Bahamas rejects Trump proposal to take in deported third-country migrants
The Bahamas says it has rejected a proposal from the transition team of United States President-elect Donald Trump to take in migrants from other countries who may be deported by the incoming administration. In a statement on Thursday, the office of Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Davis said the scheme to have the Bahamas accept deportation flights “was reviewed and firmly rejected”. “The Bahamas simply does not have the resources to accommodate such a request,” Davis’s office said. “Since the Prime Minister’s rejection of this proposal, there has been no further engagement or discussions with the Trump transition team or any other entity regarding this matter. The Government of The Bahamas remains committed in its position.” Trump, who won last month’s US presidential election and will take office on January 20, has promised to carry out the “largest deportation operation” in the country’s history. The Office of the Prime Minister wishes to address recent reports regarding a proposal from the Trump transition team in the United States for The Bahamas to accept deportation flights of migrants from other countries. This matter was presented to the Government of The Bahamas… — Latrae L. Rahming (DOC)🇧🇸 (@latraelrahming) December 5, 2024 Advertisement The proposed effort has spurred condemnation from rights advocates and raised questions about the feasibility of removing millions of undocumented immigrants from the country. The Department of Homeland Security estimates 11 million “unauthorised” people lived in the US as of 2022. The Bahamas census for the same year shows the country has less than 400,000 people total. Trump’s deportation plans will also likely test the limits of his power as president, as any “mass deportation” would involve legal challenges and cooperation with foreign governments. Citing three unnamed sources, NBC News reported earlier on Thursday that Trump’s team was preparing a list of countries that it could send migrants to should their home countries not agree to take them back. The list included the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands, Panama and Grenada, the sources told the US news outlet. In 2019, during Trump’s first term as president, the US signed a deal with Guatemala forcing asylum seekers who transited through the Central American country on their way to the US-Mexico border to first apply for protection there. The so-called “safe third country” agreement allowed the Trump administration to deport people from third countries, such as Honduras and El Salvador, to Guatemala. It remains unclear whether any countries will agree to take in deported, third-country migrants and asylum seekers when Trump takes office again in January. Last month, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Southern California sued US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to obtain records revealing how the agency’s deportation flights could be expanded to carry out a mass deportation programme. Advertisement “Little is known about how President-elect Trump would carry out its mass deportation agenda, but what we do know is that this proposal has already instilled fear among immigrant communities,” Eva Bitran, director of immigrants’ rights at the ACLU chapter, said in a statement. “The public has a right to know how its taxpayer dollars could be used to fund deportation flights that would tear apart not only families, but also our communities.” Meanwhile, Trump continues to promote his hardline immigration policies, threatening last month to impose 25-percent tariffs on Mexico and Canada “until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country!” Canada has since promised to bolster border security while Mexico — which has already been carrying out a crackdown on migrants and asylum seekers trying to reach the US — made the largest fentanyl seizure in its history this week. During a news conference on Thursday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she hoped to reach a deal with the Trump administration so that Mexico would not have to take in third-country deportees. “We hope to reach an agreement with the Trump administration so that, in case these [massive] deportations happen, they send people from other countries directly to their countries of origin,” she said. Mexico, she added, was “in solidarity with everyone, but our main purpose is to receive Mexicans”. Adblock test (Why?)
Hezbollah backs Syria’s al-Assad as opposition forces intensify offensive
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres calls for de-escalation, warns tens of thousands in Syria are at risk. Hezbollah’s secretary-general Naim Qassem has pledged the Lebanese group will stand by the Syrian government amid an advance by “terrorist groups” trying to sow chaos in the country. “They will not be able to achieve their goals despite what they have done in past days, and we as Hezbollah will be by Syria’s side in thwarting the goals of this aggression as much as we can,” Qassem said on Thursday, adding that the “aggression” is sponsored by the United States and Israel. His comments came hours after Syrian opposition forces captured the strategic city of Homs in central Syria, their latest victory in a lightning offensive that was launched eight days ago. Qassem did not give details of how Hezbollah would support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, but said the Iran-aligned group would do what it could. Hezbollah is currently observing a fragile, US-brokered ceasefire agreement with Israel, after a year of war that has brought much devastation to Lebanon’s south in particular. Many of the group’s leadership have been killed in Israeli attacks, while tens of thousands of Lebanese civilians have been driven from their homes. Advertisement ‘Region already on fire’ Civilians have also borne the brunt of Syria’s 13-year-long war, which had been largely frozen since 2020 until opposition forces led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former al-Qaeda affiliate, launched a new offensive from their strongholds in northwest Syria last week. Over the weekend the rebels captured Aleppo, the country’s second largest city, before pushing south and entering Hama on Thursday. More than 280,000 people have been displaced by the recent fighting, the United Nations World Food Programme said in a post on X. People gather near tents for the displaced who fled the Aleppo countryside, in Tabqa, Syria [Orhan Qereman/Reuters] UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an end to the fighting and said the escalating conflict in Syria is the result of a “chronic collective failure” of diplomacy. Guterres called for immediate humanitarian access to all civilians in need in Syria and a return to a UN-facilitated political process to end the bloodshed. “Tens of thousands of civilians are at risk in a region already on fire,” Guterres told reporters. “We are seeing the bitter fruits of a chronic collective failure of previous de-escalation arrangements to produce a genuine nationwide ceasefire or a serious political process to implement Security Council resolutions,” he said. He urged “all those with influence to do their part for the long-suffering people” of Syria and said all parties are obligated to protect civilians. While al-Assad relied heavily on Russian and Iranian backing throughout the most intense years of Syria’s war, some opposition groups established ties with Turkiye. Advertisement Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday called on al-Assad to urgently find a “political solution” to the war. “The Syrian regime must commit urgently with its people in favour of a global political solution,” Erdogan said in a call with Guterres, according to a statement released by the presidency. Erdogan, whose country has become home to about three million Syrian refugees since the war started in 2011, has held several discussions with other leaders on the crisis in recent days. “Turkiye has been striving to reduce tensions, protect civilians and open a political process and will continue to do so,” Erdogan was quoted as saying in the statement. Highlighting that the conflict has reached a “new stage”, Erdogan said, “Turkiye’s biggest wish is that Syria does not become embroiled in bigger instability and see even more civilian victims.” Erdogan was an outspoken critic of al-Assad for much of the war but has recently taken a more conciliatory line. Adblock test (Why?)
Brazilian vet hopes to rescue heron with cup stuck in throat
NewsFeed A Brazilian biologist who spotted a heron with a plastic cup stuck in its throat is on a mission to find the bird and save its life. Published On 5 Dec 20245 Dec 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Theatre of Violence: The ICC’s landmark trial of a former child soldier
A Ugandan defence lawyer asks whether the International Criminal Court (ICC) is imposing a new form of colonialism. Krispus Ayena is appointed defence lawyer in The Hague to defend the first former child soldier to be prosecuted by the International Criminal Court (ICC). His client, Dominic Ongwen, was nine years old when he became one of at least 20,000 children abducted by rebel leader Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in Uganda. He is charged with 70 counts of different war crimes, including torture, rape and murder. But Ayena wants him acquitted, raising vital questions about accountability when someone is both victim and perpetrator, and what justice means when prosecuted in an international court far away from the crime scene. Theatre of Violence is a documentary film by Lukasz Konopa and Emil Langballe. Adblock test (Why?)
Syrian opposition fighters enter Hama
[unable to retrieve full-text content] Syrian opposition fighters enter the city of Hama. Government forces have withdrawn from the area.
US says ‘Salt Typhoon’ Chinese hacking group behind major metadata theft
Senior US official says that dozens of telecoms providers around the world have been targeted as China slams cybersecurity ‘slander’. Chinese hackers have stolen the metadata of a large number of Americans in a wide-ranging cyber-espionage campaign that has targeted at least eight United States telecom firms, as well as dozens of other countries, officials say. Deputy national security adviser Anne Neuberger said on Wednesday that the hacking group, dubbed Salt Typhoon, gained access to communications of senior US government officials and political figures, but that “classified communications” had not been compromised. A senior official, speaking while US government agencies gave senators a closed-door briefing on the matter on Wednesday, said “the Chinese government” had focused on “a large number of individuals” in the ongoing campaign, which has targeted dozens of telecommunications and telecom infrastructure companies around the world, including “at least” eight US providers. This is not the first alleged Chinese breach of US data. In October, federal authorities confirmed hackers linked to China targeted then-presidential candidate Donald Trump and running mate JD Vance, along with people associated with Vice President Kamala Harris. Advertisement US officials have previously alleged Chinese hackers hacked Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Lumen and others. T-Mobile said it does not believe hackers got access to its customer information. Lumen said there is no evidence customer data was accessed on its network. On Tuesday, the Chinese embassy in Washington rejected accusations that it was responsible for the hack after US federal authorities issued new guidance for telecom companies on areas like encryption and monitoring. “The US needs to stop its own cyberattacks against other countries and refrain from using cybersecurity to smear and slander China,” embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said. Call record metadata does not include the content of a call but can include who a call was placed to, how long it lasted, and where it was made from. Even without the content, call record metadata – especially when captured in bulk – can reveal extraordinarily granular details about a person’s life, work and intimate relationships. A Senate commerce subcommittee will hold a hearing on December 11 on Salt Typhoon and security threats to communications networks. Adblock test (Why?)
Weapon contamination in Ethiopia wrecks limbs and dreams
On his way home from the market, Birhane noticed a group of younger kids kicking a piece of scrap metal. He recognised them from when they had gone to school together before COVID-19. That was also before the devastating armed conflict between the Ethiopian defence forces and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front shattered his hopes of getting a complete education. Overcoming the disappointment of quitting school early, the 16-year-old turned to helping his father run the family’s farm and sell produce at the market. He was still determined to realise his ambition of “improving himself and supporting his family” despite the violence and hardship that have racked his community. Coming closer to the children, Birhane realised with a flash of horror that the object they were playing with was not a simple piece of scrap metal, but an explosive. He yelled at the children, telling them to stop. When they did not listen, Birhane pushed several of them to the ground and grabbed the object to throw it away. It exploded in his hands. Advertisement Birhane lost a leg and the fingers on both hands in the explosion. Two years after the peace agreement was reached, towns in Tigray are brimming with hope for lasting stability and economic renewal. Despite the heavy damage the armed conflict caused to the economy, the streets of cities like Mekelle, Shire and Axum, lined with traditional coffee shops, bristle with traffic and revived commerce. But the scars of violence remain visible in rural areas, where metal carcasses of burned vehicles are slowly rusting away on the roadsides, and unexploded remnants of war continue to kill and maim civilians – mostly children. “Since the beginning of last year, we treated 243 people injured by unexploded ordnance,” said Venkatakannan Packirisamy, who runs the physical rehabilitation project for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Ethiopia. “But people we receive make just a fraction of all victims.” Some are killed, and others may not reach ICRC facilities. Still others have injuries that ICRC services simply cannot treat. Eighty percent of the victims the project has received are children. Tucked in the mountains, Birhane’s village has one main street populated by stone houses and shops of corrugated metal. Piles of rusting munitions are scattered throughout, some marked with stones painted red and others swallowed from view by lush vegetation. Until they explode – often taking lives with them. Adblock test (Why?)
Cricket Australia defends Afghanistan boycott after hypocrisy accusation
Cricket Australia chief says he is ‘proud’ of the decision to cancel bilateral series against Afghanistan after outgoing ICC chair questions Australia’s ‘principles’. Australia’s top cricket official has defended his country’s decision to play against Afghanistan at the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cups while cancelling all bilateral series against the South Asian side due to the Taliban’s crackdown on women’s sport. Cricket Australia (CA) chairman Mike Baird said on Thursday he was “very proud of the position we’ve taken” after the departing boss of the ICC accused them of hypocrisy. “We’ve taken a position, and we’re proudly standing up where we think we should,” Baird said. “There’s all types of lines you can draw. We’ve drawn a line.” Former ICC chairman Greg Barclay said Australia should have walked away from World Cup games against Afghanistan if they wanted to take a stand against the Taliban’s clampdown on women’s rights. “If you want to make a political statement, don’t play them in a World Cup,” Barclay told the United Kingdom’s Daily Telegraph newspaper. “Sure, it might cost you a semifinal place, but principles are principles. It’s not about having half a principle,” he added. Advertisement Australia have in recent years refused to play bilateral series against Afghanistan, citing discomfort at the ongoing Taliban’s policies on women’s participation in sport. But they continue to face Afghanistan in major tournaments and have played them at both the ICC’s one-day international World Cup in November 2023 in India and the ICC T20 World Cup in the United States and the Caribbean in June. CA indefinitely postponed a bilateral men’s T20 series against Afghanistan in March citing “deteriorating human rights for women and girls in the country under Taliban rule”. The Afghanistan Cricket Board, in reply, urged CA to “respect and understand its position and look for alternative solutions rather than succumbing to external pressures and/or political influences”. It was the third time since 2021 that Australia refused to play Afghanistan outside of international tournaments. Australia had previously cancelled a one-off Test match and an ODI series for the same reason, but had then said it kept “the door ajar for future bilateral series on the proviso of improved conditions for women and girls in the country”. Before the return of the Taliban, Afghanistan’s cricket board was slowly making progress in growing the game among women, contracting a small number of semi-professional players in 2020. Many of those players eventually fled to Australia when the Taliban took over in 2021. The teams’ last meeting came at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup on June 22 and ended in a historic triumph for Afghanistan as they beat the then-defending champions by 21 runs in the Super Eight clash. Advertisement The result prompted wild celebrations, both in the Afghanistan camp at the ground and among fans back home. “We have waited for this moment for a long time – at last, we beat Australia,” Gulbadin Naib, Afghanistan’s hero with the ball in the match, exclaimed after the win. Afghanistan had come close to beating Australia at the 50-over World Cup in India on November 7, only for Glenn Maxwell to pull off a stunning heist with a double century and deny the men in blue. Australia went on to win the World Cup by beating India in the final on November 19. The teams could come face-to-face in two months at the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, due to be hosted in Pakistan in February and March. Adblock test (Why?)
Police raid Georgia opposition parties’ offices as protests continue
The opposition Coalition for Change party says its leader Nika Gvaramia is detained by police. Police in Georgia have raided the offices of several opposition parties in what appears to be an attempt to halt a wave of protests against the governing Georgia Dream party’s decision to suspend talks on joining the European Union. Thousands of people have rallied in the capital, Tbilisi, for six consecutive nights with police firing tear gas and water cannon to disperse the crowds. Some protesters have thrown fireworks at police and constructed barricades in the city centre. On Wednesday, the opposition Coalition for Change party said its leader Nika Gvaramia had been detained by police. The party published a video on X showing Gvaramia being carried by the arms and legs by several men down some steps. Police also raided the offices of the Youth Organisation of the opposition United National Movement (UNM) party, one of the party leaders, Levan Khabeishvili, told journalists. UNM in a statement accused the Georgian government of launching “all-out terror and repressions against opponents”. Advertisement The Interpress news agency reported two members of another opposition party, Strong Georgia, had been detained by the police. Police beat and arrested the leader of the Akhali liberal opposition party and conducted a raid on the offices of the Droa party, images broadcast on local TV showed. The raids came after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze promised to crack down on what he called “radical” political forces he accused of organising the protests. “It is clear to everyone that these violent actions are entirely coordinated by the radical opposition. … No one will escape accountability, including the politicians hiding in their offices,” he said. Demonstrators clash with police officers in the Georgian capital [Irakli Gedenidze/Reuters] Demonstrators to gather again Further protests were scheduled for Wednesday evening. Al Jazeera’s Dmitry Medvedenko speaking from Tbilisi says police were stationed at the parliament building to prevent protesters from getting closer. “Agitation here is mounting near the parliament,” he said. “It is the seventh night of protests here in Tbilisi. People that we’ve been talking to have been saying the arrest of the opposition leader [Gvaramia] is not going to deter them from coming here, night after night.” Beforehand, pro-EU President Salome Zurabishvili accused Georgian Dream of closing “shops selling protective gas masks, protective goggles and helmets, leaving peaceful protesters deprived of their elementary protection”. Early on Wednesday, police cleared demonstrators from Tbilisi’s main avenue outside the parliament building, using tear gas and water cannon, then chased fleeing people throughout the city and made arrests. Advertisement The Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs said “11 protesters, three journalists and one police officer” were taken to hospitals with injuries. “On-site medical assistance was provided to dozens of individuals, including media representatives and law enforcement officers,” it added. More than 300 protesters have been detained since the demonstrations erupted on Thursday, and more than 100 people have been treated for injuries. Demonstrators accuse the government of betraying Georgia’s bid for EU membership, which is enshrined in its constitution and supported by about 80 percent of the population, according to polls. Georgia’s public ombudsman, a former opposition politician, accused the police on Tuesday of harshly mistreating people detained during the demonstrations, conduct that he said amounted to torture. Police officers in riot gear are deployed as supporters of Georgia’s opposition parties hold a rally in Tbilisi, Georgia [Irakli Gedenidze/Reuters] Adblock test (Why?)
World chess champ Ding and teen challenger Gukesh tied past halfway mark
Gukesh Dommaraju gives up strong position in middle game with inaccurate moves in eighth match of world championship in Singapore. Defending world chess champion Ding Liren and teenage challenger Gukesh Dommaraju played to a fifth consecutive draw with neither player taking the lead after eight games. Both players were deadlocked at four points each in the first World Championship encounter between two Asian players as the 14-match tournament went past the halfway mark on Wednesday in Singapore. For the second game in a row, Gukesh appeared to give up a strong position during the middle game by playing a series of inaccurate moves. However, the Indian teenager rejected Ding’s offer of a draw after 41 moves and played some attacks during the endgame in an attempt to get a result. But the Chinese grandmaster fended off the offensive, and the players eventually shook hands on another draw after 51 moves. Gukesh admitted that he was not aware of his perilous position when he rejected the draw and immediately put Ding under check. “I didn’t think I was in much danger,” said the 18-year-old, who played with the black pieces. Advertisement “I always thought that in my position, maybe I would have some chances, but it was just a misjudgement of the position.” Ding, for his part, rued his inability to press home his advantage. “Today during the game, I didn’t realise that I was winning at some point,” the 32-year-old said. “I think he missed some important details, which let me get back into the game, but before that, he was totally outplaying me again. “Actually, I didn’t feel too nervous during the game, but I felt uncomfortable out of the open.” Game nine of the series will take place at Resorts World Sentosa on Thursday. The first player to get 7.5 points will be declared the winner. Tiebreaks will take place if the players are tied on seven points after 14 games. Gukesh is the youngest player in history to compete in the World Championship and he is looking to surpass Garry Kasparov as the youngest undisputed world chess champion. Adblock test (Why?)