Andy Kim gains momentum over NJ first lady in Democratic Senate convention to replace Bob Menendez
Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J., reportedly won by a large margin over the state’s first lady Tammy Murphy in New Jersey’s first Democratic convention on Saturday. The third-term congressman’s early victory against Murphy in Monmouth County was significant, as they will continue to compete in the primary contest to convince the state’s 20 other counties they are the best Democratic candidate to put forward in the race to replace embattled longtime Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J. “If we can win here, where they’ve lived for decades here, I think it sends a very strong message across all of the counties,” Kim said about Murphy and her husband, Gov. Phil Murphy. The powerful couple have resided in Monmouth County for about 25 years, according to the New York Times. Meanwhile, Kim represents part of the same county in Congress. FORMER NJ NEWS PERSONALITY LAUNCHES GOP BID FOR MENENDEZ SENATE SEAT “The energy that we have is real, and it should not be underestimated,” Kim said after securing the county-line in Monmouth, meaning his name will appear on the ballot with other Democratic candidates endorsed by the county in a single column, making those on the party line appear more legitimate to voters. Kim secured 56.8% of the vote, while Murphy won 38.8%, Politico reported. Another candidate, progressive labor activist Patricia Campos-Medina, took 4.2%. That means Kim secured a 265-181 win in the convention where 466 votes were cast. Kim had been the presumed underdog given the first lady’s high-profile status, fundraising power and early support from county leaders in some of the state’s most Democratic areas, according to Politico. Yet the same day she saw defeat in Monmouth County, located along the Jersey shore, Murphy picked up an endorsement from the Passaic County Democrats. “[Tammy Murphy] is thrilled by the groundswell of support she has received from faith leaders, community members, elected officials, unions, and now Passaic County,” spokesperson Alex Altman said in a statement obtained by Politico. “Tammy is grateful for all the votes she received today from Monmouth County and is thankful to all the delegates that stayed in the room during the long day. Tammy congratulated Andy on a hard fought win today in Monmouth and she looks forward to continuing her work to build a strong coalition across the state and earning the support of New Jersey voters.” MENENDEZ ATTORNEYS ALLEGE FBI ‘ILLEGALLY’ SEARCHED, ‘RANSACKED’ HOME, SEIZING GOLD BARS AND $500,000 CASH The June primary is shaping up as a battle, so far, between Kim and Murphy, though other Democrats are also campaigning in the race. On Friday, Alex Zdan, 38, a former news reporter for News 12 New Jersey, announced his candidacy as a Republican in the race to replace Menendez. Last month, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., notably backed Kim in the congressman’s bid to win the contested primary for New Jersey’s Senate seat. Fetterman was an early proponent of calling for Menendez’s ouster from Congress after federal prosecutors charged Menendez, his wife and business associates with taking bribes in cash and gold bars in exchange for helping the government of Egypt — and, in a later indictment, Qatar as well. Menendez and the other defendants have pleaded not guilty, and the senator has vowed to fight the charges. Unlike the first time he was indicted — charges that ultimately led to a hung jury in 2017 — Menendez has lost support within the Democratic Party in his home state, where his influence was once virtually unassailable. Amid a pitched internal struggle among New Jersey Democrats who have called for Menendez’s ouster and are competing to succeed him, Menendez hasn’t said if he’ll run again and has so far withstood calls for his resignation. Fetterman joins fellow Pennsylvanian Gov. Josh Shapiro in wading into the race. Shapiro has raised money for Murphy, according to her campaign. The Associated Press contributed to this reported.
Irene Khan: Gaza, ‘a genocide in the making’
UN special rapporteur highlights global challenges faced by free speech and advocacy. In an era where freedom of expression faces unprecedented challenges globally, Irene Khan stands as a beacon of hope. With a rich background in human rights advocacy, Khan has battled against censorship, intimidation and the suppression of free speech. Her efforts underscore the importance of this fundamental human right in holding the powerful to account, even as wars and repressive regimes threaten its very existence. We explore her mission to ensure that voices worldwide can speak out without fear as Irene Khan, the UN Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Opinion and Expression, talks to Al Jazeera. Adblock test (Why?)
UNWRA refutes Israeli implications of Hamas tunnel below Gaza HQ
The chief of the UN’s aid agency in Gaza has said that it had no knowledge of what was beneath its abandoned headquarters amid Israeli claims that a Hamas tunnel ran below the Gaza City site. Philippe Lazzarini of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said on X late on Saturday that the agency “did not know what is under its headquarters in Gaza”. Israel has previously accused UNWRA of colluding with Hamas’s military operations, prompting several donors to withdraw funding. The UNWRA chief’s comments came after the Israeli army invited journalists to visit the tunnel. The Israeli military did not provide definitive proof that Hamas fighters operated at the location, but showed that at least a portion of the tunnel system ran underneath the courtyard of the aid agency’s headquarters. The ‘metro’ Inside one of the buildings journalists saw a room full of computers with wires stretching down into the ground. Soldiers then showed them a room in an underground tunnel complex where they claimed the wires connected. That underground room bore a wall of electrical cabinets with multicoloured buttons and was lined with dozens of cables. The military claimed the room served as a hub powering tunnel infrastructure in the area. Israel has repeatedly said that one of the main objectives of its war in Gaza is to destroy the underground network that it says is used by Hamas to move its fighters, weapons and supplies. While few know the full extent of what some Israeli officials call the “metro”, the tunnels are believed to cross the entire enclave for hundreds of kilometres. Experts estimate a depth of 15 to 60 metres (50 to 200 feet). ‘Terror’ Israel’s claims over the tunnel appear part of a pattern intended to implicate UNWRA in Hamas’s military operations. The main humanitarian agency in Gaza, UNWRA, has been facing an unprecedented funding crisis after its main international donors led by the United States cut its funding over “terror” allegations. Lazzarini insisted that UNWRA had no knowledge if anything was below the headquarters, which it vacated shortly after Israel launched its bombardment of the Gaza Strip in early October. “UNRWA is made aware of reports through the media regarding a tunnel under the UNRWA Headquarters in Gaza,” said on X. He added that while the reports merit an independent inquiry, “that is currently not possible to undertake given Gaza is an active war zone”. – UNRWA did not know what is under its headquarters in Gaza. – UNRWA is made aware of reports through the media regarding a tunnel under the UNRWA Headquarters in Gaza. – UNRWA staff left its headquarters in Gaza City on 12 October following the Israeli evacuation orders and as… — Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) February 10, 2024 Lazzarini said that UNRWA staff left the headquarters on October 12, following an Israeli evacuation order, and that they were not aware of any activity that may have taken place there since. In times of no active conflict, he added, the agency inspects its premises every quarter. “UNRWA is a human development and humanitarian organisation that does not have the military and security expertise nor the capacity to undertake military inspections of what is or might be under its premises,” he said. In the past, Lazzarini added, “protest letters” were filed to Hamas officials and Israeli authorities “whenever suspicious cavity was found close to or under UNRWA premises” and that the matter was “consistently reported” to the UN General Assembly. The UN agency, the only lifeline to the more than two million people in Gaza, has come under intense scrutiny after Israel alleged that 11 of its employees took part in Hamas’s deadly assault into southern Israel on October 7. Hamas fighters launched an unprecedented attack killing more than 1,100 people and took about 240 captives. Israel has responded with a ferocious bombing campaign killing more than 28,000 people and displacing nearly 85 percent of the population. Despite UNRWA terminating the contracts of those accused by Israel of joining the attack and launching an investigation, major donors suspended their funding, plunging the agency into a financial crisis. The agency said that Israel has also frozen its bank account, embargoed aid shipments and cancelled its tax benefits. Adblock test (Why?)
Hungarian president resigns after pardoning child sex abuse accomplice
NewsFeed Hungary’s President Katalin Novak bowed to public pressure to resign after it was revealed she pardoned the deputy director of a state-run children’s school who was convicted for covering up the sexual abuse of its director. Published On 11 Feb 202411 Feb 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
White House responds to Trump encouraging Russia to do ‘whatever’ they want to some NATO members: ‘Unhinged’
The White House on Saturday criticized former President Trump’s “appalling and unhinged” comments in which he encouraged Russia to do “whatever the hell they want” to NATO members that did not meet spending guidelines on defense. Trump made the comments during a campaign speech Saturday in Conway, South Carolina. “NATO was busted until I came along,” Trump said. “I said, ‘Everybody’s gonna pay.’ They said, ‘Well, if we don’t pay, are you still going to protect us?’ I said, ‘Absolutely not.’ They couldn’t believe the answer.” The former U.S. president said “one of the presidents of a big country” once asked him whether the U.S. would still defend their country if they were invaded by Russia, even if they did not pay. TRUMP MOCKS HALEY BY ASKING WHERE HER DEPLOYED HUSBAND IS: ‘WHERE IS HE? HE’S GONE’ “No, I would not protect you,” Trump recalled telling that country’s leader. “In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You got to pay. You got to pay your bills.” The White House responded later on Saturday to Trump’s remarks, saying they were “appalling and unhinged” while also citing President Biden’s efforts to strengthen the alliance. “President Biden has restored our alliances and made us stronger in the world because he knows every commander in chief’s first responsibility is to keep the American people safe and hold true to the values that unite us,” White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said in a statement. “Thanks to President Biden’s experienced leadership, NATO is now the largest and most vital it has ever been. Encouraging invasions of our closest allies by murderous regimes is appalling and unhinged – and it endangers American national security, global stability, and our economy at home.” “Rather than calling for wars and promoting deranged chaos, President Biden will continue to bolster American leadership and stand up *for* our national security interests – not against them,” Bates continued. NATO states that an attack on one member nation is an attack on all the nations in the alliance. Trump has previously taken issue with the smaller amount of money other NATO countries spend on defense compared with what the U.S. pays. He has also threatened multiple times in the past to withdraw the U.S. from NATO. TRUMP TAKES FAMILIAR DIG AT JUSTICE SYSTEM AFTER BIDEN DOCUMENTS REPORT: ‘SICK’ CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The alliance’s guidelines have a target that each member country commits to a minimum of 2% of gross domestic product on defense spending to ensure the alliance’s military readiness, a target most countries are failing to meet. However, the figure is only a guideline rather than a legal mandate and member countries have not been failing to pay their share of NATO’s common budget to run the organization. According to NATO’s website, allies whose current proportion of GDP spent on defense is below this figure will “halt any decline; aim to increase defense expenditure in real terms as GDP grows; and aim to move towards the 2% guideline within a decade with a view to meeting their NATO Capability Targets and filling NATO’s capability shortfalls.” Fox News’ Jacqui Heinrich contributed to this report.
Al-Shabab claims attack on UAE military in Somalia
The group claimed the attack as it considers the UAE an ‘enemy’ for backing the Somali government. Three Emirati troops and a Bahraini military officer have been killed in an attack in Somalia. Al-Qaeda-linked armed group Al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for the attack on a training mission at a military base in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities said on Sunday. The attack on Saturday targeted troops at the General Gordon military base. Details about the attack and casualties remain scarce. Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud offered his condolences to the UAE. The UAE’s Ministry of Defence announced the death of three of its troops and a Bahraini soldier in a “terrorist act”, adding only that two others were wounded. Anwar Gargash, a senior Emirati diplomat, offered condolences to those killed and a quick recovery for those wounded. “No treacherous act will prevent us from continuing the message of security and safety and combating extremism and terrorism in all its forms,” Gargash wrote on X. Bahrain, an island nation in the Gulf off the coast of Saudi Arabia, did not immediately acknowledge the attack. Al-Shabab claimed the attack in a statement online, alleging it killed multiple people involved in the Emirati military effort. It described the UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula, as an “enemy” of Islamic law for its backing of the Somali government in battling the armed group. Al-Shabab, or “the youth” in Arabic, was born out of Somalia’s many years of anarchy following a 1991 civil war. The affiliate of al-Qaeda once held Mogadishu. Over time, an African Union (AU)-led force, with the backing of the United States and other countries, pushed the group out of the capital. Since then, al-Shabab has been battling the country’s federal government and the AU-mandated peacekeeping mission as it seeks to establish a new government based on its interpretation of Islamic law. The group routinely carries out bombings in highly densely populated areas across the country. On Tuesday, at least 10 people were killed and about 20 were injured in multiple attacks in a crowded market in Mogadishu. Al-Shabab has carried out attacks in neighbouring Kenya as well since Nairobi provides troops and materiel to the AU force in the country. The UAE in recent years has increasingly invested in ports in East Africa, including in Somalia’s breakaway Somaliland region. Securing Somalia fits into the Emirates’ wider concerns about security in the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. Somali piracy has recently resumed after several years amid the attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on shipping in the Red Sea. In 2019, al-Shabab claimed an attack that killed a man working for Dubai’s P&O Ports. Adblock test (Why?)
Why is the US economy so resilient?
The US economy is on a tear, and it has pulled far ahead of the rest of the world. Geopolitical tensions, the pandemic’s lingering aftershocks, high inflation and steep borrowing costs. Countries across the globe have faced multiple crises for months. And just last year, the world’s biggest economy, the United States, was at risk of recession. Today, its gross domestic product is growing faster than expected. Stocks are soaring. And the job market is hot. The US economy is not just strong. It has also powered ahead of the European Union, the United Kingdom, Japan and other advanced economies. Why are farmers across Europe protesting? Plus, North Korea looks to false eyelashes to shore up its economy. Adblock test (Why?)
White House condemns Trump’s ‘unhinged’ NATO comments
The frontrunner for the Republican nomination shows no signs of easing hostile stance towards military alliance. The White House has condemned Donald Trump’s comments suggesting the United States should not help NATO protect allies from a potential Russian attack as “unhinged”. The former United States president, who appeared to be talking about a previous meeting with NATO leaders during his latest political rally in South Carolina on Saturday, claimed he had spoken with the president of “a big country” about allies rushing to defend each other. “Well sir if we don’t pay, and we’re attacked by Russia – will you protect us?” he recounted the leader as saying. “I said: ‘You didn’t pay? You’re delinquent?’ He said: ‘Yes, let’s say that happened.’ No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You gotta pay.” “Encouraging invasions of our closest allies by murderous regimes is appalling and unhinged – and it endangers American national security, global stability and our economy at home,” said White House spokesperson Andrew Bates. President Joe Biden, who is seeking re-election in November, has empowered the alliance since taking office in 2021, making sure NATO is now “the largest and most vital it has ever been”, Bates added. “Rather than calling for wars and promoting deranged chaos, President Biden will continue to bolster American leadership and stand up for our national security interests – not against them,” he said in a statement. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a military alliance of 29 European and two North American countries, has a provision in its statute that says it must defend any member that is attacked. This is not the first time the frontrunner for the Republican nomination in the upcoming presidential elections has criticised the alliance. When president, Trump threatened to pull the US out of NATO. He also suggested he could cut Washington’s funding of the organisation, and repeatedly complained that the US pays more than it should. With the war in Ukraine showing no signs of stopping, concerns have mounted over the ramifications of a potential Trump victory in November. Kyiv is desperately seeking funding to drive its war effort. The European Union agreed earlier this month to dedicate an additional 50-billion-euro ($54bn) aid package to Ukraine, however, Biden’s bid to win approval for a US aid package is bogged down amid domestic political spats. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg last month said he did not believe a second Trump presidency would jeopardise US membership in the military bloc. The official, who has been pushing member states to boost military spending, said European allies were increasing their military contributions and “moving in the right direction”. Since the start of the Ukraine war in February 2022, US aid to Ukraine has totalled around $75bn, according to Stoltenberg, who said other NATO members and partner states combined have provided more than $100bn. Adblock test (Why?)
India set to roll out GPS-based toll collection system, know all about it
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari had earlier unveiled plans to replace traditional toll plazas with advanced GPS-based toll collection systems across the country.
Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, MLAs offer prayers at Ayodhya Ram Temple, flowers showered on MLAs’ buses
People showered petals on MLAs visiting Ram Janmabhoomi temple on Sunday near the border of Barabanki and Ayodhya.