Hundreds stranded in rural Tibet after heavy rain: state media

Hundreds stranded in rural Tibet after heavy rain: state media
Swathes of northern China have already been baked by heat waves this summer, while unseasonably torrential rains have triggered deadly floods and landslides across much of the south. (AFP)
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Updated 10 July 2024
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Hundreds stranded in rural Tibet after heavy rain: state media

Hundreds stranded in rural Tibet after heavy rain: state media
  • At least 472 people, including local residents and tourists from outside the area, trapped
  • China is battling extreme weather across the country this summer

SHANGHAI: Hundreds of people were trapped in rural Tibet in recent days after heavy rainfall caused floods and landslides, Chinese state media reported on Wednesday.
At least 472 people, including local residents and tourists from outside the area, were trapped outside Chentang Township in the Shigatse area, state broadcaster CCTV said.
China is battling extreme weather across the country this summer, with the national weather agency expecting extreme heat to persist for much of the season.
Swathes of northern China have already been baked by heat waves this summer, while unseasonably torrential rains have triggered deadly floods and landslides across much of the south.
Climate change driven by human-emitted greenhouse gases makes extreme weather events more frequent and intense, and China is the world’s biggest emitter.
Continuous rainfall since Saturday in Tibet had left roads damaged, and “power and communications in the area of Chentang Township was cut off,” according to CCTV.
Footage published by the broadcaster showed murky water tumbling down rocky hillsides, and large groups of people trekking along crumbled roads.
Large parts of one road appeared to have fallen into a river, while another one was covered in debris from a landslide.
CCTV said rescuers had been working for four days, and had successfully relocated 342 of the stranded people to nearby urban areas.
“Additionally, more than 130 tourists from outside this area, migrant workers and merchants remain temporarily stranded there due to road disruptions, rainy weather and insufficient physical ability to walk long distances,” CCTV said.
An emergency communications network has now been set up in the area, according to the broadcaster.


Trump names billionaire investment banker Warren Stephens as his envoy to Britain

Trump names billionaire investment banker Warren Stephens as his envoy to Britain
Updated 21 sec ago
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Trump names billionaire investment banker Warren Stephens as his envoy to Britain

Trump names billionaire investment banker Warren Stephens as his envoy to Britain
  • Over the weekend, Trump announced he intends to nominate real estate developer Charles Kushner, father of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, to serve as ambassador to France

WASHINGTON: President-elect Donald Trump has named billionaire investment banker Warren Stephens as his envoy to Britain, a prestigious posting for the Republican donor whose contributions this year included $2 million to a Trump-backing super PAC.
Trump, in a post on his Truth Social site Monday evening, announced he was selecting Stephens to be the US ambassador to the Court of Saint James. The Senate is required to confirm the choice.
“Warren has always dreamed of serving the United States full time. I am thrilled that he will now have that opportunity as the top Diplomat, representing the USA. to one of America’s most cherished and beloved Allies,” Trump said in in his post.
Stephens is the chairman, president and CEO of Little Rock, Arkansas-based financial services firm Stephens Inc., having taken over the firm from his father.
Trump has already named many of his nominees for his Cabinet and high-profile diplomatic posts, assembling a roster of staunch loyalists. Over the weekend, Trump announced he intends to nominate real estate developer Charles Kushner, father of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, to serve as ambassador to France.
During his first term, Trump selected Robert “Woody” Johnson, a contributor to his campaign and the owner of the New York Jets football team, as his representative to the United Kingdom.

 


US announces new $725 mn package for Ukraine including more mines

US announces new $725 mn package for Ukraine including more mines
Updated 03 December 2024
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US announces new $725 mn package for Ukraine including more mines

US announces new $725 mn package for Ukraine including more mines
  • It includes anti-personnel land mines, ammunition for HIMARS precision rocket launchers, Stinger missiles, counter-drone systems, anti-armor weapons and artillery ammunition, Blinken said in a statement

WASHINGTON: The United States on Monday announced a new $725 million military aid package for Ukraine that features a second tranche of land mines as well as anti-air and anti-armor weapons.
US President Joe Biden’s administration is working against the clock to provide billions of dollars in aid to Kyiv before President-elect Donald Trump takes office, after which future assistance for Ukraine will be in doubt.
Less than two months before Trump is set to be sworn in, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that the package was part of efforts “to ensure Ukraine has the capabilities it needs to defend itself against Russian aggression.”
It includes anti-personnel land mines, ammunition for HIMARS precision rocket launchers, Stinger missiles, counter-drone systems, anti-armor weapons and artillery ammunition, Blinken said in a statement.
The United States announced a first shipment of land mines to Ukraine last month — a major policy shift slammed by rights groups.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has said that the decision was necessitated by Russian forces leading with dismounted infantry units instead of vehicles.
The Ukrainians “have a need for things that can help slow down that effort on the part of the Russians,” Austin told journalists last month.
The outgoing US administration is working to get as much aid as possible to Ukraine before Trump — who has repeatedly criticized US assistance for Kyiv, claiming he could secure a ceasefire within hours — takes over the presidency.
Trump’s comments have triggered fears in Kyiv and Europe about the future of US aid, and Ukraine’s ability to withstand Russian attacks in the absence of further American support.
On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that his country needed security guarantees from NATO and more weapons to defend itself before any talks with Russia.
Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder said Monday that all remaining US funding for Kyiv would be used.
“At the president’s direction, we will spend every dollar that Congress has appropriated for Ukraine and to replenish our stockpiles,” Ryder told journalists.
Speaking prior to the announcement of the latest package, he put the total aid that can still be drawn from US stockpiles at $6.8 billion, while more than $2.2 billion is available to procure weapons and equipment from the defense industry.
Austin spoke on Monday with his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov, providing “an update on the continued surge of US security assistance to Ukraine to provide the capabilities it needs to defend against Russian aggression,” the Pentagon said.
The United States has been a key military backer of Ukraine, committing more than $60 billion in weapons, ammunition and other security aid since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.


Family first: Biden joins list of US presidents pardoning relatives

Family first: Biden joins list of US presidents pardoning relatives
Updated 02 December 2024
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Family first: Biden joins list of US presidents pardoning relatives

Family first: Biden joins list of US presidents pardoning relatives
  • Bill Clinton granted a pardon to his half-brother Roger, who had served time in prison on 1985 drug charges
  • Donald Trump pardoned Charles Kushner, a fellow real estate magnate whose son Jared is married to Trump’s daughter Ivanka

WASHINGTON: US presidents traditionally dole out pardons as they leave office but Joe Biden’s “full and unconditional” pardon of his son Hunter is a rare instance involving a family member.
Bill Clinton granted a pardon to his half-brother Roger, who had served time in prison on 1985 drug charges, on January 20, 2001, his last day in office.
And Donald Trump pardoned Charles Kushner, a fellow real estate magnate whose son Jared is married to Trump’s daughter Ivanka, at the end of his first term in the White House.
Trump, now president-elect, nominated Kushner, 70, who pleaded guilty in 2004 to tax evasion, witness tampering and making illegal campaign contributions, on Saturday to be the next US ambassador to France.
Kushner, who served 14 months in prison, admitted hiring a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law, who was cooperating in the campaign finance inquiry, and sending a videotape of the encounter to his own sister.
Hunter Biden, who has struggled with alcohol and drug addiction, is the first child of a sitting president to receive a pardon.
His father, who leaves office on January 20, had repeatedly said he would not pardon his son — but in announcing the move on Sunday he claimed that Hunter had been “selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted.”
“I believe in the justice system, but as I have wrestled with this, I also believe raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice,” Biden said.
“No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son — and that is wrong,” the president said.
Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to tax evasion in September and was facing up to 17 years in prison. He risked 25 years in prison for the felony gun charge but was not expected to receive such stiff sentences in either case.
Presidents have also used their constitutionally-mandated pardon powers over the years on close friends and political allies.
One of the most controversial pardons in recent years was that of former president Richard Nixon by his successor in the White House, Gerald Ford.
Ford granted a “full and unconditional” pardon to Nixon, who was facing potential prosecution over the Watergate scandal, on September 8, 1974.
Trump is the first former president convicted of a crime — falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment to a porn star — but he will not be able to pardon himself because the case involved state and not federal charges.


Trump warns ‘hell to pay’ if Gaza hostages not freed before his inauguration

Trump warns ‘hell to pay’ if Gaza hostages not freed before his inauguration
Updated 02 December 2024
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Trump warns ‘hell to pay’ if Gaza hostages not freed before his inauguration

Trump warns ‘hell to pay’ if Gaza hostages not freed before his inauguration
  • Trump has vowed staunch support for Israel and to dispense with Biden’s occasional criticism
  • Israel’s retaliatory campaign post Oct. 7 has killed more than 44,000 people in Gaza

WASHINGTON: US President-elect Donald Trump on Monday warned Gaza militants of massive repercussions if hostages are not released by the time he takes office.
The threat comes after exhaustive diplomacy by outgoing President Joe Biden’s administration that has so far failed to secure a deal that would both end Israel’s war in Gaza and free hostages seized 14 months ago.
“If the hostages are not released prior to January 20, 2025, the date that I proudly assume Office as President of the United States, there will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East, and for those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities against Humanity,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
“Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW!“
Trump has vowed staunch support for Israel and to dispense with Biden’s occasional criticism, but has also spoken of his desire to secure deals on the world stage.
Hamas staged the deadliest ever attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. The assault resulted in 1,208 deaths, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Militants seized 251 hostages during the attack, some of whom were already dead. Of those, 97 are still held in Gaza, including 35 the army says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed 44,429 people in Gaza, according to figures from the territory’s health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.


Philippine navy tracks Russian submarine spotted in South China Sea  

Philippine navy tracks Russian submarine spotted in South China Sea  
Updated 02 December 2024
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Philippine navy tracks Russian submarine spotted in South China Sea  

Philippine navy tracks Russian submarine spotted in South China Sea  
  • Manila has faced increasing territorial confrontations in disputed waters
  • Russia’s Kilo-class submarines are known to be among the stealthiest  

MANILA: A warship and aircraft were deployed by the Philippine military to track a Russian submarine that passed through the South China Sea off the country’s western coast last week, a navy official said on Monday. 

The Russian Kilo-class submarine was sighted in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone on Nov. 28, about 80 nautical miles off the western province of Occidental Mindoro, according to the Armed Forces of the Philippines. 

“At the onset, we were surprised. We were concerned why there was a submarine,” Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad, Philippine Navy spokesman for the South China Sea, told Arab News. 

“We sent four different aircraft over a span of four days, we made several sorties and we also dispatched a frigate, and we established communications.” 

The Russian submarine, which identified itself as UFA 490, said it was waiting for improved weather conditions and was en route home to the eastern city of Vladivostok after wrapping up an exercise with the Malaysian navy. 

It has since left the Philippines’ EEZ and was moving slowly in surface mode, which was “unusual,” Trinidad said. 

Russia’s Kilo-class submarines are considered some of the stealthiest and have been regularly refined since the 1980s. 

The Russian Embassy in Manila could not be reached for comment.

The submarine, like other foreign ships, has the right to pass through the Philippines’ EEZ under the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea’s freedom of navigation. 

But the Russian vessel’s presence still raised concerns in Manila, which has dealt with increasing territorial confrontations in the disputed South China Sea, particularly between Chinese and Philippine coast guard and naval forces. 

“All of that is very concerning. Any intrusion into the West Philippine Sea, of our EEZ, of our baselines, is very worrisome. So yes, it’s just another one,” President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. told reporters on Monday.

The Philippines, China and several other countries have overlapping claims in the disputed waters, a strategic waterway through which billions of dollars of goods pass each year. 

Beijing has maintained its expansive claims of the area, despite a 2016 international tribunal ruling the historical assertion to it had no basis.

In 2022, China and Russia declared a “no limits” partnership when Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Beijing. The two countries carried out live-fire naval exercises in the South China Sea in July.