News And Current Events
I just found out there was an assassination attempt. He got shot in the ear it's all caught on tape https://apnews.com/live/election-biden-trump-campaign-updates-07-13-2024
nypost.com
Former President Donald Trump is expected to work the fry cooker at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania this weekend after raising doubts about Vice President Kamala Harris’ past employment at the fast food restaurant, according to a report. A source familiar with the matter told the Philadelphia Inquirer on Tuesday the GOP presidential nominee will serve up some fast food at the Golden Arches during a campaign stop in the crucial swing state on Sunday.
CBS staff are scared to speak up for a Jewish colleague caught up in an impartiality row for fear of being “ostracised” by their bosses, insiders have claimed. The network has been thrown into turmoil over an interview by Tony Dokoupil, one of its morning news anchors, after he was criticised by executives for showing bias towards Israel. In the interview, with the pro-Palestinian author Ta-Nehisi Coates, Mr Dokoupil said his comments about Gaza “would not be out of place in the backpack of an extremist” and asked: “What is it that so particularly offends you about the existence of a Jewish state that is a Jewish safe place?” He was later admonished on an all-staff call, where executives said the interview had not met the network’s impartiality standards. Sources on the show said Mr Dokoupil had previously been criticised internally for showing bias towards Israel. However, CBS News bosses were then criticised for the intervention, including by the CEO of the network’s parent company, who said it was a “mistake” and that the interview had been a model of “civil discourse”. An ally of Mr Dokoupil told The Telegraph that staff were now afraid to come to his defence because they feared being sidelined by executives. One source at the network said that the anchor’s critics in the newsroom had made assumptions about his views on Israel, and established a narrative about his reporting that others were afraid to challenge. They said most staff supported the interview, but feared reprisals for speaking up for their colleague because senior bosses had closed ranks in the face of public scrutiny. CBS News is embroiled in several impartiality controversies, with Donald Trump claiming that it favourably edited an interview with Kamala Harris on Monday to improve her answers. A preview clip of the vice-president offering a vague “word salad” answer on the Middle East was edited out of her interview on “60 Minutes”, the network’s flagship magazine show.
www.telegraph.co.uk
Joe Biden is considering sending American troops to operate a missile defence system in Israel as the country prepares for an exchange of attacks with Iran. The Pentagon has reportedly discussed deploying a Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) missile battery, which could be used to intercept Iranian missiles, and would be operated by US military personnel. It comes as Washington prepares for Israel’s response to Iran’s missile attack of Oct 1, which is expected within days and could include a missile strike on military facilities in Iran. Israel’s retaliation is expected to provoke a counter-strike from Iran – a deadly exchange of missiles that threatens to escalate the conflict towards a wider regional war. A THAAD battery would be operated by American forces on the ground, marking the first time that US troops have been deployed in combat in Israel during the current crisis. American troops have already been deployed in Gaza to build a “pier” for the delivery of humanitarian aid, on US Navy ships in the Mediterranean and to man air defences from neighbouring Iraq and Syria.
www.presstv.ir
The Israeli regime has defended its decision to ban the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, accusing the leader of the world’s top international body of “anti-Semitic behavior.” The Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday justified Tel Aviv’s decision to ban Guterres from entering the Israeli-occupied lands after more than 100 UN member nations protested the move. He claimed that they banned Guterres from “entering Israel because he did not condemn the Iranian missile fire” on occupied territories and “his anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli behavior.” Iran carried out a retaliatory operation against the Israeli regime, dubbed Operation True Promise II, on October 1 in response to the regime’s assassinations of Hamas’s chief Ismail Haniyeh, Hezbollah’s leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and IRGC commander Abbas Nilforoushan. The United Nations on Wednesday called Israel’s decision to label the UN chief as a “persona non grata” and ban Guterres from entering the Israeli-occupied Palestinian lands as an abortive political move.
rightlivelihood.org
# Issa Amro / Youth Against Settlements - Right Livelihood  #### Issa Amro / Youth Against Settlements Palestine "For their steadfast nonviolent resistance to Israel's illegal occupation, promoting Palestinian civic action through peaceful means." Issa Amro is a Palestinian human rights activist who has dedicated his life to peaceful resistance against Israeli occupation in the West Bank city of Hebron. Together with the activist group he founded, Youth Against Settlements (YAS), he has become a leading voice in the non-violent movement, striving to create a future where Palestinians live freely and with dignity. His efforts have garnered international recognition, and his strict commitment to non-violence stands in stark contrast to the violent realities of the Israeli occupation. Amro and YAS have successfully mobilised local communities and international allies to resist the ongoing Israeli occupation through peaceful means. YAS plays an essential role in documenting human rights violations, organising protests, and supporting local communities in Hebron who live under constant threats and attacks from Israeli settlers and military forces. The group's initiatives have also served as an inspiration for non-violent resistance in other Palestinian cities under Israeli occupation. Amro and the group have been under constant pressure from settlers, the Israeli military and also the Palestinian Authority. Amro has been detained, tortured, attacked on the streets, evicted from home and subjected to judicial harassment. However, he has kept his unwavering commitment to non-violent resistance, which he sees as the only way to achieve justice and peace for the people of Palestine. ## I have three choices: to use violence and I will be the hero of Palestine for one month; to accept to live under occupation and accept to be a slave; or to fight the occupation using non-violent resistance. So you choose: everybody would choose to fight using non-violence. Issa Amro, 2024 Laureate ## Biography Issa Amro is a Palestinian human rights activist and founder of Youth Against Settlements, a grassroots group committed to non-violent resistance against Israeli occupation in the West Bank. Amro's work has earned him international recognition for his steadfast commitment to peace despite facing relentless violence and oppression from settlers, the Israeli military and the Palestinian Authority. <figure data-wp-context="" data-wp-interactive="core/image"> <img src="https://rightlivelihood.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/issa-amro-side-1024x682.jpg" class="moz-reader-block-img" data-wp-init="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on--click="actions.showLightbox" data-wp-on--load="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on-window--resize="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-moz-reader-center="true" width="1024" height="682" /> </figure> ### Hebron: A Microcosm of the Oppression The Palestinian territory of the West Bank has been subjected to Israeli military occupation since the 1967 Six-Day War. The settlements are illegal under international law, a determination which was strengthened in July 2024, when the top UN court issued an advisory opinion concluding that Israel's occupation, settlements, and annexation of Palestinian territories are unlawful. The court also noted that Israeli measures were in breach of the international prohibition on racial segregation and apartheid. The city of Hebron is one of the most contested areas in the West Bank, with about 800 Israeli settlers living under heavy military protection amidst more than 200,000 Palestinian residents. The Israeli military and settlers occupy 20 per cent of the city, known as Area H2, leaving the Palestinian population in constant confrontation with settlers and soldiers. For Palestinians in Hebron, daily life is marked by checkpoints, curfews, restricted movement, and frequent violence, creating a climate of fear and uncertainty. The city's core, including the historically significant Shuhada Street, remains closed to Palestinians, contributing to deep economic and social hardships. The Israeli settlers, many of whom are extremists, frequently harass Palestinians, exacerbating tensions. These settlers, backed by the Israeli military, operate with near impunity, often assaulting Palestinian residents and confiscating their property. The situation has significantly worsened since the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, and Israel's nearly year-long military offensive in Gaza. In the West Bank, more than 600 Palestinians have been killed and thousands detained as of September 2024, according to the UN. The Israeli military has been constantly increasing closures and limitations on movement. ### Amro's Path to Activism Born in 1980, Amro spent his early life studying -- and on the football pitch -- with dreams of becoming an engineering professor. However, several key events, including the 1994 Ibrahimi Mosque massacre, where an Israeli extremist opened fire at a Hebron mosque killing 29 people and injuring 125, opened his eyes to the harsh realities of Israeli settler terror and led him to seek ways to contribute to the Palestinian cause. The 2003 closure of his university, Palestine Polytechnic University, during the Second Intifada was a turning point for Amro. What started as a desire to continue his studies became a movement, as he led fellow students in a six-month civil disobedience campaign to reopen the university, marking the beginning of his lifelong commitment to activism. > "I managed to reopen the university with other students," Amro said. "I graduated as an engineer and as an activist: it became part of my character." After university, Amro joined the Israeli human rights organisation B'Tselem, which has long been involved in documenting human rights violations in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories. ### Founding Youth Against Settlements In 2007, Amro established YAS, aiming to give Palestinians a stronger voice in the struggle against the occupation. The group's primary goal is to mobilise Palestinians of all ages, but especially the youth, to resist the Israeli occupation peacefully and to reject the use of violence. YAS quickly became a unifying force for Palestinians from various political backgrounds, promoting unity and peaceful resistance without aligning with any political party. The group's work includes documenting injustices and providing legal support to Palestinians. They also organise protests, raise global attention by giving advocacy tours for international delegations, and support local families in Hebron through home repairs and community-building initiatives. As of 2024, YAS was operating with about 25 activists. ### Innovative Use of Non-Violent Methods From the beginning, Amro has been committed to non-violence as the most effective means of resisting the occupation. He studied global non-violent movements, particularly those led by Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. and fellow [Right Livelihood Laureate](https://rightlivelihood.org/the-change-makers/find-a-laureate/gene-sharp/) [Gene Sharp](https://rightlivelihood.org/the-change-makers/find-a-laureate/gene-sharp/), and used their methods to shape YAS's strategy. One of YAS's most significant achievements has been the **Open Shuhada Street Campaign**, which commemorates the 1994 Ibrahimi Mosque massacre and calls for the reopening of the city's main street, which remains closed to Palestinians. This campaign has gained international attention, with hundreds of actions and protests organised globally each year. Another innovative programme has been the **Camera Distribution Project**, which Amro began in 2006 while still working for B'Tselem. Aiming to distribute 20,000 cameras to Palestinian families in Hebron, Amro encouraged them to document the violence they faced from Israeli settlers and soldiers. Initially, many families were hesitant, fearing that using cameras would make them targets. However, as the project gained traction and more incidents of violence were captured on film, it became a powerful tool for exposing the occupation to the world. Today, the culture of documentation has become widespread in Hebron, with residents using smartphones to capture abuses and seek to hold Israeli forces accountable. To this day, Amro trains university students on how and what to film while also urging them to capture their daily lives, including the things they enjoy. In 2019, YAS launched another initiative, replacing the UN's Temporary International Presence in Hebron after the international observer group was expelled by Israel. YAS volunteers donned blue vests and **escorted Palestinian children to school** to protect them from settler attacks, continuing the work of international observers with limited resources but great determination. While opposed by both Israeli forces and the Palestinian Authority, this project gained wide international attention and praise. In addition to his work in Hebron, Amro has helped establish a broader movement for non-violence across Palestine. YAS's success in Hebron inspired similar initiatives in other cities like Ramallah, Jenin, and Nablus. Amro has also engaged in international advocacy, meeting with diplomats, journalists, and human rights organisations worldwide to raise awareness about the occupation. His efforts have led to increased international solidarity and Hebron being recognised as a symbol of Israeli occupation. ### Facing Violence, Eviction and Legal Battles Despite Amro's commitment to peaceful resistance, he has faced numerous challenges from both the Israeli military and the Palestinian Authority (PA) while being constantly harassed by Israeli settlers. Amro has been frequently arrested and tortured by the Israeli military. On October 7, 2023, Amro was detained, beaten, and tortured by Israeli soldiers, even though he has always been an outspoken critic of Hamas and has no affiliation with the group. Later that month, he was forcibly evicted from his house by the Israeli military, only to return after a legal battle. Amro has also faced numerous legal charges. Palestinians in the West Bank are prosecuted through Israeli military courts, where they have a nearly 100 per cent conviction rate, according to the UN. At the same time, Israelis are tried in civilian courts. Despite the rigged judicial system, Amro has won several legal victories, including, most recently, a defamation case against an Israeli right-wing organisation that falsely accused him of terrorism ties. He has often been a target of the PA, as well. In 2017, Amro was detained and tortured by the PA for his outspoken stance on the need for reforms and democracy within the Palestinian leadership. They have tried to discredit him by saying that he was a spy for European countries. Amro said that defending the voice of Palestinians -- also against the Palestinian leadership, which he calls corrupt -- was a principle for him. Amro has survived multiple physical assaults by settlers. Living next door to them, Amro is subject to daily harassment and insults, conducted under the protection of the Israeli military. Despite these attacks, Amro has continued his work, noting that it's been the international recognition that has most likely kept him alive. > "It's a miracle that I still exist," he said. "It's a miracle that \[I am\] not killed, not arrested, not giving up." ### A Vision for the Future In December 2023, Amro's brother Ahmad, a key figure in YAS, passed away from a heart attack, leaving Amro with a profound sense of responsibility to continue their shared mission. Despite the violence and repression he faces daily, Amro remains optimistic about the future. He continues to advocate for Palestinian unity, a new Palestinian leadership, and peaceful resistance against the Israeli occupation. Looking forward, Amro is focused on expanding YAS's work, particularly its community initiatives. The group has already established the **Karamati Women's Center** to empower Palestinian women through leadership and education programmes and is planning to open a youth centre. Amro also works on opening a cinema in Hebron to promote cultural expression and resistance through art. Throughout these initiatives, Amro is working to keep global attention on the Palestinian cause and ensure the existence of Palestinian families in Hebron. > "When the kids come to me in the street, shake my hand, hug me and say good things to me, I feel that I'm doing something right to change their future," he said. Amro's dedication to non-violence, in the face of brutal occupation, has made him a symbol of hope for Palestinians and the global community: Amro's message of peace and resistance against oppression continues to inspire people striving for justice around the world.
nypost.com
Florida could be facing one of the worst hurricane catastrophes of all time as Hurricane Milton continues to build to one of the most powerful storms ever to make landfall on the Gulf Coast. “Unless we get extremely lucky, Milton will be one of the biggest hurricane disasters in history,” leading Fox Weather hurricane meteorologist Bryan Norcross predicted Monday, shortly after the hurricane was upgraded to a Category 5 storm with winds of 180 mph. Norcross said it is too early to call where the storm will hit when it makes landfall Wednesday, but that if it follows the current trajectory and strikes Tampa Bay directly the city “will go underwater.” “The Gulf water will be pushed up to 12 feet above normal high tide along the entire densely populated west coast of Florida near and south of where Milton’s center comes ashore,” Norcross said on Fox Weather. A later forecast from the National Hurricane Center preducted storm surge for Tampa Bay could hit up to 15 feet. Milton is currently expected to be the first time Tampa Bay has been directly hit by a hurricane in over 100 years – possibly spelling disaster for the low-lying city. The last time it was struck in 1921 the storm surge was lower than current predictions, and the city was still flooded through. Florida Senator Marco Rubio echoed Norcross’s warnings, saying Milton’s current forecasts matched “worst case” scenarios he’d previously asked experts to compile.
One of the concepts that emerged from military and public discourse since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas War is "Missile Economics." It’s not enough to have the best missile or bomb; you also need to maintain a large enough stockpile to meet your needs and the capability to replenish that stockpile in the event of a prolonged war. Even in developing weapons that can fly at speeds of thousands of kilometers per hour, armed with warheads and sophisticated sensors, it all comes down to money. Israel's state commission of inquiry into the war will also need to address this issue, as prior to October 7, along with political and intelligence failures, there was a significant shortcoming in adequately equipping the Israel Air Force, armored units, and artillery with sufficient munitions. The unwritten rule is that the interceptor missile always costs more than the missile being intercepted. Defense is more expensive than offense. This was the situation with the Patriot system against Scud missiles in the Gulf War of 1991, and it’s been the case with Iron Dome interceptors against rockets from Hamas and Hezbollah since 2011. This is the equation that the "Iron Beam" laser interception system, currently being developed by the Defense Ministry and Rafael, is trying to change. The first operational laser systems are expected to be delivered to the IDF by the end of 2025. Instead of using a hidden missile that costs around $100,000, it reduces the cost of interception to just a few dollars for each shot, which is essentially the cost of electricity. Even when adding maintenance and wear costs, this represents a significant economic-security revolution. According to IDF reports, Iran launched 181 ballistic missiles at Israel this past Tuesday, and the IDF's air defense system intercepted most of them. The United States, through its missile destroyers, intercepted 12 missiles, according to American reports. This means that the Iranians launched about 200 missiles, with a few falling along the way in Iran and Iraq. A ballistic missile with a range of 1,500 to 2,000 kilometers is expensive. Estimates suggest that it costs the Iranians at least one million dollars to produce each missile, and they employed advanced models such as Emad and Kheibar, and even the Fattah-1, which is claimed to be hypersonic—meaning it can fly and maneuver at speeds exceeding five times the speed of sound—in an attempt to deceive the air defense systems trying to intercept it. Around $200 million is a hefty sum for a missile barrage and certainly not an insignificant portion of Iran's missile stockpile. However, from Tehran's perspective, it represents a relatively light hit to their finances. According to a Reuters report, Iran has managed, even under international sanctions, to export oil worth $35 billion annually. This missile barrage cost them the equivalent of just two days of exports—not something they would do daily, but also not an expense the country would struggle to manage every few months, especially while neglecting other branches of the military to invest in missile technology.
www.frontpagemag.com
Of course, from a very biased source, but I found the content to be really interesting, and it meticulously links back to other sources (the Jerusalem Post, New York Post, etc.).
theprint.in
America’s religious freedom watchdog has issued a new report alleging “collapse” of religious freedoms in India, highlighting “discrimination” and “hateful rhetoric” against minorities by the ruling BJP government. Such rhetoric led by “political officials”, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, intensified leading to the June election, the report claimed. The report released Wednesday said the “the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government made a concerted effort to implement election promises that negatively and disproportionately impacted religious minorities and their ability to practice their faith”. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), which monitors the universal right to freedom of religion or belief abroad, said “religious freedom conditions in India continue to follow a deteriorating and concerning trajectory”. *It blamed the Indian government’s alleged repression of communities through laws like the anti-conversion, anti-cow slaughter, and anti-terrorism laws. It also mentioned the 2024 Waqf Amendment Bill that seeks to include “non-muslim members on Waqf boards”.* It raised concern over “dozens of attacks involving cow vigilantism”, including the assault of a 72-year-old man and a 19-year-old student, alongside the “161 cases” of violence against Christians between January and March this year. It further highlighted the February demolition of a 600-year-old Akhoondji Mosque in Delhi allegedly without any notice. This India-centric review or country update report, published only months after the federal agency’s annual report in May, comes amid External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s ongoing diplomatic trip to the US and barely two weeks after Narendra Modi’s three-day visit. ... At the national level, the report noted that the enactment of CAA, the inauguration of the Ram Temple, and the rhetoric around a Uniform Civil Code were perceived as “threats” and “rejected” by religious minorities. Actions like these, the report suggested, were “justified by government officials as necessary to protect India’s ‘cultural (and) linguistic heritage’—a common euphemism for Hindu supremacy, often at the expense of religious minority”. The report added that domestic laws such as the UAPA were used to “crack down on civil society organizations, religious minorities, human rights defenders, and journalists reporting on religious freedom”, citing the detention of activists G.N. Saibaba and Umar Khalid. The USCIRF also made note of Prime Minister Modi’s speeches at election rallies reportedly referring to Muslims as “infiltrators”, and claimed that the “opposition party would wipe out (the) Hindu faith from the country”. Similar rhetoric was propagated by Home Minister Amit Shah and other members of the BJP, the report said. It mentioned the introduction of the new criminal laws and alleged new provisions “may pose an additional threat to freedom of expression, association, and right to a free trial, particularly for religious minorities”.
Israel will respond "quite forcefully" to Iran's Tuesday missile assault, potentially going after the country's nuclear facilities and going after Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei himself, retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, a national security adviser under former President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, said Tuesday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told the world that he "'we have given you repeated opportunities to bring this thing to a conclusion,'" and as that hasn't happened, "I think he's going for the killing," Kellogg told Fox News. "He's going to respond quite forcefully," Kellogg said. "I think if I was Iran I would say I think he's going to make a key shot at the nuclear facilities and going after the supreme leader." Tuesday's air attack, he added, will set "everything in motion for a much wider war in the Middle East," as the Israelis have decided that they've had enough. "It's probably about time," said Kellogg. This needs to be brought to some type of conclusion. If we are not going to help them conclude it, they are going to have to do it on their own. That's probably what they are trying to do."
Private, nonprofit colleges in California will be banned from giving preference in the admissions process to applicants related to alumni or donors of the school under a new law signed this week by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The goal of the measure passed this year by legislators is to give students a fair opportunity to access higher education, regardless of their socioeconomic status. “In California, everyone should be able to get ahead through merit, skill, and hard work,” Newsom said in a statement after signing the bill Monday. “The California Dream shouldn’t be accessible to just a lucky few, which is why we’re opening the door to higher education wide enough for everyone, fairly.” The law taking effect in Sept. 2025 affects private institutions that consider family connections in admissions, including the University of Southern California, Stanford University, Claremont McKenna College and Santa Clara University. The public University of California system eliminated legacy preferences in 1998. Legacy admissions came under renewed scrutiny after the U.S. Supreme Court last year struck down affirmative action in college admissions.
www.aljazeera.com
Hassan Nasrallah, the longtime leader of Hezbollah, was killed in a massive Israeli air attack on Beirut on Friday evening, the Lebanon-based group has confirmed. The Israeli army had claimed the assassination earlier in the day. Nasrallah, who reached the peak of his popularity after the war with Israel in 2006, was seen as a hero by many, not just in Lebanon but beyond. Standing up to Israel is what defined him and his Iranian-backed group, Hezbollah, for years. But that changed when Hezbollah sent fighters to Syria to crush the uprising threatening President Bashar al-Assad’s rule. Nasrallah was no longer seen as a leader of a resistance movement but the leader of a Shia party fighting for Iranian interests, and was criticised by many Arab countries. Even before Hezbollah’s involvement in the war in Syria, Nasrallah had failed to convince many in the Sunni Muslim Arab world that his movement was not behind the 2005 assassination of Lebanon’s former prime minister, Rafik Hariri. An international tribunal indicted four members of the group for the murder and one was later convicted. Despite this, Nasrallah continued to enjoy support from his loyal base – mainly Lebanon’s Shia Muslims – who revered him as a leader and religious figurehead. Born in 1960, Nasrallah‘s early childhood in East Beirut is cloaked in political mythology. One of nine siblings, he is said to have been pious from an early age, often taking long walks to the city centre to find second-hand books on Islam. Nasrallah himself has described how he would spend his free time as a child staring reverently at a portrait of the Shia scholar Musa al-Sadr – a pastime that foreshadowed his future concern with politics and Shia communities in Lebanon. In 1974, Sadr founded an organisation – the Movement of the Deprived – that became the ideological kernel for the well-known Lebanese party and Hezbollah rival, Amal. In the 1980s, Amal mined support from middle-class Shia who had grown frustrated with the sect‘s historic marginalisation in Lebanon, to grow into a powerful political movement. Besides commandeering an anti-establishment message, Amal also provided stable income to many Shia families, unfurling a complex system of patronage across Lebanon‘s south. After the outbreak of civil war between Lebanon‘s Christian Maronites and Muslims, Nasrallah joined Amal’s movement and fought with its militia. But as the conflict progressed, Amal adopted a staunchly unsympathetic stance towards the presence of Palestinian militias in Lebanon. Disturbed by this stance, Nasrallah split from Amal in 1982, shortly after Israel’s invasion of Lebanon, and formed a new group with Iranian support that would later become Hezbollah. By 1985, Hezbollah had crystallised its own worldview in a founding document, which addressed the “downtrodden of Lebanon“ and named the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran as its one true leader.
edition.cnn.com
China says it successfully fired an intercontinental ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday, a rare public test that analysts said was meant to send a message to the United States and its allies amid heightened regional tensions. An ICBM carrying a dummy warhead was launched at 8:44 a.m. Beijing time and fell into a designated area in the high seas of the Pacific Ocean, the Chinese Defense Ministry said in a statement. It did not specify the missile’s flight path or landing location. The ministry said the launch, by the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force, was part of its routine annual training and not directed at any country or target. It comes as China and Russia conduct joint naval exercises in nearby seas close to Japan. The launch “effectively tested the performance of weapons and equipment as well as the training level of the troops, and achieved the expected objectives,” state news agency Xinhua said in a separate report, adding that China had “notified relevant countries in advance” of the test. A Pentagon spokesperson said the US received “some advanced notification” of the test from Beijing, calling it “a step in the right direction … to preventing any misperception or miscalculation.”
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is increasingly hostile to government regulation and skeptical of social justice, sources familiar told The New York Times on Tuesday. People who have spoken with Zuckerberg recently say that his beliefs now most align with libertarianism or “classical liberalism,” and that the tech mogul has made moves to clamp down on left-wing activism within Meta, according to the NYT. Zuckerberg’s ideological trajectory tracks with a broader rightward shift occurring in the upper echelons of Silicon Valley, with many tech executives who have previously supported Democrats now throwing money behind former President Donald Trump. Zuckerberg is also attempting to mend his relationship with Trump, with the two sharing a cordial phone call and the president expressing gratitude for the tech CEO’s kind words following the attempt on his life, according to the NYT. “Seeing Donald Trump get up after getting shot in the face and pump his fist in the air with the American flag is one of the most badass things I’ve ever seen in my life,” Zuckerberg said following the attempted assassination in June. “On some level as an American, it’s like hard to not get kind of emotional about that spirit and that fight, and I think that that’s why a lot of people like the guy.”
The spring that officially begins today brings sour news in the opinion polls for President Javier Milei. All surveys indicate that his approval ratings have declined over the last few weeks, although they remain at a healthy average of around 45 percent positive. Given the scale of the economic adjustments his administration is implementing, this decline is occurring later than initially expected, but it is happening nonetheless. The trajectory from here will largely depend on the actions taken by the President and his inner circle. Milei's reputation has thus far rested on three main pillars: first, the slowing of inflation; second, his anti-establishment rhetoric; and third, the discredited opposition. However, the public is beginning to notice that the recession is deeper and longer than anticipated (the INDEC national statistics bureau has reported a 3.4-percent contraction in the first half of the year), and that prosperity may not be just around the corner. If the light at the end of the tunnel fails to appear, Argentines may start to question Milei’s ability to deliver results. In his Budget presentation to Congress last week, the President sought to capitalise on Argentina’s anti-“caste” sentiment. However, Milei struggles to align his quixotic fight with the political realities surrounding him, particularly in his relationship with Congress. Realpolitik is gaining ground, and he is now personally engaging in the more unsavoury aspects of politics. Not used to this, he has made some unforced errors: hosting a barbecue at the Olivos presidential residence for a group of loyal deputies who helped uphold his veto against an increase for retirees is something his top spin doctor, Santiago Caputo, should have advised against. The issue that most concerns Milei is the public’s perception of his ability to fix Argentina’s economy in a reasonable timeframe. “Fix” means that inflation will be lower than it is now and that the recession will end. A recent poll by Zuban Córdoba revealed that only four out of ten respondents have some trust in Milei's ability to improve the economy. Broadly, this is what the 2025 Budget proposal promises: inflation at around one percent monthly and the economy growing by five percent next year. ... The Zuban Córdoba poll revealed that only one in four Argentines believe their personal economic situation is better with Milei in office, while two-thirds report that they are relying on savings to make ends meet. This situation must improve dramatically for Milei by the time Argentines translate their views into votes a year from now. As you read this, the most heated debate within the Milei administration revolves around whether the current economic trajectory will position the government favourably for next year’s elections. The consensus — and Milei's opinion — tends to be optimistic: that Argentines will continue to value stability, lower inflation, and anti-establishment bravado. It is a risky bet, but the President seems willing to take it to avoid the more dramatic risk of opening the exchange rate market and suffering a run on the peso. Milei’s Budget plan and speech signal that he continues to believe his aggressive fiscal policy will ultimately pay off. The government is showcasing every piece of data supporting this view, such as the 2.1-percent increase in wholesale prices reported for August, the lowest in more than four years. However, counter-evidence exists: unemployment in Buenos Aires was reported to be at 7.3 percent in the first half of 2024, the highest level in two years.
www.rt.com
The Russian government on Monday backed “in principle” proposed legislation to outlaw propaganda that validates not having children, and to introduce administrative fines for its dissemination. The legislation envisions restrictions on spreading “child-free ideology” through media, movies, advertising, and the internet. The draft bill defines it as the “refusal to have children” and provides for fines on those who promote such ideas. While the government expressed support for the initiative “in principle,” it urged Russian legislators to further refine the bill. Specifically, it stated that the definition of the ideology as the “refusal to have children” must be clarified to ensure it doesn’t affect individuals whose “refusal” is motivated by religious beliefs or medical conditions. Victims of rape must be protected as well, the government stressed. The legislation is expected to be introduced on Tuesday in the lower chamber of the Russian parliament, the State Duma. One of the bill’s sponsors, senior MP and member of the Duma’s education committee, Elvira Aitkulova, explained that the bill is designed to tackle the dissemination of child-free propaganda only, rather than personal lifestyle choices.
www.theguardian.com
Telegram founder and chief executive Pavel Durov said Monday that the messaging platform had removed more “problematic content” and would take a more proactive approach to complying with government requests. The announcement comes weeks after his arrest in France on charges of failing to act against criminals using the app. Telegram’s search feature “has been abused by people who violated our terms of service to sell illegal goods”, Durov told the 13 million subscribers of his personal messaging channel. “Over the past few weeks” staff had combed through Telegram using artificial intelligence to ensure “all the problematic content we identified in Search is no longer accessible”, he said. Durov added that the platform had updated its terms of service and privacy policy to make clear that it would share infringers’ details with authorities – including internet IP addresses and phone numbers – “in response to valid legal requests”. “We won’t let bad actors jeopardise the integrity of our platform for almost a billion users,” he said. *Durov was arrested on 24 August as he arrived at Le Bourget airport outside Paris on a private jet. After days of questioning, he was charged with several counts of failing to curb extremist and terrorist content and released on a €5m ($5.6m) bail. During the investigation he must remain in France and report to police twice a week.*
www.breitbart.com
>Former President Donald Trump, flanked by two John Deere tractors, said Monday that if the company moves manufacturing to Mexico, he will impose a 200-percent tariff on the products it imports to the United States. >Trump’s pledge to protect American manufacturing jobs came during a roundtable in Smithton, Pennsylvania, with farmers, former Acting Director of National Security Ric Grenell, Republican Pennsylvania Senate nominee Dave McCormick, and former U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY). >“I just noticed behind me John Deere tractors. I know a lot about John Deere. I love the company, but, as you know, they’ve announced a few days ago that they’re going to move a lot of their manufacturing business to Mexico,” Trump said. >“I’m just notifying John Deere right now: If you do that, we’re putting a 200-percent tariff on everything that you want to sell into the United States,” Trump warned. >As Breitbart News reported, John Deere announced hundreds of layoffs in June that took effect August 30, as the company prepared layoffs at a plant in East Moline, Illinois, and in Davenport, Iowa. >“They haven’t started it yet. Maybe they haven’t even made the final decision yet, but I think they have,” he said. I am honestly a little curious... People on the left must surely agree with this..? It is economic nationalism: keeping working class jobs at home for the benefit of the local workers. Obviously, there's a lot more that should be done if you are pro-worker, but it is also interesting that much of the Left dismisses these policies and sees it as unfeasible to maintain the American working class and revitalize the rust belt.
www.breitbart.com
>“With this war, oftentimes, the deeper you look at it the less you understand. I’ve seen many leaders who were convinced they knew how to end it tomorrow, and as they waded deeper into it, they realized it’s not that simple,” he said, ripping Trump’s running mate, Vance, as “too radical.” >“Vance has come out with a more precise plan to—” the New Yorker asked as Zelensky chimed in, “to give up our territories.” >“Your words, not mine. But, yes, that’s the gist of it,” the New Yorker continued as Zelensky continued to, essentially, criticize the Trump-Vance ticket: >>His message seems to be that Ukraine must make a sacrifice. This brings us back to the question of the cost and who shoulders it. The idea that the world should end this war at Ukraine’s expense is unacceptable. But I do not consider this concept of his a plan, in any formal sense. This would be an awful idea, if a person were actually going to carry it out, to make Ukraine shoulder the costs of stopping the war by giving up its territories. But there’s certainly no way this could ever happen. This kind of scenario would have no basis in international norms, in U.N. statute, in justice. And it wouldn’t necessarily end the war, either. It’s just sloganeering. >It would be one thing if these were just interviews, but according to reports, Zelensky, who has been busying himself criticizing the Republican ticket for president, flew into the United States, touring an ammunition factory in the key swing state of Pennsylvania on Sunday. Further, it seems he arrived to the facility on an U.S. Air Force C-17. More at the site. Yes, it's "breitbart!" Oh no! But I did not find a similar story on BBC/CNN when I took a glance there and was not intending to hunt down alternatives with the same quotes. I consider Breitbart being very relevant by pointing out these criticisms of the Trump ticket and making an article around it.
pagesix.com
Janet Jackson’s team has denied issuing an apology for her remarks claiming Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris is “not Black.” A rep for the “All For You” songstress told People Sunday evening that an earlier statement shared by Mo Elmasri, who claimed to be Jackson’s manager, was unauthorized. Her rep told the outlet that Elmasri is not the singer’s manager, nor does that person represent her in any capacity. Randy Jackson is her manager. Elmasri claimed in the unapproved statement that Janet was apologizing for her comments on Harris’ racial identity, which were “based on misinformation.” The “Feedback” hitmaker, 58, came under scrutiny after questioning Harris’ race during an interview with the Guardian published on Saturday. When the pop star was asked about her thoughts on Americans voting for the first Black female presidential nominee, Janet said of Harris, “She’s not black. That’s what I heard. That she’s Indian.”
nypost.com
It’s easy to forget because he’s usually invisible but we still have Joe Biden as president for four months. That’s a scary prospect considering his obvious cognitive decline. He’s spent almost half his presidency goofing off and being shielded from scrutiny but the situation is rapidly getting worse. The fate of the free world should not be left in the hands of a man who can’t remember where he is or what he’s meant to be doing at any given moment. On Saturday, for instance, he made the prime ministers of India, Japan and Australia shlep to Wilmington, Del., for the annual meeting of the Quad, a partnership designed to keep an increasingly aggressive China in check. In public remarks livestreamed by the White House the president forgot that he was supposed to introduce Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Who am I introducing next?” Biden asked the crowd. After an awkward silence, he started shouting “Who’s next?” before Modi raced on stage all smiles and saved the day. The whole thing was an embarrassment. Starting with the fact that the Quad leaders were not being hosted with dignity at the White House and instead were housed at the rundown Hotel DuPont in Biden’s podunk hometown and had to hold their summit at Archmere Academy, the posh Catholic prep school Biden attended while his younger brothers had to content themselves with the local public school. At least the Quad leaders got individual tours of Joe’s palatial estate, which has been off limits to the media due to fascinating speculation about how the self-described “poorest man in Congress” could afford such luxury, a Georgian pile Joe had built by master craftsmen from Bryn Mawr on a lake in the ritziest neighborhood in Delaware, an upgrade from his former Du Pont mansion. In photographs dribbled out by the Australian delegation, we got a glimpse of the grandeur of the custom-built wood paneled library where Joe secreted classified documents dating back to his Senate days, for which he never was held accountable because special counsel Robert Hur thought he was too old and forgetful for a jury to convict. But why was this important meeting being held in Wilmington at all? The White House patched up a story about Biden wanting to show off his hometown but he’s never had the urge before and, quite honestly, there’s not much to show off. More likely it was that the White House was already booked out for the self-aggrandizement of the relentlessly ambitious first lady. ... Whether it’s Jill or someone else running the country, the bottom line is that we don’t have a functional president. This is a constitutional crisis. Kamala Harris is most to blame because she has the constitutional duty as vice president to ensure the president’s brain is not AWOL. She also knows more about Biden’s cognitive health than anyone, apart from Jill and Hunter Biden.
www.aljazeera.com
Israeli forces have hit a school-turned-shelter housing refugees in northern Gaza, killing at least seven people in yet another attack targeting schools, according to a spokesperson for the Palestinian Civil Defence.The Kafr Qasim School in the Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City, which was sheltering hundreds of displaced people, was targeted by an Israeli air strike, Mahmud Bassal said on Sunday. Among the wounded were “serious cases”, he added. The attack on the school comes a day after 22 people, including 13 children and six women, were killed by yet another Israeli air strike on a school sheltering war-displaced people in northern Gaza City. The Israeli army claimed it targeted Hamas fighters present in the compound but provided no proof of its claims. The military said it took measures to reduce the risk of harming “those not involved” such as using precision weaponry and intelligence information. The statement did not provide details about deaths. Israel has repeatedly targeted schools and other civilian infrastructure claiming it was being used by Hamas fighters, but it has rarely provided proof of its claims.
www.aljazeera.com
Press freedom groups and rights activists have condemned the Israeli military forcibly shutting down Al Jazeera’s office in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, calling the act an assault on journalism. Early on Sunday morning, Israeli soldiers raided the bureau of the Qatar-based network and ordered its closure for 45 days. The raid, captured on live TV, showed heavily armed Israeli troops handing an Israeli military court order to Al Jazeera’s bureau chief Walid al-Omari, informing him of the closure. Al-Omari later said the court order accused Al Jazeera of “incitement to and support of terrorism” and that the Israeli soldiers confiscated the bureau’s cameras before leaving. “Targeting journalists this way aims to erase the truth and prevent people from hearing the truth,” he said. During the raid, Israeli soldiers also tore down posters of slain Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, which were displayed on the walls of the bureau, al-Omari said. **The Ramallah office raid came five months after Israel shut the news channel’s operations in occupied East Jerusalem and took it off cable providers.**
theprint.in
New Delhi: Mexico is set to become the first country in the world to elect all its judges by popular vote after outgoing president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador signed Sunday an official decree for the controversial judicial reform law. The law which aims to elect over 6,000 judges and magistrates, including those presiding over the Supreme Court, has been met with opposition within and outside the country. The changes are being hailed as “historic” and “people’s will” by those in the government. Currently, judges and magistrates are appointed by an administrative body known as the Federal Judicial Council. The law, passed by the Senate, is one of the final goals of President Lopez Obrador. Known to be at loggerheads with the judiciary, the 70-year-old Mexico President has often criticised it for corruption and accused judges of being part of the mafia. The judicial overhaul brought by him in the last few weeks of his six-year term is a “means to clean up” corruption in courts, he said. “It’s very important to end corruption and impunity. We will make great progress when it is the people of Mexico who freely elect the judges, the magistrates, the justices,” Lopez told the press. “Judges, with honourable exceptions … are at the service of a predatory minority that has dedicated itself to plundering the country.” While conviction in graft cases is obscure, a government survey suggests that 66 percent of Mexicans perceive judges to be corrupt. The judiciary is also considered a space for nepotism and “influence peddling” with about 37 percent of judicial officials already having at least one family member in the judiciary. And, the new law aims to curtail this issue as well. The new law also reduces the number of SC judges from 11 to 9, reducing the term to 12 years. Another reason for the overhaul is the presence of drug cartels, which have on several instances pressured judges and threatened to kill them. The new law also states that organised crime can be handled by “anonymous judges”. ... Supreme Court chief judge Justice Norma Lucia Pina said that elected judges could be more vulnerable to pressure from criminals, in a country where powerful drug cartels regularly use bribery and intimidation to influence officials, Le Monde and AFP reported. Tyler Mattiace, an Americas researcher at Human Rights Watch, claimed “their (president and president elect’s) focus on how judges are chosen is mistaken. Their proposal will do nothing to address the true bottleneck in Mexico’s justice system: prosecutors’ willingness and capacity to investigate.” Outside the country, the US and Canada have raised concerns, calling Lopez Obrador’s new law a “risk to democracy” causing diplomatic tensions to arise. US Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar’s comments stating that the new law could “threaten” Mexico’s commercial relationship with the US, one of its top trading partners, was termed “disrespectful” to the country’s sovereignty by the president. Canada’s Ambassador Graeme C. Clark, too, voiced similar concerns claiming that investors are “concerned” over anticipation of increased uncertainty. “My investors are concerned. They want stability. They want a judicial system that works if there are problems,” he said.
www.bbc.com
Nine people, including a child, have been killed after handheld pagers used by members of the armed group Hezbollah to communicate exploded across Lebanon, the country’s health minister says. Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon was among 2,800 other people who were wounded by the simultaneous blasts in Beirut and several other regions. Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, said the pagers belonged “to employees of various Hezbollah units and institutions” and confirmed the deaths of eight fighters. The group blamed Israel for what it called “this criminal aggression” and vowed that it would get “just retribution”. The Israeli military declined to comment. Hours before the explosions, Israel’s security cabinet said stopping Hezbollah attacks on the north of the country to allow the safe return of displaced residents was an official war goal. There have been almost daily exchanges of fire across the Israel-Lebanon border since the day after the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza on 7 October. Hezbollah has said it is acting in support of the Iran-backed Palestinian group. In its latest statement on Wednesday, Hezbollah said it would carry on its "operations in support of Gaza", adding that this was a “continuous path separate from the hard price that awaits the enemy in response to its massacre on Tuesday”.
theprint.in
For your info: Lakh = 100,000 Crore = 10,000,000 > New Delhi: In 2019, between 3 and 10.4 lakh people in India died due to bacterial antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a condition in which pathogenic bacteria no longer respond to antibiotics, according to the new Global Research on Antimicrobial Resistance (GRAM) Project. The first analysis of the global burden of AMR, the project is a partnership between the University of Oxford and the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington. >The findings, published Tuesday in The Lancet, also said that over 39 crore deaths caused directly or indirectly by antibiotic-resistant infections are estimated to occur worldwide by 2050.
thecradle.co
Yemen stands as one of the few Arab states working to mount economic pressure on the occupation state by blocking the shipment of Israeli-bound goods from transiting the Red Sea and other regional waterways. Yet, while Yemen advances its sea blockades, other Arab states continue to provide a lifeline to Israel’s war-driven economy. Data from this year shows that countries that have normalized with Tel Aviv, like the UAE, Bahrain, Jordan, Egypt, and Morocco, are helping Israel overcome the blockade, providing critical trade routes that circumvent Yemeni efforts. Meanwhile, Turkiye, whose president has ratcheted up his anti-Israeli rhetoric in public, has pursued a more deceptive approach, rerouting goods through Palestinian customs – and Greece – to disguise the extent of its direct trade with Israel. The Cradle has previously reported on trade relations between Arab countries and Israel and how they are complicit in funding genocide. Despite expectations that these states would sever ties after Israel’s war of extermination on Gaza, the reality tells a different story. While Yemen, under the Ansarallah-aligned government in Sanaa, has imposed a naval blockade on Israeli ports, many Arab governments have not taken similar actions. Instead, these countries engage in a double game, publicly condemning Israel while quietly maintaining economic ties, much like Colombia, which formally cut ties with Tel Aviv but continued discreet cooperation behind the scenes. Trade figures for 2024 reveal a significant shift, particularly in relations between Bahrain and Israel. Israeli imports from Bahrain surged by an astonishing 1161.8 percent between January and July 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, despite Bahrain’s parliament issuing statements condemning Israel. In public, the two states played a very different game: Israel’s ambassador left Bahrain, and Manama recalled its envoy to Tel Aviv and suspended economic relations. These actions were largely symbolic, aimed at appeasing a Bahraini public that overwhelmingly opposes normalization with Israel rather than reflecting genuine policy changes. The UAE, a key player in the US-brokered 2020 Abraham Accords, saw its Israeli imports rise by 14.2 percent in 2024. As the region’s spearhead for normalization with Tel Aviv, Abu Dhabi continues to play a strategic role in the US–Israeli plans for Gaza in the post-war period. “Secret meetings” in July between officials from Israel, the US, and the UAE aimed at quelling any resistance within Gaza, highlight Abu Dhabi’s critical role in supporting Israel’s future political projects. It is important to note that the increase in imports from Bahrain and the UAE is primarily due to Israel’s growing reliance on their ports to transport goods from West Asia by land, through Saudi Arabia and Jordan, as a means of bypassing Yemeni strikes in the Red Sea. These parties deny the existence of this land route that The Cradle and other media outlets have long exposed. Previous reports indicate that adopting this land corridor has enabled Israel to increase exports of consumer goods, which were previously costly to transport by air or sea. Similarly, Egypt, the first Arab state to normalize relations with Tel Aviv in the 1978 Camp David Accords, has become increasingly critical to Israeli trade, with imports rising by 16 percent and exports surging by nearly 130 percent. Six Egyptian Mediterranean ports have become key transit hubs for goods moving in and out of Israel: Port Said, Al-Arish, Abu Qir, Alexandria, Dekheila, and Damietta. August reports, based on the tracking of 19 vessels over the preceding three months using open-source maritime data, revealed that these ships were exclusively engaged in round-trip voyages between Israeli and Egyptian ports. Notably, six vessels have been dedicated to ongoing cement transportation between these ports, supporting construction projects. This activity has contributed to the notable rise in Israel’s imports of investment products.
www.newsweek.com
President Joe Biden briefly donned a red "Trump 2024" hat during a visit to a Shanksville, Pennsylvania fire station, in what the White House described as a gesture of unity on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks. "At the Shanksville Fire Station, @POTUS spoke about the country's bipartisan unity after 9/11 and said we needed to get back to that," White House senior deputy press secretary Andrew Bates posted on social media. Bates said Biden gave a hat to a Trump supporter in the crowd as a friendly gesture. The supporter then asked Biden to put on a Trump cap in the name of bipartisanship, and the president went along, briefly wearing the red hat. "As a gesture, he gave a hat to a Trump supporter, who then suggested that, in the same spirit, POTUS should wear the Trump cap. He briefly put it on," Bates added. Biden, who was in Shanksville, the rural area where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into a field 23 years ago, wore the hat during a private meeting with community members and then took a picture with a group of children. The photo of the moment quickly went viral, particularly among Republicans.
www.forbes.com
Rightly embarrassed, Putin ordered the Kremlin to recapture Kursk by Oct. 1. And on Wednesday, Russian troops dutifully launched a counterattack along the western edge of the Ukrainian salient. “Russia's counteroffensive to drive Ukrainians out of the Kursk region has officially begun,” Finnish analyst Joni Askola announced. The Russians targeted Snagosk, a village just south of the Seym River, eight miles north of the border. The main thrust involved at least eight tanks and other armored vehicles from the Russian 51st Airborne Regiment. Hours into the counterattack, the village remains contested. “The situation on the left flank of our group in Kursk worsened,” Ukrainian analysis group Deep State noted. Simultaneously, a separate Russian force rolled toward the village of Ulanok, on the Ukrainians’ right flank in Kursk. Exactly how the Russians got to Snagosk is unclear. There are two routes to the village from Russian-controlled territory: from the northwest across the Seym River or across dry ground from the nearby town of Korenevo. The latter seems likelier, as the Ukrainian military has destroyed every permanent bridge over the Seym in Kursk—and also destroyed most or all of the pontoon bridges the Russians have assembled in the area. It’s a delicate situation for the Ukrainians at a delicate time. The general staff in Kyiv took a big risk in ordering an attack in Kursk. In eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast, the powerful Russian 2nd Combined Arms Army has been steadily marching toward Pokrovsk, a key Ukrainian stronghold sitting astride some important supply lines.
Quebec Liberal MP Alexandra Mendes said Monday she's heard from "dozens and dozens" of constituents over the summer telling her it's time for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step aside after nearly nine years at the top. Speaking to Radio-Canada, CBC's French-language service, on the sidelines of the Liberal caucus retreat in Nanaimo, B.C., Mendes said her constituents are "very adamant the prime minister needs to go." She said while she's personally fine with Trudeau staying on as prime minister, "my constituents do not see Mr. Trudeau as the person who should lead the party into the next election, and that's the message that I carry." "I didn't hear it from two, three people. I heard it from dozens and dozens of people," Mendes said. "He's no longer the right leader." Mendes is one of a small number of Liberal MPs who have been willing to speak out publicly about ongoing dissatisfaction with Trudeau and his leadership. Asked if she thinks the party would be better off with Trudeau gone, Mendes said: "Yes, that's what I would deduct from all the comments that I heard. "It's not the Liberal Party per se that is the cause. It's really the leadership of the prime minister." Mendes is a long-time Liberal. After working for a federal Liberal cabinet minister, Mendes was elected as an MP in 2008 representing Montreal's south shore. She lost to an NDP candidate in the Orange Wave that swept over Quebec in the 2011 election.
news.sky.com
Labour's post-election honeymoon looks to be over as it faces pressure this week over winter fuel payments, releasing prisoners early, and the state of the NHS. Two months after winning a historic majority, Sir Keir Starmer and his ministers have a busy week as they face pressure not just from other parties, but their own MPs. A vote on winter fuel payments, the prime minister speaking at the TUC conference, prisoners being released early, the publication of a report into the NHS and Sir Keir's trip to the US are all on the cards this week. Monday will see Chancellor Rachel Reeves addressing Labour MPs at a Parliamentary Labour Party meeting, where she is expected to face concerns about removing the winter fuel payment from 10 million pensioners. MPs will vote on Tuesday on whether to limit the winter fuel payment to those on pension credit, after the government announced its intention at the end of July. Labour MPs will be told they must vote with the government, however several, particularly on the left of the party, have voiced their opposition to the cut. It is understood they may abstain instead of voting against the government, after Sir Keir set a clear precedent by suspending seven MPs from Labour after they rebelled over the decision to keep the two-child benefit cap. Sir Keir would not say if he would again suspend MPs for voting against the government, telling the BBC on Sunday: "That will be a matter for the chief whip." ... Sharon Graham, head of the Unite union, told Sky News on Sunday that they want the government to "think again" and called for a wealth tax instead. She said: "We are in crisis. The Tories left a mess. No one's denying that. Labour is right about that, but the choices they make to clear it up are really important. "If we said the top 50 families in Britain are worth £500 billion, why aren't they being looked at? "Why are you looking at pensioners who really don't have any sort of type of money? That's the wrong choice to make."
www.bbc.com