DeSantis blasts Haley, Trump, Biden at New Hampshire town hall with one week until GOP primary
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hit on a variety of topics during a New Hampshire town hall on Tuesday night, which included his reasoning for staying in the race, his strategy to try to clinch the GOP nomination, border security, President Biden’s border policies, veterans issues, and why he believes former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley can’t win on the big stage. “I think that he was the former president of the United States,” DeSantis said in response to former President Trump’s historic victory in Iowa on Monday night. “He’s one of the most famous people that’s ever been involved in American politics and there’s obviously a lot of Republicans that appreciated his policies, you know, but you still had roughly half of the Iowa caucus goers that made another choice and so that shows me that tells me that there is an appetite for a different leader.” DeSantis also explained during the town hall, which was hosted by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, why he traveled to South Carolina on Tuesday morning after the caucuses instead of going directly to New Hampshire. “What it says is we had a town hall scheduled earlier today in the afternoon in New Hampshire and then this so I had the morning where usually candidates sleep in a little bit after a hard fought caucus,” DeSantis said. “But I said, you know, let’s make use of that. We weren’t sure how the weather was going to be here in New Hampshire. So we said, why don’t we dip into South Carolina, make an appearance, and then come up to New Hampshire?” TRUMP NARROWLY DENIED CLEAN SWEEP OF IOWA’S 99 COUNTIES BY 1 VOTE “So I think what it says is that we consider New Hampshire, South Carolina to both be important as well as Nevada, by the way. Nikki Haley, for example, she didn’t even get on the Nevada caucuses ballot. So she has zero delegates out in Nevada no matter what happens. I’m competing for delegates. And yes, the party went to a caucus to try to rig it for Trump. But, you know, as a Republican, it’s not always going to be fair for us. You got to be willing to fight in all these situations. So we’re doing that.” DeSantis delivered strong criticism of Haley during his town hall appearance after she came in third place in Iowa despite many pundits predicting she would surge to second place. “Even though she spent 100% of her money attacking me and not one red cent attacking Donald Trump and I faced almost 50 million in total, I got second and she did not and that’s just the reality,” DeSantis said. “And here’s the thing, in Iowa, you can actually show up as a Democrat on the day of the caucus, change your registration, and then participate in the Republican caucus and in New Hampshire. You can’t do that. If you’re a declared Democrat, then you can’t vote in the primary. So she was relying on her support from these Democrats changing their registration on the day of the caucus.” “You’ve got to be able to win core Republicans. You’ve got to be able to win conservatives and she cannot do that.” WHAT’S NEXT FOR GOV. DESANTIS AFTER SECOND PLACE FINISH IN IOWA? DeSantis said that “none” of the people who come up to him saying they supported Trump’s policies and support his campaign tell him that they support Haley. “None of them like Nikki Haley because they don’t think she shares her values,” DeSantis said. “So she does not have the ability to build the type of coalition that you need to win a Republican primary period, much less take on Donald Trump.” DeSantis also spoke about immigration, slamming the Biden administration’s border policies and promising to attempt to deport the millions of illegal immigrants who have crossed the border under his watch. Additionally, DeSantis addressed an audience member who suggested that his move to fly illegal immigrants to sanctuary cities and regions like Martha’s Vineyard was a political stunt. THIS 2024 GOP CANDIDATE WAS TARGETED BY WAY MORE ATTACK ADS THAN ANY OTHER HEADING INTO THE PRIMARY ELECTIONS “Actually, if you think about it, you go back to September of 2022, how was the border being treated?” DeSantis said. “It was not a front burner issue. The problems were real. But it wasn’t getting the type of scrutiny that it needed. Doing to Martha’s Vineyard, and by the way, they said they were a sanctuary jurisdiction, they said all people are welcome, whether they’re legal or not. These border towns in Texas are getting thousands and thousands, Martha’s Vineyard couldn’t even handle 50 and so think that was an example of them wanting to impose a certain worldview of open borders on the rest of the country, but not willing to be able to do it. “But this was something that the media really glommed onto. So it ended up raising the temperature on this. And now you have this being discussed everywhere. So I don’t think it was cheap at all. I think it was designed by ,partially, I just believe that if you’re a sanctuary jurisdiction, you should be the ones to have to shoulder the burden. We’re not a sanctuary state in Florida.” DeSantis was asked about Trump’s mounting legal issues and he explained that he believes Republicans will be negatively affected if the media and President Biden are able to use those issues as a main focus in the election. “We have a choice as Republicans, what do we want the 2024 election to be about?” DeSantis said. “And with me as your nominee, it’ll be about holding Biden accountable on the economy, on the border, on crime, on the problems internationally, on the growth of government and the bureaucracy, bringing accountability for for COVID, ending weaponization of federal agencies, and then offering a way where we can restore the American dream and get the nation’s fiscal in order.” “I
Israel’s war on Gaza: List of key events, day 103
EXPLAINER Israeli strikes kill 15 in southern Gaza as Japan’s shipping company suspends Red Sea operations amid escalating tensions. Here’s how things stand on Wednesday, January 17, 2024: Latest updates Qatar announced on Tuesday that Israel had agreed to the increased entry of medical aid to Gaza. The agreement mediated by Qatar in cooperation with France will also ensure medication for captives in Gaza. Japanese shipping company, Nippon Yusen, which operates the Galaxy Leader ship seized by Yemen’s Houthis on November 19, announced on Wednesday that it is suspending operations in the Red Sea. On Tuesday night, the United States Senate voted against a resolution put forward by Senator Bernie Sanders, calling for the Department of State to report on Israel’s human rights practices. About 150 protesters from Mennonites Action, a Christian group, were arrested at the US Capitol building on Tuesday while calling for a ceasefire, US news outlets reported. Human impact and fighting At least 15 people were killed following Israeli attacks in Khan Younis and Rafah in southern Gaza on Tuesday, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa. An attack by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on the armed group Jaish al-Adl in Pakistan’s Balochistan province on Tuesday killed two children, according to Reuters news agency. It is unclear if the attack was linked to the regional escalation of Israel’s war on Gaza. In a statement released on Wednesday, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to the attack from Iran, warning that the incident could have “serious consequences” and was “completely unacceptable”. Pakistan has also summoned an Iranian diplomat in Islamabad. Palestinian fighters carried out attacks from northern Gaza, which has been devastated by Israeli bombardment, according to a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) and the Critical Threats Project (CTP) on Wednesday. Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for a missile attack on a Malta-flagged cargo ship in the Red Sea on Tuesday as the US said it launched a new strike on Houthi targets in Yemen. Diplomacy World leaders have gathered in the Swiss Alps for the World Economic Forum’s annual Davos summit. The Israel-Gaza war is expected to be on the top of the agenda. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, speaking at the Davos summit on Tuesday, described the situation in the Middle East as a “recipe for escalation everywhere”. France will stick to its “defensive” approach in the Red Sea and stay out of the US-led air strikes on Houthi targets to avoid regional escalation of conflict, President Emmanuel Macron told a news conference on Tuesday. Israeli raids in West Bank Israeli forces continued with their deadly raids in the occupied West Bank. Their bulldozers destroyed streets and infrastructure in Tulkarem refugee camp on Wednesday, according to Al Jazeera Arabic. An Israeli drone strike on a car in the Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus, killed one Palestinian on Wednesday. The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said Israeli forces fired at ambulances that were attempting to reach the burning vehicle. Adblock test (Why?)
Malaysia charges two with ‘wounding religious feelings’ in now-banned film
Mentega Terbang, about a teenager exploring religion in the face of her mother’s terminal illness, was banned in September after criticism from conservative Muslim groups. Two Malaysian filmmakers have appeared in court charged with deliberately “wounding the religious feelings of others” with their now-banned independent film Mentega Terbang (Butterfly). Director Khairi Anwar and producer Tan Meng Kheng pleaded not guilty to the charge, which carries a jail term of as long as one year as well as a possible fine, when they appeared in separate courts in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, according to Malaysian online media. Magistrates Noorelynna Hanim Abd Halim and Aina Azahra Arifin allowed the two men conditional bail and imposed a gag order to prevent them from speaking about the case. Mentega Terbang was released on streaming channels in 2021 and is a coming-of-age story about a Malay Muslim teenage girl who begins to explore religion and the question of the afterlife as her mother battles a terminal illness. The government banned the film last September amid complaints from conservative Muslim groups and after the Islamic affairs department said some scenes went against Islamic teachings in Malaysia. Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said the prosecution was taking place under a “vague and arbitrary statute” and urged Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his government to direct prosecutors to drop the case. “[Anwar’s government is] fundamentally failing to protect freedom of expression, and pursuing criminal cases for political motivations,” Robertson said in emailed comments. “This sort of crude political pandering at the expense of human rights is precisely the sort of thing that Anwar accused previous governments of doing when he was in the opposition – but now he’s hypocritically changed his tune after assuming power, and is using the same censorship and persecution.” Anwar came to power promising reforms after a hotly-contested election in November 2022. Robertson urged the government to lift the ban on the film. Malay Muslims make up just over half the Malaysian population, but there are also large communities of ethnic Chinese and Indians as well as Indigenous people who follow other religions. Khairi and Tan have said the decision to ban their film was “irrational” and a breach of their constitutional rights to freedom of speech. Last month, they filed an application to commence a legal challenge against the government over its decision to ban the film, according to Free Malaysia Today. Adblock test (Why?)
Tennis: Jabeur knocked out of Australian Open by teen sensation Andreeva
Tunisia’s Jabeur lost 6-0 6-2 to Russia’s 16-year-old Andreeva in the second round of the Australian Open. Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur suffered a stunning 6-0 6-2 loss to Russian 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva in the second round of the Australian Open as the sixth seed’s bid to become the first Arab and African woman to win a Grand Slam title lay in tatters. Andreeva was in tears 12 months ago after losing the girls’ final but cut a much happier figure on her return to Rod Laver Arena as she secured her first top-10 win. “Today when I saw that I play on Rod Laver, I said that this time I have to take my chance and I have to win on the big court for the first time and so I did,” Andreeva told reporters. The teenager said her 54-minute victory was probably one of her best performances even if she struggled with nerves at times. “But I saw that she was nervous too,” Andreeva added. “It kind of helped me, because I know I’m not the only one who is nervous before the match. “I just decided to enjoy, because it’s Rod Laver Arena and I’m playing against the person that I like. I decided just to play and I think I played okay.” Jabeur began the match with a big ace down the middle but quickly found herself on the back foot, as her young opponent capitalised on some uncharacteristic errors to cruise through the opening set in 20 minutes conceding only eight points. In her fourth Grand Slam main draw appearance since making her debut at last year’s French Open, Andreeva showed maturity beyond her years as Jabeur desperately sought answers from her coaching team after the early jolt. Jabeur – dubbed by fans as Tunisia’s “Minister of Happiness” – swapped her trademark smile for a more determined look and the 29-year-old held early in the next set but there was no stopping Andreeva, who raised her level again and pulled away. Andreeva reached the Wimbledon fourth round last year and can match her best Grand Slam result with a win over Diane Parry next, but the world number 47 is not getting carried away with her success so far. “I don’t think that I’ve achieved something incredible,” she said. “Sometimes when I’m lying in bed, I can overthink a little bit but the next morning I’m totally fine. “I mean, I’m 16. Why do I have to think about the rankings?” Meanwhile, former Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki was beaten 1-6, 6-4, 6-1 by 20-year-old Russian player Maria Tomafeeva, who is making her main draw Grand Slam singles debut this year. Wozniacki, who had two children before returning to the WTA Tour last year after 3.5 years away, led by a set and 2-0 before Tomafeeva turned the match around with some devastating hitting, including 40 winners. “I’m really a bit speechless now,” Tomafeeva said. “It was an honour to play here against Caroline today. I was going into the match without any expectations. I enjoyed every second of it.” Wozniacki said the match “slid out of my hands… it’s definitely disappointing”. Jabeur and Wozniacki played their matches under the roof, at Rod Laver Arena and John Cain Arena respectively, with rain delaying matches on the outside courts for three hours. Adblock test (Why?)
Meet Pandit Prembhushan Ji Maharaj, renowned spiritual speaker, famous for bhajan ‘Hum Ram ji ke, Ram ji hamare hain’
His magnetic personality and deep spiritual insights continue to attract millions, making him a popular figure.
At least 17 injured after Russian missiles hit Ukraine’s Kharkiv
Rescuers search rubble after two S-300 missiles hit the centre of Ukraine’s second-biggest city. At least 17 people have been injured, two of them seriously, after Russian missiles hit residential buildings in the city of Kharkiv. Regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov said that two S-300 missiles hit buildings in the centre of Ukraine’s second-biggest city late on Tuesday night, and 14 people had been sent to hospital. “Two women are in a serious condition,” he said in a post on Telegram. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said the missiles struck “precisely where there is no military infrastructure and precisely where there are in fact residences”. “There are at least 10 damaged buildings. Rescue teams are continuing to go through the rubble,” he wrote on Telegram. “And there is plenty of rubble.” Ukraine’s Emergency Services said one of the missiles hit a three-storey building that had previously housed a medical centre. Kharkiv lies just 30km (19 miles) from the border with Russia in Ukraine’s northeast and has come under frequent bombardment since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022. There was no immediate comment from Moscow on the attack on Kharkiv but the Defence Ministry said its air defences destroyed seven Ukrainian missiles and four drones over Russia’s Belgorod region about 80km (50 miles) from Kharkiv. The region’s governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said there were no immediate reports of casualties. Russian forces advanced across swathes of the Kharkiv region shortly after invading Ukraine but were pushed back in a rapid Ukrainian advance in September 2022. Adblock test (Why?)
Two Malaysians in Guantanamo plead guilty to conspiring in Bali Bombings
Mohammed Nazir Bin Lep and Mohammed Farik Bin Amin agreed to give evidence against alleged mastermind Hambali. Malaysians Mohammed Nazir Bin Lep and Mohammed Farik Bin Amin have pleaded guilty to conspiring in the 2002 Bali bombings that killed more than 200 people. The two men appeared in front of a military court at the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay on Tuesday in proceedings broadcast via video link to reporters in the United States. Bin Lep, 47, and Bin Amin, 48, pleaded guilty to five of the nine charges against them, according to Benar News, marking the first time they had entered a plea since they were brought to Guantanamo some 17 years ago. Charges related to the 2003 attack on the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta that killed 11 people were dropped as part of a plea deal, according to The New York Times, and the men agreed to give evidence against alleged Indonesian mastermind Encep Nurjaman, also known as Hambali. Bin Lep and Bin Amin were accused of being Hambali’s accomplices and charged alongside him, but their cases were separated last year. The Malaysians will be sentenced next week, after which they are expected to be returned home. Hambali, who was once described by former US President George W Bush as “one of the world’s most lethal terrorists”, is still to go on trial. Through his lawyers, Hambali has alleged that he was brutally tortured following his arrest in Thailand in 2003, after which he says he was transferred to a secret detention camp run by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and tortured as part of the agency’s rendition, detention and interrogation (RDI) programme, which is sometimes referred to as the “torture programme”. The attacks on the Bali clubs in October 2002 were the worst in Indonesian history and led to a crackdown on hardline groups such as Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), and a strengthening of Jakarta’s counterterrorism operations. Three of the main perpetrators of the bombings were sentenced to death and executed in 2008, while a fourth, Ali Imron, was jailed for life after he apologised and expressed remorse for what he had done. In 2022, Indonesia jailed Zulkarnaen, a senior member of JI who had been on the run for 20 years, to 15 years in prison over the attacks. Adblock test (Why?)
Morocco fans back Atlas Lions to end trophy wait at AFCON 2023
It was a three-week period that made Moroccans dream of the unthinkable. If Roman Saiss and his Atlas Lions captured the hearts of the footballing world by becoming the first African and Arab country to qualify for the semifinal of a FIFA World Cup – what it meant for Moroccans was inexpressible. “It seemed like every few days, something beautiful happened and then as you were revelling in its joy, the team would win another match,” Tom Yousef Drissi, a die-hard supporter of the national football team, told Al Jazeera. “One achievement was eclipsed by another – it was a complete dream.” It has been a little over a year since Morocco’s fairytale run in Qatar ended in a fourth-place finish after beating the likes of European powerhouses Portugal, Spain and Belgium in the run-up. While the world admired the Atlas Lions for their compact and tactically sound football – refusing to concede ground to their much higher-ranked opponents – what Moroccan supporters valued even more was the manner in which their team carried themselves off the pitch. ‘Moroccan way’ The family atmosphere at the team hotel, singing and dancing parents on the pitch, unapologetic display of their faith and relentless support for the people of Palestine endeared the men in red and green to their fans. Their coach Walid Regragui even went as far as to say that Morocco’s, “success is not possible without our parents’ happiness”. With the world’s eyes on the North African nation, they put “their best foot forward in an unapologetically Moroccan way”, according to Drissi. “To see the mothers in djellaba and hijab and the players doing sajda after the game was great. It’s one thing to have success but to have success with a team that you feel represents you was amazing.” Last summer, Drissi was having lunch with his father at a restaurant in Rabat when they spotted Regragui quietly seated a few metres away. “My dad walked over to him, kissed him on his bald head and said, ‘You lifted our heads’,” he recalled. “For months after the World Cup, every Moroccan was walking around feeling like they were two feet taller,” Drissi explained. The national team won over more hearts last September after a deadly earthquake struck Morocco’s Marrakesh-Safi region. Almost immediately after the natural catastrophe, the Atlas Lions were pictured donating blood for the victims. A revolution in the making While football experts may not have predicted Morocco’s record-breaking run at the World Cup, to say their success materialised overnight would be inaccurate. Karim Bencherifa, an experienced Moroccan coach, believes the national team’s success is not unexpected. Bencherifa, who coached Morocco’s women’s team and under-23 men’s team, saw a “football revolution” unfold from 2017 to 2019. “Building top quality football infrastructure, scouting players in Morocco and abroad, picking young talent from age-group teams and having representation at international sport bodies was all part of the plan,” he said. Morocco now boasts the continent’s best national technical centre at the Mohamed VI Complex near Rabat. The centre’s scouts have helped recruit top Moroccan footballers playing abroad. The North African nation is set to host the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2030 FIFA World Cup. In addition to impressing at the World Cup, Morocco impressed in its first appearance at the FIFA Women’s World Cup, won two African Nations Championships, two Futsal Africa Cup of Nations and an under-23 African Cup of Nations. (Al Jazeera) ‘A mythical tournament’ But despite a long list of accolades, one title continues to evade Morocco: the men’s senior Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). The last time the Atlas Lions won the continental title was nearly five decades ago, in 1976, Will a strong desire to finally secure Africa’s premier trophy and the weight of expectations burden the stars? Morocco’s top-four finish in Qatar makes them obvious favourites for the title but experts believe stiff challenges await the team in the Ivory Coast. “Every team would want to beat the World Cup semifinalists,” Bencherifa said. Morocco’s tactics are also in question, with analysts saying Regragui may need to alter the team’s structure and playing philosophy. At the World Cup, Morocco excelled by thriving without possession of the ball. They were a reactive outfit, closing passing lanes on the pitch and counter-attacking with precision and efficiency. However, pundits expect Morocco to have the lion’s share of ball possession at AFCON. It might spell trouble for their star players Achraf Hakimi, Sofyan Amrabat, Hakim Ziyech, Youssef En-Nesyri and Amine Harit as they may not enjoy the same success when the onus is on them to break down the opposition in a reversal of roles. Bencherifa, while concerned, believes Morocco’s determination to win AFCON may overtake the temptation to play attractive football “Although they [should] aim to do both,” he adds. What about the weight of expectations and their psychological impact? Drissi, the Rabat-based fan, admits that the team will be under pressure and it makes him nervous. “We have only been to a semifinal [at AFCON] once in the last 20 years,” he admits with disappointment. “The AFCON is almost like a mythical tournament for Moroccans. It would really lift a weight off our shoulders if we could bring the trophy home.” Adblock test (Why?)
Fresh violence in Manipur, one security personnel killed in attack by militants
The security forces also exchanged fire with suspected Kuki militants in three different locations in Moreh town on Wednesday morning.
Jyotiraditya Scindia inaugurates first Air India Express flight connecting Ayodhya to Bengaluru, Kolkata
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Maharishi Valmiki International Airport in the temple city of Ayodhya after inaugurating the Ayodhya Railway Station on December 30.