India’s top court grants bail to opposition leader Arvind Kejriwal
Supreme Court says while Delhi chief minister’s arrest was lawful he should be freed while contesting the charges. India’s highest court has granted bail to opposition leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a corruption case, paving the way for his release almost six months after he was arrested. Kejriwal, a key leader in an alliance against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in elections this year, was first detained in March over a long-running corruption probe, which his colleagues described as a “political conspiracy” orchestrated by the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In a ruling issued on Friday, a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court said that while Kejriwal’s arrest was lawful, he should be released from custody while contesting the charges against him. “Prolonged incarceration amounts to unjust deprivation of liberty,” Justice Surya Kant said in a verdict granting bail. Kejriwal’s release is expected to boost the morale of his decade-old Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as it will allow him to campaign in regional elections next month in the northern state of Haryana, where AAP is trying to make inroads. The allegations against him stem from his administration’s decision to implement a policy liberalising the sale of liquor in 2021 and giving up a lucrative government stake in the sector. The Directorate of Enforcement, the federal financial crimes investigating agency, accused Kejriwal’s party and ministers of accepting 1 billion rupees ($12m) in kickbacks from liquor contractors. Kejriwal was first taken into custody in March, weeks before the general elections. In May, the same court granted him temporary release on bail to allow him to campaign but he returned to custody once voting concluded. Kejriwal, 55, and the AAP deny the allegations and say the cases are “politically motivated”. In its decision on Friday, the two-judge bench, however, was split on Kejriwal’s appeal challenging his arrest, with Justice Kant holding it lawful, while Justice Ujjal Bhuyan said the timing raised serious questions. The federal police “must not only be above board but must also be seen to remain so … in a functional democracy governed by the rule of law, perception matters,” Bhuyan said. Outside the Supreme Court, AAP party members and allies of Kejriwal were seen celebrating, as they welcomed the court’s decision, according to posts on social media. Manish Sisodia, an AAP member of the Delhi legislature, told reporters that the “truth has prevailed and lies have been exposed”. Opposition parties have been demanding Kejriwal’s release, saying his arrest was an attempt by Modi’s BJP to deny them a level playing field in the polls, charges denied by Modi and the BJP. Many countries, including the United States, had urged a “fair” and impartial trial. The BJP said on Friday that bail for Kejriwal did not mean he was innocent. Adblock test (Why?)
What’s Real Madrid star Mbappe’s pay dispute with his former club PSG?
The French football star and his ex-club are at loggerheads over $60m in ‘unpaid’ wages. Al Jazeera explains why. Two of football’s biggest names are locking horns in a pay dispute that could be about to turn into a courtroom drama. Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and their former striker Kylian Mbappe, now with Real Madrid, are at loggerheads over unpaid wages prior to the France captain’s departure for the Spanish capital in July. Al Jazeera Sport looks at how the relationship between the French champions and their all-time leading scorer has turned so sour and led to a standoff just shy of a court hearing. Why are Mbappe and PSG locked in a dispute? Mbappe claims PSG owes him $60.6m in wages which the Parisians say the striker agreed to waive in August 2023. Why are the sums outstanding from Mbappe’s time in Paris? The striker alleges he is owed the total sum following an unpaid signing bonus he was expecting to receive in February, the three final months of his salary, as well as an “ethical bonus” covering the period. Paris Saint-Germain’s forward Kylian Mbappe celebrates with the championship trophy during a ceremony following the French Ligue 1 football match against Toulouse on May 12, 2024 at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris [Franck Fife/Reuters] When did the dispute between PSG and Mbappe begin? PSG and Mbappe first fell out last year when the forward refused to sign a contract extension and was frozen out of the team. He was later reinstated into the first-team squad after the parties arrived at an apparent resolution. Media reports last year said Mbappe had agreed to forego loyalty bonuses if he left PSG on a free transfer. Then, in January, Mbappe said he made an agreement with PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi which would “protect all parties and preserve the club’s serenity for the challenges ahead”. The striker, as expected, left the club at the end of the 2023-24 season for Madrid as a free agent. What is the latest in the saga? Lawyers representing the two parties met early on Wednesday after Mbappe, who joined Madrid this summer, had referred his case to the French Football League’s (LFP) legal committee, which then offered to mediate. What is Mbappe’s side saying? Mbappe’s entourage said on Wednesday that they had refused the league’s offer to act as a mediator between the parties. “The eventuality of a mediation was mentioned,” Mbappe’s entourage said in a statement. “This possibility was rejected during the meeting by the player’s representative. A mediation would be useless to establish a lack of payment that can be seen from a simple analysis of the player’s payslip.” Kylian Mbappe, right, has scored 48 goals in 86 games for France [Claudio Villa/Getty Images] What are PSG saying? PSG had welcomed the proposition of mediation. “Paris Saint-Germain is very pleased with today’s two-hour hearing before the commission,” the French club said. “The club recalled that the player has made clear repeated public and private commitments that must be respected, having been afforded unprecedented benefits by the club over seven fantastic years in Paris. “In the light of the club’s oral and documented arguments, the commission insisted on mediation between the parties, which Paris Saint-Germain has been seeking for many months. “The Commission has now invited the player to consider the mediation process.” What is Mbappe’s history with PSG? Mbappe, who was born in Paris, started his professional career with Monaco where he moved through the ranks from youth-team level. The forward joined PSG from Monaco for $132.5m in 2018 following a season-long loan the year before – the same year that he made his international debut for France, for whom he has since scored 48 goals in 86 appearances. Mbappe won six French championships in his seven seasons with PSG, and was the league’s leading scorer with 27 goals – eight clear of his nearest rival – in the last campaign. Adblock test (Why?)
What is the purpose of Israel’s repeated attacks on UNRWA?
Six staff at UN agency for Palestinian refugees killed in an air strike on a school in Gaza. An Israeli air strike on a school in Gaza kills six people working for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. That is the most the organisation has lost in a single incident in the war. Attacking schools and places of shelter is a war crime. But UNRWA has been repeatedly attacked by Israel during its war. Why is the agency so important to Palestinians – and why does Israel want to destroy it? Presenter: James Bays Guests: Riham Jafari – communication and advocacy coordinator at ActionAid Palestine Chris Gunness – former UNRWA spokesman Tamara Alrifai – UNRWA spokesperson Adblock test (Why?)
US House passes bill targeting China that would limit EV tax credits
A group of automakers says the bill makes fewer vehicles eligible for the tax credits. The United States House of Representatives has narrowly voted to approve legislation to tighten rules limiting Chinese content in vehicles qualifying for US electric vehicle (EV) tax credits. The House voted on Thursday 217 to 192 to approve the bill, which has not been taken up by the US Senate, to tighten the definition of Chinese components that make vehicles ineligible for US EV tax credits. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation (AAI), which represents General Motors, Toyota Motor Corporation, Volkswagen, Hyundai and other car companies, said the bill would result in fewer vehicles qualifying and would mean aggressive rules on vehicle emissions and EV targets would need to be rolled back. AAI’s CEO John Bozzella said that those standards were based in part on the availability of EV tax credits and that if the incentives are eliminated “the automotive industrial base faces a serious economic and national security risk from China, the US becomes less competitive, and the rug is pulled out from consumers”. The bill, sponsored by Representative Carol Miller, a Republican from West Virginia, would tighten the definition of a so-called “Foreign Entity of Concern” that applies to China and other countries. She said it would “ensure that Chinese companies can no longer benefit from electric vehicles tax credits meant for US manufacturers”. The rules required under an August 2022 law are designed to wean the US electric vehicle battery supply chain away from China. The US Treasury and Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately comment. Currently, 22 of the 113 EV or plug-in hybrid models for sale in the US are eligible for the EV tax credit – and just 13 get the full $7,500 credit, Bozzella said. In May, the US Treasury gave automakers additional flexibility on battery mineral requirements for electric vehicle tax credits on some crucial trace minerals from China, such as graphite. The department said it would give automakers until 2027 to remove some hard-to-trace minerals like graphite contained in anode materials and critical minerals contained in electrolyte salts, binders, and additives. Adblock test (Why?)
Ronaldo urges Manchester United to ‘rebuild everything from the bottom’
Cristiano Ronaldo says his former club Manchester United must rebuild everything from the bottom up if they are to compete for the top football titles again. The 39-year-old Portugal forward won three Premier League titles, the Champions League and a Club World Cup crown during his first stint at United from 2003-2009 and said he still loves the club, which finished eighth in the league last season. Ronaldo says manager Erik ten Hag’s attitude is too negative, urging him to target the Premier League title. The Portugal star, who now plays for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, fell out with ten Hag before his second spell at Old Trafford ended late in 2022. Speaking on the “Rio Ferdinand Presents” podcast set to air on Thursday, Ronaldo said he was happy with the way the club’s administrators, led by INEOS boss Jim Ratcliffe, were investing in infrastructure. “They need to rebuild everything, in my opinion … the club needs time to rebuild because it’s still one of the best clubs in the world, but they need to change. They understand that this is the only way. “I believe that the future will be bright. I believe, but they don’t depend only on the talents. They have to rebuild from the bottom. If not, they cannot compete. It will be impossible.” Cristiano Ronaldo is still revered by fans at Manchester United, where he spent six seasons [File: Phil Noble/Reuters] Ronaldo dismisses ten Hag’s approach towards titles Ten Hag has said he is “quite confident” of claiming more silverware this campaign after lifting the League Cup and FA Cup over the past two seasons. But he said in July his team are a “long way away” from being ready to win the Premier League, which they have not won since Alex Ferguson’s final season in charge in 2013. Ronaldo dismissed ten Hag’s attitude. “The coach, they say they cannot compete to win the league and Champions League. Manchester United coach, you cannot say that you’re not going to fight to win the league or Champions League. “You have to be, to mentally say, listen, maybe we don’t have that potential, but I cannot say that. We’re going to try. You have to try.” United upset Manchester City in the FA Cup final in May but they endured their worst Premier League campaign last term, finishing eighth, and the 20-time English champions have lost two of their opening three matches this season. Ten Hag has come under pressure already after two defeats in their opening three games and Ronaldo said he should lean on his former United teammate Ruud van Nistelrooy, who was hired as an assistant coach. “You cannot rebuild a club without knowledge,” he said. “I believe that Ruud is going to help because he was inside the club. He knows the club, he knows the fans. If the coach listens to him, I think they can improve a little bit the club.” Cristiano Ronaldo left the club in December 2022, following a fractured relationship with manager Erik ten Hag [Carl Recine/Reuters] ‘I love that club’ Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo, who spent six seasons with United earlier in his career, scored 27 goals in 54 appearances during his second spell at Old Trafford after signing from Juventus in 2021. Following his exit just over a year later, he claimed he felt “betrayed”, while saying of ten Hag: “I don’t have respect for him because he doesn’t show respect for me.” However, the 39-year-old said he still loves the club. “I’m not happy the way it all happened but, in the same way, we cannot control some points of our life sometimes, but it’s done, already done,” he said. “To prove that I’m right or wrong, this is not my issue any more. I say what I have to say and for me it’s done.” He added: “I love that club. I’m not that kind of guy that forgot the past.” United are currently 14th in the league and visit Southampton on Saturday. Adblock test (Why?)
Nine candidates named in Japan’s leadership race
A surfer and a nationalist are among the record number of contenders to replace Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Japan’s governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has named the nine candidates who will run in a leadership race scheduled for September 27 to replace Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, whose three-year term was tarnished by scandals. The record number of contenders named on Thursday include former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, 43, the surfer son of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, and Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi, 63, a nationalist vying to be the first female prime minister. The LDP holds a majority in parliament, which means the winner is guaranteed to become Japan’s next premier. Koizumi has promised to change an “old-fashioned LDP” and accelerate reforms to revitalise Japan, including by making the job market more flexible. He said he would hold a snap election soon after taking office to seek the public’s mandate. Koizumi supports a revision to a 19th-century civil code requiring married couples to choose one of their surnames, which has caused most women to adopt their husbands’ surnames. He wants to allow an option of keeping separate surnames which is supported by the country’s powerful business lobby. Former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi is the youngest candidate [File: Eugene Hoshiko/AP] He has said he will strengthen Japan’s alliance with the United States and expand a cooperation network with other like-minded nations to deter China’s growing influence. He wants to meet his Chinese and South Korean counterparts soon after taking office and hold talks with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un. Leading the opinion polls are Koizumi and former Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba, 67. Ishiba is running in the leadership race for a fifth time. Despite his popularity among general voters, he has struggled to win enough support from fellow party lawmakers. He has said this will be his “final battle”. A security and defence expert, Ishiba has proposed an Asian version of the NATO military alliance. He is a supporter of democracy in Taiwan, which China views as its own territory. Ishiba promises to push for gender equality and measures to address low births and Japan’s declining population. Shigeru Ishiba, member of the House of Representatives for the LDP and one of the candidates in the leadership election [File: Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo] The other candidates are Yoko Kamikawa, 71, top diplomat for Kishida; Taro Kono, 61, outspoken reformist and digital affairs minister; Toshimitsu Motegi, 67, the LDP’s secretary-general; Takayuki Kobayashi, 49, former economic security minister; Katsunobu Kato, 68, chief cabinet secretary; and Yoshimasa Hayashi, 63, former defence minister and foreign minister. How the race works The nine candidates and other LDP lawmakers will meet at the party headquarters in Tokyo for the vote on September 27 to decide on its next president and, since it holds a parliamentary majority, the next prime minister. Each of the LDP’s 369 lawmakers will cast a vote in the first round, while an equal number of votes will be distributed among rank-and-file members polled earlier. In the 2021 leadership election, the party had 1.13 million registered members, its website showed. A candidate securing a simple majority in that poll becomes the party leader. If nobody secures a majority, a run-off follows between the two candidates with the most votes. In the second round, each lawmaker again gets one vote, but the share of the rank and file drops to 47 votes, one for each of Japan’s prefectures. Once a new LDP leader is elected, Japan’s parliament will gather, probably in early October, to pick a new prime minister, who is then expected to announce a new cabinet and appoint key LDP officials. The new prime minister may call a snap general election to seek a national mandate. Adblock test (Why?)
Floods in northeastern Nigeria affect one million people
Severe flooding in northeastern Nigeria has killed at least 30 people and affected more than one million others, the authorities have said. The collapse of the Alau dam on the Ngadda river in Borno State on Tuesday caused some of the state’s worst flooding since the same dam collapsed 30 years ago, and prompted residents to flee their homes. The state government said on Wednesday that the dam was at capacity due to unusually high rains. Officials expected the death toll to rise. The current flooding comes nearly two years after Nigeria’s worst flooding in a decade killed more than 600 people across the country. Ezekiel Manzo, spokesman of the National Emergency Management Agency, on Wednesday put the death toll at 30. “One million people have been affected so far,” said an aide for Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum, adding that as efforts to document displaced people begin, that number could rise to nearly two million. Residents of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, said food has become expensive since the central market was destroyed in the floods. The swirling waters partially destroyed a local zoo and several animals escaped. Mary Mamza, a Maiduguri resident, said people were afraid to leave their homes after an escaped crocodile was killed near her home. West Africa has experienced some of its worst flooding in decades. More than 2.3 million people have been affected so far this year, which is a threefold increase from last year, according to the United Nations. African nations are losing up to 5 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) every year as they bear a heavier burden than the rest of the world from climate change, a new report said on Monday after one of the continent’s hottest years on record. The World Meteorological Organization said many African nations are spending up to 9 percent of their budgets for climate adaptation policies. Adblock test (Why?)
Kamala Harris decries ‘tragic’ killing of US citizen by Israeli forces
The US vice president and Democratic nominee has failed to back Aysenur Eygi’s family’s call for an independent investigation. Washington, DC – Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris has decried the killing of American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi by Israeli forces, but the United States vice president stopped short of endorsing requests for an independent investigation into the incident. In a statement on Wednesday, Harris called the fatal shooting of Eygi in the occupied West Bank last week “tragic” and “unacceptable”. She also urged “full accountability” for the killing. “Israel must do more to ensure that incidents like this never happen again,” Harris said. “Israel’s preliminary investigation indicated it was the result of a tragic error for which the [Israeli military] is responsible. We will continue to press the government of Israel for answers and for continued access to the findings of the investigation so we can have confidence in the results.” Israeli forces shot Eygi in the head on September 6 while she was protesting against an illegal Israeli outpost in the Palestinian territory. On Tuesday, the Israeli military acknowledged that it “probably” killed Eygi, but said she was shot “indirectly and unintentionally”. Eygi, 26, lived in Washington State and has been described by friends as a joyous person who was passionate about social justice. Rights advocates have long argued that Israel should not be allowed to investigate its own abuses, noting that the country’s authorities rarely prosecute its own soldiers for rampant rights violations against Palestinians. That is why Eygi’s family had called on the US to conduct its own probe into the killing. But Washington has all but ruled out the request, saying that it is awaiting the results of the Israeli investigation. On Tuesday, both Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin described the killing of Eygi as “unprovoked and unjustified”. But their boss, President Joe Biden, was quick to suggest that he accepts the Israeli explanation for the shooting. “Apparently, it was an accident. It ricocheted off the ground and it — [she] got hit by accident,” he told reporters outside the White House. He later issued a statement on Wednesday saying the US expects to have “full access” to Israel’s preliminary investigation. “There must be full accountability. And Israel must do more to ensure that incidents like this never happen again,” Biden wrote in the statement. None of the US officials — including Harris — has backed an independent probe or committed to seeking consequences for Eygi’s killing. Eygi is one of several Americans killed by Israel in recent years. Victims include 17-year-old Tawfiq Ajaq, who was shot in January, and veteran Al Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed by Israeli forces in Jenin in 2022. The US has verbally demanded accountability in these cases but has not applied any penalties to Israel for refusing to open criminal investigations into the incidents. Israel receives billions of dollars in US military aid annually, as well as diplomatic support from Washington at international forums. Biden and Harris have faced criticism this week for failing to call Eygi’s family to express condolences or condemn Israel for killing her. Critics have also drawn a contrast between the administration’s response to Eygi’s death and the killing of US citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was taken captive during the October 7 attack by Hamas and found dead in a tunnel in Gaza late in August. After Goldberg-Polin’s death, top Biden administration officials unequivocally condemned his killing, and the US Department of Justice announced new “terrorism” charges against Hamas leaders. Advocates say this strong reaction only highlights the tepid nature of the US response to Eygi’s killing. “Aysenur and her family deserve justice. As her family continues to mourn, President Biden and Vice President Harris have chosen to defend the foreign military that killed her instead of calling the family to express their condolences,” Juliette Majid, a friend of Eygi, told Al Jazeera in a statement. “How long must the family wait before the US conducts an independent investigation into the deliberate killing of an American citizen?” Adblock test (Why?)
Video shows destruction from Israeli strike on UNRWA school-turned-shelter
NewsFeed An Israeli strike on an UNRWA school-turned-shelter has killed at least 18 people and injured over a dozen others in Nuseirat, Gaza. Video from the scene shows bags of food with the UNRWA logo amid the rubble from which rescuers were removing bodies. Published On 11 Sep 202411 Sep 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
At least 14 Palestinians killed in Israeli strike on Gaza school
A separate Israeli strike in Khan Younis killed 11 as the United Nations polio vaccination drive continues in the north. At least 14 people, including two children and a woman, have been killed in an Israeli air attack on a school-turned-shelter in Gaza’s Nuseirat camp, according to the Palestinian Civil Defence agency and hospital officials. Witnesses told Al Jazeera that people were waiting for food when Israeli jets struck jets struck the United Nations-run al-Jaouni school in Nuseirat camp in central Gaza on Wednesday. Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, who visited the site, said he saw a “tremendous amount of destruction” with “piles of rubble scattered around the area” and a missile stuck in the ground. He said emergency workers had “been digging the rubble with their bare hands due to the lack of basic equipment”. Fourteen people killed in the attack were brought to al-Awda and Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospitals nearby, officials from the facilities said. At least 18 people were wounded in the strike, they said. The Israeli army said in a statement that the air force targeted a Hamas command and control centre. Without providing evidence, it said the compound was used to plan and carry out attacks against Israeli forces in Gaza and against Israel. The school is at least the sixth to be targeted by Israeli shelling or air raids since August 1. Tens of thousands of Palestinians driven from their homes by Israeli offensives and evacuation orders are sheltering in Gaza’s schools. Khan Younis attack Earlier on Wednesday, an Israeli attack hit a home near the southern city of Khan Younis, killing 11 people, including six brothers and sisters from the same family who ranged in age from 21 months to 21 years old, according to the European Hospital, which received the casualties. Israeli jets also struck a group of people waiting to buy bread outside a bakery west of Gaza City, according to the Civil Defence. A spokesperson for the agency said at least three people were killed and seven wounded in the Israeli air raid on the Nassr neighbourhood. An Israeli strike late Tuesday on a home in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza killed nine people, including six women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry and the Civil Defence. The Civil Defence said the home belonged to Akram al-Najjar, a professor at the al-Quds Open University, who survived the strike. Israel’s 11-month-old assault on Gaza has killed at least 41,084 people and wounded another 95,029, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. People use a blanket to transport a victim after an Israeli air strike hit a school in Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, on September 11, 2024 [Eyad Baba/AFP] Polio vaccinations continue A campaign to vaccinate Gaza’s children against the polio virus continues in the north “against all odds”, including Israeli attacks on UN health workers and their vehicles, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). It said that nearly 530,000 children have received the vaccine across the Gaza Strip. UNRWA also said its staff are working “around the clock to reach all children under 10”. A campaign to vaccinate a final 200,000 children in north Gaza, the part of the enclave hardest hit by Israel’s 11-month war, began on Tuesday. It follows the vaccination of more than 446,000 Palestinian children in central and south Gaza earlier this month. (Al Jazeera) Adblock test (Why?)