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&quot;Yemen will continue to sink more British ships, and any repercussions or other damages will be added to Britain's bill,&quot; Hussein al-Ezzi, deputy foreign minister in the Houthi-led government, wrote on X.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&quot;It is a rogue state that attacks Yemen and partners with America in sponsoring ongoing crimes against civilians in Gaza,&quot; he added.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The US military on Saturday confirmed that the Belize-flagged Rubymar had sunk after being struck by a Houthi anti-ballistic missile on February 18.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The vessel after being struck had been drifting northward. The approximately 21,000 metric tons of ammonium phosphate sulfate fertilizer that the vessel was carrying presents an environmental risk in the Red Sea, the US military said in a statement.&nbsp;The further leak of the fuel oil from the engines also poses a threat of disrupting the balance of the marine ecosystems.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The cargo ship had been abandoned for 12 days after the attack, though several efforts were made to tow the ship.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The intensified Red Sea attacks by the Houthis since November last year have disrupted global shipping, forcing firms to re-route to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The US and UK launched strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen in January in retaliation for the attacks on Red Sea shipping. However, Houthis vowed that they will continue to target the ships until Israel stops its combat operations in Gaza.&nbsp;</p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/03/red-sea-attacks-yemens-houthis-vow-to-sink-more-uk-ships-after-rubymar.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/03/red-sea-attacks-yemens-houthis-vow-to-sink-more-uk-ships-after-rubymar.html Sun Mar 03 20:43:08 IST 2024 mystery-of-missing-malaysia-mh370-flight-fresh-hope-kindles-as-govt-plans-to-renew-search <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/03/mystery-of-missing-malaysia-mh370-flight-fresh-hope-kindles-as-govt-plans-to-renew-search.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/week/news/world/images/2024/3/3/MH370-missing-malaysia-flight-reuters.jpg" /> <p>Ten years after the disappearance of the Malaysia Airlines MH370 flight, the government on Sunday said it has plans to renew the search after a US technology firm proposed a fresh hunt in the southern Indian Ocean, where the plane is believed to have crashed.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>While speaking at a remembrance event to mark the 10th anniversary of the disappearance of the flight, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the government is keen to locate MH370.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Texas-based Ocean Infinity has proposed another no find, no fee basis to scor the seabeds as an expansion from where it first searched in 2018.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>He said he invited the company to meet and evaluate the new scientific evidence.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&quot;If it is credible, will seek Cabinet's approval to sign a new contract with Ocean Infinity,&quot; he added.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The Boeing 777 plane carrying 239 people from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing vanished from radar shortly after taking off on March 8, 2014.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Since then all the searches by the government failed to unravel the mystery behind its disappearance.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Ocean Infinity-led searches before had found no clues, however, its proposed new search plan was delayed last year.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The government is yet to finalise the deal as the fee negotiation is not yet over. He said financial cost is not an issue and that he doesn't foresee any hindrances for the search to proceed if all goes well.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The announcement of the renewed search has sparked hope in at least some family members. &quot;We have been on a roller coaster for the last 10 years... If it is not found, I hope that it will continue with another search,&quot; Jacquita Gomes, whose flight attendant husband was on the plane, was quoted by the Associated Press.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>She also added that it will pave for a full closure.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Family members of passengers from Malaysia, Australia, China and India paid tribute to their loved ones during the event, lighting a candle on stage to remember them.&nbsp;</p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/03/mystery-of-missing-malaysia-mh370-flight-fresh-hope-kindles-as-govt-plans-to-renew-search.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/03/mystery-of-missing-malaysia-mh370-flight-fresh-hope-kindles-as-govt-plans-to-renew-search.html Sun Mar 03 20:34:15 IST 2024 death-toll-rises-from-russian-drone-strike-on-ukrainian-port-city-as-chinas-envoy-tours-moscow <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/03/death-toll-rises-from-russian-drone-strike-on-ukrainian-port-city-as-chinas-envoy-tours-moscow.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/week/news/world/images/2024/3/3/Russia-odesa-drone-strike-reuters.jpg" /> <p>The death toll rose to 10 on Sunday from a Russian drone strike that destroyed an apartment block in Ukraine's southern port city of Odesa the previous day when a local official reported that the body of a third child was pulled from the rubble.</p> <p>Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Western allies to boost Ukraine's air defences in the wake of the deadly attack.</p> <p>Oleh Kiper, the governor of the Odesa region, said on Telegram that rescue workers on Sunday morning retrieved the remains of a woman and her baby, who appeared not even a year old.</p> <p>Kiper added that emergency services continue to comb through the rubble.</p> <p>On Saturday, Ukrainian authorities reported that a months-old baby was among those killed after falling debris from an Iranian-made drone hit the apartment building one of eight Russian drones reported by officials. Later that day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that a second child had also died, and called on Kyiv's Western partners to send more air defence systems.</p> <p>Tymofiy was 4 months old. Mark was about to turn 3 years old. My condolences to all of their close ones, Zelenskyy wrote in English on X, formerly known as Twitter. He added that a 3-year-old girl and seven other people were injured in the attack.</p> <p>Delays in the delivery of weapons to Ukraine, as well as air defense to protect our people, unfortunately result in such losses. ... Ukraine has never requested anything more than what is necessary to protect lives, Zelenskyy wrote.</p> <p>Russia's defence ministry reported that 38 Ukrainian drones were intercepted overnight into Sunday over the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow illegally annexed from Kyiv in 2014. A bridge that connects Crimea to Russian territory was closed to traffic for about two hours in the early hours.</p> <p>In Moscow, China's special envoy on Ukraine held talks on Saturday evening with senior Russian diplomats in the first leg of a European trip that will also take him to Brussels, Poland, Germany and France, Chinese and Russian state media reported.</p> <p>In a readout published on Sunday morning, China's foreign ministry said that Special Representative Li Hui and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin agreed that negotiations are the only way to end the fighting in Ukraine.</p> <p>Li's trip, the second since last May, comes as Kyiv seeks Beijing's participation in peace talks that Switzerland is trying to organize this spring. China claims it's neutral in Russia's war on Ukraine but maintains close ties with Moscow, with frequent state visits and joint military drills between the two nations.</p> <p>We will continue to play our unique role, carry out shuttle diplomacy, build consensus among all sides and contribute China's wisdom to promote the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said on Wednesday.&nbsp;</p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/03/death-toll-rises-from-russian-drone-strike-on-ukrainian-port-city-as-chinas-envoy-tours-moscow.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/03/death-toll-rises-from-russian-drone-strike-on-ukrainian-port-city-as-chinas-envoy-tours-moscow.html Sun Mar 03 18:34:39 IST 2024 gaza-war-truce-deal-possible-within-24-48-hours-if-israel-wills-says-hamas <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/03/gaza-war-truce-deal-possible-within-24-48-hours-if-israel-wills-says-hamas.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/week/news/world/images/2024/3/3/Hamas-Israel-truce-deal-reuters.jpg" /> <p>Amid escalating tensions, both Israel and Hamas are facing significant challenges in reaching a truce deal, prolonging the conflict and raising concerns about the hostages. However, providing a ray of hope, a Hamas official said that the truce is possible &quot;within 24 to 48 hours&quot; if Israel accepts their demands.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Mediators US, Qatar and Egypt are struggling to work out a truce plan before Ramadan (on March 10/11). Reportedly, envoys of these countries have arrived in Cairo for a meeting with the Hamas officials on agreeing on a ceasefire deal.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&quot;Pave the way for an agreement within the next 24-48 hours,&quot; a senior Hamas official told AFP adding Israel to accept Hamas' demands.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The meeting in Cairo, led by Hamas' deputy chief in Gaza, Khalil Al-Hayya is viewed as the final hurdle towards an agreement to halt the fighting for six weeks.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>While speaking to the reporters, a US official said that &quot;The path to a ceasefire right now literally at this hour is straightforward. And there's a deal on the table. There's a framework deal.&quot;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Ahead of the ground offensive in Rafah, a ceasefire plan would allow more aid to be brought into Gazans and ramp up initiatives to save innocent lives as well.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>According to the Gaza Health Ministry, as many as 30,410 Palestinians have been killed and 71,700 injured since the October 7 attacks.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Meanwhile, after concluding the preliminary review of the killing of over 100 Palestinians waiting for aid in Gaza, IDF said the military did not strike the convoy.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>“The IDF has concluded an initial review of the unfortunate incident where Gazan civilians were trampled to death and injured as they charged to the aid convoy,” IDF spokesperson R Adm Daniel Hagari said.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Hagari also said the troops had mostly fired only warning shots, although they also &quot;responded towards several individuals&quot; after &quot;looters approached our forces and posed an immediate threat&quot;.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>However, the UN officials, who had visited those injured in the incident being treated at the hospital, said most of them suffered bullet wounds. Palestinian authorities condemned the incident and said the Israeli forces carried out a massacre.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>With Gaza reeling under severe health crisis, the ministry said around 15 children have died from malnutrition and dehydration at the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza City.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Amid aid crisis, US military airdropped about 38,000 of meals into Gaza on Saturday, though aid agencies say this can have only a marginal impact given the hundreds of thousands of people who are now in desperate need of food.&nbsp;</p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/03/gaza-war-truce-deal-possible-within-24-48-hours-if-israel-wills-says-hamas.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/03/gaza-war-truce-deal-possible-within-24-48-hours-if-israel-wills-says-hamas.html Sun Mar 03 18:18:07 IST 2024 shehbaz-sharif-sworn-in-as-pak-pm-vows-g20-membership-by-2030-economy-revival <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/03/shehbaz-sharif-sworn-in-as-pak-pm-vows-g20-membership-by-2030-economy-revival.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/news/world/images/2024/2/21/Shahbaz-Sharif.jpg" /> <p>Pakistan's new Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday vowed to revive the ailing economy and secure G20 membership by 2030. Shehbaz is becoming the PM for the second time after receiving 201 votes in the 336-member Parliament.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) together agreed to have Shehbaz as the PM candidate.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) candidate Omar Ayub Khan secured only 92 votes in the election.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&quot;Pakistan had a big challenge and opportunity before it...If we come together and fight then we will be able to defeat these challenges and take Pakistan to its rightful position,&quot; said Shehbaz.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>He also added that the job in front of his is difficult but not impossible.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Shehbaz also pointed out the debt crisis the nation is battling. If we decide to do a deep surgery and bring changes in the system, basic reform and I have no doubt that Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Asif Ali Zardari and others will agree that we can either get rid of a life of debt or we move forward with heads down in shame, he added.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Shehbaz also said that his government would take initiatives to bring more business activities in the country.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&quot;Our goal is to secure G20 membership by 2030,&quot; Shehbaz said.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Due to debt burden, the energy sector is crumbling owing a huge amount as debt to the power companies.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Shehbaz said that the government was determined to bring the country out of the current crisis. I don't want to set any deadline but due to various steps we will take, the positive results will start pouring in after a year, he said.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>He also highlighted the electricity and tax thefts that has been looting the nation. The circular debt (electricity) stands at Rs 23,000 billion as only Rs 28,000 worth of recovery is made for Rs 38,000 worth of electricity that is provided to the consumers, he said.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The electricity theft is worth up to Rs 500 to 600 billion each year, he added.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>While promising development, Shehbaz also said his government would provide subsidies to farmers and would undertake initiatives to support the agriculture sector.</p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/03/shehbaz-sharif-sworn-in-as-pak-pm-vows-g20-membership-by-2030-economy-revival.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/03/shehbaz-sharif-sworn-in-as-pak-pm-vows-g20-membership-by-2030-economy-revival.html Sun Mar 03 17:29:41 IST 2024 more-than-100-supporters-of-former-pm-imran-khans-party-protesting-vote-rigging-arrested-in-punjab <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/more-than-100-supporters-of-former-pm-imran-khans-party-protesting-vote-rigging-arrested-in-punjab.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/week/news/entertainment/images/2024/3/3/pak_imrankhan.jpg" /> <p>More than 100 supporters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's party have been arrested from different parts of Punjab province of Pakistan for staging rallies against alleged vote rigging, police said on Sunday.<br> </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p> On the call of party founder Imran Khan, supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party held protests across Pakistan on Saturday against the alleged &quot;massive rigging&quot; in the February 8 general elections.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p> Most arrests took place in Lahore where newly elected Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz ordered a clamp down on the protesting PTI supporters.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p> &quot;Police thrashed and arrested 80 workers and leaders in Lahore. Over 20 have been arrested in Gujrat city. Protests were held in 38 cities of Punjab and the federal capital Islamabad,&quot; a PTI spokesperson said on Sunday.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p> In Lahore, police baton-charged protesters at GPO Chowk and Liberty Chowk.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p> &quot;PTI leaders Mian Shahzad Farooq and Afzaal Azeem Pahat, who contested the election last month against Maryam Nawaz and her uncle Shehbaz Sharif, respectively, were also arrested. Farooq had defeated Maryam but the Election Commission of Pakistan had changed the result,&quot; the spokesperson said.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p> Aftab Bajwa, the former bar secretary of the Supreme Court, was also arrested.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p> Videos of Khan's supporters being dragged out of cars and beaten for displaying PTI flags were doing the rounds on social media.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p> Punjab police said they arrested those protesters who blocked the road.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p> The service of X, formerly Twitter, also remained disrupted in the country on Saturday and Sunday.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p> The disruption of different social media sites, particularly X, has become an order of the day after the controversy-marred polls.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p> The PTI has condemned the &quot;brutal&quot; police action to stop the peaceful protest against the massive rigging in elections and stealing the mandate of the people to impose &quot;the mandate thieves&quot; on the nation.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p> PTI Central Punjab General Secretary Hammad Azhar said: &quot;Controversial and fake CM Maryam Nawaz has committed fascism by using the State's machinery against peaceful protesters.&quot;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p> PTI spokesperson Raoof Hasan denounced the &quot;fascist, coercive tactics and the unlawful use of State machinery&quot; to disrupt the peaceful protest across the country against the theft of the public mandate.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p> &quot;The nation will not rest till it reclaims stolen mandate from the thieves. The government of mandate thieves is unacceptable,&quot; Hasan said.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p> Hasan said the people came in droves on the call of their beloved leader Imran Khan to protest against poll fraud, which proved that the mandate thieves rode to power on the coattails of the stolen votes.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p> &quot;The erection of unconstitutional obstacles and massive police deployment in the way of protesters clearly shows the level of fear of the fake government of mandate thieves.&quot;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p> Hasan went on to say that the people gave a clear and huge mandate to Khan, however, the clear majority was converted into a minority fraudulently through result manipulation.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p> Hasan made it clear the PTI would strongly resist any attempt to impose the fraudsters on the country.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p> &quot;We will not accept the fake government formed based on Form 47 fraudulently prepared by the ECP,&quot; he said.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p> He emphasised the future of Pakistan was linked with democracy and democratic values and norms.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p> Democracy can only be brought in Pakistan by giving people the constitutional authority of decision-making, he said.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p> &quot;The people of Pakistan will not rest until they snatch their mandate from the bandits, who robbed them of their vote in the dark of night,&quot; Hasan said.&nbsp;</p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/more-than-100-supporters-of-former-pm-imran-khans-party-protesting-vote-rigging-arrested-in-punjab.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/more-than-100-supporters-of-former-pm-imran-khans-party-protesting-vote-rigging-arrested-in-punjab.html Sun Mar 03 16:38:04 IST 2024 trump-endorses-mark-robinson-for-north-carolina-governor <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/03/trump-endorses-mark-robinson-for-north-carolina-governor.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/news/world/trump_mark.jpg" /> <p>Former President Donald Trump endorsed North Carolina Lt. Gov Mark Robinson for governor on Saturday, several months after the former president pledged to do so.<br> </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp; At a rally at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex, the former president also compared Robinson, who is Black, to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the famed civil rights leader. Trump endorses Mark Robinson for North Carolina governor.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p> Trump said Robinson wasn't sure how to respond when Trump compared him to the legendary civil rights leader, telling him: I think you're better than Martin Luther King. I think you are Martin Luther King times two.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p> You should like it, Trump said.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p> Trump listed Robinson among several candidates that people should vote for in Tuesday's North Carolina Republican primaries, saying they have my complete and total endorsement&quot;.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p> Trump is also on the primary ballot as he seeks to all but eliminate his last remaining rival, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, from mathematical contention for the GOP nomination.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p> Despite the lack of a formal endorsement, the ex-president's support combined with strong fundraising and popularity among the GOP's base have helped make Robinson the GOP's front-runner for the gubernatorial nomination.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p> Robinson's primary rivals&nbsp; State Treasurer Dale Folwell and trial attorney Bill Graham&nbsp; have questioned his ability to win the general election in November, particularly in light of harsh comments on LGBTQ+ rights and other issues.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p> Trump called Robinson, who also spoke at Saturday's rally, an incredible gentleman&quot; and great, natural speaker.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p> Trump recalled, with some imprecision, how Robinson rose to fame following a 2018 speech to the Greensboro City Council in support of gun rights and police that went viral.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p> That led Robinson to a National Rifle Association board position and being elected the state's first Black lieutenant governor in 2020 in his first bid for public office.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p> Robinson, a Greensboro native, said in a news release that he was humbled to have Trump's endorsement and looked forward to working with Trump to &quot;lead our united Republican ticket to victory in November, and get our state and country back on track.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p> Voters also will choose a Democratic nominee for governor on Tuesday. The field includes Attorney General Josh Stein and former state Supreme Court Associate Justice Mike Morgan. Term-limited Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper endorsed Stein months ago.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p> State Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton said the endorsement wasn't a surprise. North Carolina doesn't need a leader in Robinson who would prioritise job-killing culture wars that take our state backward&quot;, she added in a news release.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p> Statewide elections are usually close affairs in the nation's ninth-largest state. (AP)&nbsp; &nbsp;PY PY 03031347</p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/03/trump-endorses-mark-robinson-for-north-carolina-governor.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/03/trump-endorses-mark-robinson-for-north-carolina-governor.html Sun Mar 03 14:22:45 IST 2024 us-military-aircraft-airdrops-meals-into-gaza-in-emergency-aid-operation <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/02/us-military-aircraft-airdrops-meals-into-gaza-in-emergency-aid-operation.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/week/news/world/images/2024/3/2/US-aid-airdrop-reuters.jpg" /> <p>US military C-130 cargo planes on Saturday dropped food in pallets over Gaza, three US officials said, two days after more than 100 Palestinians who had surged to pull goods off an aid convoy were killed during a chaotic encounter with Israeli troops.</p> <p>Three planes from Air Forces Central dropped 66 bundles containing about 38,000 meals into Gaza at 8:30 am EST, according to two of the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity before a public announcement.</p> <p>The airdrop is expected to be the first of many announced by President Joe Biden on Friday. The aid will be coordinated with Jordan, which has also conducted airdrops to deliver food to Gaza.</p> <p>At least 115 Palestinians were killed and hundreds more wounded in the Thursday attack as they scrambled for aid, the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza said. Israel says many of the dead were trampled in a chaotic crush for the food aid, and its troops fired warning shots after the crowd moved toward them in a threatening way.</p> <p>White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said Friday that the airdrops were being planned to deliver emergency humanitarian assistance in a safe way to people on the ground.</p> <p>The C-130 cargo plane is a widely used military jet to deliver aid to remote places due to its ability to land in austere environments and cargo capacity.</p> <p>A C-130 can airlift as much as 42,000 pounds of cargo and its crews know how to rig the cargo, which sometimes can include even vehicles, onto massive pallets can be safely dropped out of the back of the aircraft.</p> <p>Air Force loadmasters secure the bundles onto pallets with netting that is rigged for release in the back of a C-130, and then crews release it with a parachute when the aircraft reaches the intended delivery zone.</p> <p>The Air Force's C-130 has been used in years past to air drop humanitarian into Afghanistan, Iraq, Haiti and other locations and the airframe is used in an annual multi-national Operation Christmas Drop that air drops pallets of toys, supplies, nonperishable food and fishing supplies to remote locations in the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of Palau.</p> <p>Since the war began on Oct 7, Israel has barred entry of food, water, medicine and other supplies, except for a trickle of aid entering the south from Egypt at the Rafah crossing and Israel's Kerem Shalom crossing.</p> <p>The United Nations says a quarter of Gaza's 2.3 million people face starvation. Aid officials have said that airdrops are not an efficient means of distributing aid and are a measure of last resort.</p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/02/us-military-aircraft-airdrops-meals-into-gaza-in-emergency-aid-operation.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/02/us-military-aircraft-airdrops-meals-into-gaza-in-emergency-aid-operation.html Sat Mar 02 21:43:51 IST 2024 rubymar-first-vessel-to-sink-in-red-sea-by-yemens-houthi-attack <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/02/rubymar-first-vessel-to-sink-in-red-sea-by-yemens-houthi-attack.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/week/news/world/images/2024/3/2/Rubymar-sinking-afp.jpg" /> <p>Rubymar cargo ship attacked by Yemen's Houthi rebels has sunk in the Red Sea. This is the first vessel to be fully destroyed by the Houthi attack that started since the Israel-Hamas war.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The Rubymar’s sinking underscores the impact of Houthi attacks on shipping through the crucial waterway connecting Asia and the Middle East to Europe, disrupting cargo and energy shipments.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>With the intensified Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, many ships turned away from the key route.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>After being struck by a Houthi anti-ship ballistic missile on February 18, the Belize-flagged Rubymar had been drifting northward. The strike happened in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the waterway linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Yemeni government and regional military officials confirmed that the ship sank. The vessel had been abandoned for 12 days after the attack, though plans had been made to try and tow the ship to a safe port.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Ahmed Awad Bin Mubarak, the prime minister of Yemen's internationally recognised government, called the ship's sinking an unprecedented environmental disaster.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>“It's a new disaster for our country and our people,” Ahmed wrote on X. “Every day, we pay for the Houthi militia's adventures, which were not stopped at plunging Yemen into the coup disaster and war,” he added.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Since November, the rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea and surrounding waters over the Israel-Hamas war. Those vessels have included at least one with cargo bound for Iran, the Houthis' main benefactor, and an aid ship later bound for Houthi-controlled territory.</p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/02/rubymar-first-vessel-to-sink-in-red-sea-by-yemens-houthi-attack.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/02/rubymar-first-vessel-to-sink-in-red-sea-by-yemens-houthi-attack.html Sat Mar 02 21:07:31 IST 2024 us-supreme-courts-delay-of-trump-v-united-states-an-analysis-of-the-threats-to-american-democracy-and-global-democratic-order <a href="http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/02/us-supreme-courts-delay-of-trump-v-united-states-an-analysis-of-the-threats-to-american-democracy-and-global-democratic-order.html"><img border="0" hspace="10" align="left" style="margin-top:3px;margin-right:5px;" src="http://img.theweek.in/content/dam/week/week/news/world/images/2024/3/2/trump-supporters.jpg" /> <p>The decision by the US Supreme Court to accept the Trump v. United States case for review and delay its resolution until after the 2024 presidential election has plunged the United States into an existential crisis with far-reaching implications for the future of democracy, both in America and around the world.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>In a move that has left democracy advocates worldwide stunned and outraged, the US Supreme Court has effectively enabled Trump’s election delay gambit, denied the American people their right to make an informed decision in the upcoming 2024 presidential election.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Scheduling to hear Donald Trump’s audacious claims of immunity from prosecution for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election postpones the start of his criminal trial in Washington D.C. The Court has handed the former president a significant strategic victory.</p> <p>Trump’s naked aim has been to stall each of the criminal cases against him until after the 2024 election. The calculation is that recapturing the White House would allow him to install an attorney general to make the federal investigations disappear. While legal experts dismiss Trump’s immunity assertions as fanciful, the gambit has now succeeded in bogging down prosecutions to run out the clock.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Even with Supreme Court arguments slated for late April, Trump’s cases remain frozen. If the Court deliberates until June or July before issuing an opinion rejecting his immunity claims, any subsequent trial would be pushed into the height of election season.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>There is outrage at the prospect that Trump will exploit his unprecedented delay tactics to evade judgment from voters before they head to the polls.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Make no mistake, the Supreme Court’s accommodation of Trump’s transparent stalling strategy effectively enables his assault on accountability. Although the justices are within procedural norms, the consequence is granting cover for a criminally accused former leader to escape public scrutiny as he seeks a return to power.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>At the very least, the move leaves the feeling of a surrender of judicial duty to political interests that ill serves justice and democracy.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The Court had an opportunity to nip Trump’s delay gambit in the bud. Instead of allowing his legally outrageous immunity bid to linger, the justices could have swiftly dismissed it as an affront to constitutional order and the rule of law.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>By failing to do so, the Court is passively abetting Trump’s quest for impunity and subversion of the integrity of elections by denying the public’s right to know about the legality of his previous actions. This jeopardizes bedrock principles America claims to champion worldwide.</p> <p>This choice of delay, made through a discretionary decision by the court's conservative majority, raises fundamental questions about the judiciary's commitment to upholding the rule of law and providing clarity to the American people during a crucial election year.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Without prosecution on the criminality of the former president, voters face a distorted choice at the ballot box. The lack of resolution effectively shields Trump from public judgment regarding his conduct in office. This denial of transparency and accountability contradicts the foundations of an open democracy. It degrades civic discourse and breeds ever more brazen abuses of executive power.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Even more alarming is the prospect of Trump successfully winning reelection in 2024 before any immunity arguments are rejected.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>By its action the court makes it likely that voters will head to the polls without crucial information about the legal consequences of electing a candidate who may have committed disqualifying crimes in the minds of many voters and who claims absolute immunity from criminal prosecution. This would consolidate lawlessness and further erode checks on his actions.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>With democratic institutions already battered by Trump’s turbulent past presidency, many fear a point of no return where election outcomes cease to matter as constitutional norms collapse. By delaying any verdict, the Supreme Court is exacerbating this looming threat.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>In the cauldron of a hot political contest, this calls into question America’s commitment to the rule of law by providing cover for an authoritarian-minded leader seeking to return to power in order to stop his own prosecution on the 91 criminal indictments he faces.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The delay gambit abuses the justice system itself as a shield against consequences for illegal action. While most criminal defendants seek swift resolution of charges, Trump wants to drag proceedings out indefinitely. This brazen attempt to avoid a reckoning corrupts judicial process into a weapon for delaying and denying justice.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Trump is able to maneuver the courts in ways unavailable to ordinary citizens because of his wealth and connections and a lifetime of out-moneying and out-timing legal issues. He can afford extensive legal motions and appeals to bottleneck lawsuits and run down the clock.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><b>The backstory: Trump’s bid for absolute power</b></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>To appreciate the gravity of the current situation, some background is helpful. The case of Trump v. United States originated from legal actions taken against Donald Trump stemming from his conduct as president and his role in the January 6, 2021 insurrection.</p> <p>As investigators began building cases against Trump, his legal team floated the theory that a former president cannot be charged with crimes committed while in office, a claim so extreme that legal experts give it no chance in law, characterizing its argument that since it is not specifically banned in the Constitution a president should have unlimited immunity as a pragmatic manner.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Trump’s aim, however, is not to win but to tie up the courts in order to delay the time of his trial because as a presidential candidate and potential winner of the elections, under the American system, he would have the ability to stop all criminal investigations and court actions against himself and even pardon himself, effectively ending any accountability.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>This claim of lifelong immunity was robustly denied by a lower court and widely panned by legal experts as an absurd overreach and an attempt to place the president above the law. In a bid to shield Trump from accountability, however, his lawyers appealed to the Supreme Court to enshrine this radical theory as settled constitutional law. Many observers expected the Supreme Court to swiftly reject such an obviously anti-democratic assertion.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The vision of an unaccountable president operating with impunity flies in the face of the Constitution and the rule of law. The fact that the Supreme Court is taking this argument seriously enough to grant certiorari –and a strategic delay to Trump– rather than to affirm a decision that the court itself is expected to mirror, speaks volumes about the precarious state of US democracy and has chilling implications.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>By postponing decisive action, the Supreme Court denies American people the timely understanding of whether Trump as president and afterward operated beyond the law. Voters are now deprived of essential facts as they consider candidates for their nation’s highest office.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>In effect, the likely outcome is that Trump and the lawlessness for which he stands indicted will escape court scrutiny on his way to reclaiming the White House.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>By granting Trump extraordinary deference, the Court signals that Trump’s raw power and audacious defiance of norms now reign supreme over bedrock democratic principles and institutional constraints on authority. This is an exceedingly dangerous development at this point in American history.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><b>A threat to democratic values</b></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>At the very least, the Court appears swayed by Trump’s powerful demagoguery instead of dismissing it outright. This calls into question the judiciary’s ability to be an impartial check on authoritarian power grabs. And it leaves America’s global standing as a champion of rule of law, open democracy, and human rights severely damaged.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Many see the Court’s certiorari delay as a baldly partisan maneuver by Republican- and Trump-appointed justices aimed at protecting Trump and his allies from accountability. This perceived politicization of the judiciary undermines the legitimacy of not just the Supreme Court but the American Court system in general.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><b>America at an existential crossroads</b></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>With this, the Supreme Court has placed the United States at an existential crossroads with its commitment to democracy in question.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Will the nation live up to its ideals of equality under law, or will America go down the dark road of charismatic strongmen operating with impunity? The implications of Supreme Court action could not be more consequential.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>By postponing any ruling on Trump’s legally shaky immunity claim, the very US Supreme Court has made this doomsday scenario more likely.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><b>The critical importance of judicial independence</b></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>America prides itself on leading the free world. But this lofty role rests on the nation’s commitment to justice, transparency and reasoned deliberation. By enabling the delay in the criminal prosecutions against Trump, the Court reflects a dangerous erosion of principles in a nation long considered the gold standard for liberty. The Court has all but guaranteed a clouded if not compromised electoral process and a continuing threat to American democracy.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><b>Global consequences of America’s retreat from justice</b></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The stakes of the Supreme Court’s decision are not limited to America alone. This resolution of charges against Trump are closely watched around the world as judgment on the resilience of US democracy. The Court’s apparent capitulation in the face of Trump’s strongman tactics is an ominous signal heard worldwide.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>America has long declared itself a shining city on a hill and reprimanded tyrannical regimes abroad. But this moral authority now rings hollow as Trump tramples legal restraints and the Supreme Court fails to rein him in. US global leadership and influence cannot be separated from its domestic commitment to justice and democratic principles.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>For the world, there are also profound geopolitical implications. A United States untethered from the rule of law risks destabilizing alliances, emboldening adversaries, and creating a power vacuum quickly filled by dangerous actors. It forfeits soft power and legitimacy on the global stage. The world grows more hazardous as America abandons its long-stabilizing role as anchor of the liberal democratic order.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>In democracies and authoritarian states alike, politicians are carefully monitoring Trump’s delay, delay, delay tactic against accountability as surging blueprint.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Even the perception that the US’s most powerful court appeasing a defiant strongman signals that the law will bend to accommodate the powerful who trample it, not restrain them. This contagion endangers democracies worldwide already backsliding toward populist nationalism and minority rule.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><b>Determining democracy’s future course</b></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Looking ahead, much remains uncertain as America reaches a dangerous political crossroads. Will the nation reaffirm its commitment to justice, human rights and the rule of law at this crucial hour? Or will expediency and cynicism prevail to drive a final stake through the heart of America’s democratic experiment?</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The world is watching and waiting to see whether the United States steps back from this constitutional cliff or slides further toward uncharted autocratic terrain. Other nations face their own daunting democratic tests in the years ahead. But America remains the indispensable nation, whose example is followed globally for good and ill.</p> <p>As the eyes of the world focus on the unfolding constitutional drama, the question in the air is whether the great nation can steer the ship of state through stormy waters back to democracy's safe harbor. How this will affect global democracy is in the balance.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><i><b>The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of THE WEEK.</b></i></p> http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/02/us-supreme-courts-delay-of-trump-v-united-states-an-analysis-of-the-threats-to-american-democracy-and-global-democratic-order.html http://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/03/02/us-supreme-courts-delay-of-trump-v-united-states-an-analysis-of-the-threats-to-american-democracy-and-global-democratic-order.html Sat Mar 02 19:50:39 IST 2024