Melania Trump announces passing of ‘beloved’ mother: ‘We will miss her beyond measure’
Former first lady Melania Trump announced the passing of her mother, Amalija Knavs, on Tuesday. “It is with deep sadness that I announce the passing of my beloved mother, Amalija,” the former first lady wrote in a X post. Trump called her mother “strong” and “entirely devoted” to her family. “Amalija Knavs was a strong woman who always carried herself with grace, warmth, and dignity,” Trump wrote. “She was entirely devoted to her husband, daughters, grandson, and son-in-law.” “We will miss her beyond measure and continue to honor and love her legacy,” she added. MELANIA TRUMP SPENDS CHRISTMAS WITH AILING MOTHER, MISSING MAR-A-LAGO CELEBRATION The news comes after former President Donald Trump said that Knavs was “very ill” at his New Year’s Eve’s celebration at his home in South Florida. MELANIA TRUMP TO SPEAK TO NEW AMERICAN CITIZENS ABOUT RESPONSIBILITY OF ‘GUARDING OUR FREEDOM’ “Hopefully she’ll be recovering,’ the former president said after mentioning he had gotten off the phone with Melania who was at a Miami hospital with her sick mother. “It’s a tough one, a very tough one,” Trump continued. Similarly, Melania was absent from the family’s Christmas celebrations as she took care of her ailing mother. “Melania has always been very devoted to her entire family,” a source close to Melania Trump told Fox News Digital. “It should be no surprise that she spent this Christmas with her ailing mother.” Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
DeSantis declares Iowa goalpost at Fox News town hall: ‘We’re going to do well here’
With six days to go until Iowa’s caucuses kick off the Republican presidential nominating calendar, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis no longer predicts victory and instead vows that “we’re going to do well here.” DeSantis, at a Fox News town hall on Tuesday in Iowa’s capital and largest city, emphasized that the battle for the GOP nomination “is a long process” and pledged that he’s “in it for the long haul.” DeSantis, who was convincingly re-elected to a second term as Florida governor 14 months ago, was once the clear alternative to former President Trump in the Republican White House race. He was solidly in second place behind former Trump, who remains the commanding front-runner as he makes his third straight presidential bid. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS FROM THE RON DESANTIS FOX NEWS TOWN HALL But after a series of campaign setbacks over the summer and autumn, DeSantis saw his support in the polls erode. Rival Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor who served as ambassador to the United Nations in the Trump administration, in recent weeks has caught up with DeSantis for second place in the polls in Iowa and in national surveys. Haley also surpassed DeSantis and surged to second place and narrowed the gap with Trump in New Hampshire, which holds the first primary — just eight days after Iowa. Last month, in multiple interviews, even though he was down double digits in the polls to Trump in Iowa, DeSantis predicted victory. “We’re going to win Iowa. We’ve got the organization in place,” the governor declared in a Fox News Digital interview in Bettendorf, Iowa a week before Christmas. TRUMP TAKES NO CHANCES AS IOWA’S PRESIDENTIAL CAUCUSES APPROACH But on Tuesday, when asked by Fox News’ “Special Report” chief political anchor Bret Baier and “The Story” executive editor and anchor Martha MacCallum — the moderators of the town hall — about his finish in a state that many consider make-or-break for him. DeSantis twice answered “we’re going to do well.” “I kind of like having lower expectations, to be honest with you,” he added. “I’ve been an underdog my whole life and everything I’ve ever done.” And he argued that “the media has kind of tried to go at me a little bit on that… Let them say that. We have it within our power to prove them wrong, and we will do that.” Asked if his campaign would advance to New Hampshire regardless of his finish in Iowa, DeSantis reiterated “yes, of course.” And DeSantis touted his get-out-the-vote efforts in Iowa, which are heavily reliant on Never Back Down, an aligned super PAC “We have massive numbers of people. I think we have more commits than anyone’s ever had in an Iowa caucus. We have all the counties organized. People that have been involved in this process say it’s the best yet,” he said. Haley joined Fox News on Monday for a similar town hall, and Trump will take questions from Baier and MacCallum on Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Rival GOP presidential campaigns fire off thoughts on Ron DeSantis’ Fox News town hall
Florida GOP Governor Ron DeSantis’ rivals for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination took aim at the populist presidential candidate after his Tuesday town hall event. DeSantis joined Fox News for a town hall event in the Hawkeye State ahead of the famous Iowa Caucus, where the governor spoke on inflation and government accountability and took questions from the audience. Following DeSantis’ town hall discussion with Fox News’ Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, though, the Florida governor’s GOP rivals fired off their thoughts on his performance. RIVAL GOP CAMPAIGNS WEIGH IN ON HALEY’S FOX NEWS TOWN HALL PERFORMANCE: ‘REJECT HER ON CAUCUS NIGHT’ Former President Trump’s campaign went off during the town hall event, attacking DeSantis’ record on the COVID-19 pandemic and claiming in one post that the Florida governor “issued some of the most draconian Covid restrictions of anywhere in the United States.” In another post, the Trump campaign wrote, “Ron DeSanctimonious PRAISES Trump’s COVID Task Force, says Fauci and Birx were doing a good job,” with a clip of DeSantis from during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Ron DeSantis and his allies have set him up for devastating failure,” the Trump campaign tweeted. “Everything he does is one giant astroturf that will be exposed in just a few short days.” Trump’s campaign also shared a CNN clip that the campaign said “exposed” the governor as a “massive COVID hypocrite.” “MUST WATCH: DeSantis EXPOSED as MASSIVE COVID HYPOCRITE, repeatedly praised Fauci and his policies during the pandemic,” Trump wrote. Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley’s campaign chirped at DeSantis during his town hall, too, slamming the governor over his answers to various questions, from inflation to his polling numbers against President Biden. “RON DESANTIS on inflation: ‘This was created by Washington,’” Haley’s campaign tweeted on Tuesday. “Uh, Ron, you were in Washington and you voted to increase the debt limit.” “Tonight, Iowa voters saw a desperate, flailing Ron DeSantis trying to cover up his record of banning fracking and drilling in Florida, and voting to increase the debt limit in Congress. The more DeSantis loses, the more he lies,” AnnMarie Graham-Barnes, Haley campaign spokesperson, told Fox News Digital following the town hall. “FUN FACT: Ron DeSantis performs the worst against Biden,” Haley’s campaign wrote in another tweet. “LOL.” “Question from voter: Why is it so hard for you to win over conservatives?” another tweet from Haley’s camp read. “Ron DeSantis: Word [salad emoji].” When asked for comment, DeSantis’ campaign pointed to a tweet by the governor slamming Haley and Trump and sharing a clip of his comments from his Fox News town hall. “Donald Trump’s running for his issues. Nikki Haley’s running for her donors’ issues,” DeSantis wrote. “I’m running for your issues, your family’s issues, and to turn this country around,” he added. DeSantis was the second GOP presidential candidate this week to hold a Fox News town hall ahead of the Iowa Caucus next week. The Florida governor is vying for the GOP nomination to take on President Biden for the White House in November. However, the battle for the nomination is far from over: DeSantis will have to get through Haley and Trump to get the Republican Party’s coveted nod.
Hochul talks crime, housing as national Dems look to New York for big House gains in November
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul outlined her agenda for 2024 in a State of the State address on Tuesday, with the Democrat focusing on public safety and housing ahead of a pivotal election season in a state whose races could determine control of Congress. Among the proposals announced were policies aimed at curbing retail theft and improving mental health treatment, as well as funding and incentives to increase the housing supply. The annual address in Albany came as both Republicans and Democrats have placed increased attention on New York as a potential battleground state for the U.S. House in November, adding a level of national importance to the governor’s agenda this year. NY GOV. HOCHUL PUSHES FOR READING EDUCATION OVERHAUL TO ADDRESS DECLINE IN TEST SCORES For Hochul, the dynamic could prove challenging as she moves to compromise with progressive statehouse Democrats while not exposing her party’s congressional candidates to attacks from conservatives. One of the biggest priorities for the governor this year is to reach a deal with progressives to create more housing in the state, a politically vexing problem that has previously proven elusive but remains a tenet of her agenda. The governor last year pushed hard on a housing plan that eventually failed after it was panned in the city’s suburbs for provisions that would have set growth targets and sometimes let the state override local zoning decisions. This year, with the suburbs emerging as must-win areas for congressional Democrats, Hochul is taking a different approach. She is proposing a $500 million fund to support the construction of housing on state-owned land and wants to reestablish a program that previously gave developers tax breaks if they agreed to create so-called affordable housing in buildings in New York City. In addition, Hochul is pushing for certain state funding programs to require that local governments prioritize housing growth. The governor’s plans also include a tax break for developers who turn office buildings into residential units if they agree to include below-market rate housing. “The only thing that would solve this problem is building hundreds and hundreds of thousands of homes,” she said of the state’s notoriously high rental costs. State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins has told reporters that Senate Democrats were pushing for a housing agreement that focuses on tenant protections. In the past, those have included measures to prevent landlords from evicting residents without a so-called good cause, such as failure to pay rent. Hochul is also moving to get ahead of Republican criticisms about crime that hurt Democrats during the 2022 congressional elections. She is proposing a law enforcement task force on retail theft and the creation of a state police team focused on organized retail theft rings, along with more state funding for such programs. The governor said she plans to establish a tax credit for small business owners to help offset the cost of certain store security measures. “These attacks are nothing more than a breakdown of the social order. I say no more. The chaos must end,” Hochul said of retail theft. Assembly Republican Minority Leader Will Barclay said he’s happy about the governor’s plans on retail theft but added she will have to expend “real political capital” to get her fellow Democrats to allow changes to the state’s criminal justice system. Also part of Hochul’s public safety platform was an expansion of mental health care services in New York, with proposals to add 200 new inpatient psychiatric beds and better equip law enforcement to handle people with mental health problems. Hochul has spent the past week debuting other pillars of her agenda, calling for an overhaul of literacy education and paid medical leave during pregnancy, among other things. Most of the governor’s proposals require approval from the Legislature before becoming law. NY GOV KATHY HOCHUL SIGNS BILL CREATING REPARATIONS COMMISSION DESPITE CONCERNS OF ‘RACIAL DIVISIONS’ In her speech, the governor notably chose not to address how the state would continue to handle a large influx of migrants who have mostly landed in New York City, straining the city’s homeless shelters and financial resources. She said she would expand on her plans next week during a budget proposal. This year’s legislative session will include a contentious congressional redistricting process that could impact which party controls the House. A bipartisan redistricting commission will submit a proposed map to lawmakers at the end of February which can then be accepted or altered by Democrats who control the Legislature. Democrats are widely expected to try to give their party an advantage in crucial districts ahead of the fall elections. Democrats have dedicated major financial and campaign resources toward their goal of retaking a handful of congressional districts in New York in November. Republicans are aiming to hold onto the seats. The first bellwether could come soon: A special election of a successor to George Santos, the New York Republican who was expelled from the House, will be held Feb. 13.
Judge halts enforcement of Ohio law requiring parental consent for kids under 16 to use social media
A federal judge issued an order Tuesday temporarily halting enforcement of a pending Ohio law that would require children to get parental consent to use social media apps. U.S. District Court Judge Algenon Marbley’s temporary restraining order came in a lawsuit brought Friday by NetChoice, a trade group representing TikTok, Snapchat, Meta and other major tech companies. The litigation argues that the law unconstitutionally impedes free speech and is overbroad and vague. While calling the intent to protect children “a laudable aim,” Marbley said it is unlikely that Ohio will be able to show the law is “narrowly tailored to any ends that it identifies.” CONSERVATIVES BLAST REPUBLICAN OHIO GOVERNOR AS ‘COWARD’ FOR TRANSGENDER BILL VETO “Foreclosing minors under sixteen from accessing all content on websites that the Act purports to cover, absent affirmative parental consent, is a breathtakingly blunt instrument for reducing social media’s harm to children,” he wrote. The law is similar to those enacted in other states. It was set to take effect Jan. 15. Besides requiring social media companies to obtain a parent’s permission for children under 16 to sign up for social media and gaming apps, it also mandates that the companies provide parents with their privacy guidelines, so that families can know what content will be censored or moderated on their child’s profile. The Social Media Parental Notification Act was part of an $86.1 billion state budget bill that Republican Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law in July. The administration pushed the measure as a way to protect children’s mental health, with Republican Lt. Gov. Jon Husted saying at the time that social media was “intentionally addictive” and harmful to kids. Husted expressed disappointment in the judge’s action Tuesday. TRUMP CALLS ON ‘ENTIRE REPUBLICAN PARTY TO UNITE’ AROUND BERNIE MORENO IN RACE FOR SEN. SHERROD BROWN’S SEAT “The big-tech companies behind this lawsuit were included in the legislative process to make sure the law was clear and easy to implement, but now they claim the law is unclear,” he said in a statement. “They were disingenuous participants in the process and have no interest in protecting children.” The governor also lamented the decision. “The negative effects that social media sites and apps have on our children’s mental health have been well documented, and this law was one way to empower parents to have a role in their kids’ digital lives,” he said in a statement. NetChoice filed suit against GOP Attorney General Dave Yost in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. The group has won lawsuits against similar restrictions in California and Arkansas.
‘Still waiting’: Myanmar’s Kayah looks for justice over military killings
Kayah State, Myanmar – On December 28, in his clinic in Myanmar’s eastern Kayah State, Dr Oak wrapped up a routine check on a pregnant woman and removed some non-threatening shrapnel from the leg of a resistance fighter. Exactly two years earlier, he was living a nightmare, examining the charred remains of 33 civilians brutally killed by the Myanmar military. “Before, when I was working in the hospital, I might see one or two bodies at a time. But when I saw that many bodies at once, and understood the cruelty of the way the military killed them, I felt devastated and terrified,” he told Al Jazeera. “I felt so sorry for their family members because they can’t even identify their loved ones and say a proper goodbye.” Dr Oak, who asked to be identified by a nickname to protect his family, has been living in Kayah State since December 15, 2021. After the military seized power in a coup in February of that year, he quit his job at a government hospital in his native Ayeyarwady Region and joined a mass strike of civil servants known as the Civil Disobedience Movement. After a few months of participating in street protests and then hiding in safe houses in Ayeyarwady and Yangon, he headed to Kayah intending to join the burgeoning armed resistance. “In the beginning, I was planning to get a gun and fight. I just wanted to fight the military so badly. But when I arrived here, they already had so many soldiers but they really needed doctors. So I realised this was the best way for me to help,” he said. Dr Oak said he was unable to determine the sex of two of the victims because the bodies were so badly burned [Andrew Nachemson/Al Jazeera] The victims Dr Oak examined that day were killed in Moso village in the Hpruso Township, in what was dubbed the Christmas Eve Massacre after the military stopped several vehicles travelling along a major road connecting the towns of Hpruso and Demoso, allegedly detaining, executing and burning those inside. Some of those killed were reportedly fleeing from nearby clashes, while others lived in the area. ‘I am still waiting’ Much of Kaya’s population is Roman Catholic and Christmas is the most important day of the year. But Khin Lone’s family was so poor that her husband could not afford to take Christmas Eve off. He accepted a job to help a farmer harvest bamboo shoots that day, a task that would typically pay about 5,000 kyat – less than $3. She never saw him again. Soon after her husband had left for work, Khine Lone’s neighbours came running through the village, screaming that the military was coming. But with four children, including a 10-month-old baby, it was difficult for Khin Lone to leave on her own. “I called him and he answered the phone and said, ‘OK, I’m coming soon,’ so I stayed at home waiting for him,” she said. “I’m still waiting for him.” Eventually, other villagers came to help and Khin Lone and her children escaped into the forest, where they hid for two days before moving to a camp for internally displaced people where they remain today. The 35-year-old widow has only been back to Moso once since the killings – on December 24 last year when she left flowers on the burned-out wreckage of the now-rusting cars and prayed for the dead. It is a risky journey. The site of the killings lies in a no man’s zone, just 8km (5 miles) from where the military remains holed up in Hpruso town but also a few kilometres from the last resistance-manned checkpoint. Still, the situation represents a dramatic shift in the Myanmar conflict over the past two years, with resistance groups able to freely navigate rural parts of Hpruso and the neighbouring Demoso Township, while the military is largely confined to a few towns and military bases. Khin Lone finds it painful to talk about what happened to her husband but hopes speaking out will bring justice [Andrew Nachemson/Al Jazeera] Moso now represents the outer limit of the military’s reach in Hpruso and the killing a final spasm of violence before it lost control. A logistics officer from the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF), an armed group formed after the coup, said resistance groups had long used the major road on the other side of Moso village to transport goods and troops. He said the military might have attacked the village to punish them for supporting the resistance. For decades, the military has been accused of using collective punishment against civilian communities – known as “four cuts” – as part of its campaigns against ethnic armed groups. Military-controlled media did not acknowledge any civilian casualties and claimed that the convoy included resistance fighters who opened fire first. Khin Lone recalled that for the first two days, the other villagers were too afraid to tell her what she already knew in her heart and sought to reassure her that her husband might still be alive. “In my mind, I already knew it was impossible but then I turned around and lied to my children and said he is working somewhere else and will come back soon,” she said. ‘I ran’ Nwe Lay was more fortunate. At the time of the attack, he was a member of a military-aligned Border Guard Force (BGF) called the Karenni National People’s Liberation Front (KNPLF). Starting in 2009, the military demanded that ethnic armed groups submit to its chain of command as BGFs. Those that complied, like the KNPLF, were rewarded with lucrative business deals; those that refused faced new military offensives. Nwe Lay was also a farmer and on the day of the killings, he was on his way to check on his herd of cows and buffaloes. “I saw soldiers and they just started shooting at me right away, so I ran,” he said, catching a glimpse of what was unfolding
‘Political games’: Advocates vow to fight US border policy standoff
Washington, DC – Military aid for Ukraine in exchange for stricter migration and asylum policies: That is the gambit put forward by Republicans in the United States Congress as they negotiate with Democrats over government spending. But the prospect of tighter border restrictions has prompted concern among advocates, particularly as some leading Democrats seem poised to compromise. On Tuesday, demonstrators from dozens of advocacy groups gathered near the US Capitol for a “Save Asylum” campaign, where they appealed to lawmakers not to sacrifice asylum protections as part of any spending deal. “We are here today demanding, lifting our voice, and continuing the fight to ensure that a couple of senators do not implement behind closed doors things [that] will affect our community,” said Lydia Walther-Rodriguez, an organiser with the national immigration group CASA. “We are going to lift our voices united to ensure that they do not look at us as just statistics to play political games,” she continued. “Real lives are on the line.” Top Democrats and the White House have already signalled they are willing to make concessions on immigration in return for a long-sought $110bn aid package. That deal would include military aid for Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan, as well as other security spending. Talks between Republican and Democratic senators, however, failed to reach a breakthrough before Congress adjourned last year for its holiday break. Asylum advocates rally in Washington, DC, amid fears of increased restrictions at the US border [Joseph Stepansky/Al Jazeera] With legislators returning to work this week, asylum rights supporters have vowed a flurry of advocacy work to bring awareness to the ongoing negotiations — and the stakes they entail. Tuesday’s event, held in Washington’s Reformation Lutheran Church, brought together 200 demonstrators, some of whom held signs that read “Save asylum” and “Don’t deport our families”. “Senator Schumer, we see you, but it appears you do not see us,” Murad Awawdeh of the New York Immigration Council said, speaking as if to Senate majority leader himself. “Do good by us, or we will be holding you and everyone else accountable,” he added. ‘Trump border plan, plain and simple’ Addressing the crowd on Tuesday, Senator Alex Padilla, a Democrat from California, acknowledged that there has not yet been “anything in writing” in terms of official proposals from the negotiations. Still, he added, what was emerging from the closed-door discussions had given him cause for alarm. “Republicans in Congress are seeking to double down on the failed Trump policies,” he said, referencing former Republican President Donald Trump. “What this deal is sounding like is a page out of the Trump border plan, plain and simple.” The Associated Press (AP) news agency, citing people familiar with the negotiations, reported that humanitarian parole was a sticking point in the bipartisan meetings. Humanitarian parole is a mechanism that allows US Citizenship and Immigration Services to grant temporary legal admission to the US. In 2023, the White House announced it would expand its humanitarian parole programme to accept up to 30,000 applicants per month from Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba and Haiti. That plan was part of a wider strategy the Biden administration said would increase legal pathways to enter the US, while strengthening penalties for irregular crossings at the southern border. But while the Biden administration initially saw a decline in irregular border crossings after the announcement, the overall number has since shot upwards. The US Customs and Border Protection agency documented a record 2,475,669 irregular “encounters” for its 2023 fiscal year, and officials in communities like Eagle Pass, Texas, reported struggling to accommodate the influx of arrivals. Republican officials, as well as some Democrats, have used the heightened numbers to push the federal government for more action. Congressional negotiators reportedly agreed to make asylum interviews more restrictive and allow authorities to quickly expel those crossing the border without humanitarian screenings in periods of increased crossings. However, they have not been able to agree on the number of crossings that would trigger such a policy, according to the AP. The news agency previously reported that other proposals included making it easier to deport migrants who have been in the US for fewer than two years, even if they reside far from the border, and detaining and electronically monitoring families crossing the border. Both tactics, critics fear, would represent a return to hardline Trump-era practices. Speaking at the rally on Tuesday, advocates and elected officials warned the situation was particularly dire because the strict measures Congress members were weighing could end up codified in law. That would make them harder to challenge than policies solely put in place by the executive branch. Senator Mazie Hirono said Republicans were holding aid to the US allies “hostage” to demand “negative, really bad changes that they want to make to the immigration system”. “And my concern is that they are really setting the stage for getting what they want,” she said. ‘Asylum saves lives’ The presidential and congressional elections in November loom large over the immigration fight in Congress. Recently, Republicans in the House of Representatives launched impeachment proceedings against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, accusing him of failing to enforce laws at the border. Speaking in Texas this week, Mayorkas defended his record. From June to July of last year, he said his agency “removed or returned more noncitizens without a basis to remain in the United States than any other five-month period in the last 10 years”. But while Republicans and some Democrats want stricter border restrictions, some politicians — particularly on the left — are wary of more heavy-handed policies. Biden has already faced criticism from within his own Democratic Party for a raft of measures meant to curb southern border crossings by limiting those eligible to make asylum claims. One rule broadly disqualified people from seeking asylum in the US if they crossed through a third country where they could seek asylum or otherwise “circumvent available, established pathways to lawful migration”. Asylum seekers are taken into custody by officials at the Texas-Mexico border
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 686
As the war enters its 686th day, these are the main developments. Here is the situation on Wednesday, January 10, 2024. Fighting Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow would do everything it could to halt Ukrainian attacks on Belgorod as Russia’s Defence Ministry said it had brought down 10 rockets fired at the Russian border city in an attack that injured three. Hundreds of people have been evacuated from Belgorod since an attack last month that killed more than 20 civilians. One person was killed in Ukrainian shelling of Russia’s Kursk region near the border, while three people were injured after drones struck a fuel facility in the neighbouring region of Oryol, according to the governors of the two regions. One person was killed in Ukrainian shelling of Horlivka in Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Donetsk region, according to the town’s Russian-installed mayor. At least 520 children have been killed and nearly 1,200 injured since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year, according to the office of Ukraine’s Prosecutor General. A body was found in the ruins of a Kyiv warehouse destroyed in Russia’s December 29 missile attack on the Ukrainian capital, bringing the number of deaths in the bombardment to 33. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu assured security officials that his forces were in control along the roughly 1,500km (930-mile) front line, which has been largely static over the past year despite fierce fighting. “We retain the strategic initiative along the entire line of contact,” Shoigu said, accusing the United States of pressuring Ukraine to keep fighting against Russia. He claimed that Ukraine lost 215,000 soldiers in the fighting last year. Politics and diplomacy A secret meeting took place last month in Saudi Arabia between Ukraine, its Group of Seven (G7) allies and a small group of Global South countries to build support for Kyiv’s peace plan, according to Bloomberg News. The report, citing people familiar with the situation, said China chose not to attend and Russia was not invited. Russia’s Interior Ministry put exiled Russian tycoon and opposition leader Mikhail Khodorkovsky on its wanted list, accusing him of spreading false information about the Russian army, according to Russian state news agency TASS. London-based Khodorkovsky has been a vocal critic of the war in Ukraine The Italian city of Modena blocked the use of a public hall to host a private event on the reconstruction of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, which is under Russian occupation, saying it appeared to openly support Russia’s invasion. The event was organised by the Russia Emilia-Romagna cultural association and panellists included the Russian consul general in Milan, Dmitry Shtodin, according to the organisers’ website. Weapons A group of 48 countries, including Argentina, Australia and the US condemned “in the strongest possible terms the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) export and Russia’s procurement of DPRK ballistic missiles, as well as Russia’s use of these missiles against Ukraine on December 30, 2023, and January 2, 2024”. Such transfers breached United Nations Security Council resolutions on North Korea, they added in a joint statement. The Kremlin’s Peskov declined to comment on the US and Ukrainian allegations. Ukraine’s Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat told national television that Russia’s recent escalation of missile and drone attacks was stretching Ukraine’s air defence resources, leaving the country vulnerable unless it could secure further weapons supplies. Russia fired more than 500 drones and missiles between December 29 and January 2, according to officials in Kyiv. Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said an internal audit of the ministry had so far uncovered corruption schemes estimated at more than $262m, including over the purchase of ammunition. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said there were “clear signs of a slowdown” in the activities of Russia’s defence industry and called for further action to eliminate loopholes in sanctions against Moscow. Zelenskyy did not provide evidence for his claim. Adblock test (Why?)
Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2024 to be inaugurated by PM Modi today; all you need to know
The Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit serves as a crucial forum for fostering business alliances, exchanging knowledge, and building strategic partnerships to promote inclusive growth and sustainable development.
NYC high school students forced into remote learning as 2,000 migrants sheltered in school instead
Nearly 2,000 migrants being sheltered in a tent shelter in New York City are being transferred to a nearby high school, where the students will have to pivot to remote learning due to the disruption it is causing – sparking outrage from residents and local politicians. New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ office said it is moving 1,900 migrants from the tent shelter at Floyd Bennett Field for safety reasons due to the incoming storms and potential high winds. According to the New York Daily News, Adams told reporters that it was being done out of an “overabundance of caution.” “We want to make sure people are safe,” he said. But it is controversially moving them to James Madison High School, which confirmed it was being used as a “temporary overnight respite center” and would be closed as a result on Wednesday — with students being forced to “pivot” to remote learning as a result. ERIC ADAMS SAYS NYC IS AT ‘BREAKING POINT’ AS HE WARNS OF ANOTHER SURGE OF MIGRANTS FROM TEXAS In a statement, Republican Councilwoman Inna Vernikov called the move “unacceptable,” arguing that Floyd Bennett Field is “not a sustainable housing facility.” “Our public schools are meant to be places of learning and growth for our children, and were never intended to be shelters or facilities for emergency housing,” she said. NYC MAYOR ADAMS SUES TEXAS BUS COMPANIES FOR TRANSPORTING MIGRANTS TO SANCTUARY CITY, SEEKS $700 MILLION NYC Comptroller Brad Lander, a Democrat, said that placing migrants at the Floyd Bennett Field “highlights the mismanagement and waste of money that is all-too-present in City Hall’s approach to shelter and services for asylum seekers.” The New York Post reported how the move has infuriated parents of students at the school, with one woman screaming at buses as they arrived: “How does it feel that you kicked all the kids out of school tomorrow!” Adam’s office told the outlet that the move is a proactive measure to ensure the safety of individuals both living and working at the migrant facility and will “continue until any weather conditions that may arise have stabilized and the facility is once again for living.” Adams’ office has said that over 160,000 migrants have surged into the “sanctuary” city since the middle of 2022, some of whom have been bused in directly by Texas. Officials have said the city is overwhelmed, with Adams warning the crisis could “destroy” the city. TEXAS HITS MAJOR MILESTONE FOR MIGRANTS SENT TO SANCTUARY CITIES DESPITE LIBERAL FURY: ‘WE WILL NOT BACK DOWN’ He, along with other Democratic city mayors, has called on the federal government to do more by providing more funding, quicker work permit processing and help with resettlement. Meanwhile, his city slashed budgets last year for education, policing and other sectors. He has also put restrictions in place on when and where migrant buses can drop off their passengers, and has called for other mayors in the region to do the same. Separately, his administration has launched a lawsuit seeking $700 million from the transportation companies involved in dropping off the migrants. However, Texas has stood by its busing strategy, saying it is needed to relieve overwhelmed border towns, which are seeing more migrants than cities like New York City. “Until [President] Biden reverses course on his open border policies, Texas will continue transporting migrants to these cities,” he said. “We will not back down on our efforts to secure the border.” Meanwhile. Fox News reported this week that DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told Border Patrol agents this week that “above 85%” of migrants currently being encountered are being released into the U.S. interior.