Lithuania investigates deadly plane crash near Vilnius Airport
[unable to retrieve full-text content] A DHL cargo plane crashed near Lithuania’s Vilnius Airport, killing one crew member.
Israel intensifies attacks on Lebanon but claims ceasefire deal ‘close’
Israel’s military launched air attacks across Lebanon on Monday, unleashing explosions throughout the country and killing at least a dozen people, even as officials claimed they were nearing an agreement on a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. Israeli attacks hit commercial and residential buildings in Beirut on Monday as well as in the port city of Tyre, where 12 people were killed – adding to the more than 3,700 people in Lebanon who have been killed by Israeli attacks in this two-month war. Israeli officials said they targeted areas known as Hezbollah strongholds. They issued evacuation orders for Beirut’s southern suburbs, and attacks landed across the city, including metres from a Lebanese police base and the city’s largest public park. Al Jazeera’s Zein Basravi, reporting from Beirut on Monday, said Israeli attacks across Lebanon in recent days were “more powerful, more destructive, more frequent and happening more often without warning – leaving people no time to get out of the way of Israeli missiles and drones”. The barrages came as the Israeli ambassador to the United States said a ceasefire deal to end fighting between Israel and Lebanese group Hezbollah could be reached “within days”. Ambassador Mike Herzog told Israeli Army Radio on Monday that there remain “points to finalise” and any deal requires agreement from the government. But he said, “We are close to a deal”. Israeli officials said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet was set to convene on Tuesday to discuss a proposed ceasefire. Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, said Israel would maintain an ability to strike southern Lebanon under any agreement. Lebanon has previously objected to wording that would grant Israel such a right. The US has pushed for a deal to end over a year of hostilities between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel, which erupted in parallel with Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza and has drastically escalated over the last two months. In Beirut, Elias Bou Saab, Lebanon’s deputy parliament speaker, told the Reuters news agency there were “no serious obstacles” left to start implementing a US-proposed ceasefire with Israel, “unless Netanyahu changes his mind”. He said the proposal would entail an Israeli military withdrawal from south Lebanon and regular Lebanese soldiers deploying in the border region, long a Hezbollah stronghold, within 60 days. A sticking point on who would monitor compliance with the ceasefire had been resolved in the last 24 hours with an agreement to set up a five-country committee that includes France and is chaired by the US, he said. But Bou Saab also accused Israel of ramping up its bombardment in order to pressure Lebanon to make concessions in indirect ceasefire negotiations with Hezbollah because “we are close to the hour that is decisive regarding reaching a ceasefire”. After previous hopes for a ceasefire were dashed, US officials cautioned that negotiations were not yet complete and noted that there could be last-minute hitches that either delay or destroy an agreement. “We have made significant progress with getting towards a resolution,” US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters. “But we are not done yet. Nothing is final until everything is final.” The French presidency reported “significant progress” in talks on a ceasefire and urged Israel and Hezbollah to “seize this opportunity”. One far-right member of Netanyahu’s security cabinet, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, said he would oppose it. He said on X that a deal with Lebanon would be a “big mistake” and a “missed historic opportunity to eradicate Hezbollah”. But hostilities continue to intensify despite the reported diplomatic progress. Over the weekend, Israel carried out powerful attacks, one of which killed at least 29 people in central Beirut, while Hezbollah unleashed one of its biggest rocket salvos yet on Sunday, firing 250 missiles into Israel. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Israeli attacks since October 2023 have killed 3,768 people in Lebanon and forced more than one million people from their homes. Hezbollah strikes have killed 45 civilians in northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. At least 73 Israeli soldiers have been killed in northern Israel, the Golan Heights and in combat in southern Lebanon, according to Israeli authorities. Al Jazeera’s Basravi said that in past conflicts with Israel, there had been a surge of violence on both sides of the border, followed by a cessation. “People are clinging to the hope that this is that moment,” he said. Adblock test (Why?)
One killed, dozens injured as supporters of Imran Khan protest in Pakistan
Supporters of the former prime minister are marching to the capital, Islamabad, demanding his release from jail. At least one police officer has been killed and dozens of people injured in Pakistan as supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan have clashed with security forces outside the capital, Islamabad, officials and Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party say. Authorities enforced a security lockdown for the past two days in the country after Khan called for the march on parliament and a sit-in to demand his release. On Monday, one police officer was shot and killed, at least 119 others were injured and 22 police vehicles were torched in clashes just outside Islamabad and elsewhere in Punjab province, provincial police chief Usman Anwar said. Two officers were in critical condition, he added. The PTI said scores of its workers have also been injured in the rally so far. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said those responsible for the death of the police officer would face justice. Speaking at the funeral of Constable Muhammad Mubashir in Rawalpindi, Naqvi said it’s not the first time police officers have been killed during political protests. “Last time too they assaulted … our personnel who were martyred, and today we had to have another funeral again,” Naqvi told the media. “Those who called the protesters, they will be held responsible for this death. We will not spare anybody, and there will be cases registered against all of them.” The protest march, which Khan has described as the “final call”, is one of many his party has held to seek his release since he was jailed in August last year. His party said the jailed leader’s third wife, Bushra Bibi, and a key aide, Ali Amin Gandapur, who is the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, led the march that arrived just outside Islamabad on Monday night. “Physically, it has been very challenging to constantly travel in this cold, but our spirits are high, and we look forward to reach our destination later tonight,” PTI leader Asim Arbab told Al Jazeera on arriving at the entry point to Islamabad. Islamabad shut down In response to the PTI’s calls for protests in Islamabad, the government imposed measures such as shutting down the city’s entry and exit points and enforcing internet blackouts. Shipping containers were used to block major roads and streets in the city, and police and paramilitary personnel patrolled in riot gear. Officials and witnesses said all public transport between cities and terminals had also been shut down in the eastern province to keep away the protesters, and gatherings in Islamabad have been banned. All schools in the capital and the adjacent city of Rawalpindi, which were closed on Monday, will also remain closed on Tuesday, authorities said. Naqvi said security forces showed “extreme restraint” in confronting the protesters, some of whom he said had fired live rounds while police used rubber bullets and fired tear gas canisters. “It is easy to respond a bullet with a bullet,” he said. But Khan’s party accused the government of using excessive violence to block the protesters and said hundreds of its workers and leaders had been arrested. “They are even firing live bullets,” one of Khan’s aides, Shaukat Yousafzai, told Geo News. Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told Geo News TV that the government had held talks with PTI leaders to calm down the situation, “but it didn’t yield any results.” Sayed Zulfi Bukhari, a senior PTI leader and close aide to Khan, categorically rejected Asif’s assertion and said no kind of negotiations had occurred with the government. “We have entered Islamabad, and there is no need for us to talk to the government,” he told Al Jazeera. “Our demands are not unreasonable at all, and it is something that every citizen of Pakistan should ask for.” Adblock test (Why?)
Flooding in Gaza compounds hardship of people displaced by Israeli attacks
Heavy rains have flooded tent encampments of displaced Palestinians across the Gaza Strip, adding misery to communities already devastated by 13 months of war, as Israeli forces stepped up attacks in the enclave. Downpours overnight inundated tents and in some places washed away the plastic and cloth shelters used by displaced people in the enclave, most of whom have been uprooted several times during the war between Israel and Hamas. Some placed water buckets on the ground to protect mats from leaks and dug trenches to drain water away from their tents. “We left the north and survived the bombings. We left after the siege. But now the rain and cold are killing us. I’ve been sick for three days,” Ahmad, a displaced resident of Jabalia, northern Gaza, told Al Jazeera in a tent camp in Yarmouk Stadium in Gaza City. “We were affected by the rain. Our children were soaked. Our clothes got wet and we have nothing to protect ourselves, just the tent,” said Um Mohammad Marouf, a displaced Beit Lahiya resident. Many tents used in the early stages of Israel’s war in Gaza have now worn out and no longer offer protection. The price of new tents and plastic sheeting has also shot up beyond the means of displaced families. On Monday, Gaza’s Government Media Office said in a statement that about 10,000 tents were either washed away or damaged due to the storm, appealing for international help to provide displaced families with tents to shield them against the rain and cold. “According to government field assessment teams, 81 percent of the displaced persons’ tents are no longer usable. Out of 135,000 tents, 110,000 are completely worn out and urgently need replacement,” it said. Reporting from Deir el-Balah, in central Gaza, Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud said many tent sites are near the coast and are not designed to withstand “these horrific conditions”, especially as colder weather approaches. “The rising tide has damaged many of these tents, leaving people with little hope and no dry clothes to protect themselves,” he said. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has warned that half a million people across the besieged enclave are at risk in areas hit by flooding. “The situation will only get worse with every drop of rain, every bomb, every strike,” the agency said on X. Meanwhile on Monday, Israeli attacks intensified across the enclave. In Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, an Israeli air attack killed at least four people, medics said, while tanks deepened their incursions in Beit Hanoon, Beit Lahiya, and Jabalia – the largest of the enclave’s eight historic refugee camps. Medics said seven Palestinian people were also killed by two Israeli air attacks in Jabalia. Residents in Gaza said Israeli planes also dropped new leaflets on Beit Lahiya ordering remaining residents to leave the northern city for the south, saying the area would come under attack and providing them with a map. Palestinian people say Israel appears determined to depopulate the area permanently to create a buffer zone along the northern edge of Gaza. Israel has repeatedly denied this accusation. Israel’s war in Gaza has killed at least 44,235 Palestinians and wounded 104,638 since October 7, 2023. An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks that day and more than 200 were taken captive. Adblock test (Why?)
Could protests by Imran Khan supporters lead to more political instability?
Security forces seal off Islamabad as demonstrators demand former Pakistani prime minister be released from jail. Pakistan is witnessing arguably the biggest protest since February’s disputed elections. Security forces have been deployed to stop Imran Khan’s supporters from marching into the capital. They are demanding the former prime minister be released from jail and the government resign. Can the government in Islamabad survive? Could Khan be freed? Presenter: Bernard Smith Guests: Azeema Cheema – political economy specialist and founding director of the Pakistani think tank Verso Consulting Hassan Akbar – Pakistan fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center who previously worked in national security and strategic policy for the Pakistani government and in the private sector Fahd Humayun – visiting scholar at the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University Adblock test (Why?)
Pakistan’s capital in lockdown as Imran Khan supporters protest
NewsFeed Supporters of ex-Pakistani Prime Minister Iman Khan are descending on Islamabad, demanding an end to what they say is political persecution of the popular political leader. Published On 25 Nov 202425 Nov 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
In Uruguay, a presidential run-off focused on ‘democratic coexistence’
Political violence marred Mexico’s elections this year. And in Venezuela’s presidential race, protests accompanied a contested result and widespread allegations of electoral fraud. But in Uruguay on Sunday, a much more muted presidential election unfolded. Located on the southern Atlantic coast, north of Argentina, Uruguay was one of several Latin American countries holding high-stakes presidential elections this year. And unlike some of its counterparts, critics say Uruguay serves as a model for democratic stability in the region. Sunday’s election was a run-off, pitting the top two presidential contenders from the October 27 general election against one another. The early favourite was Yamandu Orsi, the candidate for the left-wing Broad Front coalition. In the October vote, he notched 44 percent support — well short of the 50 percent needed to avoid a run-off. Coming in second place on October 27 was Alvaro Delgado of the ruling National Party, a conservative group. While he only received 27 percent of the vote in the first round, he is likely to benefit from the 20 percent of voters who cast their ballot for the third-place candidate, fellow conservative Andres Ojeda of the Colorado Party. Both Orsi and Delgado advanced to Sunday’s run-off with strong support, making the outcome a nail-biter. Orsi, a 57-year-old history teacher, has the support of former President Jose Mujica, a former leftist rebel fighter who survived torture under Uruguay’s military dictatorship in the 1970s and ’80s. Mujica has since become a beloved figure on the left: He was dubbed the “world’s poorest president” during his time in office, from 2010 to 2015, for his humble lifestyle. Orsi’s Broad Front coalition was in power until the 2019 election, which saw the rise of the conservative National Party. It was the first conservative victory in nearly 15 years. But outgoing President Luis Lacalle Pou is prevented by law from seeking a second consecutive term. Running instead for his party is the 55-year-old Delgado, a former veterinarian. Both Delgado and Orsi have emphasised strengthening Uruguay’s economy. Orsi, who campaigned with the slogan “We know how to achieve”, has emphasised measures to raise wages for low-income workers. Delgado, meanwhile, has focused on streamlining Uruguay’s bureaucracy and forging trade deals with partners like China. Both men have pledged to respect the results of the election and work together, no matter the outcome. “We must value what we have: democratic coexistence,” said the head of the Broad Front coalition, Fernando Pereira. Meanwhile, Ojeda — the third-place candidate knocked out in the first round of voting — remarked to local media about the calm accompanying Uruguay’s election. “If I had brought a foreigner here and I didn’t tell him that there was an election, he wouldn’t have noticed,” Ojeda said. Adblock test (Why?)
Hard-right populist takes shock lead in Romania’s presidential vote
NATO critic Calin Georgescu on track to face pro-European Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu in run-off vote next month. A hard-right populist known for his opposition to the European Union and NATO has surged into the lead in Romania’s presidential election in a shock result that throws the country’s pro-Western outlook into doubt. With 98 percent of ballots counted, Calin Georgescu had nearly 23 percent of the vote, slightly ahead of centre-left Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu with about 20 percent, partial results from the Central Electoral Bureau showed on Sunday. Elena Lasconi of the centre-right Save Romania Union party was running third with nearly 19 percent, followed by George Simion of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians with 14 percent. The partial results put Georgescu, 62, on track to face off against Ciolacu in a run-off vote on December 8. The outcome comes as a major upset as Georgescu, a relatively unknown figure who held a number of positions in Romania’s Ministry of Environment during the 1990s, had attracted only about 5 percent support in opinion polls ahead of the election. Running as an independent, Georgescu was largely absent from mainstream media and relied heavily on social media platforms such as TikTok to reach voters. Exit polls had shown Ciolacu, the leader of the Social Democratic Party, in the lead and Lasconi in second place in a race dominated by the economy and the rising cost of living. A former member of the right-wing populist Alliance for Uniting Romanians party, Georgescu has called for an end to aid for Ukraine – which is in the midst of battling a Russian invasion – and criticised the presence of a NATO missile defence station on Romanian soil. In a 2021 interview, he called the missile defence shield a “shame of diplomacy” and said the North Atlantic alliance would not protect its members in the event of an attack by Russia. He has also attracted controversy over his views on Romania’s past, including that Ion Antonescu, the country’s World War II-era leader who joined forces with Adolf Hitler, should be seen as a national hero. Georgescu on Sunday said the vote showed that the people had “cried out for peace”. “And they shouted very loudly, extremely loudly,” he said. Romania, an EU and NATO member, shares a 650km-long (400 miles) border with Ukraine and has experienced repeated breaches of its airspace by Russian drones. Bucharest has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine since Russia’s 2022 invasion, providing Kyiv with military aid, including a Patriot air defence battery, and establishing a training centre to train Ukrainian marines. Adblock test (Why?)
Yamandu Orsi wins Uruguay’s run-off presidential election
Yamandu Orsi, the candidate for the left-wing Broad Front coalition, is projected to emerge victorious in Uruguay’s run-off election for the presidency. He bested Alvaro Delgado of the ruling National Party to win the tightly fought race, though public opinion polls showed the two candidates in a dead heat in the lead-up to Sunday’s vote. Orsi’s supporters took to the streets in the capital of Montevideo, as the official results started to show the former mayor and history teacher surging ahead. Many waved the party banner: a red, blue and white striped flag with the initials FA for “Frente Amplio”, which translates to “Broad Front”. “Joy will return for the majority,” the coalition posted on social media as Orsi approached victory. “Cheers, people of Uruguay.” Supporters of Yamandu Orsi celebrate early results after polls closed in Montevideo, Uruguay, on November 24 [Natacha Pisarenko/AP Photo] Orsi’s win restores the Broad Front to power in the small South American country, sandwiched on the Atlantic coast between Brazil and Argentina. For 15 years, from 2005 to 2020, the Broad Front had held Uruguay’s executive office, with the presidencies of Jose Mujica and Tabare Vazquez, the latter of whom won two non-consecutive, five-year terms. But that winning streak came to an end in the 2019 election, with the victory of current President Luis Lacalle Pou, who led a coalition of right-leaning parties. Under Uruguay law, however, a president cannot run for consecutive terms. Lacalle Pou was therefore not a candidate in the 2024 race. Running in his stead was Delgado, a former veterinarian and Congress member who served as a political appointee in Lacalle Pou’s government from 2020 to 2023. Even before the official results were announced on Sunday, Delgado had conceded, acknowledging Orsi’s victory was imminent. “Today, the Uruguayans have defined who will hold the presidency of the republic. And I want to send here, with all these actors of the coalition, a big hug and a greeting to Yamandu Orsi,” Delgado said in a speech as he clutched a large Uruguayan flag in his hand. He called on his supporters to “respect the sovereign decisions” of the electorate, while striking a note of defiance. “It’s one thing to lose an election, and another to be defeated. We are not defeated,” he said, pledging that his right-wing coalition was “here to stay”. The outgoing president, Lacalle Pou, also reached out to Orsi to acknowledge the Broad Front’s victory. “I called [Yamandu Orsi] to congratulate him as president-elect of our country and to put myself at his service and begin the transition as soon as I deem it pertinent,” Lacalle Pou wrote on social media. Supporters hold cutouts of Yamandu Orsi’s face in Montevideo, Uruguay, on November 24 [Natacha Pisarenko/AP Photo] Orsi had been considered the frontrunner in the lead-up to the first round of the elections. Originally from Canelones, a coastal regional in the south of Uruguay, Orsi began his career locally as a history teacher, activist and secretary-general of the department’s government. In 2015, he successfully ran to be mayor of Canelones and won re-election in 2020. In the 2024 presidential race, Orsi – like virtually all the candidates on the campaign trail – pledged to bolster Uruguay’s economy. He called for salary increases, particularly for low-wage workers, to grow their “purchasing power”. He also called for greater early childhood education and employment programmes for young adults. According to a United Nations report earlier this year, nearly 25 percent of Uruguay’s children live in poverty. But the economy was not the only issue at the forefront of voters’ minds. In a June survey from the communications firm Nomade, the largest share of respondents – 29 percent – identified “insecurity” as Uruguay’s “principal problem”. That dwarfed the second-highest ranked topic: “Unemployment” was only picked by 15 percent of respondents. As part of his platform, Orsi pledged to increase the police force and strengthen Uruguay’s borders, including through the installation of more security cameras. As he campaigned, Orsi enjoyed the support of former President Mujica, a former rebel fighter who survived torture under Uruguay’s military dictatorship in the 1970s and ’80s. Mujica remains a popular figure on Uruguay’s left, best known for his humble living arrangements that once earned him the moniker of the “world’s poorest president”. Supporters of Yamandu Orsi, candidate for the Broad Front, walk a dog decorated with the party’s colours in Montevideo, Uruguay, on Sunday [Natacha Pisarenko/AP Photo] In the first round of voting, on October 27, Orsi came out on top, with 44 percent of the vote to Delgado’s 27 percent. But his total was far short of the 50 percent he needed to win the election outright, thereby triggering a run-off. The race got tighter from there forward. Only two candidates progressed to the run-off – Delgado and Orsi – and Delgado picked up support from voters who had backed former Colorado Party candidate Andres Ojeda, a fellow conservative who was knocked out in the first round. Nevertheless, Orsi quickly pulled ahead after the polls closed for the run-off election on Sunday. “The horizon is brightening,” Orsi said in his victory speech. “The country of freedom, equality and also fraternity triumphs once again.” Adblock test (Why?)
Iran to meet with Germany, France, UK in nuclear talks
The meeting follows an IAEA resolution denouncing Iran for what it called a lack of cooperation. Iran says it will hold nuclear talks with officials from France, Germany, and the United Kingdom this week, amid escalating tensions over Iran’s nuclear programme. The meeting, which is set to happen on Friday, was announced by the Iranian Foreign Ministry on Sunday, and UK officials also confirmed the meeting. “A range of regional and international issues, including the issues of Palestine and Lebanon, as well as the nuclear issue, will be discussed,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said. Neither London nor Tehran said where the meeting would take place. On Thursday, the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) adopted a resolution denouncing Iran for what it called a lack of cooperation. The three European Union members that will meet with Iranian officials were among those voting for the resolution. Nineteen countries out of the 35-member IAEA voted to censure Iran – a largely symbolic gesture – while 12 countries abstained. Russia, China, and Burkina Faso voted against the resolution. Thursday’s resolution marked the third time the UN had taken such action since 2020. The move came as tensions ran high over Iran’s nuclear programme, which critics fear is aimed at developing a nuclear weapon – something Tehran has repeatedly denied. On Friday, Iran announced a “series of new and advanced centrifuges”, technology that refines enriched uranium into gas. “We will substantially increase the enrichment capacity with the utilisation of different types of advanced machines,” Behrouz Kamalvandi, Iran’s atomic energy organisation spokesman, told Iranian state TV. Despite the announcement, Iran said it would continue to cooperate with the IAEA. “We remain committed to taking every diplomatic step to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, including through snapback if necessary,” the UK’s Foreign Ministry told the news agency AFP. In 2015, Iran reached an agreement with world powers, including the United States, to curb its nuclear programme due to concerns about the country potentially developing nuclear weapons. But in 2018, during US President Donald Trump’s first term, the US unilaterally withdrew from the agreement and imposed sanctions on Iran – a move that stoked tensions between Washington and Tehran. Since then, Tehran has scaled back its cooperation with the IAEA, deactivating surveillance devices put in place by the UN. Concurrently, Iran has increased its stockpile of enriched uranium. Iran has “begun implementation of preparatory measures” to cap its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. According to leaked reports from the IAEA, Iran is close to the 90 percent threshold needed to produce a nuclear warhead. Adblock test (Why?)