Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 674
As the war enters its 674th day, these are the main developments. Here is the situation on Friday, December 29, 2023. Fighting Ukraine’s general prosecutor said two fishermen were killed after Russia shelled a village on the banks of the Dnipro river along southern Ukraine’s front line. Five people were also injured in the attack. Ukraine’s southern military command said a Panama-flagged bulk carrier that was heading to one of the country’s River Danube ports to load grain hit a Russian mine in the Black Sea causing it to lose speed and control and starting a fire. Two members of the 18-strong crew were injured, and one of them, an Egyptian, was taken to hospital. The captain intentionally ran the ship aground to stop it from sinking and Ukraine will use tugs to take it into port. Ukraine’s air force said air defence systems shot down seven out of eight Shahed drones launched by Moscow during the night overnight, the country’s air force said on Thursday. The drones came down in three central and southern regions, the air force added. Odesa regional governor, Oleh Kiper, said a fire broke out at a multistorey building in the Black Sea port city that was hit by a downed drone. Kiper said information about casualties was being verified and urged residents to stay in shelters amid an ongoing drone attack. The Russian Defence Ministry said it thwarted a Ukrainian drone attack over Crimea, which Russia seized and annexed from Ukraine in 2014. The captain ran the ship aground after it hit the mine to stop it from sinking. Two of the crew were injured [Ukrainian Border Guards Press Service via AFP] Politics and diplomacy The United States proposed that the Group of Seven (G7) countries explore ways to seize $300bn in frozen Russian assets, according to Britain’s Financial Times. Washington, backed by the United Kingdom, Japan and Canada, has proposed that options be ready for G7 leaders to consider at a potential meeting around February 24, the report said. A Moscow court jailed two men for taking part in a poetry recital critical of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Poet Artyom Kamardin, 33, was sentenced to seven years for reciting the poem, while Yegor Shtovba, 23, got five and a half years for attending the anti-mobilisation protest. Supporters shouted “Shame!” after the sentences were announced and some people were later detained by police, according to the AFP news agency. Belarus’s President Alexander Lukashenko attended a government-organised event for a new group of children brought from Russia-occupied areas of Ukraine, amid international outrage over his country’s involvement in Moscow’s forced deportation of Ukrainian children. Officials did not say how many Ukrainian children were in the latest group. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he discussed Ukraine’s peace formula in a call with Pope Francis, noting that more than 80 countries were “already involved” in the process. Zelenskyy has said the framework will next be discussed in Davos, Switzerland. The formula requires Russia to withdraw all its troops from Ukrainian territory, including regions it has been occupying since 2014, before talks can begin. Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, said he had a “productive phone call” with Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto to discuss a meeting between Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Viktor Orban in the “near future”. Earlier this month, all European Union states except Hungary agreed to start accession talks with Ukraine, and Budapest blocked a new EU budget providing aid to Ukraine. Adblock test (Why?)
Donald Trump kicked off 2024 ballot in US state of Maine
Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows says Trump should not be allowed to run due his support of insurrection. Former United States President Donald Trump has been kicked off the ballot for the 2024 presidential primary in Maine after a state official determined the Republican frontrunner is ineligible due to his support of insurrection. Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, a Democrat, announced the decision to remove Trump from the ballot on Thursday, citing a clause in the US Constitution that bars those who have “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” from holding public office. Bellows said that Trump should be considered ineligible to run as the storming of the US Capitol on January 6 had “occurred at the behest of, and with the knowledge and support of” the former president. “I do not reach this conclusion lightly,” said Bellows. “Democracy is sacred … I am mindful that no Secretary of State has ever deprived a presidential candidate of ballot access based on Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment. I am also mindful, however, that no presidential candidate has ever before engaged in insurrection.” Trump is facing criminal charges over his alleged role in trying to overturn the outcome of the 2020 election, but the businessman-turned-politician has not been charged with insurrection related to January 6. The Trump campaign said shortly after the announcement that it would challenge the decision in court. Despite being one of the least populous US states, with just four votes in the electoral college, Maine could play an outsized role in the 2024 election. Trump carried the state’s rural 2nd district to secure one electoral vote in both 2016 and 2020. Adblock test (Why?)
PM Modi to visit Ayodhya on Dec 30, to inaugurate multiple projects worth Rs 11100 crore
The prime minister’s vision encompasses a holistic development plan exceeding Rs 15,700 crore for Ayodhya and other parts of Uttar Pradesh.
DOJ threatens to sue Texas over anti-illegal immigration law; Abbott prepared for Supreme Court fight
The Biden administration on Thursday threatened to sue Texas if it moves forward with a new anti-illegal immigration law signed this month by Gov. Greg Abbott – but the Republican governor says he is prepared to take the fight to the Supreme Court. Abbott signed the legislation, SB 4, this month, which allows law enforcement to arrest illegal immigrants and allows state judges to order them removed from the country. In a letter to Abbott, first reported by the Houston Chronicle, the Department of Justice says it will “pursue all appropriate legal remedies to ensure that Texas does not interfere with the functions of the federal government.” TEXAS IMMIGRATION LAW PUSHBACK MARKS LATEST TENSION BETWEEN BIDEN ADMINISTRATION AND BORDER STATES OVER CRISIS The letter says that the law “intrudes into a field that is occupied by the federal government and is preempted,” citing a 2012 Supreme Court ruling, U.S. v Arizona, which found that the federal government has the power to enforce immigration law, according to the outlet. In a statement to Fox News Digital, Abbott’s office said Texas was prepared to go to the nation’s highest court in defense of the legislation. “Texas is prepared to take this fight all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court to protect Texans and Americans from President Biden’s open border policies,” spokesperson Renae Eze said. “President Biden’s deliberate and dangerous inaction at our southern border has left Texas to fend for itself. Governor Abbott signed Senate Bill 4 into law last week to help stop the tidal wave of illegal entry into Texas as the President refuses to enforce federal immigration laws.” TEXAS GOV. ABBOTT SIGNS BILL MAKING ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION A STATE CRIME The legal battle is the latest clash between Abbott and the Biden administration over the illegal immigrant crisis at the border, of which Texas has been on the front line. Abbott has accused the Biden administration of failing to secure the border, while the administration has accused Abbott of promoting inhumane policies at the border. Last week a federal appeals court temporarily blocked the Biden administration from cutting razor wire set up by Texas earlier this year. The state had sued in October and had been rebuffed by a federal judge, but the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals barred the Biden administration from damaging, destroying, or otherwise interfering with Texas’s [concertina wire] fence in the vicinity of Eagle Pass, Texas” unless it is for a medical emergency. Separately, the DOJ has sued Texas over its deployment of buoys in the Rio Grande to stop illegal crossings. Texas says the buoys are designed to save lives by preventing people from entering the river, but humanitarian groups and the DOJ argue the barrier poses a safety risk. The White House has also criticized Abbott for his moves to bus migrants to “sanctuary” cities, including Chicago and New York City, which Abbott says is necessary to relieve overwhelmed border communities. FEDERAL APPEALS COURT BLOCKS BIDEN ADMIN FROM REMOVING TEXAS’ RAZOR WIRE AT SOUTHERN BORDER “We believe that Gov. Abbott’s policies and political stunts are not safe, not safe for Texas communities and our CBP, our law enforcement on the ground who are trying to do their work. It puts them in harm’s way, and they dehumanize and demonize immigrants. That’s what his political stunts do,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said last week. The threat of a new lawsuit comes as the border is again seeing record numbers at the border. Fox News reported this week that during the four-day Christmas weekend, there were more than 35,000 migrant encounters, and since Dec. 1, there have been over 250,000 migrant encounters at the southern border. Meanwhile, a delegation from the Biden administration including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas met with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Wednesday to discuss the migration crisis in the hemisphere.
Trump disqualified from Maine 2024 Republican primary ballot
Maine’s Democratic secretary of state on Thursday disqualified former President Trump from the state’s presidential primary ballot. The decision follows a ruling by the Colorado Supreme Court earlier this month that booted Trump from the ballot there under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. Colorado is a Democratic-leaning state that is not expected to be competitive for Republicans in November. This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones becomes latest victim of ‘swatting’ incident: ‘I will not be intimidated’
Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones on Wednesday became the latest victim to be targeted in a “swatting” incident, he said. The Republican tweeted Thursday that his home was “swatted” the previous night and a bomb threat was called in to his office. “Let me be clear – I will not be intimidated by those attempting to silence me,” Jones wrote. “We will put an end to this madness. We are in full compliance with law enforcement, and I am confident that those responsible will be brought to justice and be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” 2 GOP LAWMAKERS TARGETED IN CHRISTMAS DAY SWATTING CALLS AS POLICE INVESTIGATE “Swatting” involves calling 911 and faking an emergency that draws a response from law enforcement, typically a SWAT team. In recent weeks, a growing number of politicians have been targeted in swatting incidents. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who has been a victim of the move multiple times, has vowed to introduce legislation “to make it easier for law enforcement to arrest and prosecute these criminals.” Other recent victims have included Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., Rep. Brandon Williams, R-N.Y., and Ohio State Representative Kevin D. Miller. Earlier this month, the nonprofit group Secure Community Network (SCN) documented nearly 200 swatting incidents over 24 hours targeting Jewish facilities across dozens of states. Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
Nikki Haley clarifies Civil War ‘was about slavery,’ and individual freedom was ‘the lesson’
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley is cleaning up comments she made about the U.S. Civil War after catching heat from both sides of the political aisle. Haley faced a backlash from the White House and fellow Republicans on the campaign trail after she declined to mention slavery as the reason for sparking the U.S. Civil War during a town hall event on Wednesday. “I think the cause of the Civil War was basically how government was going to run — the freedoms and what people could and couldn’t do,” she said. TRUMP JR SAYS HE’D GO TO ‘GREAT LENGTHS’ TO PREVENT THIS REPUBLICAN FROM JOINING DAD’S CAMPAIGN “It was about slavery,” President Biden posted on X with a clip of Haley’s comments. “Yikes,” the campaign of fellow GOP candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wrote. Haley has since clarified that she believes the Civil War was sparked by slavery but that the “bigger issue” was determining the role of government in people’s lives. She further addressed the issue during a press gaggle with New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu on Thursday. “I think everybody thinks that the Civil War was about slavery. It was more, what’s the bigger issue of it?” she explained to Fox News’ James Levinson. “You know, we went through 80 years of that, and we know that people were struggling with ‘What’s the role of government? What’s the role of individual freedom?’ And the lesson we should take away from the Civil War is, yes, never allow slavery to happen again. But what does that mean for government and the role of individual freedom?” “We want every person to have the freedom of speech, religion, to live their life without anyone doing anything to hamper that,” she said. “That’s what this was about. So, if it required clarification of saying, yes, the Civil War was about slavery, I’m happy to do that.” “But look, I know it very well,” she added. “I fought and took down the Confederate flag in South Carolina. I am very aware of what that is. But for us to move forward as a country, what’s the lesson in it? And the lesson is every person deserves freedom, and we have to always fight for it every single day.” Sununu also chimed in, saying Haley’s comments were “spot on.” “Spot on. That’s it. The Civil War is about slavery,” he told reporters. “She acknowledged it. Moving on.” While Haley received some backlash for her initial comments, not everyone joined in the pile-on, with some conservatives arguing it was a “gotcha” question. “She couldn’t have actually handled it better,” Fox News host Griff Jenkins said on “Fox & Friends.” “And in that moment, I think she handled it quite well, considering, and didn’t give in to what would clearly, as you point out, a gotcha question.”
Can Mexico alone curb the flow of migrants to the United States?
Every day thousands of people try to cross Mexico’s border to enter the United States. Migrant crossings at the US-Mexico border have hit an all-time high. More than 10,000 people entered the United States every day this week. The crisis is putting President Joe Biden under pressure as he heads into an election year. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Mexico to ask for support in keeping migrants within its borders. The two countries have reached an agreement to keep border crossings between the two countries open after temporary closures. But how can this be achieved? And how will the issue of immigration play out politically inside the US? Presenter: Laura Kyle Guests: Rebekah Wolf – Senior advocacy strategist at the American Immigration Council, a non-profit organisation Leon Fresco – Immigration lawyer and former deputy assistant attorney general in charge of Immigration at the US Department of Justice Maureen Meyer – Vice president for programs at the Washington Office on Latin America, a human rights advocacy organisation Adblock test (Why?)
US presidential hopeful Haley fails to say slavery caused Civil War
The GOP presidential contender later amended her response to a question from an attendee at a campaign event. Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley has come under fire after failing to mention slavery when asked about the causes of the US Civil War, in which a coalition of pro-slavery southern states attempted to secede from the US. At a campaign event on Wednesday evening, Haley was asked about the causes of the Civil War by an attendee. Democrats and political rivals slammed her response, which she has since amended. “In the year 2023, it’s astonishing to me that you answer that question without mentioning the word ‘slavery’,” the attendee remarked on Wednesday after Haley gave an answer focused on “how government was going to run”. The former South Carolina governor has since clarified her response. “Of course, the Civil War was about slavery,” Haley said on Thursday in an effort to correct the omission. Haley’s rivals pilloried her answer, with US President Joe Biden posting a video of her response on social media with a caption reading “It was about slavery.” “If Nikki Haley can’t answer this basic political 101 question and then it takes her over 12 hrs to sloppily attempt to clean it up, she just isn’t ready for the bright lights of the nomination process,” wrote David Polyansky, an adviser to fellow GOP presidential candidate Ron DeSantis. While a substantial consensus exists among historians that slavery was the primary driver of the US Civil War, which took place from 1861-1865, claims to the contrary remain popular among US conservatives, especially in the southern states. Those divisions have emerged more clearly in recent years. As debates about the legacy of racism take place across the country, symbols of the Confederacy, for which the maintenance of slavery and white supremacy was a primary impulse, have become sites of contention. Such symbols include monuments commemorating figures from the Confederacy, many of them erected during periods of anti-Black violence long after the end of the Civil War, and the flag of the Confederacy, which Haley was previously criticised for calling a sign of “heritage”. In 2015, however, she signed a bill removing the Confederate battle flag from the site of the South Carolina state capitol, after a white supremacist named Dylann Roof gunned down nine Black churchgoers in a bloody attack. Roof had posted photos waving the Confederate flag and visiting Confederate heritage sites. Haley said he had “hijacked” the flag, while others suggested that his racist attack was a faithful continuation of the ideals embodied in the Confederacy. Adblock test (Why?)
Dozens of people killed as Israel carries out strikes across Gaza
Israeli forces attack cities, towns and refugee camps, killing up to 80 people and forcing thousands more to flee. At least 20 Palestinians have been killed, including women and children, when an Israeli strike hit a residential building near Kuwait Specialty Hospital in Rafah as the besieged Gaza Strip reeled from a barrage of attacks throughout the day that killed dozens. “The air strike has completely flattened the residential building that is full of displaced people,” Al Jazeera correspondent Tareq Abu Azzoum said, reporting on the aftermath of the Israeli strike on Thursday near Kuwaiti hospital. “Until now, rescue operations by the ambulances and civil defence teams continue to pull the people from under the rubble.” Palestinian authorities said on Thursday that at least 50 people had been killed as Israel bombards every corner of Gaza, where more than 21,320 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 90 percent of the population displaced. Israel has stepped up attacks across the length and breadth of Gaza, targeting Beit Lahiya, Khan Younis, Rafah and Maghazi on Thursday despite global outrage and calls for a ceasefire amid the mounting death toll. Palestinians in the besieged enclave said they have nowhere safe to flee. Ashraf al-Qudra, spokesman for Gaza’s Ministry of Health, said on Thursday that more than 200 people had been killed in 24 hours with entire families wiped out. More than 55,000 Palestinians have been wounded since Israel launched a military offensive in the wake of Hamas attacks on October 7 in southern Israel, which killed nearly 1,200 people – the country’s deadliest attack since its founding in 1948. Israel’s assault on Gaza has become one of the most destructive in modern history, enacting an enormous humanitarian toll and drawing accusations of a campaign of collective punishment against Palestinian civilians. An Israeli official on Thursday blamed the high death toll in the Christmas Eve attack on the Maghazi refugee camp on improper munitions. More than 70 people were killed in the attack, which caused a global outrage. Nearly three months into the fighting, Hamas fighters continue to put up stiff resistance against Israeli forces, including in northern Gaza, where continuous Israeli strikes have left the area unrecognisable. An Israeli siege has also severely restricted access to food, fuel, water and electricity, and UN officials have said an estimated 25 percent of people in Gaza are starving. “It’s already hard enough as it is, finding your daily meal, finding drinkable water, with this amount of people gathered in one city,” Gaza resident Mohammed Thabet told Abu Azzoum after the strike in Rafah. “Being this close to the Egyptian border in the far south of the Gaza Strip, people feel like they have nothing else they can do, like you just have to wait and hope for the best.” Asked if he felt safe in southern Gaza, Thabet said, “After everything we saw, not at all. There is nowhere safe in Gaza.” The United States has played an indispensable role in Israel’s war, providing it with weapons packages and strong diplomatic support as Israel comes under growing pressure to bring the fighting to an end. Israel has promised to press on, widening its offensive and pressing farther south into areas where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians have sought refuge. Adblock test (Why?)