Musk’s $101bn Tesla pay package again rejected by US judge
Judge says Tesla’s ‘unprecedented theories’ do not support argument to reverse previous ruling scrapping pay deal. A judge in the United States has upheld a decision to deny Tesla CEO Elon Musk a multibillion-dollar pay package despite shareholders voting to restore the compensation deal. The decision by a Delaware judge on Monday reaffirmed an earlier ruling to void the pay deal on the basis that Tesla’s board was too close to Musk and had not sufficiently protected shareholders’ interests. Chancellor Kathaleen St Jude McCormick of Delaware’s Court of Chancery found that there was no legal precedent to reverse her earlier ruling and that if courts condoned “the practice of allowing defeated parties to create new facts for the purpose of revising judgments, lawsuits would become interminable”. “The large and talented group of defense firms got creative with the ratification argument, but their unprecedented theories go against multiple strains of settled law,” McCormick wrote in a 103-page opinion. McCormick also found that Tesla had made “material misstatements” to shareholders about the effect of their vote to reinstate Musk’s pay deal. Advertisement Tesla shares dropped 1.4 percent in after-hours trading following the ruling. McCormick also rejected a request for $5bn in fees sought by the lawyers of plaintiff Richard Tornetta, a Tesla shareholder who brought the original lawsuit accusing Tesla’s board of not acting independently of Musk, instead granting the amount of $345m. After McCormick’s decision to block the deal earlier this year, Tesla shareholders in June overwhelmingly voted to reinstate the package. Tesla on Monday said the court’s decision was “wrong” and that it would appeal the decision. “This ruling, if not overturned, means that judges and plaintiffs’ lawyers run Delaware companies rather than their rightful owners – the shareholders,”’ the electric car company said on X. Musk on X said that “shareholders should control company votes, not judges,” and described McCormick as an “activist posing as a judge”. Under the terms of his 2018 pay deal, Musk agreed to be paid in Tesla stock options each time the company reached certain goals instead of receiving a salary. Musk hit all of the targets, which focused on metrics including market capitalisation, earnings and sales, helping make him the world’s richest man. Musk’s compensation package was initially worth $56bn but is now valued at more than $101bn after Tesla’s stock price surged more than 40 percent following Donald Trump’s US presidential election win on November 5. Adblock test (Why?)
Trump to attend Notre Dame reopening in first overseas trip since election
US president-elect says he will visit Paris for ‘very special day’ celebrating restoration of fire-damaged cathedral. Donald Trump has announced he will attend the reopening of Notre-Dame, the Paris landmark gutted by fire five years ago, in his first overseas trip since winning the United States presidential election. The 12th-century Gothic masterpiece, which was badly damaged by fire in 2019, is set to reopen its doors to visitors and the Catholic faithful on Saturday and Sunday. Dozens of world leaders are expected to attend the unveiling of the restoration, which French President Emmanuel Macron has likened to the healing of a “national wound”. “It is an honor to announce that I will be traveling to Paris, France, on Saturday to attend the re-opening of the magnificent and historic Notre Dame Cathedral, which has been fully restored after a devastating fire five years ago,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform on Monday. “President Emmanuel Macron has done a wonderful job ensuring that Notre Dame has been restored to its full level of glory, and even more so. It will be a very special day for all!” Advertisement During his first term in office, Trump weighed in on the fire at Notre Dame as pictures of the blaze were broadcast live worldwide, suggesting that “flying water tankers” could be deployed to put out the flames. “Must act quickly!” Trump said on Twitter, the former name for X. French authorities dismissed the suggestion, saying that using water-bombing aircraft could result in the collapse of the “entire structure of the cathedral”. Trump and Macron have had a complicated relationship. Macron was among the first world leaders to congratulate Trump on his re-election and was the guest of honour at the former president’s first state dinner. But the two leaders also clashed over Trump’s scepticism of NATO and France’s moves to hike taxes on US tech giants. Notre-Dame’s restoration was made possible with 846 million euros ($887.4m) in donations provided by some 340,000 donors from 150 countries. The five-year effort, involving some 250 companies and hundreds of experts, had an estimated cost of nearly 700 million euros ($734.3m). Restoration chief Philippe Jost last month told a news conference that surplus donations of about 140 million euros ($147m) would be used for future preservation efforts. Adblock test (Why?)
French government faces no-confidence vote amid budget dispute
The government of Prime Minister Michel Barnier is likely to collapse with parties from the right and left rallying against it. The government of French Prime Minister Michel Barnier is facing collapse after right- and left-wing parties have promised to put forward a no-confidence vote against it amid a budget dispute. France’s far-right leader Marine Le Pen said on Monday that her party, the National Rally (RN), tabled a no-confidence motion against Barnier after he moved to force through budget measures without parliamentary approval. Left-wing politicians have also said they will introduce a similar motion. The left-wing coalition and RN have enough votes to topple the prime minister. Early on Monday, Barnier said he would scrap electricity price hikes and reduce healthcare coverage for undocumented migrants, caving in to demands from the far right. The budget vote had been scheduled in the lower house of France’s Parliament, the National Assembly, later in the day. The prime minister’s minority government, backed by a fragile coalition of conservative and centrist lawmakers, did not have the votes needed to pass its legislation outright without the RN’s support. Advertisement His concession was a last-ditch effort to keep the government’s financial plan on track and remain in office. But Le Pen said her party’s “demands on the budget were not met” and accused Barnier of failing to listen to political groups opposed to the bill. Barnier then activated a provision of the French Constitution – Article 49.3 – to push his budget through the National Assembly without a vote. He defended his decision and called on French lawmakers not to plunge the country into crisis. “We have arrived at a moment of truth. … [We must] decide if our country gets a responsible, indispensable budget or if we step into uncharted territory,” he said. A vote of no confidence is now expected as early as Wednesday. If Barnier’s government is voted out, it would be the first time French lawmakers have taken such a step since 1958. It would also make him the shortest-serving prime minister during that period. Barnier was hand-picked by President Emmanuel Macron in September to try to forge a consensus in France’s fractured political landscape. His appointment was an attempt to end two months of limbo after snap legislative elections delivered a hung parliament. New Popular Front, a coalition of left-wing parties, emerged as the largest party in the parliament after the elections. The left had partnered with Macron to prevent Le Pen’s RN from winning, but it was incensed at the appointment of Barnier, a right-wing politician. Macron, whose term runs until the spring of 2027, will remain as president even if Barnier and his cabinet fall. But Macron, whose powers were weakened after July’s snap general elections, will need to appoint a new prime minister. Advertisement Macron could ask political parties to seek a new coalition government or appoint a technocratic government until new legislative elections can be held this summer. No general election can take place within 12 months of the previous vote. In recent weeks, brinkmanship over budget measures has roiled French markets, briefly pushing Paris’s borrowing costs above Greece’s and denting France’s stock market. Last week, Barnier warned of a “storm” in financial markets if he is dismissed from power. Adblock test (Why?)
Israeli attacks kill two people in Lebanon; Hezbollah responds
Israel has killed two people, including a State Security officer, in separate attacks in Lebanon as it continues its assaults on the country since the ceasefire with Hezbollah came into effect last week. For its part, the Lebanese group said on Monday that it carried out a “preliminary defensive response” to the “repeated violations” of the ceasefire by attacking an Israeli military base in the hills of Kfar Chouba, a disputed area that Lebanon claims as its own. Hezbollah said Israeli breaches of the truce that went into effect on Wednesday include deadly air raids across Lebanon, shooting at civilians in the south, and flying drones and jets in Lebanese airspace, including over the capital, Beirut. The group said it launched its “warning” attack because “appeals by the relevant authorities to stop these violations did not succeed”. The renewed violence highlights the fragility of the ceasefire, which ended a devastating war that killed nearly 4,000 people in Lebanon and saw Hezbollah fire rockets daily at Israel. Advertisement Earlier on Monday, Lebanon’s State Security agency said an Israeli rocket killed officer Mahdi Khreis in the southern district of Nabatieh, calling the incident a “blatant violation” of the ceasefire and a dangerous escalation. Israeli bombardment in neighbouring Marjayoun killed another person, Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health said. A drone attack in the northeast of the country also injured a Lebanese soldier. Although the ceasefire calls on all parties to hold their fire, Israel has been launching near-daily attacks against Lebanon. Lebanese media have also reported that the Israeli military is using the truce to advance into new neighbourhoods in towns that it had entered during the war. Reporting from Beirut, Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem said life in Lebanon “started resuming” after the ceasefire was reached with hundreds of thousands of displaced people returning to their homes. “Now, it seems with Israel’s insistence on violating the ceasefire, Hezbollah found it necessary to say … that these violations must stop or things might get out of control,” Hashem said. After months of low-level hostilities, Israel launched an all-out war on Lebanon on September 23 with the stated aim of defeating Hezbollah. The Lebanese group had been targeting Israeli military bases in northern Israel for months in an effort that it said was aimed at pressuring Israel to end its war on Gaza. Israel assassinated top Hezbollah military and political leaders early in the war, including the group’s chief Hassan Nasrallah. Advertisement It also levelled thousands of buildings and homes across Lebanon with its focus on southern and eastern Lebanon and the Beirut suburbs of Dahiyeh – areas where Hezbollah is popular. Still, Hezbollah continued to fire rockets at northern and central Israel. The group also said it inflicted heavy losses on invading Israeli troops that crossed into the country. The truce, which was brokered by the United States and France, stipulates that the Israeli military must withdraw from Lebanon within 60 days and Hezbollah must move away from the border with Israel until it is north of the Litani River. During those two months, the Lebanese army is to deploy to southern Lebanon to be the only armed force there. Although Israel said its recent attacks are to “enforce” the truce, the agreement prohibits attacks by all sides. Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally who was Lebanon’s chief negotiator in the ceasefire talks, stressed on Monday that Israel has violated the truce more than 54 times, including by carrying out air raids and demolishing homes near the border. “All these activities represent flagrant violations of the ceasefire agreement,” he said in a statement. On Monday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz suggested the country is ready for further escalation, promising a “harsh response” to the Hezbollah attack. “We promised to act against any violation of the ceasefire by Hezbollah – and that is exactly what we will do,” he said in a social media post. Advertisement But the US voiced confidence in the truce agreement on Monday. “Broadly speaking, it has been successful in stopping the fighting and getting us on a path where we are not seeing the daily loss of life that we had seen for two months prior,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters. He said the US administration will work through a monitoring mechanism established by the agreement to address potential violations to the ceasefire. Adblock test (Why?)
Hamas says 33 captives killed in Gaza as Palestinian factions hold talks
Hamas’s announcement comes as the group and Fatah discuss the Palestinian Authority’s management of post-war Gaza. Hamas says 33 captives held by the group in Gaza have been killed since the start of Israel’s nearly 14-month-old war in the besieged enclave. The group issued a video statement on Monday saying the captives were killed “because of the stubbornness of the war criminal” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and “his ongoing aggression”. Hamas made the announcement as key mediators, including Egypt, Qatar and the United States, launch another effort to reach a ceasefire that would see the release of Israeli captives. The push comes after a recent truce in Lebanon raised hope for a diplomatic breakthrough. Hamas’s video lists and dates the incidents in which the group said captives were killed. Most of them were air strikes. However, some were rescue attempts by the Israeli military gone wrong. According to the Hamas, the first incident was an Israeli air strike that killed four captives on October 9, 2023. The latest was the killing of a captive during the Israeli military operation in northern Gaza last month. Advertisement “By continuing your mad war, you may lose your captives forever. Do what needs to be done before it’s too late,” the video concluded. Separately on Monday, the White House issued a statement grieving the death of Omer Neutra, a US citizen who was serving in the Israeli military. Neutra was killed by Hamas during its attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, while serving as a tank commander for the army, according to the White House. Incoming US President Donald Trump issued his own statement on the captives later on Monday, warning in a social media post that where would be “ALL HELL TO PAY” if they are not released by January 20, the day he takes office. Meanwhile, delegations from the Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas met in Cairo to “reach a mutual understanding” on the Palestinian Authority’s management of the Gaza Strip after the end of Israel’s war, Egypt’s foreign minister said on Monday. “There are indeed two delegations from the Fatah and Hamas movements in Cairo consulting and deliberating to quickly reach a mutual understanding regarding the management of daily affairs in the Gaza Strip under the full control of the Palestinian Authority,” Badr Abdelatty told a news conference in Cairo. Netanyahu previously voiced opposition to allowing the Palestinian Authority (PA) to take over Gaza. However, the US says it wants a “reformed” PA to be in charge of the Palestinian enclave. As the talks continued, Israeli forces have pressed on with the bombardment of Gaza, attacking Jabalia in the north and Abasan al-Kabira in the south. Advertisement Northern Gaza has been particularly battered after Israel began besieging it 60 days ago. Gaza’s Government Media Office said at least 3,700 people have been killed or are missing since then. Israel’s offensive in Gaza – which United Nations experts have described as a genocide – has killed at least 44,466 Palestinians and wounded 105,358 since October 7, 2023. At least 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks that day, and more than 200 were taken captive. Adblock test (Why?)
Joe Biden pardons son Hunter: What it means and why it matters
US President Joe Biden has pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, who was facing sentencing for two criminal cases related to tax evasion and the purchase of a firearm. Here is what we know about the case and the pardon: Who is Hunter Biden and what are the charges against him? Hunter Biden is Joe Biden’s 54-year-old middle child. He is also his only surviving son and the first child of a sitting US president to face criminal trial. In a 2021 memoir, Hunter admitted to crack cocaine use and alcoholism, although he said he received treatment and recovered from his addictions. Hunter faced the possibility of years in federal prison due to multiple charges related to gun possession and tax fraud. In June, he was convicted by a jury for illegally purchasing and possessing a gun while being a drug user. Hunter had the .38 calibre Colt Cobra Special for approximately 11 days and never fired it, according to his lawyers. Months later, in September, he pleaded guilty to charges of a scheme to avoid paying at least $1.4m in taxes. Advertisement For the tax case, he faced up to 17 years in prison, and the gun charges were punishable by up to 25 years. Still, Hunter was expected to receive a shorter sentence, and it was possible he could have avoided prison time entirely. Hunter Biden was supposed to be sentenced on December 12 on the gun-related charges in Delaware and on December 16 on the tax charges in California. But didn’t Joe Biden say he wouldn’t pardon Hunter? Indeed. In June, Biden ruled out a pardon or commutation for his son. “I abide by the jury decision. I will do that and I will not pardon him,” Biden said as his son was facing trial in the Delaware gun case. Separately, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at least seven times – over more than a year – that Biden would not pardon his son. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre answers questions during the news briefing at the White House [File: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters] As Biden faced off against former President Donald Trump in this year’s presidential election, he tried to draw a distinction with the realtor-turned-politician – who has been charged in multiple cases. “No one is above the law,” he wrote on X in early July, in seeming protest against the US Supreme Court verdict granting broad immunity to Trump for any legal violations he committed while president. No one is above the law. — Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) May 31, 2024 So how did Biden justify the change in his stance? In a statement by the White House on Sunday, Biden announced his decision to grant executive clemency to his son, Hunter Biden. Advertisement Biden explained that this decision was made in response to what he described as a politically motivated attack orchestrated by his opponents, to damage his reputation. “The charges in his cases came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election,” Biden said in the statement. “No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son – and that is wrong.” Biden also emphasised, “I believe in the justice system, but as I have wrestled with this, I also believe raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice. … I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision.” Statement from President Biden “Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter…” Full statement: https://t.co/InKuzm3vMF pic.twitter.com/vhxIjr1xIe — CSPAN (@cspan) December 2, 2024 How did Hunter react? Hunter said in a statement he would never take the reprieve “for granted”. “I have admitted and taken responsibility for my mistakes during the darkest days of my addiction – mistakes that have been exploited to publicly humiliate and shame me and my family for political sport,” he said in a statement. “I will never take the clemency I have been given today for granted and will devote the life I have rebuilt to helping those who are still sick and suffering.” What does a pardon do? The US Constitution says a president has the power to grant clemency, which includes pardons, amnesty, commutation and reprieve. A pardon absolves individuals of federal criminal offences and restores all civil liberties and rights, while a commutation lessens penalties without completely removing them. An amnesty is the same as a pardon but it’s extended to a group of individuals. Advertisement This power originates from English law, where the king could show mercy to anyone, and it later travelled across the Atlantic Ocean to the American colonies. US presidents often use this authority. How common is it for presidents to pardon family members? It’s not uncommon for US presidents to use this power to pardon or commute the sentence of a family member. In his final weeks in office in 2021, Donald Trump issued about 100 pardons and commutations. Among the people he pardoned were Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law, Jared Kushner. In 2005, Kushner was sentenced to two years for tax evasion, illegal campaign donations, and witness tampering. Fast forward to 2024, and Charles Kushner has just been nominated by Trump to serve as US ambassador to France in the incoming administration. Former President Bill Clinton, before the end of his second term, pardoned his half-brother Roger. In 1985, Roger Clinton Jr. was convicted on a cocaine-related charge and sentenced to more than a year in prison after admitting guilt to conspiracy to distribute. Is this significant? According to analysts, this pardon could undermine the credibility of the US democratic system – and the notion that the law is indeed the same for everyone. “Now that an election is over and Joe Biden has no more races to run, I think that what we’re seeing now is
Syria, Russia forces step up air raids in a bid to slow opposition advance
Syrian and Russian jets have intensified air attacks in Idlib city and positions in Aleppo as the government of President Bashar al-Assad tries to slow the advance of opposition fighters. The raids on Monday followed big gains by the opposition over the past few days that has greatly shifted the front line in Syria’s long-running war. The dramatic advance by a coalition of Syrian opposition groups, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), has somewhat slowed in the past 24 hours, according to Al Jazeera’s Sinem Koseoglu, reporting from the Turkish-Syrian border. “The advances by the Syrian opposition continue on the battlefront, but not as fast as before. The acceleration is down as the diplomatic efforts to discuss the crisis have risen within the last two days,” Koseoglu said. However, opposition fighters are still on the outskirts of Hama, south of Aleppo. Elsewhere, they have seized most of the city of Tel Rifaat, where Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are calling for a humanitarian corridor to allow Kurds to safely evacuate. Advertisement Meanwhile, a member of Syria’s opposition has pledged to continue the fight until the government agrees to a political transition. Speaking at a news conference on Monday, the sixth day of a blistering rebel offensive that forced Syrian government forces out of the city of Aleppo, Istanbul-based opposition leader Hadi al-Bahri stated: “We are ready to negotiate starting tomorrow.” To counter the rebels’ momentum, dozens of Iran-backed militias from Iraq crossed into Syria overnight to beef up the Syrian military’s defences, according to reports. “These are fresh reinforcements being sent to aid our comrades on the front lines in the north,” a senior Syrian military source told Reuters news agancy, adding the fighters had crossed in small groups to avoid air attacks. Iran also plans to keep up military advisers in Syria, according to Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei. Al-Assad’s main backers Russia and Iran have thrown their weight behind Syria’s government, with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian pledging to provide “all the support needed” to push back the rebels in a phone call with the Syrian leader. He echoed comments from Iran’s top diplomat Abbas Araghchi, who visited al-Assad on Sunday before travelling to Ankara, Turkiye, which backs a faction of Syria’s opposition. “Given the consensus in most areas and differences of opinion with Turkiye in some cases, we hope to reach a common understanding that will bring stability to the region and prevent Syria from becoming the centre of terrorist groups again,” Araghchi was quoted by Iranian state media as saying. Advertisement In a joint news conference following a meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Ankara continues to support Syria’s territorial integrity, adding that there is a “need for compromise between the Syrian government and opposition”. Turkiye, which has supported opposition factions in Syria, on Monday rejected any suggestion that “foreign interference” was behind the offensive launched by the fighters in the country’s north. “It would be a mistake at this time to try to explain the events in Syria by any foreign interference,” the Turkish foreign minister said, blaming instead an absence of dialogue between opposition groups and the government of al-Assad. But the Syrian president says the opposition offensive was a bid to redraw the map of the region in line with the US interests. “The terrorist escalation reflects the far-reaching goals of dividing the region and fragmenting the countries in it and redraw the map in line with the objectives of the United States and the West,” al-Assad said in a statement from his office after phone calls with Iranian President Pezeshkian. The latest fighting marks the most significant turn in years in Syria’s war, which began with popular uprisings across the country in 2011. Since 2020, the front lines have largely been stagnant with an array of opposition groups largely contained to a small portion of Idlib province. But in just a matter of days, that changed abruptly, as HTS and its allies pressed into Aleppo and beyond, initially meeting little resistance. Advertisement “This is a major change,” Jean-Marc Rickli, head of global and emerging risks at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, told Al Jazeera. The opposition was “very well prepared”, facing an army that was “not very motivated or equipped”. Ultimately, how successful the rebel operation turns out to be, Rickli said, will hinge on how far Russia, which provides Syria’s government with crucial air support, and Iran, whose militias are now in the fray, dig their heels in. “To what extent these actors [Russia and Iran] will be willing to commit enough force to stop these different [opposition] factions, that’s a different story,” he said. Adblock test (Why?)
Renewed fighting in Syria leaves thousands internally displaced
NewsFeed Thousands of people are displaced in Syria after intense fighting between opposition groups and government forces. Published On 2 Dec 20242 Dec 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Negotiators fail to agree on UN treaty to curb global plastic pollution
As the threat from plastic pollution mounts, countries could only agree to postpone negotiations to a later date. Countries negotiating a global treaty to curb plastic pollution have failed to reach an agreement, with more than 100 nations advocating for a cap on plastic production and a handful of oil-producing countries only willing to target plastic waste. The fifth United Nations Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) meeting in Busan, South Korea was intended to be the final session. It was hoped the meeting would produce a legally binding global treaty. If successful, it would have marked the most significant global climate pledge since the Paris Climate Accords in 2015, but the group of nations could only agree on Sunday to postpone negotiations to a later date. Saudi Arabia, in particular, was accused of standing in the way. The country strongly opposed efforts to reduce plastic production and used procedural tactics to delay progress. “It is clear that there is still persistent divergence,” Inger Andersen, executive director of the UN Environment Programme, told the Reuters news agency. One plan that received significant international support was proposed by Panama on Thursday. If adopted, it would have established a pathway for a global production reduction target, but it did not specify what that target would look like. Another proposal did not mention production caps at all. Panama’s delegation head, Juan Carlos Monterrey Gomez, lambasted the postponement of negotiations. “Every day of delay is a day against humanity,” he said. “Postponing negotiations does not postpone the crisis.” Based on current trends, plastic production is on track to triple by 2050. “Every day that governments allow polluters to continue flooding the world with plastic, we all pay the price. This delay comes with dire consequences for people and the planet, ruthlessly sacrificing those on the front lines of this crisis,” Graham Forbes, Greenpeace’s delegation head to the global plastics treaty, said in a statement. “This week, over 100 member states, representing billions of people, rejected a toothless deal that would have accomplished nothing and stood before the world committing to an ambitious treaty. Now, it’s time they stand by this promise and deliver.” The environmental group GAIA told Reuters that “there is little assurance that the next INC will succeed where INC-5 did not”. The postponement comes just days after the turbulent conclusion of the 29th UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan. At COP29, countries pledged $300bn annually to address climate change. However, this plan fell far short of the $1.3 trillion requested by developing nations, which are disproportionately affected by the climate crisis. Adblock test (Why?)
Georgia protests spread as prime minister dismisses call for new elections
Demonstrators in Georgia have taken to the streets for a fourth night in growing protests against the government’s decision to suspend talks on joining the European Union. The protests on Sunday topped months of tensions fuelled by critics of the ruling Georgian Dream party, which some charge has moved the country away from its path towards greater integration with Europe and instead towards Russia. The unrest kicked into overdrive after the government last week announced it would freeze EU talks for four years. Protesters have further condemned the police response – which has included the use of tear gas and water cannon – as excessive. On Sunday, the outrage was further stoked by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s rejection of appeals to hold new parliamentary elections. When asked if the vote would be held again, he told reporters: “Of course not.” He added that “the formation of the new government based on the October 26 parliamentary elections has been completed.” Still, the opposition continues to condemn the vote. President Salome Zurabishvili, who supports joining the EU, has asked the Constitutional Court to annul the election results and declared the new legislature and government “illegitimate”. Speaking to the AFP news agency on Saturday, Zurabishvili, whose term ends this month, said she would not step aside until the elections are rerun. Georgian Dream has nominated far-right former football international Mikheil Kavelashvili for the presidential post, which is largely ceremonial. Protests spread On Sunday, protesters again gathered in the capital, Tbilisi, predominantly on the central Rustaveli Avenue, with many waving EU and Georgian flags. Some wore diving masks to protect themselves against tear gas. But the demonstrations appeared to be spreading as Georgian media reported protests in at least eight cities and towns. In the Black Sea city of Poti, protesters blocked an access road to the country’s main commercial port, according to the Interpress news agency. Opposition TV channel Formula also showed footage of people in Khashuri, a town of 20,000 in central Georgia, throwing eggs at the local Georgian Dream office and tearing down the party’s flag. At least 150 protesters have been arrested across the country. Both the United States and EU – which have been vocal about concerns over the apparent lurch towards Russia – have voiced support for the protesters. On Saturday, the US said it was suspending a strategic partnership Washington maintains with Tbilisi, condemning the “excessive force used against Georgians exercising their freedom to protest”. Kobakhidze dismissed the move as a “temporary event” and said he would instead focus on the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office in January. The EU’s new foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, on Sunday also warned Georgian authorities over violence against demonstrators with France, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Poland, Sweden and Lithuania also voicing concern. Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in turn, has accused the countries of seeking to “interfere in the functioning of the institutions of a sovereign state”. But from within the country, hundreds of public servants in government ministries have also issued joint statements protesting against Kobakhidze’s decision to suspend EU talks. More than 200 Georgian diplomats also criticised the suspension, saying it contradicted the constitution and would lead the country “into international isolation”. For its part, the Kremlin – which has long accused the West of fomenting revolution in former Soviet countries – has not directly commented on the protests. However, security official Dmitry Medvedev, a former Russian president, has claimed an attempted revolution was taking place. He wrote on Telegram that Georgia was “moving rapidly along the Ukrainian path, into the dark abyss. Usually this sort of thing ends very badly.” Georgia has leaned strongly towards Europe and the West since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. Its move away from Moscow was hastened by a brief war with Russia in 2008. Last year, it became an official candidate for EU membership and has been promised eventual NATO membership. Adblock test (Why?)