Russian attacks across Ukraine kill at least 11 people
Governor says strike on Ukraine’s Zaporizhia region sets a service station on fire, killing at least nine people. At least nine people have been killed in a Russian attack on Ukraine’s Zaporizhia region, its governor says. Ivan Fedorov said the strike on Friday set a car garage and service station on fire. “Nine dead and six wounded,” Fedorov said in a post on Telegram alongside images of a fire blazing with debris strewn across a street. He added that two children, aged four and 11, were among those hurt. The attack comes after weeks of escalation in the nearly three-year war in Ukraine, where Moscow has stepped up its strikes at the start of winter. The Russian military also struck the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih on Friday, the local governor said, killing at least two people. The state emergency services agency said at least 16 others were wounded, including a child, while rescuers were searching for one missing person. “A three-storey building was destroyed, residential buildings and cars were damaged,” the agency said on Telegram. Kryvyi Rih, located about 80km (50 miles) from the front lines in southern Ukraine, has been targeted frequently by Russian aerial strikes since the country’s 2022 invasion of its neighbour. Advertisement Friday’s attacks came as Russian President Vladimir Putin met with his Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko, in Belarus’s capital of Minsk, where the two leaders signed a mutual defence pact. Speaking alongside Lukashenko, Putin emphasised the new agreement includes the potential use of Russian tactical nuclear weapons deployed to Belarus in response to an aggression. Russia also could deploy its newly developed hypersonic Oreshnik missiles in Belarus in 2025 as it begins to ramp up production, the Russian president said. Moscow unveiled the nuclear-capable weapon last month in a strike on the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro, sharply escalating tensions. “As for the possibility of deploying, to put it bluntly, such formidable weapons as Oreshnik on Belarusian territory, … it will become possible, I think, in the second half of next year,” Putin said on Friday. Russia had already deployed tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus in 2023. Putin and other Russian officials have repeatedly said such weapons deployed to Belarus remain under Moscow’s control, but the secretary of Belarus’s Security Council, Alexander Volfovich, said on Friday that their use would require Lukashenko’s approval. On Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the recent use of the Oreshnik medium-range missile in Ukraine sought to make the West understand that Moscow was ready to use “any means” to stave off defeat. The Oreshnik launch on November 21 came after Ukraine carried out strikes against Russian military facilities in the Bryansk and Kursk regions with Western-supplied weapons. Advertisement Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called Russia’s use of Oreshnik “the latest bout of Russian madness” and appealed to allies for updated air defence systems to meet the new threat. Hypersonic missiles travel at speeds of at least Mach 5 – five times the speed of sound – and can manoeuvre mid-flight, making them harder to track and intercept. Adblock test (Why?)
Food crisis as 1.5 million Syrians could be displaced, says WFP
NewsFeed The ongoing fighting in Syria is expected to displace around 1.5 million people, says the UN World Food Programme. This is a breaking point for a food crisis in the country where 12.9 million people are already considered food insecure. Published On 6 Dec 20246 Dec 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Why is the opposition capture of Hama in Syria so important?
Opposition fighters in Syria captured the strategic city of Hama on Thursday in a matter of hours. Fighters from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which means the Committee for the Liberation of the Levant, led the offensive as they stormed the city. Government forces quickly retreated. Inhabitants appeared to welcome what many described as the liberation of their city from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s clutches. One HTS fighter, who did not want to give his name, told Al Jazeera after entering Hama: “Thank God we liberated the city of Hama and now we are securing [it]. With God’s blessing, we will enter the city of Homs next.” Analysts and observers believe antigovernment fighters could capture most of the country, but say Hama has a particular value for the Syrian opposition. This is what we know about the strategic and symbolic significance of the city. Why is Hama so significant in Syria? The city witnessed one of the most brutal acts of repression in Syrian history, analysts and observers say. Advertisement In 1982, al-Assad’s father, Hafez, who was then president, ordered the killing of members of the Muslim Brotherhood who were occupying the city. The targeted people were part of a movement trying to remove the al-Assads from power and had taken over the city after ambushing army troops. They killed senior officers and leaders within the government and looted their homes, according to a report by the European Council for Foreign Relations, a think tank based in the United Kingdom. The group’s operations attracted widespread support and triggered an uprising against the government in the city. The government responded by bombing Hama for several days while Syrian troops moved in to crush the uprising. Syrian opposition fighters standing on a mat bearing drawings of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his late father Hafez [AFP] In the following weeks, Syrian forces laid siege to the city, going door to door to kill, torture and arrest any young men they believed to be with the opposition, according to Amnesty International. It is estimated that between 10,000 and 40,000 people were killed in Hama – the precise figure is still unknown. “It was the awareness of the mass arrests and executions that terrified people,” said Robin Yassin-Kassab, an expert on Syria and the co-author of, Burning Country: Syrians in Revolution and War. “[The episode] made Syria a kingdom of silence,” he told Al Jazeera. The 2011 Syrian uprising momentarily shattered that barrier of fear. As protests swept the country, inhabitants of Hama gathered and sang “Yalla erhal ya Bashar,” which translates to “Come on and leave, Bashar!” Advertisement Protesters in Hama carried olive branches and crowds reached more than 500,000 people, activists told Al Jazeera in 2011. What did the Syrian regime do to Hama in 2011? All across Syria, government forces violently repressed demonstrations in 2011, including in Hama. For more than a decade, the regime barrel-bombed cities and arrested and tortured activists and perceived opponents. The government often relied on Alawi, as well as Shia, armed groups, both from Syria and across the region, to crack down on protesters. The Alawi sect in Syria is an offshoot of Shia Islam to which al-Assad and his family belong. Yassin-Kassab said many believe the barrier of fear has been shattered for a second time after rebel groups captured Aleppo and now Hama within days. In Hama, scenes of prisoners of conscience being liberated from the central prison prompted celebrations by Syrians. In the city, inhabitants tore down a statue of Hafez al-Assad. “I presumed Hama is where [the government and its loyalists] would put up a serious fight … but they weren’t capable,” said Yassin-Kassab. “After Hama [was liberated], I thought to myself: ‘The Syrian revolution is back.’” An abandoned Syrian army armoured vehicle sits on a field controlled by Syrian opposition fighters in the outskirts of Hama, on December 3, 2024 [Ghaith Alsayed/AP] Is Hama strategically important? Very much so. The capture of Hama allows rebel groups to keep moving down the Aleppo-Damascus M5 highway towards Homs, which if captured, could split apart the regime’s strongholds. Advertisement Opposition fighters appear to have reached the outskirts of the city, according to reports, while thousands of people have fled. Homs has a larger population of Alawis than Hama, but HTS has reportedly offered assurances that minorities in Syria will not be harmed. The city is effectively a gateway to Syria’s capital, Damascus, as well as to the coastal provinces of Tartous and Latakia, which are Alawi heartlands and where Russian naval and air bases are located. If Homs falls to the opposition, then opposition fighters are likely to push on to try to take Damascus, said Yassin-Kassab. “I do think if Homs falls, then that will be the beginning of the end for the [Assad regime],” he told Al Jazeera. Adblock test (Why?)
Romania’s top court annuls results of presidential election’s first round
Constitutional Court says move aims to ensure ‘correctness, legality’ of process amid Russian interference claims. Romania’s top court has annulled the results of the first round of the presidential election and says the process must be rerun after allegations that Russia ran a coordinated campaign to promote the far-right candidate who emerged as the winner. The Constitutional Court’s decision on Friday, which is final, came after President Klaus Iohannis declassified intelligence this week that alleged Romania was the target of “aggressive hybrid Russian attacks” during the election period. The alleged effort included thousands of social media accounts that promoted far-right populist Calin Georgescu across platforms such as TikTok and Telegram. The court has decided “to annul the entire electoral process for the election of the President of Romania … to ensure the correctness and legality of the electoral process”, it said in Friday’s decision. Georgescu, a pro-Russian candidate who wants to end Romania’s support for Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion, emerged as the frontrunner in the first-round vote on November 24 despite being a political outsider who declared zero campaign spending. Advertisement He was due to face pro-European Union centrist Elena Lasconi of the Save Romania Union party in a run-off on Sunday. Voting is already under way in polling stations abroad. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said the court’s ruling was “the only correct decision” after the declassified documents showed alleged Russian interference. The intelligence files released on Wednesday were from the Romanian Intelligence Service, the Foreign Intelligence Service, the Special Telecommunication Service and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. In light of their release, the Constitutional Court received multiple legal complaints urging it to annul the first-round vote, but it is not clear yet on what grounds it made the decision. A new date will now be set to rerun the first round. “The electoral process to elect Romania’s president will be fully rerun, and the government will set a new date and … calendar for the necessary steps,” the Constitutional Court said in a statement. Adblock test (Why?)
Israeli forces strike, storm Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital with ‘no warning’
The World Health Organization says Israel issued no warning for the strike on the hospital that killed four staff. At least four staff have been killed when several air strikes hit Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital and Israeli forces stormed the facility, according to the hospital’s director and the enclave’s Civil Defence agency. Hossam Abu Safieh, the director of one of the last functioning health centres in northern Gaza said a series of air strikes hit the northern and western sides of the hospital on Friday, “accompanied by intense and direct fire”. No surgeons were left in the hospital, he added. Soldiers swept into the hospital and ordered all staff, patients and displaced people into its courtyard before allowing them hours later to return inside. Richard Peeperkorn, spokesman of the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations health agency, said “there was no official warning or evacuation order before the bombing of … the hospital, only rumours that spread panic.” A Palestinian man uses a mattress to pull away a victim after an Israeli attack on Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya [AFP] This comes just a week after the WHO had facilitated the entrance of an Indonesian emergency medical delegation to the hospital for the first time in 60 days. The facility had run out of most supplies, including fuel. Advertisement Abu Safieh said some hospital staff, including the emergency team, were ordered to leave the premises for good. Peeperkorn said the fact that the attack on the hospital had taken place after Israeli authorities had allowed the entry of the medical delegation was particularly troubling for the staff and patients. “Within one week, they feel forced, scared, whatever, to leave,” Peeperkorn said at a Geneva news briefing. “That is extremely concerning and should never happen.” The hospital was “minimally functional”, he said. According to the WHO, about 12,000 patients across Gaza need medical evacuation but only 78 have been evacuated so far. The bodies of victims lie in the courtyard of Kamal Adwan Hospital [AFP] Gaza’s Ministry of Health said the three main hospitals in northern Gaza are barely functioning and have been under repeated attack since Israel sent tanks into the northern town of Beit Lahiya and nearby Beit Hanoon and Jabalia in October. The ministry on Friday accused the Israeli military of committing a “war crime” in Kamal Adwan Hospital by perpetrating “all forms of killing and violence inside and around it”. “The injured who remained inside are in critical condition and need immediate medical care,” it added. The Israeli army has not yet commented on the attack. Beit Lahiya has been the site of an intense military operation for the past two months that has escalated in recent days, forcing thousands of people to flee the bombing. Emptying the hospitals Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, said medical sources confirmed the Israeli military ordered patients out of the facility while the Indonesian medical delegation was able to flee to al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City. Advertisement “It seems that they are trying to empty northern Gaza of medical facilities and push civilians to move towards Gaza City in order to impose significant military control in these areas,” he said. Hospitals, their staff, patients and vehicles are protected under international law. An Israeli drone last week killed Ahmed al-Kahlout, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit, as he was reportedly passing through the gate of the besieged hospital in northern Gaza. Israel has accused Hamas fighters of using civilian buildings, including hospitals, schools and apartment blocks, for operational cover. Hamas has denied this, accusing Israel of indiscriminate bombings and assaults. Adblock test (Why?)
What might four more years of Donald Trump look like?
What is next for the United States as it embarks on a second Trump presidency. As the dust settles following the United States election results, the world is adjusting to the prospect of four more years of Donald Trump.The future either looks bright or worrying, depending on which side of the political aisle you stand. Presenter: Anelise Borges Guests:Ky Polanco – Co-founder of the FEMINIST organisationElizabeth Booker Houston – Lawyer and comedianMaribel Hernandez Rivera – American Civil Liberties Union Adblock test (Why?)
Trump taps hawkish former Senator David Perdue as ambassador to China
US president-elect says ex-Georgia senator will help maintain a ‘productive working relationship with China’. United States President-elect Donald Trump has named former Georgia Senator David Perdue as his pick for ambassador to China, a post that will require navigating an increasingly tumultuous relationship between Washington and Beijing. “As a Fortune 500 CEO, who had a 40-year International business career, and served in the US Senate, David brings valuable expertise to help build our relationship with China. He has lived in Singapore and Hong Kong, and worked in Asia and China for much of his career,” Trump said in a post on his social media platform Truth Social. “He will be instrumental in implementing my strategy to maintain peace in the region and a productive working relationship with China’s leaders,” Trump said. As a member of the Senate from 2015 to 2021, Perdue took a tough stance on China that has become a hallmark of the Republican Party. “America’s outdated view of China could result in lost opportunities, or even worse, dangerous miscalculations or complacency,” he wrote in a 2018 op-ed for Fox News alongside Republican Senators Steve Daines of Montana, Chuck Grassly of Iowa, and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin. Advertisement “We must have a long-term plan to compete and deal with China’s rising economic and geopolitical influence.” Perdue’s appointment will require the approval of the US Senate, but his confirmation is likely to proceed as Republicans hold a majority in the chamber. As ambassador, Perdue will face a challenging workload right out of the gate, as Trump appears set on steering the US into an all-out trade war with China. Trump has pledged to impose a 10 percent tariff on all Chinese goods when he takes office on January 20 in retaliation for Beijing’s failure to stop the flow of the synthetic opioid fentanyl into the US. During his campaign, Trump also threatened to impose tariffs of 60 percent or more on all Chinese goods. Tensions are already mounting between the two countries. Earlier this week, the outgoing administration of President Joe Biden imposed its third round of export controls on semiconductors and related technology, curbing exports to 140 companies. Beijing in retaliation blocked exports of gallium, germanium, and antimony – materials that are critical to the semiconductor and defence industries. During his first term, Trump imposed tariffs on some $300bn of Chinese goods. Biden kept those tariffs in place and added his own on goods such as electric vehicles and solar cells. Trump on Friday also tapped tech investor David Sacks as his “crypto czar” to oversee artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency policy. “In this important role, David will guide policy for the administration in artificial Intelligence and cryptocurrency, two areas critical to the future of American competitiveness,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Advertisement “David will focus on making America the clear global leader in both areas. He will safeguard free speech online, and steer us away from Big Tech bias and censorship. He will work on a legal framework so the crypto industry has the clarity it has been asking for, and can thrive in the US.” The appointment is another win for the crypto industry, after Trump named Paul Atkins as his pick to head the Securities and Exchange Commission. Atkins previously served as a SEC commissioner from 2002 to 2008 under President George W. Bush and is known for his pro-crypto and pro-business stances. Adblock test (Why?)
Can Indian billionaire Gautam Adani be tried in the US for India ‘crimes’?
It is a tumultuous time for Gautam Adani, the billionaire chairman of one of India’s biggest corporate conglomerates, the Adani Group, and one of the richest people in the world. The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has accused Adani and others of conspiring to pay about $265m in bribes to Indian government officials to obtain contracts and develop India’s largest solar power plant project. US prosecutors unveiled in November an indictment of Gautam Adani, his nephew Sagar Adani and five others. The Adani Group has rejected these claims, calling them baseless. Amid all this, Adani remains defiant. “This is not the first time we have faced such challenges … every attack makes us stronger and every obstacle becomes a stepping stone,” Adani said on Sunday at an award ceremony he was attending in the western Indian city of Jaipur, his first public appearance after the indictment. The indictment and jurisdiction complexities A grand jury indictment means that an empanelled jury, and a judge, are convinced that there is enough evidence to merit a continuing investigation and to potentially move ahead to trial, Irfan Nooruddin, an authority on US SEC corruption cases, told Indian outlet The Print. However, the bar for a grand jury indictment is lower than the bar for a jury trial, he added. Advertisement The recent allegations also highlight jurisdictional complexities. Indian senior criminal lawyer Vikas Pahwa told Al Jazeera, “The Prevention of Corruption Act [PCA] mandates investigations into bribery involving Indian officials be conducted by Indian authorities like the CBI [Central Bureau of Investigation]. Trials, if any, would also fall under Indian jurisdiction.” However, the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) governs acts of bribery involving US-linked entities, such as those using US financial systems or targeting American investors. Allegations against Adani and others include violations of anti-bribery provisions and misleading US investors during a $600m bond offering (which was withdrawn once the charges became public). While this establishes potential US jurisdiction, such cases must align with international legal principles and respect India’s sovereignty, pointed out Pahwa. Since both nations are signatories to mutual legal assistance treaties (MLATs), they need to cooperate to ensure evidence adheres to international standards. “Adani’s defence may argue the lack of a direct US connection to the alleged acts and emphasise compliance with Indian anticorruption laws,” Pahwa added. Meaning, if an investigation in India clears Adani and his co-accused of these charges, that would work in their defence in the US, he said. In terms of next steps, the US needs to issue a formal extradition request to the Indian government to bring the accused to the US for a trial. Earlier this month New Delhi said it has not received any such request. There has been no update from the government since then. Advertisement For Adani to step forward with his defence, he will have to present his case in a court in the US. It’s unclear if he would do so. He will be entitled to a speedy trial within 70 days if he demands one in a US court. Niranjan Adhikari, managing lawyer at Washington-based Adhikari Law, says, “They can begin the trial in absentia and issue lookout notices to the defendants if they do not present themselves in a defined period of time”, which is set by a jury at the time of trial. US Attorney Breon Peace, who unveiled the charges, can issue international arrest warrants for Adani and his co-defendants. In case of any such lookout notice or international warrant, they could be arrested outside India (Interpol has no jurisdiction within India), curtailing their travel. Since India and the US have an extradition treaty, India is obligated to consider the request should it come. That process would be handled by a court in India, which would need to consider several factors including whether the crime he was charged with within the US is also a crime in India, whether the charges are politically motivated or whether he could face inhumane treatment in the US. However, extradition cases are often prolonged, and Adani could fight it. Adani is also perceived to be close to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and that relationship might help him clear these charges in India, critics say. For now, the government has chosen to distance itself and said “this is a legal matter involving private firms and individuals and the US Department of Justice. We are not part of it in any manner at this point of time,” India’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told the media during a news briefing on November 29. Advertisement A jury of 12 would need to unanimously vote to convict Adani, and he could appeal a verdict against him. He could face decades in prison if convicted, but would probably receive far less time. He could also face financial penalties. Any sentence would ultimately be up to the judge overseeing the case. Adblock test (Why?)
World Bank announces record $100bn support for world’s poorest countries
International development organisation says sum will be deployed to support 78 countries that ‘need it most’. The World Bank has announced that it has raised close to $24bn to provide loans and grants for some of the world’s poorest nations, which it can leverage to generate a record $100bn in total spending power. Donor countries committed $23.7bn to replenish the bank’s concessional lending arm, known as the International Development Association (IDA), a World Bank spokesperson told the AFP news agency, marking a slight increase from the roughly $23.5bn pledged during the last fundraising round three years ago. The bank can use this money to borrow on financial markets, allowing it to leverage the amount raised by around four times, unlocking about $100bn in new loans and grants, up from $93bn in 2021. “We believe the historic success of this IDA21 replenishment is a vote of confidence and support from donors and clients,” a World Bank statement read, referring to the current IDA funding round. “This funding will be deployed to support the 78 countries that need it most,” World Bank President Ajay Banga said in a separate statement, referring to the developing countries that are eligible for IDA support. Advertisement It would, he added, help provide “resources to invest in health, education, infrastructure, and climate resilience,” as well as to help stabilise economies and create jobs. The World Bank’s announcement follows two days of talks in the South Korean capital, Seoul, a city still reeling after President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law late on Tuesday local time, before backtracking under pressure from lawmakers. IDA has become the single largest source of concessional, or below-market, climate finance, and about two-thirds of all IDA funding over the past decade has gone to support countries in Africa, according to the World Bank, an international development organisation owned by 187 countries. IDA replenishment is a crucial part of the bank’s operations, and happens once every three years, with much of the funding coming from the United States, Japan and several European countries including the United Kingdom, Germany and France. This year, the US announced ahead of time that it would commit a record $4bn in new funding to the IDA, while other countries – including Norway and Spain – also significantly stepped up their financial support. Thirty-five former recipients of IDA assistance have graduated from developing economy status in recent decades, including China, Turkey and South Korea, with many of them now donors to the fund. Adblock test (Why?)
Israel wants to continue war on Gaza, but to what end?
US president-elect Donald Trump is handing over US Middle East policy to people “who see God as some kind of cosmic real estate agent”, argues Stephen Zunes, chair of the Middle Eastern Studies Program at the University of San Francisco. Regarding Trump’s “to whom it may concern” threat that “there will be all hell to pay in the Middle East” regarding Israeli hostages, Zunes tells host Steve Clemons that the situation for Palestinians is likely to get even worse. But at least Trump “can’t pretend that he’s trying to reach an equitable, just peace” like his predecessors, Zunes says. Adblock test (Why?)