PM Modi to inaugurate ‘Surat Diamond Bourse’ today: All you need to know about world’s biggest workspace
The SDB building, the world’s largest office complex with over 67 lakh square feet of floor area, is located at Khajod village near Surat city.
Al Jazeera to refer journalist Samer Abudaqa’s killing to ICC
The Al Jazeera Arabic cameraman was killed by a drone attack while reporting on the bombing of a school in southern Gaza Strip. The Al Jazeera Media Network says it will refer the killing of its cameraman Samer Abudaqa in Gaza to the International Criminal Court (ICC). In a statement on Saturday, the Qatar-based network said it has instructed its legal team to “urgently” refer the case of what it called “the assassination” of Al Jazeera Arabic cameraman Samer Abudaqa to the court in The Hague. Abudaqa was killed by a drone attack on Friday while reporting on an earlier bombing of a school used as a shelter for displaced people in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. Samer Abudaqa [Screengrab/Al Jazeera] “Al Jazeera Media Network reiterates its denunciation and condemnation of the assassination crime of its colleague, Samer Abudaqa, who devoted 19 years with the Network to covering the ongoing conflict in the occupied Palestinian territories,” said the network’s statement. “In addition to the assassination of Abudaqa by the Israeli occupation forces in the Gaza Strip, the legal file will also encompass recurrent attacks on the Network’s crews working and operating in the occupied Palestinian territories and instances of incitement against them.” Targeting journalists is a war crime under Article 8 of the Rome Statute. The media network said it has set up a working group comprising its international legal team and international legal experts to submit a file to the court’s prosecutor. Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent Wael Dahdouh – who lost his wife, son, daughter and grandson in a previous Israeli bombing – was wounded in the same attack on Friday. He was hit by shrapnel on his upper arm and managed to reach the Nasser Hospital where he was treated for minor injuries. But rescue teams were unable to immediately reach Abudaqa and others at the site as they needed approval from Israeli forces to bulldoze through the debris to get to the location. By the time rescuers arrived five hours after the attack, Abudaqa had bled to death. The 45-year-old was laid to rest in southern Gaza on Saturday, with dozens of mourners, including journalists, paying their respects. “We are carrying this human message, we are carrying this noble message,” Dahdouh said in his eulogy as mourners around him wept. “We will continue to do our duty with professionalism and transparency.” Al Jazeera had previously submitted a formal request to the ICC to investigate and prosecute those responsible for shooting a veteran television reporter Shireen Abu Akleh in May 2022 while covering an Israeli military raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. Evidence provided in the request, filed in December 2022, includes a comprehensive six-month investigation by the network, gathering witness accounts and video footage, among other material. The ICC has acknowledged its receipt, yet no further steps have been taken. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says the ongoing conflict in Gaza is the deadliest for journalists ever recorded, with at least 64 reporters and media workers killed in 10 weeks of the enclave’s bombing. The CPJ has also called on the international authorities to “conduct an independent investigation into the attack to hold the perpetrators to account”. Adblock test (Why?)
Israel’s Netanyahu hints new deal under way to release Gaza hostages
The Israeli leader’s comments came after Qatar confirmed talks are on for a possible new truce. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made comments, suggesting that new negotiations were under way to recover hostages held by Hamas. In a televised press conference on Saturday, Netanyahu called the conflict an “existential war” that must be fought until victory, despite pressure and costs, and said Gaza would be demilitarised and under Israeli security control. His statements came a day after Israeli forces mistakenly killed three of more than 100 captives. Netanyahu said Israel’s offensive in Gaza had helped clinch a partial hostage-release deal in November and promised to maintain intense military pressure on Hamas. “The instruction I am giving the negotiating team is predicated on this pressure, without which we have nothing,” he said. Netanyahu’s comments came after the chief of Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency, met the prime minister of Qatar, a country mediating between Israel and Hamas, and whose efforts resulted in a seven-day truce and exchange of hostages last month. Earlier on Saturday, Qatar confirmed that talks were under way for a possible new truce. Netanyahu sidestepped a question about the meeting reportedly held in Europe, but confirmed he had given instructions to the negotiating team. “We have serious criticisms of Qatar … but right now we are trying to complete the recovery of our hostages,” he said. A Hamas statement later said the group “affirms its position not to open any negotiations to exchange prisoners unless the aggression against our people stops once and for all”. “The movement communicated this position to all mediators,” it added. On Friday, Israeli forces admitted to mistakenly killing three Hamas-held hostages, all in their 20s, in the Shijaiyah area of Gaza City, where the troops are engaged in fierce fighting with Hamas. Israel continues to pound Gaza, killing nearly 19,000 Palestinians since October 7. Thousands more are feared buried under rubble. Israel says at least 1,147 people were killed in the Hamas attack on its soil two months ago. The 10-week war has flattened much of northern Gaza and displaced 85 percent of the territory’s population of 2.3 million from their homes. Adblock test (Why?)
At least 61 asylum seekers drown after shipwreck off Libya: IOM
DEVELOPING STORYDEVELOPING STORY, International Organization for Migration’s Libya office quotes survivors as saying the boat was carrying about 86 people. At least 61 refugees and migrants, including women and children, have drowned following a “tragic” shipwreck off Libya, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) says. The organisation’s Libya office early on Sunday quoted survivors as saying the boat was carrying around 86 people. A “large number of migrants” are believed to have died because of high waves which swamped their vessel after it left from Zuwara, on Libya’s northwest coast, the IOM’s Libya office said in a statement. Libya and Tunisia are principal departure points for migrants risking dangerous sea voyages in hopes of reaching Europe, via Italy. In the latest incident, most of the victims – who included women and children – were from Nigeria, Gambia and other African countries, the IOM office said, adding that nearly 25 people were rescued and transferred to a Libyan detention centre. An IOM team “provided medical support” and the survivors are all in good condition, the organisation said. Flavio Di Giacomo, an IOM spokesperson, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that more than 2,250 people died this year on the central Mediterranean migrant route, a “dramatic figure which demonstrates that unfortunately not enough is being done to save lives at sea”. On June 14 this year, the Adriana, a fishing boat loaded with 750 people en route from Libya to Italy, went down in international waters off southwest Greece. According to survivors, the ship was carrying mainly Syrians, Pakistanis and Egyptians. Only 104 survived and 82 bodies were recovered. More than 153,000 migrants arrived in Italy this year from Tunisia and Libya, according to the United Nations refugee agency. Adblock test (Why?)
Official leading Biden’s EV push steps down in surprise move after heavy GOP opposition
A top federal official who helped craft regulations aimed at pushing future electric vehicle (EV) use is departing the Biden administration in an unexpected move, according to an internal agency memo obtained by Fox News Digital. Ann Carlson — who is currently the acting administrator for the Department of Tranportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — will step down from her role on Dec. 26, 2023, and depart the agency entirely at the end of January. Patrick Lally, who heads NHTSA’s governmental affairs office, made the announcement in a memo circulated among agency staff late Friday. “Ann has been a tremendous leader — her time as Acting Administrator of NHTSA was time limited under the Vacancies Reform Act,” a DOT spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement. “She is returning to her previous role of senior advisor and Chief Counsel for one month to assist with the transition.” “Under her leadership, NHTSA strengthened child seat standards, moved to require Automated Emergency Braking in light and heavy vehicles, oversaw major recalls, held registered importers and those who commit odometer fraud accountable for their bad acts, and after horrific increases in previous years, for six straight quarters roadway fatalities have declined,” the statement continued. BIDEN OFFICIAL DOGGED BY ETHICS PROBE FACES KEY SENATE VOTE OVER TAXPAYER-FUNDED SALARY: ‘SERIOUS SCANDAL’ Carlson, though, had garnered strong opposition from Republicans over her past climate activism, support for regulations targeting gas-powered vehicles and how she continued to lead NHTSA in an acting role even after failing Senate confirmation for the post in a permanent capacity. In January 2021, the Biden-Harris transition team hired Carlson, then an environmental law professor at UCLA, to serve as NHTSA’s chief counsel. While the position didn’t require Senate confirmation, Carlson oversaw key agency initiatives in that role and began serving as acting administrator in September 2022. TOP REPUBLICANS LAUNCH PROBE INTO LEONARDO DICAPRIO-FUNDED BLUE STATE LAWSUITS AGAINST BIG OIL Then in February 2023, Biden nominated Carlson to permanently lead NHTSA. In the months that followed, she faced heavy opposition from Senate Commerce Committee Republicans for her past work in the private sector advising plaintiffs on climate litigation and comments she made via email about her role with the Biden administration. Her nomination was then suddenly withdrawn in May, but she remained acting administrator, sparking fury from Republicans and energy advocates. And after her nomination was withdrawn, Carlson crafted new fuel economy regulations designed to incentivize greater EV purchases. “As Senate Republicans pointed out repeatedly, Ann Carlson was serving as acting administrator contrary to the law,” Commerce Committee Ranking Member Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital. “Her attempts to hijack this safety agency by rewriting auto fuel economy standards into an unpopular de facto EV mandate should not stand as a result of her illegal appointment.” “I am hopeful President Biden will nominate someone with the requisite safety experience to lead NHTSA, not another radical, ‘Green New Deal’ activist,” he continued. In addition to leading opposition to Carlson’s nomination for NHTSA administrator, Cruz introduced a resolution alongside Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., in September which would have effectively defunded Carlson. Cruz has argued that Carlson maintaining her position as acting administrator violated the Federal Vacancies Reform Act which prohibits “any person who has been nominated to fill any vacant office from performing that office’s duties in an acting capacity.” He noted the provision and the fact that Carlson did not serve in the position of first assistant to the previous NHTSA chief for more than 90 days before he resigned, precluded her from her current position. “President Biden’s illegal appointment of Ann Carlson, who was effectively rejected by the Senate due to concerns about her extreme agenda and radical record, will only yield more mandates, higher costs for families and a less vibrant economy,” Cruz said in September.
Senate sex tape: Congressional staffer allegedly seen in leaked video could face charges, legal expert says
An alleged congressional staffer who filmed an explicit sex tape inside a Senate hearing room could face criminal charges, one lawyer argues. The U.S. Capitol Police told Fox News they were aware of an amateur pornographic video published by the Daily Caller on Friday, which shows someone identified as a congressional staffer, engaging in sex with another man in Hart Senate Office Building room 216. According to the Daily Caller, the video was leaked after being “shared in a private group for gay men in politics.” The men’s identities haven’t been confirmed. Posts on social media claimed the alleged staffer worked for Sen. Ben Cardin’s office. Hours after the story broke, Cardin’s office announced that a legislative aide had been dismissed but did not address reports linking a member of his staff to the sex tape. NSFW: CAPITOL HILL ROCKED BY SEX TAPE SCANDAL FEATURING FAMOUS SENATE HEARING ROOM “We will have no further comment on this personnel matter,” his office wrote in a statement. In a blog post, Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley, an attorney and professor at George Washington University Law, discussed possible charges that could be brought. Turley said, “the question is whether this unofficial use would constitute trespass.” “It also uses an official area for personal purposes, though it is not clear if there were any commercial benefits garnered from the video found on various sites,” Turley wrote. Turley said one possible charge could fall under D.C. code section 22-1312, which discusses lewd, indecent, or obscene acts. “It is unlawful for a person, in public, to make an obscene or indecent exposure of his or her genitalia or anus, to engage in masturbation, or to engage in a sexual act as defined in § 22-3001(8). It is unlawful for a person to make an obscene or indecent sexual proposal to a minor. A person who violates any provision of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be fined not more than the amount set forth in § 22-3571.01, imprisoned for not more than 90 days, or both,” the criminal code states. SENATE DEMOCRATS AT ODDS WITH SCHUMER OVER BORDER TALKS: ‘TERRIBLY MISTAKEN’ Turley says that the question regarding charges falling under this section would be whether a locked Senate committee room is considered “in public.” Whether or not any video filmed in the hearing room was used to make money could also “have bearing on potential charges,” Turley argued. He also brought up 18 U.S.C. 641, which addresses improper use of public money, property, or records. “The Capitol police could argue that this constitutes purloining or using government property for personal purposes,” Turley wrote. “The key factor is the fact that this videotape was made with the apparent intent to publish or show others. Sex in congressional offices — by both members and staff — have long been known to occur on Capitol Hill. Yet, this was a public hearing room, albeit closed at the time, and a tape made for what appears public viewing.” Addressing trespassing, Turley said “the question may be whether this was access under legal authority for a staffer. The Capitol police can argue that access to a staff position does not mean a license for entry for any purpose.” “Does a staffer have legal authority to enter any hearing room for any purpose? That could be a defense raised by counsel, but it would seem likely that any access is premised on an official function,” he wrote. U.S. Capitol police told Fox News of the video, “We are aware and looking into this.” Fox News Digital’s Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.
NSFW: Capitol Hill rocked by sex tape scandal featuring famous Senate hearing room
The United States Senate was rocked by a gay sex tape scandal after a video of two men engaged in an explicit sex act in a Senate hearing room appeared online. U.S. Capitol Police told Fox News they were aware of an amateur pornographic video published by the Daily Caller late Friday. The extremely graphic footage shows someone identified as a congressional staffer having sex with another man on the dais in hearing room 216 of the Hart Senate Office Building. The identities of the men in the video have not been confirmed. The Daily Caller reported that the video was leaked in a chat and was “shared in a private group for gay men in politics.” Posts on social media claimed the alleged staffer worked for Sen. Ben Cardin’s office. Hours after the story broke, Cardin’s office announced that a legislative aide had been dismissed but did not address reports linking a member of his staff to the sex tape. SENATE DEMOCRATS AT ODDS WITH SCHUMER OVER BORDER TALKS: ‘TERRIBLY MISTAKEN’ A senior Congressional official told Fox News that if the sex acts were consensual, “no crime was committed,” regardless of the locale. Even so, the official said the act could have violated Senate ethics rules. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s office did not respond to a request for comment. Fox News Digital has reached out to several members of the Senate Ethics Committee, including ranking member Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., but has not received a response. DEM SEN PRAISED ‘DIVERSITY AND EQUITY’ EFFORTS OF ISLAMIC GROUP WHOSE LEADER WAS ‘HAPPY TO SEE’ HAMAS ATTACK FOX News contributor Jonathan Turley suggested in a blog post that the individuals seen in the video could face potential criminal charges, even if the act was consensual. “Obviously, the videotape will result in the termination of any staffers involved. However, the question is any possible criminal charge,” Turley wrote on his website. According to Turley, the charges would hinge on whether the unofficial use of a Senate hearing room for the sexcapade would constitute trespass. GOP LAWMAKERS SKEPTICAL ABOUT VOTING ON BORDER DEAL BEFORE CHRISTMAS AS DEMS THREATEN TO DELAY BREAK “One obvious criminal provision under the D.C. code is Section 22-1312 for lewd, indecent, or obscene acts,” Turley wrote. “The question is whether this is ‘in public’ in a locked committee room — any more than sex in a congressional office after hours would be viewed as ‘in public.’’ Room 216 in the Hart Senate Office Building is a famous hearing room. The dais where the graphic video was filmed is a place from which U.S. Senators have grilled high-profile presidential nominees, including justices of the Supreme Court. Asked about the video, U.S. Capitol Police told Fox News “We are aware and looking into this.” Fox News’ Chad Pergram contributed to this report.
ICE nabs illegal immigrant MS-13 gang member released back onto streets after manslaughter conviction
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested an illegal immigrant MS-13 gang member who was released onto the streets in Maryland in 2019 after he served prison time for voluntary manslaughter, despite an ICE request to transfer him into its custody so he could be deported. The agency announced that it had arrested the 26-year-old Honduran on December 12, who had been convicted of the crime in 2016 and had been validated as a member of MS-13 — a gang known for horrific and gruesome crimes, and whose motto is said to be “Mata, viola, controla” — which means “Kill, rape, control.” He had initially been encountered as an unaccompanied child in 2014 by Border Patrol and was transferred to the custody of his father. He was arrested and charged with assault in 2015 and was convicted of resisting arrest in 2016. GOP LAWMAKER RIPS BIDEN OFFICIAL OVER SPECIAL AGENTS REASSIGNED TO ‘MAKE SANDWICHES’ FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS Later in 2016, he was charged with first-degree murder, second-degree assault, second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder in the second degree, assault in the first degree, conspiracy to commit assault in the first degree, conspiracy to commit assault in the second degree, having a dangerous weapon with the intent to injure, having a handgun on his person, reckless endangerment, conspiracy to commit reckless endangerment and possession of a firearm by a minor. ICE then lodged an immigration detainer — a request that the agency be notified when he is due to be released so it could transfer him into ICE custody and deport him — with the detention center in Maryland’s Prince George’s County. He was convicted of voluntary manslaughter, sentenced to 10 years in prison, and the remaining charges were dismissed. However, the court suspended all but 751 days of his sentence, so he was released in January 2019. ICE AGENTS RECAPTURE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CHARGED WITH RAPE WHO WAS RELEASED ONTO STREETS IN VIRGINIA Crucially, the county ignored the detainer and released him from custody — which is in line with “sanctuary” policies that mostly refuse to honor ICE detainers. It has taken nearly five years for ICE to be able to arrest him, which they did outside his residence in Hyattsville. He is now in ICE custody pending his removal. ICE has consistently expressed its frustration with jurisdictions that use “sanctuary” policies not to alert ICE of the release of criminal illegal immigrants back onto the streets and did so in a release on Friday. “This unlawfully present noncitizen is not only a member of a violent street gang, but he has also proven to be a severe threat to the public by killing one of our residents,” ERO Baltimore acting Field Office Director Darius Reeves said in a statement. “Violent noncitizen criminals like this Honduran national need to be removed from this country,” he said. “It is a shame when local law enforcement agencies refuse to honor ICE detainers. ERO Baltimore will not relent in our pursuit of justice for the people of our Maryland communities.”
Arizona’s Democratic gov mobilizes National Guard to border, as Washington tries to reach border deal
Gov. Katie Hobbs is mobilizing the state’s National Guard to Arizona’s border with Mexico to help with the ongoing migrant crisis, as she accuses the federal government of “refusing” to do its job to secure the border. Hobbs signed an executive order to mobilize the Guard, which she said will assist law enforcement with fentanyl interdiction, analytical support and human trafficking enforcement efforts. Arizona’s Tucson Sector has been particularly hard hit by a new wave of migrants coming over the border. Earlier this month, the sector set a new record for weekly encounters when officials encountered over 17,500 migrants. STUNNING IMAGES SHOW ARIZONA BORDER OVERRUN BY MASSIVE SURGE OF ADULT MALE MIGRANTS FROM ACROSS GLOBE Federal officials closed the border crossing in Lukeville to reassign resources to deal with the surge, which comes in the third year of the ongoing migrant crisis. “Yet again, the federal government is refusing to do its job to secure our border and keep our communities safe,” Hobbs said in a statement. “With this Executive Order, I am taking action where the federal government won’t. But we can’t stand alone, Arizona needs resources and manpower to reopen the Lukeville crossing, manage the flow of migrants, and maintain a secure, orderly and humane border.” “Despite continued requests for assistance, the Biden administration has refused to deliver desperately needed resources to Arizona’s border,” she said. The Biden administration has taken heat over the crisis from Republicans and Democrats, including from state and local officials who say it has not provided enough resources. HOUSE DEM CALLS FOR ANSWERS FROM MAYORKAS OVER DENIAL OF BORDER FUNDING EXTENSION TO ARIZONA COUNTY The administration has said that it is dealing with a hemisphere-wide crisis and has appealed to Congress for more funding and comprehensive immigration reform to fix what it says is a “broken” system. It has recently requested an additional $14 billion in emergency supplemental funding from Congress, which includes $1.4 billion for “shelter and services” for migrants released from DHS custody. This is in addition to $800 million that has been handed out to states and non-governmental organizations by the administration in order to help deal with the many migrants who have been released into the U.S. interior. But that funding request has been held up in Congress as Republicans have demanded greater restrictions on asylum and humanitarian parole, a call that some Democrats have rebuffed. CONSERVATIVE GROUPS, EX-BORDER OFFICIALS DEMAND LAWMAKERS REJECT ‘UNACCEPTABLE’ BORDER COMPROMISE Talks have been ongoing among Senate Democrats and Republicans and the Biden administration to try and resolve the gridlock, and Biden has said he is open to “significant compromises.” The White House has reportedly expressed openness to restrictions, including a Title 42-style removal authority and expanded detention, but it is unclear whether that would be backed by Democrats or would be enough for Republicans — including those in the House — to get their support.
MP: Congress’ Jitu Patwari replaces Kamal Nath as state unit chief, Umang Singhar new LoP
Congress designated Brahmin Hemant Katare (38), as the party’s deputy, and tribal Umang Singhar (48), as the leader of the Congress Legislature Party.