World

UN resolution calling for ceasefire in Gaza, passed

Published

6 months ago

March 26, 2024

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The UN Security Council has called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, after the US did not veto the measure in a shift from its previous position.

It also demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

It is the first time the council has called for a ceasefire since the war began in October after several failed attempts.

The move by the US signals growing divergence between it and its ally Israel over Israel’s offensive in Gaza.

In an unusually strong rebuke, a statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the US had “abandoned” its previous position which had directly linked a ceasefire to a hostage release.

“Regrettably, the United States did not veto the new resolution,” it said.

The statement said this harmed efforts to release hostages by giving Hamas hope it could use international pressure on Israel to achieve a ceasefire without freeing the captives.

It also said Mr Netanyahu had decided to cancel meetings between an Israeli delegation and US officials in Washington that were scheduled for this week.

Israel’s defence minister said Israel would not stop the war in Gaza while hostages were still being held there.

The Palestinian representative to the UN, Riyad Mansour, welcomed the resolution but said it was overdue.

“It has taken six months, over 100,000 Palestinians killed and maimed, two million displaced, and famine, for this council to finally demand an immediate ceasefire,” Mr Mansour said.

Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group which governs Gaza and which triggered the war with an unprecedented attack on Israel on 7 October, also welcomed the resolution. It said it was ready “to engage in an immediate prisoner exchange process that leads to the release of prisoners on both sides”.

The group has made any hostage release conditional on the release by Israel of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.

In the Security Council vote on Monday, the US abstained, while the remaining 14 members voted in favour.

The US had previously blocked resolutions calling for a ceasefire, saying such a move would be wrong while delicate negotiations for a truce and hostage releases were continuing between Israel and Hamas.

But on Thursday it tabled its own draft, which for the first time called for a ceasefire, marking a hardening of its stance towards Israel.

US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the US’ decision to let the resolution pass did not mean a “shift in our policy”. He said the US backed a ceasefire but did not vote in favour of the resolution because the text did not condemn Hamas.

Speaking at a press briefing after the resolution was passed, Mr Kirby said: “We have been very clear, we have been very consistent in our support for a ceasefire as part of a hostage deal. That’s how the hostage deal is structured, and the resolution acknowledges the ongoing talks.”

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the resolution “must be implemented” to secure a ceasefire and the “immediate and unconditional release of all hostages”.

(BBC News)

World

Trump rules out another presidential debate against Harris

Published

22 hours ago

September 13, 2024

editor

Donald Trump has ruled out another presidential debate against his rival Kamala Harris before November’s election.

He said on Thursday – two days after the pair’s first showdown in Philadelphia – that Harris only wanted a rematch because he “clearly” won.

Several instant polls taken after Tuesday’s contest indicated voters felt Harris had performed better than her Republican opponent.

Trump added that Harris should instead “focus” on her job as vice-president.

Shortly after, at a campaign rally in North Carolina, Harris responded by saying they “owe” voters another debate because “what is at stake could not be more important”.

Polls suggest the two candidates are in an extremely tight race with just two months to go before the election.

Both claimed victory after Tuesday’s 90-minute debate on ABC News, in which Harris rattled Trump with a string of personal attacks that put him on the defensive. These included comments about the size of his rally crowds and his conduct during the 6 January 2021 riot at the US Capitol.

Trump and his supporters have since accused the two ABC journalists that moderated the debate of being unfair and biased in favour of Harris. He said on Thursday that he did not need another debate.

“When a prizefighter loses a fight, the first words out of his mouth are ‘I want a rematch’,” Trump wrote in a lengthy Truth Social post on Thursday.

“Polls clearly show that I won the debate against comrade Kamala Harris, the Democrats’ radical left candidate… and she immediately called for a second debate,” he added.

The former president held a rally in Arizona on Thursday and gave an interview with Telemundo Arizona backstage. “We just don’t think it’s necessary,” he said of a second debate with Harris. “We think we’ve discussed everything and I don’t think they want it either.”

The Harris campaign, however, called for a second debate immediately after Philadelphia and continued to do so on Thursday. They said voters “got to see the choice they will face at the ballot box: moving forward with Kamala Harris or going backwards with Trump”.

“Vice-President Harris is ready for a second debate. Is Donald Trump?” the campaign said.

Speaking after the debate, various Trump campaign surrogates – including Florida Republican Representative Matt Gaetz – said they believed Trump would welcome another debate.

However, Trump said on Fox News the following morning that the debate had been “rigged” and that he was “less inclined” to attend another after his “great night”.

His decision on Thursday also appeared to contradict earlier messaging from his own campaign. On Wednesday morning, Jason Miller, a senior adviser to the former president, told CNN that Trump “has already said that he is going to do three debates”.

Both campaigns had reportedly been in discussions over a debate on NBC News on 25 September. The network has not commented on Trump’s latest statement.

(BBC News)

World

Former Peruvian leader Alberto Fujimori dies at 86

Published

2 days ago

September 12, 2024

editor

Peru’s former President Alberto Fujimori, who was convicted of human rights abuses and corruption, has died aged 86, his daughter has confirmed.

Fujimori governed Peru between 1990 and 2000 before being forced from office amid allegations of corruption.

His tough stance against a left-wing guerrilla insurgency while president also brought allegations of human rights abuses.

But his supporters praise him for defeating the rebels at a time when they looked likely to seize power.

He fled the country but was subsequently arrested and extradited, before being convicted and jailed.

His daughter Keiko Fujimori posted on social media to say the former president had died “after a long battle with cancer”.

Fujimori’s doctor confirmed he had died of “tongue cancer”.

(BBC News)

World

Kenyan court halts proposed Adani lease of country’s main airport

Published

3 days ago

September 11, 2024

editor

Kenya’s high court has temporarily blocked a proposed deal for India’s Adani Group to lease the country’s main airport for 30 years in exchange for expanding it, court documents showed.

In a joint application, the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), the country’s main bar association, and the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) told the court on Monday that the country could independently raise the $1.85 billion required to upgrade the airport in the capital Nairobi.

LSK and KHRC said the alleged 30-year lease of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), East Africa’s largest aviation hub, was unaffordable, threatened job losses, was a fiscal risk and did not offer taxpayers value for money, court documents published by the KHRC on their website showed.

The high court granted the request for leave to file a judicial review to challenge the possible lease of JKIA to Adani, LSK President Faith Odhiambo wrote on the social media platform X late on Monday.

“The court has meanwhile issued a stay prohibiting any person from implementing or acting on the privately initiated Adani proposal over JKIA pending the conclusion of the court case,” Odhiambo said.

The Adani Group did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. A spokesperson for the Kenya Airports Authority told Reuters: “We are not going to comment on matters in court.”

Last month, the Kenya Aviation Workers Union called for a strike over the proposed deal, saying that it would lead to job losses and bring in non-Kenyan workers.

Kenya’s government has said the airport is operating above capacity and needs modernising but that it is not for sale and that no decision has been made on whether to proceed with what it calls a proposed public-private partnership to upgrade the site.
It said in July that Adani’s offer was being reviewed. If a deal is agreed, the government said there would be safeguards to ensure Kenya’s national interests are protected.

(Reuters)