US halts UNRWA funding over alleged involvement in Hamas attack on Israel

The US has temporarily paused additional funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in light of recent allegations that the agency`s employees may have been involved in the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.

Secretary of State Antony J Blinken spoke with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on January 25 to emphasize the necessity of a thorough and swift investigation of this matter, the US State Department said in a statement.

Notably, on October 7, more than 3,000 women, children and men, ranging from the age of 9 months to 80 years in Israel were attacked by the terror group Hamas. Many women were brutally raped and killed. Around 1,405 people lost their lives, and over 200 were taken as hostages.

US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said: “The United States is extremely troubled by the allegations that twelve UNRWA employees may have been involved in the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel.”

He said the State Department has temporarily paused additional funding for UNRWA “while we review these allegations and the steps the United Nations is taking to address them.”

Miller said the US welcomes the UN`s decision to investigate the matter.

“We welcome the decision to conduct such an investigation and Secretary General Guterres` pledge to take decisive action to respond, should the allegations prove accurate. We also welcome the UN`s announcement of a `comprehensive and independent` review of UNRWA. There must be complete accountability for anyone who participated in the heinous attacks of October 7,” the US State Department spokesperson said.

Miller said UNRWA plays a critical role in providing lifesaving assistance to Palestinians, including essential food, medicine, shelter, and other vital humanitarian support. “Their work has saved lives, and it is important that UNRWA address these allegations and take any appropriate corrective measures, including reviewing its existing policies and procedures.”

The US has meanwhile reached out to the Israel government to seek more information about these allegations, and “we have briefed Members of Congress. We will remain in close contact with the United Nations and Israeli government regarding this matter,” he added.

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Yemen Houthi rebels fire a missile at a US warship, escalating worst Mideast sea

Yemen`s Houthi rebels launched a missile Friday at a US warship patrolling the Gulf of Aden, forcing it to shoot down the projectile, the US military said Friday. The attack on the destroyer USS Carney marked a further escalation in the biggest confrontation at sea the US Navy has seen in the Middle East in decades, as Houthi missile fire set another commercial vessel ablaze Friday night. The Carney attack represents the first time the Houthis directly targeted a U.S. warship since the rebels began their assaults on shipping in October, a U.S. official said on condition of anonymity because no authorization had been given to discuss the incident. That contradicted a statement by the US military`s Central Command, which said the Houthis fired “toward” the Carney. As it has in previous strikes, the Pentagon said it was difficult to determine what exactly the Houthis were trying to hit. Ever since the Israel-Hamas war broke out, the U.S. has tried to temper its descriptions of the strikes targeting its bases and warships to try to prevent the conflict from becoming a wider regional war.

Acknowledging Friday`s assault as a direct attack on a US warship is important, said Brad Bowman, a senior director at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. “They`re now finally calling a spade a spade, and saying that, yeah, they`re trying to attack our forces, they`re trying to kill us,” he said. Tempering the language, while aimed at preventing a wider war, has had the opposite effect of further enabling the Houthis, he said. In Friday`s attack, an anti-ship ballistic missile came near the USS Carney, an Arleigh-Burke class destroyer that`s been involved in American operations to try and stop the Houthi campaign since November, Central Command said. “The missile was successfully shot down by USS Carney,” it said.

“There were no injuries or damage reported.” The attack was the latest assault by the rebels in their campaign against ships traveling through the Red Sea and surrounding waters, which has disrupted global trade amid Israel`s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree did not acknowledge the Carney attack, but claimed a missile attack on a commercial vessel that set it ablaze. He identified the vessel as the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker Marlin Luanda. The Associated Press could not immediately reach the ship`s British managers. The British military`s United Kingdom Maritime Operations, which oversees Mideast waterways, acknowledged a vessel had been struck by a missile and was on fire in the Gulf of Aden. It wasn`t immediately clear if anyone had been hurt. The U.S. and Britain have launched multiple rounds of airstrikes since the Houthi attacks began targeting Houthi missile depots and launcher sites in Yemen, a country that`s been wrecked by conflict since the rebels seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014.

Since November, the rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea, saying they were avenging Israel`s offensive in Gaza against Hamas. But they have frequently targeted vessels with tenuous or no clear links to Israel, imperiling shipping in a key route for global trade between Asia, the Mideast and Europe. Since the airstrike campaign began, the rebels now say they`ll target American and British ships as well. On Wednesday, two American-flagged ships carrying cargo for the U.S. Defense and State departments came under attack by the Houthis, forcing an escorting U.S. Navy warship to shoot some of the projectiles down. The US Navy`s top Mideast commander told the AP on Monday that the Houthi attacks were the worst since the so-called Tanker War of the 1980s. It culminated in a one-day naval battle between Washington and Tehran, and also saw the U.S. Navy accidentally shoot down an Iranian passenger jet, killing 290 people in 1988.

source https://www.mid-day.com/news/world-news/article/yemen-houthi-rebels-fire-a-missile-at-a-us-warship-escalating-worst-mideast-sea-conflict-in-decades-23332015

US top court urged to rule Trump ineligible to be prez again due to Capitol riot

The Supreme Court should declare that Donald Trump is ineligible to be president again because he spearheaded the violent attack on the US Capitol in an effort to overturn his 2020 election loss, lawyers leading the fight to keep him off the ballot told the justices on Friday. In a filing filled with vivid descriptions of the Jan. 6, 2021, violence at the Capitol, the lawyers urged the justices not to flinch from doing their constitutional duty and to uphold a first-of-its-kind Colorado court decision to kick the 2024 Republican presidential front-runner off the state`s primary ballot.

“Nobody, not even a former President, is above the law,” the lawyers wrote. The court will hear arguments in less than two weeks in a historic case that has the potential to disrupt the 2024 presidential election. The case presents the high court with its first look at a provision of the 14th Amendment barring some people who “engaged in insurrection” from holding public office. The amendment was adopted in 1868, following the Civil War. In their plea to the court, the lawyers said, “Trump intentionally organized and incited a violent mob to attack the United States Capitol in a desperate effort to prevent the counting of electoral votes cast against him¿ after he lost the election to Democrat Joe Biden. They called for a decision that makes clear that what happened on Jan. 6 was an insurrection, for which Trump bears responsibility. The president is covered by the constitutional provision at issue, and Congress doesn`t need to take action before states can apply it, the lawyers wrote. The written filing includes extensive details of Trump`s actions leading up to Jan. 6, including his tweet on Dec. 19, 2020, in which he informed his followers of the planned protest on the day Congress would count the electoral votes and wrote, “Be there, will be wild.”

Then in his speech to supporters on Jan. 6, the lawyers wrote, “Trump lit the fuse.” The brief reproduces photographs of the mayhem from that day, including one of U.S. Capitol Police Officer Daniel Hodges pinned in a doorway during the attack. Trump`s lawyers have argued that efforts to keep him off the ballot “threaten to disenfranchise tens of millions of Americans and … promise to unleash chaos and bedlam” if other states follow Colorado`s lead. The Colorado Supreme Court`s 4-3 ruling should be reversed for any of several reasons, Trump`s lawyers wrote, including that Trump did not engage in insurrection and that the presidency is not covered by the amendment. They also contend that Congress would have to enact legislation before states could invoke the provision to keep candidates off the ballot. The justices are hearing arguments Feb. 8. Trump already has won the first two GOP presidential contests: the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley is Trump`s sole remaining significant GOP opponent. Still, both sides have said the court needs to act quickly so that voters know whether Trump is eligible to hold the presidency.

The court is dealing with the dispute under a compressed timeframe that could produce a decision before Super Tuesday on March 5, when the largest number of delegates in a day is up for grabs, including in Colorado. A two-sentence provision in Section 3 of the 14th Amendment states that anyone who swore an oath to uphold the Constitution and then ¿engaged in insurrection¿ against it is no longer eligible for state or federal office. After Congress passed an amnesty for most of the former confederates the measure targeted in 1872, the provision fell into disuse until dozens of suits were filed to keep Trump off the ballot this year. Only the one in Colorado was successful. Trump is separately appealing to state court a ruling by Maine`s Democratic secretary of state, Shenna Bellows, that he is ineligible to appear on that state`s ballot over his role in the Capitol attack. Both the Colorado Supreme Court and the Maine secretary of state`s rulings are on hold until the appeals play out.

source https://www.mid-day.com/news/world-news/article/us-top-court-urged-to-rule-donald-trump-ineligible-to-be-president-again-due-to-capitol-riots-23332006

Biden meets Egyptian, Qatari leaders ahead of CIA chief`s meet on new Gaza deal

President Joe Biden spoke on Friday with his Egyptian and Qatari counterparts ahead of a trip by his CIA director meant to press toward a deal to secure the release of more hostages held by Hamas in exchange for a pause to fighting with Israel in Gaza. US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Biden spoke with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and Qatar`s ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani. He added that while talks have been constructive, “We should not expect any imminent developments.”

“We continue to do everything we can to facilitate another hostage deal, just as we did in November,” Kirby added. CIA Director Bill Burns is slated to soon meet in Europe with David Barnea, the head of Israel`s Mossad intelligence agency, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel, according to three people familiar with the matter who insisted on anonymity to discuss the sensitive talks. The meeting will focus on the release of hostages in exchange for a pause in hostilities. The Biden administration`s hope is that an agreement could lead to an extended cease-fire that could eventually bring an end to the conflict, according to a US official.

The CIA and the White House National Security Council declined to comment on the meeting. Burns` trip comes after a visit to the Mideast by White House senior envoy Brett McGurk this week focused on winning the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza. McGurk has also been laying the groundwork for another trip to the region by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who next week could make his fifth trip to the Middle East since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October. Some 1,200 people were killed and Hamas and other militants abducted around 250 people during their Oct. 7 rampage in southern Israel. Around 100 hostages were freed under a weeklong cease-fire deal in November in exchange for the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Around 130 remain captive, but some have since been confirmed dead. Hamas has said it will free more captives only in exchange for an end to the war and the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners.

source https://www.mid-day.com/news/world-news/article/us-prez-biden-meets-egyptian-qatari-leaders-ahead-of-cia-chiefs-meet-pushing-for-new-gaza-hostage-deal-23332004

I cherish the close bond: UK`s King Charles III congratulates India on R-Day

Britain`s King Charles III extended Republic Day wishes to India on Friday and expressed confidence in strengthening India-UK ties.

In a congratulatory note addressed to President Droupadi Murmu, King Charles hailed India and the UK`s close bond and shared values.

Britain`s King said, “On the special occasion of your National Day, my wife and I would like to convey our warmest congratulations to Your Excellency and the people of the Republic of India. I cherish the close bond shared between our nations and I am confident that our ties will continue to flourish in this very special seventy-fifth anniversary year of the Commonwealth a fitting reminder of the enduring values and aspirations that unite us.”

The note added, “I congratulate you on a successful G20 presidency last year and look forward to our countries continuing to work together to tackle the world`s most pressing global challenges. I look forward to all Commonwealth members coming together in Samoa later in the year. My wife and I would like to take this opportunity to send you and the people of India our very best wishes for the coming year.”

Additionally, the Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong congratulated Prime Minister Modi and the people of India on the 75th Republic Day and underscored bilateral relations based on trade, finance, defence and close people-to-people ties.

“Please accept my warmest congratulations on the happy occasion of India`s 75th Republic Day. Singapore and India enjoy a deep and longstanding friendship, underpinned by wide-ranging cooperation in trade, finance, defence, and close people-to-people ties. Through the India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable, we are also exploring collaboration in new areas like food security, sustainability, upskilling, and digitalisation,” Singapore PM said in an official statement.

It added, “You will be pleased to know that the PayNow-Unified Payments Interface linkage that we jointly launched in February 2023 has seen a steady uptake of users. This has made cross-border transactions safer and faster for businesses and individuals on both sides.”

He also lauded India`s G20 presidency and noted that India`s skilfully navigated a multitude of contentious issues at the summit.

He said, “I was glad to visit India to meet you and to attend the G20 Summit in September 2023. Under your leadership, India skilfully navigated a multitude of contentious issues to successfully conclude the G20 New Delhi Summit with a consensus Leaders Declaration.”

He said further, “As a country, coordinator for ASEAN-India relations, Singapore will maintain the momentum in ASEAN-India relations following its upgrade to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2022. I look forward to continuing to work with you to further deepen and strengthen Singapore-India relations. I wish you good health, happiness, and every success.”

Moreover, Mauritius PM also extended wishes and posted on X, “Warmest congratulations to Prime Minister Shri Modi Ji @narendramodi and our Indian sisters and brothers on the glorious occasion of the 75th Republic Day of India.”

Meanwhile, President Droupadi Murmu commenced the celebrations of the 75th Republic Day on Friday by unfurling the national flag at Kartavya Path.

President Murmu on her arrival at Kartavya Path was received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Simultaneously, the National Anthem was played and the 21 Gun Salute was presented to the President.

As per tradition, the National Flag was unfurled followed by the National Anthem with a booming 21-gun salute given with indigenous gun system 105-mm Indian Field Guns.

source https://www.mid-day.com/news/world-news/article/i-cherish-the-close-bond-britains-king-charles-iii-congratulates-india-on-republic-day-2024-23331932

Gang violence is surging to unprecedented levels in Haiti, UN envoy says

An unprecedented surge in gang violence is plaguing Haiti, with the number of victims killed, injured and kidnapped more than doubling last year, the UN special envoy for the conflict-wrecked Caribbean nations said Thursday.

In a grim briefing, Maria Isabel Salvador told the U.N. Security Council, `I cannot overstress the severity of the situation in Haiti, where multiple protracted crises have reached a critical point.`

She said the 8,400 victims of gang violence documented by her U.N. office last year ` a 122 per cent rise from 2022 ` were mainly targeted by gangs in the capital, Port-au-Prince.

Some 300 gangs control an estimated 80 per cent of the capital, and accounted for 83 per cent of last year`s killings and injuries, Salvador said. But, she added, their tentacles have reached northward into the Artibonite region, considered Haiti`s food basket, and south of the capital `gangs conducted large-scale attacks to control key zones,` systematically using sexual violence to exert control.

The briefing came more than three months after the Security Council approved the deployment of a multinational armed force led by Kenya to help bring gang violence under control.

But the deployment of Kenyan security officers has faced a series of hurdles. It finally got a green light from Kenya`s parliament. And Kenya`s UN ambassador, Martin Kimani, told the council a court verdict in a case brought by an individual seeking to block the deployment would be announced Friday.

If the court allows the deployment, Kenyan authorities told The Associated Press last month that the first group of about 300 officers was expected to arrive in Haiti by February. Kenya`s contribution would eventually rise to 1,000 officers at the head of a 3,000-strong multinational force. Burundi, Chad, Senegal, Jamaica and Belize have pledged troops for the multinational mission.

Haiti`s National Police are no match for the gangs. Less than 10,000 officers are on duty at any time in a country of more than 11 million people. Ideally, there should be some 25,000 active officers, according to the UN.

Salvador told the council that although 795 new recruits will join the force in March, about 1,600 police officers left the force in 2023, according to data gathered by her office, further diminishing the Haitian police`s ability to counter gang violence and maintain security.

Haitian Foreign Minister Jean Victor Génus said the country stands “at a decisive crossroads on which the hopes for Haiti`s future are pinned”.

“The Haitian people have had enough of the armed gangs savagery,” he said, adding that the gangs have stepped up their activities, perhaps concerned that the multinational mission is going to arrive any day.

“Every passing day that this long-awaited support has not yet arrived is one day too many ` one day too many that we`re being subjected to the hell imposed on us by the gangs,” Génus said. “Given that time is of the essence, we would like to see a swift and effective deployment.”

Kenya`s ambassador said the government has made “significant progress” preparing for the deployment, while awaiting the court decision, including making assessment missions to Haiti.

Kenya is preparing for a planning conference with other police contributing countries in mid-February, Kimani said, and it is engaging with partners to prepare a pledging conference to mobilize funds for the mission.

source https://www.mid-day.com/news/world-news/article/gang-violence-is-surging-to-unprecedented-levels-in-haiti-un-envoy-says-23331883

At least 50 villagers shot dead in latest violence in Nigerian state of Plateu

Gunmen killed at least 50 villagers over two days in Nigeria`s north-central Plateau state, survivors has said, prompting a 24-hour curfew and calls for authorities to end violence between nomadic cattle herders and farming communities.

No group took responsibility for the killings that took place in remove villages over a two-day period, the second such attack in less than a month in the state where more than 1 40 people were killed in December.

Gunmen stormed villages in Plateau`s Mangu district on Monday and Tuesday firing on residents and setting fire to houses, the Mwaghavul Development Association community association said. Reports of the attacks were delayed because of difficulty in accessing the area.

More bodies were recovered on Thursday and many were missing or seriously wounded, according to Mathias Sohotden, a community leader. Amnesty International`s Nigeria office said it estimated a death toll much higher than the 30 it has so far confirmed.

The violence angered many in Nigeria and pressure mounted on the country`s leader, Bola Tinubu, who is in France on a private visit. Tinubu was elected president last year after promising to tackle Nigeria`s deadly security crisis but observers say the situation has not improved under his government.

Plateau Governor Caleb Mutfwang imposed a 24-hour curfew Tuesday in Mangu in response to the attacks. However, that did not stop the violence, locals said. Sohotden said the gunmen returned and attacked one of the villages, Kwahaslalek, raising the total casualty figure there to 35.

“Within the town itself, that is where bodies are being recovered, but there are places we cannot enter at the moment,” said Sohotden, who spoke from a local hospital where more than a dozen people were being treated for various injuries.

Locals blamed the attacks on herders from the Fulani tribe, who have been accused of carrying out such mass killings across the northwest and central regions. That`s where the decades-long conflict over access to land and water has worsened the sectarian division between Christians and Muslims in Africa`s most populous nation.

The affected communities in the latest fighting were alerted of the impending attack but did not receive any assistance from security agencies, according to Lawrence Kyarshik, spokesman for the Mwaghavul Development Association community group. Such claims are common in conflict-hit Nigerian communities.

“The MDA (Mwaghavul Development Association) frowns at the activities of some of the military personnel who appear to be complacent in carrying out the constitutional duties they swore to protect all citizens of the country irrespective of tribe and religion,” Kyarshik said in a statement.

Nigerian authorities and security forces often fail to provide a clear account of such attacks and have also failed to investigate them and ensure justice for victims, said Anietie Ewang, Nigerian researcher with Human Rights Watch. “It is this continued failure of the authorities that is producing mass casualties, destruction of entire communities,” Ewang said.

source https://www.mid-day.com/news/world-news/article/at-least-50-villagers-shot-dead-in-latest-violence-in-northern-nigerian-state-of-plateau-23331879

Almost extinct rhino is pregnant from embryo transfer

A rhinoceros is pregnant through embryo transfer in the first successful use of a method that conservationists said might later make it possible to save the nearly extinct northern white rhino subspecies.

In testing with another subspecies, the researchers created a southern white rhino embryo in a lab from an egg and sperm that had been previously collected from other rhinos and transferred it into a southern white rhino surrogate mother in Kenya on September 24, 2023. The surrogate is now 70 days pregnant with a well-developed 6.4 cm male embryo, the BioRescue consortium of scientists and conservationists. Pregnancies in rhinos last about 16-18 months.

The northern white rhinoceros subspecies has only two known members left in the world. Najin, a 34-year-old, and her 23-year-old offspring, Fatu, are both incapable of natural reproduction, according to the Ol-Pejeta Conservancy where they live. The last male white rhino, Sudan, was 45 when he was euthanised in 2018 due to age-related complications. He was Najin’s sire.

source https://www.mid-day.com/news/world-news/article/almost-extinct-rhino-is-pregnant-from-embryo-transfer-23331859

More than 70 dead due illegal gold mine collapse

An unregulated gold mine collapsed late last week in Mali, killing more than 70 people, an official said Wednesday, and a search continued amid fears that the toll could rise.

Karim Berthe, a senior official at the government’s National Geology and Mining Directorate, confirmed the details to The Associated Press and called it an accident. There were around 100 people in the mine at the time of the collapse, according to Abdoulaye Pona, president of the Mali Chamber of Mines, who was at the scene.

The cause of the collapse, which happened in Kangaba district in the southwestern Koulikoro region on Friday, was under investigation. It was first reported on Tuesday in a Ministry of Mines statement that estimated “several” miners dead. Such tragedies are common in Mali, Africa’s No. 3 gold producer. Artisanal miners—small-scale, informal ones—are often accused of ignoring safety measures, especially in remote areas.

source https://www.mid-day.com/news/world-news/article/more-than-70-dead-due-illegal-gold-mine-collapse-23331858

Snow traps vehicles in Japan

Weather officials in Japan predicted more heavy snow Thursday, a day after nearly 800 vehicles were trapped for hours on an expressway in central Japan. The 6-km traffic jam happened after two trailers got stuck in the snow Wednesday, forcing soldiers to come in and help free the vehicles. Japan’s Meteorological Agency said as much as 60 cm of snow could fall in the Tohoku region through Friday, according to Japan’s Kyodo news agency, with heavy snow also expected on the northern island of Hokkaido and in other areas.

The traffic jam occurred on the Meishin Expressway in Gifu prefecture. Two children in a stranded vehicle became sick and were taken to a hospital, Kyodo reported. The Central Nippon Expressway Co. closed the road and mobilised snowplows and tow trucks to clear the stranded vehicles, while delivering snacks, drinking water and portable toilets for those trapped.

60 cm
Amount of snow that could fall on Friday

source https://www.mid-day.com/news/world-news/article/snow-traps-vehicles-in-japan-23331857