World News

Summary

Clashes erupted in Sambhal, India, after a court-ordered survey investigated whether a 16th-century mosque was built on a Hindu temple site.

Four people were killed in the violence, which was sparked by Hindu nationalist claims that the mosque was built on a temple site.

Summary

Germany is compiling a list of 579 existing bunkers and potential emergency shelters, including train stations, car parks, and private properties, amid rising tensions with Russia.

A digital directory and app will help civilians locate shelters, while citizens are encouraged to convert basements or garages for protection.

Down from 2,000 bunkers during the Cold War, the 579 bunkers now accommodate 480,000 people in a country of 84 million.

The initiative follows heightened concerns over Russian aggression, increased espionage in Germany, and warnings from German intelligence about potential NATO threats by 2030.

Summary

Elon Musk labeled Britain a “tyrannical police state” on X, criticized Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s leadership, and questioned the imprisonment of far-right activist Tommy Robinson.

Musk’s comments coincide with his role as a key adviser to Trump, raising concerns in the U.K. about its relationship with the incoming administration.

Musk also criticized Starmer’s policies, including increased farm inheritance taxes, and boosted far-right content on X.

This follows similar clashes with other U.S. allies, including Germany and Australia, over their domestic policies.

Summary

Former Ukrainian boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko accused podcaster Joe Rogan of “repeating Russian propaganda” after Rogan criticized U.S. military aid to Ukraine and suggested it could escalate into World War III.

Klitschko defended Ukraine’s resistance against Russia, highlighting the country’s fight for freedom and condemning Rogan’s remarks as aiding Putin’s agenda.

He invited Rogan to discuss their differences on the podcast “like free men.”

Rogan, who recently endorsed Donald Trump, called the war a “proxy war” and criticized Biden’s decision to allow Ukraine to strike Russian soil with U.S.-supplied missiles.

Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, told VOA on Monday that negotiations toward a cease-fire with Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Lebanese Shia militia, are "moving forward" but have not been “finalized."

The indictment of Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant on war crimes charges is a disaster for Israel. It is also a huge problem for the western alliance.

Israel is getting full-throated bipartisan support in the US, as it attempts to fight off the International Criminal Court’s charges against its prime minister and former defence minister. But most governments in the EU, as well as Britain, Australia and Canada, are likely to respect the indictment. However reluctantly, they will have to arrest Netanyahu if he sets foot on their soil.

Even in normal times, this split between the US and its main allies would be very difficult. But these are far from normal times. Donald Trump, who will be president from January 20, has already pledged to take actions that are profoundly threatening to the interests of America’s friends.

Trump has promised to impose tariffs of 10-20 per cent, which will hit European and Asian exporters. His commitment to the Nato alliance is in doubt. And his plan for a peace deal with Russia could imperil the security of Europe.

Another bitter transatlantic confrontation — this time over Israel — is the last thing the western alliance needs. But that is what is coming.

Some Israeli ministers are already gleefully anticipating that the Trump administration will allow Israel to formally annex parts of the occupied West Bank and Gaza. That would be regarded as dangerous and illegal by the EU.

The Trump administration will almost certainly push through sanctions against the prosecutor and staff of the ICC. There is also talk in Republican circles of destroying the court, perhaps by threatening to sanction the countries that finance it. Japan, Germany, France and Britain are the four biggest donors to the ICC.

Neither Israel nor the US seems keen to engage in detail with the actual charges in the indictment, which include accusations that Israel has murdered civilians and used “starvation as a method of warfare”. Instead, the Trumpist right embraces Netanyahu’s claim that the ICC is driven by antisemitism. The fact that the court has also indicted Vladimir Putin, Hamas and numerous African leaders will be brushed aside as the court and its European backers are tarred as Jew-haters.

The reality is that most European governments have done a lot to support Israel since the Hamas atrocities of October 7 2023. Britain and France recently took part in military action to protect Israel against Iranian missiles.

Some EU countries, such as Germany, are so committed to Israel that they may break with the ICC despite accepting the court’s legitimacy. But the instinct of most European nations will be to combine support for Israel’s right to defend itself with support for an international legal system that enforces rules of war.

The issues at stake go beyond the immediate question of possible war crimes in Gaza. Most medium-sized democracies in Europe and Asia understand the dangers of reverting to a world where great powers and their clients act with impunity.

Some breaches of international law, such as defying a ruling by the World Trade Organization, do not sound too terrifying. But Russia has already demonstrated that defying international law can also mean seizing territory, abducting children and slaughtering civilians.

The legitimacy of the international campaign to deter Russian aggression is based on international law, with the ICC case against Putin as a centrepiece. If America, which hailed the indictment of Putin, now turns on the ICC — and the international legal order that it represents — then the chances of persuading a sceptical world to enforce sanctions against Russia or Iran or North Korea are severely diminished.

The emerging clash between the US and its allies over Israel is part of a much broader argument about the future of the world order. John Ikenberry of Princeton University argues that Trump is turning the US into a revisionist state that is challenging every element of the liberal international order it once built: free trade, openness to migration, multilateralism, security alliances, solidarity between democratic nations and the protection of human rights.

The ICC is a relatively recent addition to the international legal system. It only began operating in 2002. The US, Russia, China, India and Israel are not among the 124 countries that have accepted the court’s jurisdiction. But deliberately destroying it will send a dangerous message — at a time when authoritarian powers are increasingly confident about waging war and committing human rights abuses.

As the world’s most powerful country, America may feel that appealing to international law and institutions is something that only wimpy Europeans need to do. But even the mighty US needs allies and global rules.

The coalitions that America is constructing against Russia and China are built around an appeal to international law. The US has used legal justifications to bolster its pushback against China in the South China Sea and Russia in Ukraine. Even the Russians and the Chinese always try to claim that they are acting in accordance with global rules. They know that openly violating international law loses a country allies and opens it to sanctions.

International law can be frustrating and its operation can seem inconsistent. But a world without law will be a frightening and dangerous place.

gideon.rachman@ft.com

Don't think I need to summarize this one. This is bad news for everyone.

Summary

A U.N. report shows that 140 women and girls were killed daily by intimate partners or family members in 2023, totaling 51,100 victims, an increase of 2,300 from 2022.

The rise reflects improved data collection rather than an increase in violence.

The highest rates were in Africa, with 2.9 victims per 100,000 people.

Despite global prevention efforts, these killings, often the result of ongoing gender-based violence, persist at alarming levels.

The report emphasizes the preventability of such violence through timely and effective interventions.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/33682266

The Thai Army has reportedly ordered the withdrawal of United Wa State Army (UWSA) forces from Thai territory in Mae Hong Son, with artillery units on standby to strike if the UWSA does not comply by December 18.

The UWSA is estimated to have up to 30,000 armed soldiers, approximately 10,000 of whom are based in southern Shan State along the border with Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son.

Summary

ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe, Germany’s largest steelmaker, plans to cut 11,000 jobs, a third of its workforce, by 2030 due to increased competition from cheap imports, especially from Asia.

The restructuring includes 5,000 job cuts, 6,000 outsourced or eliminated positions, and reduced steel production capacity.

The company plans to spin off its steel division into an independent entity, a move opposed by labor leaders.

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/48251951

KEY POINTS

• Russian food inflation remains rampant, with butter prices rising 30% since December last year. Sunflower oil and vegetables are among the other items seeing ongoing price rises.
• Russia’s central bank last month hiked interest rates to 21% — their highest level in over 20 years — but the high rates have shown few signs of dampening inflation so far.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied that Russia has exchanged “butter for guns,” as the country’s leadership has deflected blame for price rises onto “unfriendly” countries.

Summary

A Swiftair cargo plane operated by DHL crashed near Vilnius, Lithuania, killing a Spanish crew member and injuring three others. The plane skidded into a house but caused no ground casualties.

Authorities are investigating the cause, with no evidence of foul play yet. Lithuanian officials haven’t ruled out sabotage amid heightened concerns over Russian-linked incidents in Europe.

Weather and mechanical issues are also being examined.

The 31-year-old Boeing 737 crashed 1.5 kilometers from the runway during its approach, and black box data will be key to determining the cause.

Summary

Peri Pamir, a Turkish woman, was convicted twice for sharing a Guardian article about a British woman killed fighting with Kurdish forces in Syria.

Pamir received a suspended sentence and five years of probation for “spreading propaganda for a terrorist organization.”

Despite her appeal, she received the same sentence in a retrial.

Israel has approved a resolution to cut ties with the Israeli news outlet Haaretz and ban government funding bodies from communicating or placing advertisements with the newspaper.

The government said its decision was due to “many articles that have hurt the legitimacy of the state of Israel and its right to self-defence, and particularly the remarks made in London by Haaretz publisher Amos Schocken that support terrorism and call for imposing sanctions on the government,” Haaretz reported on Sunday.

“Like his friends [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan, and [Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor] Orban, Netanyahu is trying to silence a critical, independent newspaper. Haaretz will not balk and will not morph into a government pamphlet that publishes messages approved by the government and its leader,” the outlet added.

“It dismisses the costs of both sides for defending the settlements while fighting the Palestinian freedom fighters that Israel calls ‘terrorists’,” he added.

Following an Israeli public outcry over the comments, Schocken said that his mention of Palestinian freedom fighters did not mean Hamas.

Many nations hope to reduce the half a billion tons of plastic made each year. But pushback from plastic and oil producers, and Donald Trump’s election, could scuttle an agreement.

Summary

Taiwan's Defense Ministry reported spotting a Chinese balloon over waters north of the island, the first such incident since April.

The balloon, seen Sunday near Keelung port, flew at 33,000 feet for two hours before disappearing. Additionally, 12 Chinese military aircraft and seven warships were detected near Taiwan.

Taipei perceives such balloons as “grey-zone” harassment, a maneuver that falls short of an act of war, as it approaches its January elections. In contrast, Beijing refutes the spying claims, asserting that they are merely meteorological devices.

Tensions persist as Taiwan accuses China of escalating pressure, amid ongoing U.S. military support for the island.

Summary

Romania’s presidential election will be a runoff between far-right Calin Georgescu and center-right Elena Lasconi. The Social Democratic Party’s Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu unexpectedly finished third.

Georgescu, who polled at 5% in the first round, surged to 22.9% with anti-NATO rhetoric, while Lasconi secured 19.16% with votes abroad.

The largely ceremonial presidency influences defense spending, a critical issue for Romania balancing NATO obligations, support for Ukraine, and fiscal challenges.

The winner will succeed pro-Ukraine President Klaus Iohannis.

Kim Dotcom, the internet entrepreneur fighting deportation from New Zealand to the United States on charges relating to his file-sharing website Megaupload, has suffered a “serious stroke”, a post on his X account said Monday.

“I have the best health professionals helping me to make a recovery. I will be back as soon as I can. Please be patient and pray for my family and I,” the post said.

Dotcom’s lawyer, Ira Rothken, confirmed to The Associated Press that the contents of the statement were accurate. Rothken would not say whether Dotcom or someone else wrote the post and did not provide further details.