Canada will recognise Palestinian state at UN General Assembly: Carney
The Canadian prime minister says Hamas cannot play a role in the future of Palestine or take part in possible 2026 elections. Canada has joined several Western countries in announcing its intention to recognise a Palestinian state amid the continuing Israeli atrocities unfolding in Gaza. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney made the announcement on Wednesday. He explained that Ottawa had hoped that a two-state solution could be achieved through a negotiated peace process, but that approach was “no longer tenable”. “Canada intends to recognise the State of Palestine at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2025,” Carney told reporters. The move follows a similar announcement by the United Kingdom and France earlier this month. But it is not clear how such recognitions will impact Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza and the expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank – the two territories that would form a Palestinian state. Carney said the recognition is predicated on promises of reform from the Palestinian Authority and President Mahmoud Abbas, as well as a commitment to hold general elections in 2026. He stressed that Hamas can play no role in the future of Palestine and would not be allowed to take part in future elections, a condition that some argue may taint any democratic process. “Preserving a two-state solution means standing with all people who choose peace over violence or terrorism,” Carney said. US rejects Palestine recognition The United States, Israel’s top ally, has rejected moves to recognise a Palestinian state, saying that the policy rewards Hamas. Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump dismissed his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, when the latter announced plans to acknowledge Palestine. Advertisement “What he says doesn’t matter,” Trump said of Macron. “It’s not going to change anything.” On Tuesday, he also objected to the UK’s move, saying that the issue did not come up during his meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Scotland. “You could make the case that you’re rewarding people, that you’re rewarding Hamas if you do that. I don’t think they should be rewarded. I’m not in that camp, to be honest,” Trump said. The Trump administration has been uncompromising in its support for Israel, despite accusations by UN experts and rights groups that the US ally is committing a genocide against Palestinians. The Israeli military has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians in Gaza and flattened most of the territory since the start of the war in 2023. Calls for sanctions Last year, Canada announced that it would stop issuing new permits for weapons exports to Israel amid concerns over human rights violations. But earlier this week, a coalition of advocacy groups released a report based on Israeli tax records, revealing new details indicating that weapons have continued to be sent to Israel. The groups accused the Canadian government of constructing a “web of lies” to shield itself from criticism and called on Ottawa to cancel all existing arms export permits to Israel. On Wednesday, the National Council of Canadian Muslims welcomed Carney’s announcement but called on Canada to take other practical steps to stop Israel’s assault on Gaza. It compared Israel’s actions in Gaza to Trump’s own pressure campaign to make Canada the 51st state in the US. “Canada must continue to stand by our values to drive an independent foreign policy, particularly as the same Trump administration that backs the annexation of Gaza also threatens Canada with ideas of a 51st state,” the group said in a statement. “This means Canada must apply further sanctions on the Netanyahu government, impose a full two-way arms embargo on the [Israeli military], review the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement, and provide better assistance to those escaping Gaza to reunite with loved ones here in Canada.” Adblock test (Why?)
More than 70 aid seekers killed as starvation worsens in Gaza
Israeli attacks have killed at least 71 Palestinians seeking humanitarian aid amid a deepening hunger crisis in Gaza, medical sources told Al Jazeera, as hospitals in the besieged territory recorded seven more deaths from famine and malnutrition. At least 51 people were killed and more than 648 others were wounded by Israeli forces on Wednesday as they were heading towards the Zikim crossing point for aid trucks entering northern Gaza, according to the Gaza Government Media Office. Another 20 people seeking aid were killed near the so-called Morag Corridor near Khan Younis in southern Gaza, the Nasser Medical Complex reported. More than 1,000 Palestinians seeking aid have been killed by Israeli forces near aid distribution sites run by the US and Israeli-backed GHF, which launched operations in late May. The GHF has been heavily criticised by the UN and other humanitarian organisations for failing to provide enough aid and for the dire security situation at and around its aid distribution sites. The attacks come as aid agencies and health officials warn of a sharp rise in starvation, particularly among children and the elderly. The Gaza Health Ministry said 154 people, including 89 children, have died of malnutrition, most in recent weeks. A global hunger monitor said on Tuesday that a famine scenario is unfolding. Among those struggling to survive is Jihan al-Quraan, a mother who spoke to Al Jazeera while holding her young daughter. “Look at her stomach! There is no flesh, just bones from the lack of food – an entire month without bread,” she said. Advertisement Al-Quraan said she tried to get food at a crowded soup kitchen, but returned empty-handed. “I only found some dry pasta shells on the floor,” she added. Despite mounting needs, aid entering Gaza remains far below required levels. Adnan Abu Hasna, a spokesman for UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, told Al Jazeera Arabic that the trickle of aid allowed into Gaza “does not reach the majority of the population”. According to the UN, Gaza needs at least 500 to 600 aid trucks per day to meet basic humanitarian needs. Yet, only 269 trucks have entered the territory over the past four days. “Most of them were looted by hungry crowds,” reported Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum from Gaza. “Now, looting aid is not very shocking. It has been a predictable outcome for a prolonged period of a starving population that has been denied access to water, food and medical supplies.” “People have gone days without getting any kind of food,” he added. “The number of trucks sent to the Gaza Strip falls short of meeting the needs of the population.” The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said it had documented the deaths of dozens of elderly people in displacement camps “due to starvation, malnutrition, or lack of treatment”. “Many of these deaths were recorded as natural causes, owing to the absence of a clear reporting mechanism within the ministry and the tendency of families to bury their loved ones immediately,” the group said in a statement on X. It added that hospitals and primary care centres have seen an “unprecedented surge” in daily deaths over the past two weeks, with hundreds of elderly people arriving in “states of extreme exhaustion, seeking nutritional fluids”. Israeli bombardment continues At least 15 other people were killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza on Wednesday, medical sources told Al Jazeera. That includes the minimum three people, including Palestinian photojournalist Ibrahim Mahmoud Hajjaj, 35, were killed in two separate Israeli air strikes in Gaza City. One strike targeted a group of people near az-Zahra School in the central Daraj neighbourhood, killing two and wounding others. A second strike in eastern Gaza City killed Hajjaj. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 178 journalists have been killed during Israel’s war on Gaza since October 7. Since the war began, Israeli attacks have killed at least 60,138 Palestinians and wounded more than 146,000 others, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attack on October 7, and more than 200 others were taken captive. Advertisement Gaza annexation threat Meanwhile, an Israeli minister hinted at the possibility of annexing parts of Gaza – a move that could any remaining hopes of a two-state solution and further entrench Israel’s occupation in violation of international law. Accusing Hamas of trying to drag out ceasefire talks to gain Israeli concessions, security cabinet member Zeev Elkin told public broadcaster Kan that Israel may give the group an ultimatum to reach a deal before further expanding its military actions. “The most painful thing for our enemy is losing lands,” he said. “A clarification to Hamas that the moment they play games with us they will lose land that they will never get back would be a significant pressure tool.” The remarks came just days after Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said the Israeli government is “advancing the destruction of Gaza”. “The government is racing ahead for Gaza to be wiped out,” Eliyahu told Haredi radio station Kol Barama. “Thank God, we are wiping out this evil. We are pushing this population that has been educated on ‘Mein Kampf’,” he said, referring to the 1925 autobiographical and political work by Adolf Hitler, the leader of Germany’s Nazi Party. Eliyahu’s comments drew widespread outrage, including from within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s own coalition. However, Israeli media reports suggest the government is preparing a formal ultimatum to Hamas: agree to their terms of a ceasefire or face the annexation of territory. Israel’s Channel 13 reported that Israel may seek to annex land adjacent to the Gaza perimeter fence, pushing up to one kilometre inside the Strip. These threats come as negotiations continue between Hamas and Israel, with mediation from the United States, Qatar and Egypt. Channel 12 reported that Israel has proposed a 60-day ceasefire that would include a partial withdrawal of troops from Gaza, but not an end to the war. A US official confirmed that special envoy
Tsunami alert after massive earthquake east of Russia
[unable to retrieve full-text content] Tsunami alerts have been issued from Japan to the US coast after a magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck near Russia.
Trump’s approval rating in US drops to lowest level of his second term
Polls find that Americans have mixed feelings about Trump’s handling of the US economy and immigration. United States President Donald Trump‘s approval rating has dropped to 40 percent, the lowest level of his second term in office, as Americans remain concerned about his handling of the economy and immigration. The three-day poll by Reuters news agency and Ipsos, which closed on Monday, surveyed 1,023 US adults nationwide and had a margin of error of 3 percentage points. Trump had a 41% approval rating in Reuters/Ipsos’ most recent prior poll, conducted on July 15 and 16. This latest poll showed a nation deeply polarised over Trump, with 83% of Republicans and just 3% of Democrats approving of his performance. About one-third of independents approved. Trump campaigned on promises to supercharge the US economy and crack down on immigration, and the poll found that Americans gave him mixed marks on both those areas, where his administration is using aggressive tactics. The recent slippage on immigration is particularly significant because the issue was a major strength for Trump in the 2024 election. Earlier in his second term, it was also one of the few areas where he was outperforming his overall approval. In March, about half of US adults approved of his handling of immigration. Other recent polls also show growing discontent with Trump’s approach on immigration. A poll conducted by US media outlet CNN and SSRS found that 55 percent of US adults say the president has gone too far when it comes to deporting undocumented immigrants who are living in the US, an increase of 10 percentage points since February. Advertisement “I understand wanting to get rid of illegal immigrants, but the way that’s being done is very aggressive,” said Donovan Baldwin, 18, of Asheboro, North Carolina, who did not vote in the 2024 election. “And that’s why people are protesting, because it comes off as aggression. It’s not right.” Some 38 percent of respondents approved of Trump’s handling of the economy, up from 35 percent approval in the mid-July Reuters poll. The CNN poll, however, found that ratings of Trump’s handling of the economy, which were more positive during his first term, have been persistently negative in his second term. It found that few Americans think Trump’s policies have benefitted them so far. There are concerns over the negative effect that Trump’s tariffs may have at home. Even if he is not a fan of everything Trump has done so far, Brian Nichols, 58, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, is giving him the benefit of the doubt. Nichols, who voted for Trump in 2024, likes what he is seeing from the president overall, though he has his concerns both on style and substance, particularly Trump’s social media presence and his on-again, off-again tariffs. “We put him into office for a reason, and we should be trusting that he’s doing the job for the best of America,” Nichols said. Adblock test (Why?)
Turkiye’s glaciers fall victim to climate change
Kemal Ozdemir looked up at the bare peaks of Mount Cilo in Turkiye’s southeast: “There were glaciers 10 years ago,” he recalled under a cloudless sky. A mountain guide for 15 years, Ozdemir then turned towards the torrent carrying dozens of blocks of ice below a slope covered with grass and rocks – a sign of glacier loss being exacerbated by global warming. “You can see that there are quite a few pieces of glacier in the water right now … the reason why the waterfalls flow so lushly actually shows us how fast the ice is melting,” he said. The glaciers of Mount Cilo, which rises to 4,135 metres (13,566 feet) in the province of Hakkari on the Iraqi border, are the second largest in the country behind those of Mount Ararat (5,137 metres / 16,854 feet) – 250 kilometres (155 miles) further north. As global temperatures rise amid human-caused climate change, new sections of the mountains that were once capped in ice are melting rapidly year after year. Turkiye, which is experiencing punishing heatwaves, drought and wildlfires, even registered a record temperature of 50.5 degrees Celsius (122.9 degrees Fahrenheit) on Friday in Silopi, some 200 kilometres (124 miles) from Hakkari. “The melting process is faster than we expected. According to our research, in the last 40 years, we have lost almost 50 percent of this continuous snow and ice cover in this place,” said Onur Satir, a professor at Yuzuncu Yil University and specialist in geographical information systems in the eastern province of Van. Advertisement “Some places melt faster than others, so actually it’s showing us which places must be protected, but we have no opportunity to cover the whole ice area,” Satir said. In recent years, several glaciers in the Alps have been covered with white tarpaulins in an attempt to delay their demise. According to the United Nations, glaciers in several regions of the world will not survive the 21st century, threatening the water supply of hundreds of millions of people. The surrounding landscape is a delight for walkers, many of whom have flocked to the Hakkari mountains since the guns fell silent in recent years in the region, where fighters from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) have long challenged the Turkish state. The ongoing peace process with the PKK, which has begun a disarmament process, suggests that tourism will accelerate in the area, which became a national park in 2020. But melting ice has made certain areas dangerous. In July 2023, two walkers were killed when they were swept away by a block that broke off from a glacier. “People should not walk on the ice,” Ozdemir warned, voicing concerns about the safety of walkers and the preservation of glaciers. “This region is 40–50 kilometres (25–31 miles) away from the city, but there was no road in the past. Now, with the construction of the road, more vehicles are coming here and the increase in the number of people coming here actually accelerates the melting a little bit,” said the 38-year-old guide. A UN report on desertification worldwide estimates that 88 percent of Turkey’s territory is at risk: rainfall is expected to decrease by 30 percent by the end of the century, while temperatures are expected to rise by 5 to 6C (9 to 10.8F) compared with averages recorded between 1961 and 1990. Adblock test (Why?)
New poll shows plunging US public support for Israel’s war on Gaza
Washington, DC – A new poll from the research firm Gallup suggests that only 32 percent of Americans approve of Israel’s military action in Gaza, a 10-point drop from September 2024, as anger over atrocities against Palestinians continues to rise. The survey, released on Tuesday, also showed an enormous partisan divide over the issue. Seventy-one percent of respondents who identified as members of the Republican Party said they approve of Israel’s conduct, compared with 8 percent of Democrats. Overall, 60 percent of respondents said they disapprove of Israel’s military action in Gaza. Shibley Telhami, a professor at the University of Maryland and the director of the Critical Issues Poll, said the latest survey shows a trend of growing discontent with Israel that goes beyond the war on Gaza. “What we’re seeing here is an entrenchment of a generational paradigm among particularly young Americans – mostly Democrats and independents, but even some young Republicans – who now perceive the horror in Gaza in a way of describing the character of Israel itself,” Telhami told Al Jazeera. In Tuesday’s survey, only 9 percent of respondents under the age of 35 said they approve of Israel’s military action in Gaza, and 6 percent said they have a favourable opinion of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The study follows an April poll from the Pew Research Center, which found a majority of respondents – including 50 percent of Republicans under 50 years old – said they had unfavourable views of Israel. Advertisement But even as public opinion in the US continues to shift, Washington’s policy of unconditional support for Israel has been unwavering. Since the start of the war on Gaza, the US has provided Israel with billions of dollars in military aid, as well as diplomatic backing at the United Nations. Both President Donald Trump and his predecessor, Joe Biden, have been uncompromising backers of the Israeli assault on Gaza, which human rights groups have described as a genocide. Israel has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians in Gaza, imposed a suffocating siege and flattened most of the enclave, reducing its buildings to rubble. The siege is credited with prompting deadly hunger: The UN on Tuesday said there was “mounting evidence of famine and widespread starvation”. Nevertheless, the US Congress also remains staunchly pro-Israel on a bipartisan basis. Earlier this month, a legislative push to block $500m in missile defence support for Israel failed in a 422-to-six vote in the House of Representatives. So, what explains the schism between the views of average Americans and the policies of their elected representatives? Telhami cited voter “priorities”. He explained that foreign policy traditionally has not been a driving factor in elections. For example, domestic issues like abortion, the economy and gun control usually dominate the electoral agenda for Democrats. He also noted the influence of pro-Israel groups, like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which have spent millions of dollars to defeat critics of the Israeli government, particularly progressives in Democratic primaries. But things are changing, according to the professor. Palestine is rising in public importance, he said, with US voters looking at the issue through the lens of “soul-searching”, as a way of questioning what they stand for. “It’s not just Gaza. It’s that we are enabling the horror in Gaza as a country – in terms of our aid or support or, even in some cases, direct collaboration,” Telhami said. “That it is actually creating a paradigmatic shift about who we are, not just about: ‘Do we support Israel? Do we support the Palestinians?’” He said the victory of Palestinian rights advocate Zohran Mamdani in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary last month underscores that movement. “The rise of Zohran Mamdani in New York is giving people pause because he’s been able to generate excitement, not, as some people thought, despite his views on Israel-Palestine, but actually because of his views on Israel-Palestine.” Advertisement Adblock test (Why?)
Trump says Epstein ‘stole’ young women staff from his Mar-a-Lago resort
Trump says he cut off his relationship with Epstein because the sex offender poached workers from his Florida resort. United States President Donald Trump has said that he ended his relationship with disgraced financier and convicted sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein because he “stole” young female workers from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. Speaking to reporters on his way home from a trip to Scotland on Tuesday, Trump alleged that one such worker was the late Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein‘s highest-profile accusers. “People were taken out of the [Mar-a-Lago] spa, hired by him. In other words, gone,” Trump said. “When I heard about it, I told him, I said, ‘Listen, we don’t want you taking our people.’ “And then, not too long after that, he did it again. And I said, ‘Out of here.’” The US president, who had a close relationship with Epstein for years, has become increasingly defensive as he faces growing scrutiny over his administration’s refusal to release government records with information about Epstein’s abuses. Officials including Attorney General Pam Bondi have said that releasing further documents would risk disseminating victim information and child pornography collected as evidence. But Bondi’s comments have helped fuel the controversy. In a February interview with Fox News, Bondi said that Epstein’s supposed client list was “sitting on my desk right now”. Conspiracy theorists have long maintained that Epstein kept a list or book of contacts in order to coerce powerful figures in arts and politics. They also have cast doubt on Epstein’s jailhouse suicide in 2019, calling it, without proof, a cover-up. Advertisement Current members of Trump’s administration, including FBI director Kash Patel and his deputy, Dan Bongino, had played up those theories in past media appearances. But the Department of Justice and FBI later released a review concluding that there was no reason to believe such a list existed and that Epstein had died by suicide, as the government originally concluded. That assertion was met with frustration from some corners of Trump’s own far-right base, who have speculated for years about Epstein’s ties with powerful figures and the circumstances of his death. Giuffre has been a prominent figure in online conspiracy theories. She had accused Epstein of pressuring her to have sex with the powerful men in his orbit. Until her death by suicide earlier this year, Giuffre maintained that she had been approached as a teenager by Epstein’s former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, while she was working at Mar-a-Lago. Giuffre had been employed at the time as a spa attendant. Her father worked in maintenance at the resort. Maxwell, according to Giuffre, offered her money to work as a masseuse for Epstein, who then sexually abused her. She described Maxwell and Epstein as grooming her to perform sex acts for other men. Giuffre alleged that “massage” was sometimes used as a code word for sex. Giuffre ultimately filed a civil suit against Maxwell in New York. While Maxwell has denied Giuffre’s allegations, she settled the suit for an undisclosed sum. Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence in a Florida federal prison for conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse underage girls. If you or someone you know is at risk of suicide, these organisations may be able to help. Adblock test (Why?)
Tsunami alerts issued for US, Japan, Philippines after massive earthquake
DEVELOPING STORYDEVELOPING STORY, Magnitude 8.7 quake off Russia’s east coast prompts warnings, evacuations in dozens of countries. Tsunami alerts have been issued in dozens of countries after a massive magnitude 8.8 earthquake off Russia’s east coast. Waves of up to 4 metres high (13 feet) struck Russia’s far-eastern Kamchatka region early on Wednesday, with tsunami alerts issued for the United States, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Ecuador, Chile, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Peru, Mexico and numerous Pacific island states. The US National Weather Service issued tsunami “warnings” for the state of Hawaii and Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, and lower-level tsunami advisories for parts of California, including Los Angeles and Oregon, with waves expected to arrive from the late afternoon on Wednesday. Less serious tsunami watches were in place for the entire US West Coast. The Honolulu Department of Emergency Management in Hawaii urged the evacuation of residents in some coastal areas. “Take Action! Destructive tsunami waves expected,” the agency said on X. The emergency agency in Hawaii said it expected the first waves to arrive at 7:10pm local time on Tuesday (05:00 GMT, Wednesday). US President Donald Trump urged residents in Hawaii, Alaska, and along the Pacific Coast to pay attention to tsunami-related advisories. “STAY STRONG AND STAY SAFE!” Trump said in a social media post. Japanese authorities said they expected waves as high as 3 metres (9.8 ft) to hit some coastal areas. “People in coastal areas or along rivers should immediately evacuate to safe places such as high ground or evacuation buildings,” the Japan Meteorological Agency said in a statement. Advertisement “Tsunamis can strike repeatedly. Do not leave the safe location until the warning is lifted.” Footage posted on social media showed residents of some Japanese coastal communities moving to higher ground. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba urged the public to evacuate from areas under warning. Japanese media reported the arrival of the first waves, measuring about 30cm (1 ft) high, on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido on Wednesday morning. In Russia, a tsunami flooded the port town of Severo-Kurilsk, forcing the evacuation of its residents, the country’s Ministry of Emergencies and Disaster Relief said. Videos posted on Russian social media appeared to show buildings in the town submerged in seawater. The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the 8.8-magnitude quake struck 136km (85 miles) east of the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Russia’s far east. The USGS revised the intensity of the quake up from an earlier estimate of 8.0. Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Solodov said in a video posted on Telegram that the quake was the “strongest in decades”. The regional health minister, Oleg Melnikov, told Russia’s state-run TASS news agency that several people had been injured, but none of them seriously. Subsequent quakes of magnitude 6.9 and 6.3 were recorded 147km (91 miles) and 131km (81 miles) southeast of Petropavlovsk and Vilyuchinsk, respectively, in Russia’s far east, according to the USGS. Robert Weis, a tsunami expert at Virginia Tech, said the tsunamis could potentially do serious damage. “It is correct to be worried about this one,” Weis told Al Jazeera. “Three metres is pretty destructive,” he said. Adblock test (Why?)
Why Zelenskyy tried to curb autonomy of Ukraine’s anticorruption agencies?
Kyiv, Ukraine – Last week, hundreds of Ukrainians rallied in several cities to protest the government’s attempt to curb the independence of anticorruption watchdogs. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on July 22 signed a bill into law, which would revoke the autonomy of key agencies – the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO). The rare protest in the war-torn country forced the Ukrainian president to introduce a new draft bill to restore the independence of NABU and SAPO, which have been established to investigate high-level corruption and are widely seen as a symbol of democratic reforms. So, why did Zelenskyy try to curb powers of the anticorruption agencies, and will his action dent public trust in the government crucial at a time of war against Russia? Ukrainians protest near the presidential office in Kyiv against a new law seen as undermining the independence of anticorruption institutions, amid Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine [Thomas Peter/Reuters] Why are Ukrainians protesting? The nationwide protests erupted in the wake of the July 22 vote in the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s lower house of parliament, to approve the bill that allows the prosecutor general to oversee the two anticorruption agencies. The prosecutor general is appointed by the president and approved by the Verkhovna Rada, where Zelenskyy’s Public Servant party holds a majority. It was seen as an attempt by the government to control the two agencies, which were created in the wake of the 2013-14 pro-democracy Euromaidan protests. Many believe it’s a setback from the years of reforms following the removal of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych in 2014. Advertisement The protesters held banners with slogans reading “Sham!” “Don’t make a step back, there’s an abyss there,” and “Corruption applauds” the new bill. The rallies took place in Kyiv as well as in large cities such as the Black Sea port of Odesa and Lviv, known as Ukraine’s cultural capital. NABU has been probing a string of senior officials and lawmakers, including those within Zelenskyy’s Public Servant party. Oleksiy, who enlisted to join the army in 2022, wonders why he should keep fighting on the front lines of eastern Ukraine while officials engage in corruption. “What’s the point if I go back home and my family is surrounded by corruption everywhere,” the 42-year-old construction manager told Al Jazeera. “Judges, officials, even school teachers all say, ‘Give, give, give,’” he said, asking to withhold his last name and details of his military service, in accordance with the wartime protocol. Oleksiy, who is on a break from his service to visit his two children and ailing mother, took part in the largest antigovernment rallies in Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Why Zelenskyy backed the bill? The new law envisaged executive control over NABU and SAPO as the prosecutor general’s office could access their information, give them binding directives, transfer cases and close down investigations. The bill “could finally destroy the independence of the anticorruption system in Ukraine”, NABU said. Rachel Denber, deputy Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said the new law “risks weakening Ukraine’s democratic foundations and its future integration with Europe”. She called for the repeal of the law. Zelenskyy, a former comedian and political rookie who came to power in 2019 on an anticorruption ticket, defended the law, claiming that the NABU and SAPO have to “get rid of Russian influence”. His allegation followed the arrest of two NABU staffers suspected of working for Russian intelligence, and charges against outspoken anticorruption campaigner Vitaly Shabunin. Shabunin was accused of “evading military service”, but his supporters called the charges trumped-up, and almost 60 anticorruption and nongovernmental groups signed a joint appeal in his defence. People rally in Kyiv against the implementation of the draft law that regulates the work of s Special Anti-corruption Prosecutor’s Office and the National; Anti-Corruption Bureau [Danylo Antoniuk/Anadolu] A Kyiv-based political analyst says there are two popular theories about why Zelenskyy initiated the bill. Advertisement “One is that NABU allegedly closed in on Zelenskyy’s inner circle,” Volodymyr Fesenko, head of the Penta think tank, told Al Jazeera. NABU accused Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov, Zelenskyy’s closest ally and lifelong friend, of taking kickbacks worth $346,000 from a real estate developer in a deal that cost the government $24m. Zelenskyy’s press office didn’t reply to Al Jazeera’s phone calls and text messages. “Or this is an attempt to control NABU’s actions in order not to overtly politicise them, not to provoke domestic political wars during the war with Russia,” Fesenko said. “But I think it has to do with the activisation of the NABU on political issues that may have caused suspicion in Zelenskyy’s inner circle. That it wasn’t a fight against corruption but more of a political attack on Zelenskyy,” he said. The protests, an anticorruption expert told Al Jazeera, have weakened Zelenskyy’s support within domestic political circles. “There was a belief in his high and stable rating,” Tetiana Shevchuk from the Anti-Corruption Action Center, a Kyiv-based group, said. But “he no longer can demand anything from the parliament,” she said. Zelenskyy is afraid of NABU as the only law enforcement agency that won’t open or close an investigation following a phone call from his administration, she said, referring to the centralisation of power under him. “NABU is the only body that doesn’t do that,” Shevchuk said. Fesenko from the Penta think tank says the politicians “underestimated” the bill’s “negative consequences”. They “didn’t think the public response would be that harsh”. Zelenskyy has promised to submit the new bill – a move applauded by the country’s top anti-corruption investigator. Semen Kryvonos, director of NABU, however, said that corrupt actors will step up a “dirty information campaign” against the anti-graft agencies. Meanwhile, protest leaders say they would stop rallies only after the bill has been passed – tentatively, later this week. Since the 2014 pro-democracy revolution or Revolution of Dignity, attempts have been made to root out endemic corruption. Many bureaucratic procedures have been simplified
US stopover by Taiwan’s president cancelled; Trump mulls China trip: Report
US President Donald Trump reportedly opposed a stopover in New York by Taiwan’s president, says China visit under consideration. Taiwanese President William Lai Ching-te has cancelled a trip to three allies in Central and South America after a planned stopover in the United States was reportedly nixed by his US counterpart, Donald Trump. Lai was preparing to visit Paraguay, Guatemala and Belize in early August, with stopovers planned in New York and Dallas on the first and last leg of the trip, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday. The Taiwanese leader’s trip was called off when US officials said they opposed his stop in New York, the newspaper said, citing three people close to the matter. Lai’s office had never formally announced his trip to Latin America, but on Monday, it said the president had cancelled all overseas travel to focus on tariff negotiations with the US and a cleanup operation following a typhoon in southern Taiwan. The president of Taiwan cannot officially visit the US, which does not recognise its government. But Taiwanese leaders have made use of “transit stops” in the US over the years to liaise with top administration officials outside Washington, DC. In 2023, then-Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen used a transit stop to visit New York and Los Angeles while Joe Biden was still the US president. Beijing, which claims democratic Taiwan as part of its territory, held military exercises in the Taiwan Strait after Tsai’s US stop-off to demonstrate its anger. Trump’s reported decision to block Lai’s stopover follows news that the US president is angling for a trip to China himself, although he said he does not want a “summit” with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. Advertisement “The Fake News is reporting that I am SEEKING a ‘Summit’ with President Xi of China. This is not correct, I am not SEEKING anything! I may go to China, but it would only be at the invitation of President Xi, which has been extended,” Trump wrote on Truth Social late Monday night. Reuters reported that Trump may be aiming to visit China around the time of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea, which runs from October 31 to November 1. Whether the meeting will take place will depend on the outcome of ongoing trade talks between the US and China to resolve Trump’s tariff war launched earlier this year. US and Chinese officials are in Stockholm this week to try to hammer out a tariff agreement before a “truce” expires on August 12, but they have many issues to discuss, including export controls, which could drag out talks. Adblock test (Why?)